Chapter Nineteen
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A LARGE BLACK ESCALADE pulls through the tree line as I leave the barn. From here, I can make out two people in the front seat, and when they get closer, it’s easier to recognize the two men Joseph was talking to at the festival.
Because I don’t know how much longer I’ll be in this town, especially after I tell Sloan about what happened yesterday, I got up early this morning to clean out the stalls and save the horses—and me—from dealing with Charlie’s wrath. It had returned full force last night when she returned from work, and while I’m not sure what set her off, I know seeing my face when she came upstairs didn’t help. She stomped up the rest of the way and slammed her bedroom door behind her, rattling the frames on the wall. Joseph stood at the bottom of the stairs, shaking his head with a sigh before disappearing down the hall to retire for the evening.
The front door slams, catching my attention as Charlie stomps down the steps toward my truck. She flings open the passenger door, climbs in, and slams it behind her.
Great. This is going to be a fun day.
Maybe I shouldn’t go to the station today. I don’t think dragging her along on that particular errand is the best idea. I didn’t want to bring her with me in the first place, but Joseph insisted she tag along instead of making multiple trips into town. She and I shared a look. It was obvious neither of us wanted to be in such quarters, but we couldn’t tell Joseph that. He didn’t question when she complained about it—her father was used to Charlie being hot and cold toward me—but if I refused, it would look suspicious and require more explanation than I was willing to give. So, I gave up the fight and told her to be ready by eight o’clock sharp.
“Good luck, Xavier, she’s in one of her moods,” Joseph calls from the porch when he walks out of the house. Settling a cowboy hat on his head, he glances toward my truck and shakes his head.
“Anything in particular?” I ask.
“Take your pick.” Joseph chuckles. “Well, would you look at that? A hummingbird!”
Sure enough, fluttering at the far end of the porch is one of the small birds with rapid-fire wings and a long, slender beak that flows into a fiery red throat. The sun reflects off its iridescent feathers—vibrant shades of green, blue, and purple—hovering near one of the Morello flowers Charlie planted a few days ago.
“First one I’ve seen this year. She’s a pretty thing,” Joseph says, walking down the steps.
The distinct thud of a car door pulls my attention away from the bird. The two men have finally exited the oversized SUV, and the shorter one stares straight at me as they walk toward the house.
“Well, I’ll see you when you get back. Don’t take too long and don’t get more than is absolutely necessary for the fence, you hear?” Joseph instructs.
“Sure, Joe,” I say, holding the man’s gaze. Something about him feels…familiar, but it’s not the same feeling as when I first saw Cooper or Dakota. This is different.
When I get in the driver’s seat, I keep the many thoughts running through my mind to myself. Does Charlie know who those men are? What are they doing here and why were they meeting with Joseph alone? Every time a new question forms, I think about asking her, but the irritation rolling off her tells me to leave her alone…for now.
About fifteen minutes into the drive, I called off my trip to the police station. I’ll have to make the trip down tomorrow during my lunch break when I can talk to Sloan without Charlie’s lingering presence. As I load the supplies from Sullivan’s into the back of the truck, she hasn’t moved from her spot in the front seat, but I know she’s breathing because her arms are no longer crossed, and she sits on her hands. Her eyes are set forward, gaze narrowed as she chews on the corner of her mouth. I’m starting to think her irritation with me is about more than what happened between us…
“You wanna talk about it?” I ask, closing the door after I climb into my seat.
“No.”
Any other day, I would let it go, but not today. Charlie seems extremely bothered by whatever is happening and I know what happened between us isn’t helping. I hate being part of her problems. So, if she will let me, I’ll try to be part of the solution.
“C’mon, you can tell me. What’s bothering you?”
Charlie scoffs. “And why would I tell you?”
“Because it’s better than holding it in,” I say, backing out from the hardware store.
Charlie pulls her hands from under her legs and cracks her knuckles before wringing her hands together. She fidgets the whole way to the post office, the one errand she had to run today. I expect her to jump out of her seat and run inside as soon as I park, but she does the opposite. With a heavy sigh, she rubs her neck and pinches the skin between her thumb and forefinger, clearing her throat.
“He’s selling the ranch,” she says so quietly I almost don’t hear her. Charlie scoffs before she takes a shaky breath. I don’t have to see her eyes to know tears have begun to spring in the corners of her eyes. Shaking her head, she leans back against the headrest, and a tear trails down her cheek. “Says it’s become too much and he can’t keep up with it. Can’t afford to keep up with it. He’s gonna sell it off to those vultures before the bank can take it.”
“Is that who showed up before we left?” I ask, and she nods. “I’m sorry, Charlie. I wish I could do something.”
“Yeah, me too.” Flinging her door open, she storms out of the truck and into the post office.
My shoulders fall with a sigh, staring at the door she walked through. I can sympathize with her. When things seem to be looking up, everyone—me included—pulls the rug out from under her.
Isn’t that how it always works?
Within minutes, Charlie stomps back to the truck, a package in her arms. She tosses it onto the floor beneath her feet without care for whatever is inside and sits back in her seat, folding her arms tightly across her chest and gluing her gaze to the windshield.
“How ’bout we go grab something to eat? Might make you feel better.”
“Not in the mood,” she says, looking out the window instead.
“My mom used to say there wasn’t anything a good meal couldn’t fix.” We both freeze as soon as the words leave my mouth.
“You just remembered?” Wide green eyes turn to me.
“Y-yeah, I guess so.” I don’t know where it came from, either. The words popped into my head, and I said them…but when I tried to think of my mom, there was only a vague outline of a woman.
“Better hope it all comes back before you don’t have anywhere to stay.” And she’s back to being a brat.
I roll my eyes and back out, driving to the end of town where my favorite diner awaits us.
Charlie looks around at our surroundings, quickly realizing we are not headed for the ranch. “I said—”
“I know, but I don’t care. We’re going in here to get something to eat. I know you haven’t eaten much since the other night.”
“What do you care, Xavier?” She practically spits my name, and I remind myself not to fall into her trap. She’s in a bad mood because of everything going on. I shouldn’t take it too personally. Maybe a little, though.
Parking at the diner, I say, “Charlie, get out of the truck now.” Before she can challenge me, I repeat myself. “Now.”
With a loud huff, she does as she’s told.
Mom was right. Nothing a good meal can’t fix or make a little better. Charlie’s mood had improved significantly after getting some food in her stomach. Helen took one look at her and immediately knew what to give her: one of their famous chicken pot pies and a slice of lemon meringue pie. By the third bite, Charlie was a brand-new person.
However, that new person disappears when we drive through the Blackwood Ranch gate. She sees the Escalade still parked in front of the house. It’s now joined by another vehicle I don’t recognize—a silver Jeep Wrangler. They can’t be from around here. Most people in Bezer drive older SUVs, and most aren’t Jeeps—surprisingly.
Charlie slams the passenger door, takes off toward the house, and lets the front door slam behind her. The door slams one more time when she comes back outside. “They’re not inside. Where in the hell—”
“Charlie! Xavier!” I hear Joseph shout from behind me. He waves, walking down from the barn with the same two men behind him. “There you are. I was starting to wonder if you were ever coming back. I want to introduce you to some people.”
“No, thanks,” Charlie says, her voice laced with enough venom to poison all four of us were she to strike.
Joseph ignores her, introducing them anyway. “Jace, Ben…I’d like to properly introduce you to my daughter, Charlie, and our house guest, Xavier. He’s the one I was telling you about who has been doing all the work around the ranch.”
Both men stare straight at me. Neither one tries to hide it, and the shorter one fails to hide the smile tugging at his lips. It’s not a normal smile you give to someone you just met. It’s the kind of smile when you know something everyone else in the room doesn’t. He steps forward and extends his hand. “Hi there, I’m Jace. It’s nice to meet you…Xavier, was it?”
“That’s what they call me,” I say, shaking his hand.
“Yeah, because you don’t even know your own name,” Charlie says with a slight scoff, earning a glare from me and Joseph. Why in the hell would she say that? These guys don’t need to know what a nutcase I am.
“You don’t know your name?” Jace asks, cocking his head to the side.
Joseph sighs, glaring at his daughter one more time. “Xavier was in an accident and unfortunately lost his memory. He’s been with us since we found him wandering the woods last—Oh, good! She’s here.”
Joseph beams, staring past Jace and Ben back to the barn. When I follow his gaze, my heart stops.
It’s her .
I have no doubt it’s her—the woman I’ve been dreaming of.
When our eyes meet, she braces herself against the barn door. Little by little, the fog that has infiltrated my mind for the last twelve months lifts, and I can see everything.
I know who I am.
I know who she is.
The pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit together. We may be almost a football field apart, but I can see the emotions displayed across her face. The tears in her eyes. The flush in her cheeks. The way her chest heaves with each shuttered breath. She wants to, but she doesn’t make the first move.
She waits to see what I’m going to do…
I can only imagine what she’s been going through the past year, and I hate myself for putting her through it. I’d do anything to take it back, and I will. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right. But right now, all that matters is the woman in front of me— my wife.
“Dee.”