Chapter 5 #2
The drink did little to calm the uncomfortable feeling that had settled in my gut, but I refused to acknowledge it as worry.
It was anger, plain and simple, at being taken off guard, at her thoughtlessness in creating complications I didn’t need right now.
With water rights finally secured, I had been planning to move on the McCullough property, but now I would have to waste time dealing with speculation about my marriage.
The thought tightened my jaw, made me drink more deeply than I intended.
But I needed to talk to someone, get ahead of whatever story might be making its way through the ranching community already.
Corrine. She would know what to do, how to handle this situation with minimal disruption to business.
I grabbed my phone again and dialed her number, pacing the kitchen as I waited for her to answer.
“Ephraim, to what do I owe this late night pleasure?” Her smooth voice carried both surprise and that sharp intelligence I had come to rely on.
“It’s Larkin,” I said, the words sounding more abrupt than I had intended. “She’s left.”
There was a beat of silence on the line, then Corrine’s measured response. “Left the ranch for a visit to family or friends? Or left in a more permanent sense?”
I ran a hand through my hair, a nervous gesture I rarely allowed myself in public. “The latter. Left her ring, left a note, took some personal belongings but not everything.”
Another pause, then Corrine’s tone shifted to one I recognized from our business dealings, the one that said she was already analyzing the situation from all angles. “I see. And do you know where she went?”
“No.” The admission was grating. “I haven’t been able to reach her.”
Corrine’s response was immediate, her voice taking on a practical edge. “Well, the first thing we need to do is control the information flow. Have you told anyone?”
“Of course not. You’re the first person I’ve spoken to.” That was a small comfort, at least, knowing this disaster was contained for the moment.
“Good. My advice would be to carry on as normal. Don’t make any announcements or changes to your schedule.
People will notice her absence, but they’ll look to you for cues on how to react.
If you act as if this is a temporary situation, perhaps a family visit she neglected to mention to anyone else, that will be the prevailing narrative. ”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “That makes sense. There’s no need to air private marital business anyway.”
“Precisely,” Corrine agreed. “And may I ask, what prompted this departure? I know things have seemed strained lately, but this seems extreme even for that.”
I hesitated, not wanting to revisit the conversation I had barely had with Larkin since our dinner at Corrine’s home. “It’s complicated. She seems to think she needs space to rediscover herself, whatever that means.”
“Ah.” Corrine’s response held a note of understanding that I found irritatingly condescending. “Well, sometimes women do need to feel a sense of independence, even when they have perfectly comfortable lives. It’s often a temporary phase.”
“Comfortable,” I repeated, tasting the word. “Is that what you think she wants? Comfort? Because if that was the issue, this is about the most comfortable life anyone could possibly have.”
“I’m sure you’ve provided everything one could want, Ephraim,” Corrine replied soothingly.
“But sometimes women convince themselves they want something different, only to realize what they had was exactly what they needed all along. Give her time. I predict she’ll be back before you know it, grateful for the stability you provide. ”
The assurance should have been more comforting than it was.
Instead, I felt the edge of anger returning, the irrational sense that everyone seemed to understand Larkin’s thinking better than I did, as if she were some complex equation that required solving while I had simply been expecting the answer to be what it always had been.
“Well, I appreciate the perspective,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. “Perhaps we should move ahead with the McCullough negotiations regardless. Business doesn’t wait for personal drama.”
“A wise approach,” Corrine agreed. “In fact, why don’t I come by tomorrow to review the figures? We can use the distraction of work to keep focus where it should be.”
The suggestion was reasonable, practical, and exactly what I needed to hear. “That would be helpful. Thank you, Corrine. I know I can rely on you to handle this with discretion.”
“Of course. I’ve always considered you a close friend, Ephraim. Whatever this is with Larkin, it will pass.”
As I ended the call, a measure of relief settled over me.
Corrine was right, this would pass. Larkin would realize her mistake, and life would return to normal.
For now, I would focus on what I controlled, what I had always controlled best: the business.
Let her have her time to “find herself” while I continued expanding the empire that defined not just my legacy but hers as well.
Whether she chose to acknowledge it or not.
I went to bed that night alone, the cold sheets and vast expanse of the mattress serving as a stark reminder of her absence.
But I refused to let it unsettle me further.
I had built an empire from nothing, expanded it beyond what my forebears had imagined.
I could certainly manage a temporary household disruption caused by an impulsive wife.
Tomorrow would be business as usual, the Holt name moving forward with or without her understanding of her role in it.