Chapter Twenty-Eight #2
"I think Flint made a terrible decision," he said.
"If he walks back through that door tomorrow, I fully intend to tell him exactly how terrible it was.
But I also watched him yesterday." He sighed.
"Yesterday changed something for me. I spent weeks believing Flint was the danger.
Then I watched him yesterday, and I realized he was more frightened for you than for himself. "
Daisy sat up straighter.
"He saw those bruises on your arm," Nathan said quietly.
"He heard what that man said to you. He stood in that workshop and looked at the damage Amos left behind.
He looked like a man carrying the weight of it all himself.
" Nathan sighed. "That doesn't excuse what he did.
It doesn't make him right. It only means I don't believe he left because he wanted to hurt you. "
“I am surprised to hear you defend him,” Daisy admitted. “After everything you have said to me.” She drew a shaky breath. "I almost wish you were angry with him. At least then this would make sense."
“I spent weeks wishing he would leave,” he said. “I won’t pretend otherwise. Every day he stayed in this house felt like another day that danger came closer to you.”
“And now he has left. You should be pleased.”
“I’m not.”
Daisy stared at him, unable to reconcile those two words with everything she'd expected him to say.
“He thinks he’s protecting me.” Emotion rose in Daisy. “He looked at everything I told him about leaving after the fever, everything I said about not being allowed to choose, and he did it anyway. He must think me weak.”
“Listen to me, Daisy. Flint has made plenty of mistakes, and I intend to keep a list available for future reference, but I don’t believe he thinks you’re weak.”
“Then why leave me behind?”
“Because he thinks you’re precious.”
A knock at the front door interrupted whatever Nathan was about to say.
"Daisy?"
Clara's voice carried through the house, and relief hit hard enough to make Daisy's eyes burn.
"Come in."
Clara crossed the room immediately and wrapped her in a hug. The familiar scent of lavender soap and wool surrounded her, carrying years of shared history.
"He left," Daisy said, her voice catching against Clara's shoulder.
"I thought he might." Clara held her a little tighter before easing back. "Wyatt is saddling horses."
"Where does he think Flint went?"
Clara shrugged. "The railroad stockyards, one of Amos's cattle pens, or somewhere along the saloon district."
Daisy folded her arms.
"You want to go," Clara said quietly.
"Yes."
"Nathan won’t allow it."
Daisy didn’t care. "Nathan has been saying no since I was still wearing pigtails."
Nathan sounded offended. "You once climbed onto a roof after a kitten."
"The kitten needed help."
"The kitten came down before you did."
Despite everything, the memory tugged at the corner of Daisy's mouth. The faint smile faded almost as quickly as it came.
"I can't do this again," Daisy admitted.
Clara took her hands. "You mean wait?"
"I mean, being left behind while somebody else decides what's best for me."
"Flint was wrong. He was wrong to leave without speaking to you," Clara continued. "He was wrong to decide this alone."
Daisy lowered her head. "Then why do I understand why he did it?"
"Because loving somebody doesn't prevent them from making foolish decisions."
Nathan joined in. "I've known Flint's family for years. I can assure you it's practically a tradition."
Clara squeezed Daisy's hand. "Flint loves you. I don't doubt that for a second."
The words hurt because Daisy already knew they were true. She had to live with the knowledge that love sat at the center of the very thing that wounded her.
"I did the same thing to him," Daisy said quietly, turning the truth over as she spoke it aloud. "I convinced myself I was protecting him when I was really deciding his future without his permission. Understanding why he left doesn't make it hurt any less."
Clara's expression softened. "No," she agreed. "It rarely does."
Daisy let the silence linger, waiting until Clara finally drew a careful breath.
"The men need to leave soon."
Daisy had known the search would begin immediately. She had expected it. Even so, hearing it spoken aloud made time seem to move far faster than she was prepared for.
Flint had only been gone a few hours, yet the day was already carrying him farther away.
Before fear could root her in place, Daisy pushed herself to her feet. "Then I'm coming to the porch."
Neither Clara nor Nathan objected. Whether they understood she needed this much or simply recognized the futility of arguing remained unclear.
Together, they made their way downstairs.
The kitchen carried the familiar scents of coffee, damp wool, and cold morning air drifting through the open door. Voices reached her from outside, low and steady, accompanied by the restless shifting of horses preparing to leave.
The moment Daisy stepped onto the porch, she heard bootsteps change direction across the yard.
Wyatt was heading toward her. "Hello, Daisy."
She turned toward him and managed a small nod. "It's good to see you."
"We came as soon as Nathan's letter reached us." His words carried the practical calm she remembered from the ranch. "He said Amos's men were getting bolder. Where's Flint?"
Her throat tightened. "He left before dawn."
Neither Wyatt nor Clara answered right away.
"He what?" Clara asked, disbelief giving way to worry.
Daisy wrapped her arms around herself. "I woke up and found his room empty. His coat was gone, his gun belt was gone, and so was his horse."
Wyatt muttered a curse under his breath and scrubbed a hand across his jaw before meeting her gaze again. "Did he leave any clue where he was headed?"
She shook her head.
"He didn't leave me anything. He just..." She swallowed hard. "He rode away while we were sleeping."
Wyatt let out a long breath. "That stubborn fool."
Clara slipped an arm around Daisy's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze.
"We'll find him," Wyatt said. "If Flint's gone after Amos, I can make a fair guess where he'll start looking."
Daisy wanted desperately to believe it. She wanted certainty. She wanted somebody to tell her Flint would be back before nightfall, and that all of this would become one more story Nathan complained about for years afterward.
Wanting a thing and believing it were very different matters.
She lifted her chin. "Please don't promise more than you deliver."
When Wyatt answered, his voice carried the straightforward honesty she remembered from the Callahan ranch. "We know where to start looking, and we know the sort of trouble Flint usually finds when he's determined to be difficult. Beyond that, I'd rather tell you the truth than offer comfort."
Relief and disappointment arrived together. Oddly enough, the truth helped more.
"Then start quickly."
A faint smile touched his voice. "That sounds remarkably familiar. You sound like Mom when one of us has done a particularly foolish thing."
Clara laughed softly. "Then he's hearing her perfectly."
Wyatt sighed with theatrical resignation. "I was hoping marriage had improved my odds."
"It improved your odds of surviving arguments," Clara corrected. "The quality of your decisions remains under review."
Despite everything, Daisy almost smiled.
The sound of leather creaking and horses shifting in the yard pulled the moment away.
She turned toward Wyatt. "Bring him home."
His answer came without hesitation. "I'll do everything I can."
He settled his hat, gave Clara's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and headed toward his horse.