Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
CASH
T he moment Wilder left the hospital room, Cash tried to follow him, but he didn’t expect Wilder to break into a run. He chased after him, but the elevator doors closed with a resounding ding , and he was left staring at his own murky reflection in the stainless steel doors.
Robert, that goddamn bastard. He had no right to say those things. And Lain should have stood up for his brother. They might have had their differences, but how dare he stand there and let Robert say those awful things? Cash was not a violent man, and he knew better than to hit the man who signed his paychecks, but Lain deserved a sock in the mouth for that.
He turned around and strode back to the hospital room, intent on doing exactly that. He’d hit Robert, too, just to make sure they all understood how much he disapproved of the way they handled that conversation.
But when he got back to the room, Mary-Beth was the one laying into them. Bracing herself on one arm with the other curled around her tender stomach, she was shouting, “…dare you talk to Wilder like that after everything he’s done for us tonight, Daddy! You should be ashamed of yourself! He didn’t deserve to be talked to like that. Whatever happened in the past is over, and if you ever speak to any of my family like that again, you will not see your grandchildren ever again. Do I make myself clear?”
Robert pursed his lips. He was a proud man, and bowing to anyone, even his daughter, did not come easily. “Yes, I understand. I was only looking out for you.”
“You were judging him,” she said coldly. “He’s a good man. I won’t hear otherwise. Now, I think you and Mom should go. Why don’t you go out in the hall and wait for her and Annalise to come back.” Her tone brooked no argument.
Robert sighed and slipped past Cash to go out into the hallway.
“And you .” She jabbed a finger at Lain. “Wilder wasn’t the one who needed to be sent away. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, and he deserved to meet his nephews. You let him down tonight.”
Lain ducked his head. “There’s time to sort things out with Wilder,” he said softly. “I just didn’t want anymore screaming in here. You just had surgery, sweetheart, and the stress?—”
“Oh, fuck the stress,” she said, and Cash couldn’t hide his snort. “They’ve given me meds. I’m barely feeling any pain right now. I’m just tired, that’s all. You should’ve had Wilder’s back.”
“Yes, you should’ve,” Cash added, and Lain’s head whipped toward him, his eyes wide with shock. “He already thinks you hate him and barely tolerate having him on the ranch.”
Mary-Beth looked stricken. “He does? I had no idea. Lain!”
“What? I didn’t know that!” Lain said plaintively.
Cash sighed. All he wanted was to rush back to the ranch and check on Wilder, but he couldn’t leave Lain and his family stranded here without a vehicle. They’d need to go together back to the ranch so that Lain could turn around and go back to the hospital with the truck—his own truck, ideally. Not one of the work trucks with a cattle trailer attached to it.
Cash sighed. “I’ll stick around a little while and let you see the babies, Lain, but then we need to go back to the ranch. You need to get your truck and I need to get back and check on Wilder.”
Lain’s head tilted, like that phrase was unusual for some reason. But he just said, “Okay. I appreciate you giving me a little time with the family. I’ll get you home soon, okay?”
“Absolutely. Take your time. I’m gonna go find some coffee. Be right back.”
He passed Robert leaning against the wall while he waited for his wife to return. They barely gave each other a glance. The urge to hit him had passed, and now all he wanted was to hear Wilder’s voice. They barely got a chance to speak before. What was going on in Wilder’s head? He was so prone to pulling away when he was hurt or insecure. He really hoped tonight’s drama hadn’t sent him back into his shell. Not after everything they’d shared.
He called Wilder’s cell on his way to the cafeteria—and sighed when it went to voicemail.
“Hey,” he said after the beep. “The shit really hit the fan tonight. Please call me and let me know you’re okay. I’m gonna be home as soon as I can, and then we’ll have time to talk for real. Just—please don’t listen to them. You are not a monster. You’re not . You’re a good man, Wilder, and I swear to God, when I get home, I’m gonna love you so good.” He took a sharp breath, because there they were. The words he’d been biting back for so long. “And I mean that,” he said belatedly. “So don’t even think about running from me again.”
He hung up, pressing the phone to his forehead and praying to a God he barely believed in that he hadn’t just screwed everything up.
Emily and Annalise were leaving the cafeteria as he reached it. Annalise was happily munching on another honeybun, and Emily offered him a tight smile as they passed him. He tipped his hat at them, holding the door as they passed, then went to the coffee bar and poured himself a black coffee.
He didn’t want to go back to the room yet, so he sat at a table and stared at his phone while he drank his coffee and thought back on all his recent mistakes.
He and Lain had both had reservations about going to that auction. It was too close to Mary-Beth’s due date, and things between Cash and Wilder were so new and precarious. Neither of them should have left, but neither of them had voiced their doubts. It didn’t help that he’d been keeping his relationship a secret from Lain. Maybe if he’d been honest about that, he could have been honest about his hesitation to leave.
Most of all, he regretted not telling Wilder he loved him the moment he realized he did. He wished he could go back and change the way he’d said it now. Wilder deserved a grand declaration. He deserved fireworks and sky-writing, flowers and chocolates and a goddamn string quartet. He deserved it all.
His phone rang when he was down to only dregs in his styrofoam cup. He fumbled for it and frowned at the name he saw.
Clyde .
“Hello?”
“ Hey, boss. ” Clyde’s voice was hesitant.
“What’s wrong? What’s happened?”
“ Well. It’s the damnedest thing. Billy just woke me up. Said he caught Wilder leaving. ”
“Leaving,” Cash repeated, certain he misheard.
“ Leaving the ranch. According to Billy, Wilder said he couldn’t stand being here anymore. Said he didn’t want to stay and lit out of town. ”
“But…” No, that couldn’t be right. Wilder wouldn’t just leave without saying anything. Not just because of their relationship, either. Wilder had obligations. Cash scrabbled for them, desperately seeking a reason why Wilder would have to stay . “No, what about his parole?”
“ He’s allowed to move if he gives his parole officer notice, Cash. ”
“Well, where is he? He can’t be gone already. He just left the damn hospital a half hour ago.”
“ Billy said he drove him to the bus stop. ”
Cash stood mechanically. “I’m going.”
“ I figured you would. That’s why I called. What the hell happened there? I thought things were good with y’all. ”
“I thought so, too, but he took a couple of hits tonight. Metaphorical ones, I mean.”
“ I understand. Go find him. Bring him home, if you can. If anybody can, it’s you .”
Cash hung up and rushed from the cafeteria.
He didn’t go back to the maternity ward. Instead, he typed a quick text to Lain letting him know he had to leave for a little while, and he’d be back before they were discharged from the hospital. They’d keep Mary-Beth for at least another day, maybe two, and the boys would have to spend a little time in the NICU since they were premature. He had plenty of time.
Riding through town on the hunt for a single man with an empty cattle trailer wasn’t ideal, but he didn’t want to waste time dropping it off back at the ranch. The first thing he did was head for the bus stop. There was only one Greyhound that came to Roselake, and as far as he knew, it didn’t make any stops there at night. If Wilder went there, he was either waiting in the bus stop lobby or he walked to the nearest motel.
There was no sign of Wilder at the bus stop. The sleepy lobby was completely empty. The main room was unlocked for anyone who wanted to wait or needed the vending machines or bathrooms, but the clerks’ offices were locked up tight, the windows closed and sealed until morning. Wilder couldn’t even have bought a ticket yet. To be completely certain, he checked the bus schedule. The first available time in the morning was six AM. If Wilder wanted to get out of town fast, that was when he’d have to do it.
Cash checked his watch. It was 2:47. Just over three hours left.
He stepped out into the cold night air. His breath fogged out in front of him as he glanced up and down the road. Roselake slept with the sun. Only a handful of bars on the other side of town would still be open at this hour. Most of the town closed down when the sun set, or damn near it. There were very few places Wilder could possibly go at this hour.
The nearest motel was the Rose Motel. A relic of a bygone era, it looked like it still belonged in the eighties. Its neon sign was visible from the bus stop. Climbing back into the truck, he headed that way. If Wilder wasn’t there, he’d check the next closest motel. And then the next one. There weren’t that many places to stay in Roselake. He’d search the whole damn town if he had to.