Chapter Sixteen
Meredith spent the next two days trying to summon the strength to say no to Wade Hendricks.
He helped by making himself scarce. He left early and came home late. The only hint of his presence was the faint smell of cedar-sage soap that lingered in the bathroom after his morning shower.
Wynona had also been absent from the ranch.
She was following a destructive, but steady, routine.
She slept until noon, puttered around the house for a few hours, and went out to carouse with Patty.
Meredith figured that Wynona was partying every night to escape her grief.
Wynona needed to stay sober to process the death of her son, and to move on from the loss.
Meredith didn’t know if the woman could overcome this struggle, but Meredith sensed she was softening toward Wade.
The decision to stay or go wavered at the back of her mind.
She’d finally found a truck in her price range.
She’d left a message with the owner, but he hadn’t called her back yet.
Meredith didn’t want to leave the ranch at such a fraught time.
She’d confided in Wade about Tripp, and he’d vowed to protect her. The question was, would she let him?
What else would she let him do?
Saturday dawned bright and hot. Meredith completed her usual chores, noting that Wade’s truck was gone. Maybe he’d forgotten about their date. Maybe he’d grown tired of waiting for her answer and gone in search of a more agreeable woman.
Meredith pictured his topaz-brown eyes, cruising over her body, and didn’t think so. He wasn’t the type of man who gave up easily.
At midmorning, when she was watering plants in the garden, she heard his truck pull into the driveway.
The sound brought a swarm of butterflies to her stomach.
If they were going on a picnic, she needed to get ready.
After a short hesitation, she walked toward the house.
Daisy raced along beside her with a slobbery tennis ball in her mouth.
The dog had been right as rain, with no signs of another seizure.
Meredith petted her furry head and tossed the ball for her.
She flew after it in an energetic blur. Chico also gave chase, even though he had no chance of getting there first, and couldn’t fit a tennis ball in his mouth, regardless.
King just watched it bounce across the driveway.
He was more interested in sniffing Wade’s truck tires and prowling around the property like a guard dog on patrol rounds.
Meredith left her boots by the kitchen door before she ventured inside.
Wade must have gone into the barn, because he wasn’t there.
She ducked into the shower, used the rose-scented soap liberally, and took the time to shave her legs.
Choosing an outfit was difficult, because she didn’t have anything fancy, and she didn’t want to borrow from Wynona.
She finally settled on a lavender tank top and a blue chambray skirt.
Shoe options were limited to leather sandals or gray canvas tennis shoes.
The sandals matched better but weren’t appropriate for a hiking trail. She donned the tennis shoes.
Apparently, she was going on this date.
She fiddled with her hair for a few minutes before deciding to leave it down. She didn’t want to try too hard, and she knew he liked her well enough without pretty clothes or makeup. She applied some lip gloss and mascara and called it good.
He was in the kitchen when she emerged from her room.
She watched him wash a bunch of grapes and pack them in an insulated bag.
His weekend attire consisted of a short-sleeved, Safari-style shirt, tan pants, and brown work boots.
The casual clothes accentuated his tall, lean physique.
The last time she’d seen him, he’d been lifting weights, shirtless.
The memory of his bulging biceps sent a thrill down her spine.
His eyes glinted with approval as he studied her appearance in return.
“You look nice,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“So, we’re doing this?”
“I can’t resist a picnic at a gravesite.”
“We can go somewhere else, if you’d rather.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, self-conscious. “No. I’m interested in your investigation.”
He added several frozen drinks to the insulated bag, along with some mystery items, before they walked outside to his truck.
She didn’t give him the chance to open the door for her, though he probably would have if she’d let him.
She hopped in the passenger seat while he climbed behind the wheel.
A flurry of awareness tingled through her.
She was nervous, despite their familiarity with each other, and the intimate conversations they’d had.
She studied him from beneath lowered lashes as he drove. He showed no signs of unease.
“Do you mind if we stop by the library first?” he asked, glancing at her. “I have to do some research for my John Doe.”
“Is that the victim?”
“He’s not officially a victim.” Wade couldn’t share the details from the coroner’s report, so he kept it vague.
“I’m looking for a local kid, maybe an athlete, who went to Texas A&M.
It’s possible that no one ever reported his disappearance.
Sometimes that happens.” He arched a brow at her.
“People leave small towns like this and never come back.”
“Are you sure he’s local?”
“No, but it’s a place to start. The library has microfiche copies of the Lost Lake Gazette from the eighties. I’m betting there will be graduation announcements and mentions of students accepted into various schools.”
“How do you know he went to A&M?”
“The evidence suggests it.”
She examined his handsome face. “Why are you doing this on the weekend?”
A muscle in his jaw flexed. “My boss doesn’t consider the case a high priority. We’re backlogged with other investigations.”
“That’s too bad,” she said.
“It’s typical in small departments.”
“Are you a workaholic?”
He seemed surprised by the question. “I’m ambitious, and I like what I do. Are you a workaholic?”
“I like to stay busy.”
“Whatever my mother pays you, it’s not enough.”
Instead of responding, she watched the blur of cactus and sagebrush go by.
“What’s your plan, Meadows?”
“My plan for the day?”
“Your plan for life.”
She gave him a puzzled look.
“Are you going to hide forever?”
“Maybe I will.”
“What about your family? Don’t you want to see them again?”
“I can’t. My father disowned me.”
“For what?”
“Leaving home, living in sin, and turning my back on the Lord.” She tried to distract him with a smile and changed the subject. “What’s the story with your father? Are you going to become a sheriff like him?”
“I don’t want to be like him.”
“Why is that?”
He massaged the nape of his neck, visibly uncomfortable. “The night you went out to dinner with my mother, she told me he abused her physically.”
“Oh,” she said in a quiet voice.
“You knew?”
“I suspected. She’s said things before that hinted at his violent nature.”
“Like what?”
“She told me she got sober when she was pregnant with Billy, and she realized she needed to get out of the relationship. Your dad wouldn’t let her go.” She glanced at Wade, gauging his reaction. “Do you remember that time?”
“I remember,” he said gruffly.
“Did you know she wanted to leave?”
“Not really. I was only eight or nine, and she didn’t confide in me. I could tell she was unhappy with my dad, and I knew she was devoted to Billy. She loved him in a way she never loved me.”
Meredith gaped at him in shock. “Why did you think that? Because she took better care of him?”
He drummed his fingertips against the steering wheel. “That was part of it. She was more affectionate with him. More attentive. She also married my dad because of me. I think she resented me for tying her down to him.”
“That’s unfair. You were innocent.”
He gave a stiff shrug. “She blames me for Billy’s death, too. She’s not rational.”
Meredith considered that. Wynona was a troubled woman with a traumatic past and a serious addiction.
Meredith related to her and sympathized with her plight.
She also understood Wade’s disillusionment.
He’d been traumatized, too. It wasn’t called a vicious cycle for nothing.
“Are you going to talk to her about Billy?”
“No. It would send her over the edge.”
Meredith fell silent. Wynona was already on a path of self-destruction, but Wade knew that. He’d come to Lost Lake to convince his mother to get help with her addiction. Meredith thought they needed to communicate about the past first.
Instead of offering this advice, she reached out to hold his hand. “I’m sorry.”
He accepted the gesture easily and lifted her hand to his mouth to kiss it. The action was so tender, and so natural, it took her breath away.
“You smell like that soap,” he murmured. “It drives me crazy.”
She pulled her hand from his, flushing. She recalled every word he’d said the other night. The suggestive comments he’d made had been replaying in her mind on a constant loop. Now that they were together, she was unsure how to proceed with him. Her senses tingled with anticipation.
They arrived at the library a few minutes later. She climbed out of air-conditioned vehicle and into the heat of the noonday sun. It was at least eighty degrees already. She decided to duck into the computer lab while he did his work.
“I could use a research assistant,” he said, surprising her.
“A research assistant who can’t read?”
“You don’t have to read. I need someone to look at pictures in old yearbooks. I think John Doe was an athlete, with good enough grades to get into a respected university. I know he was over six feet tall, with light brown or blond hair.”