A look of horror moved over my brother’s face. “What?”
“Go away, Mitchell. I don’t want you here.”
“Amelia, I'm only…”
“Go away!” I shouted.
My brother stepped back like I’d slapped him, looking between Corina and me. His shoulders slumped, and he slowly turned to leave. Corina walked after him, pulling him to a stop.
“Mitchell,” she said softly.
He stopped. “I’m sorry I said that to you. Please, don’t leave her alone. I’ll bring back some cots if she refuses to leave.”
When I heard his footsteps going down the stairs, I faced Corina. We both were hanging onto the dream that Wade would come back, but we also knew that what Mitchell had said was possibly true.
Corina walked over to me quickly. She took me in her arms and let me cry.
This time she didn’t tell me everything was going to be okay. I knew in that moment that neither of us could be sure what the future held.
Corina and I sat on the roof until the last orange cloud turned dark.
“We should probably head back to the house,” I said, standing.
Corina reached for her phone and sent a text off before she helped me fold up the blanket.
“Just leave the chair,” I said, sounding defeated.
Using a flashlight that Mitchell had left, Corina led the way down the steps. My heart felt as if it was being ripped out piece by piece while we made our way through the house, down the steps, and to Corina’s car.
She opened the passenger door for me. Before getting in, I looked at her.
“Why are you here? Doing this for me?”
Her lips pressed together. “My father died when I was young, very young. But I remember seeing my mother sit in a rocking chair for days. Her heart was so broken and no one was there for her. I was, but I was so young I don’t think I truly understood her pain. I know if it was me and the man I loved was lost out there, I’d want someone next to me. Just to know they were there if I needed them.”
My eyes filled with tears. “I see why Paxton adores you. I’ll never forget your kindness, Corina. Never.”
She gave me a sweet smile. “I’m not giving up hope. I don’t think you should either. What does your heart tell you?”
I swallowed hard and tried to speak between sobs. “I don’t know. It’s too broken.”
Corina took me in her arms and gave me a good hug. “Let’s get you home to your family.”
It looked like every single light was on in the house. I was positive all of my brothers were staying here tonight.
“Why don’t you stay the night?” I asked as Corina and I walked up the steps to the front door.
“Oh, I don’t have anything to sleep in, and I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”
I laced my arm with hers. “You can borrow something of mine, and we have plenty of room. I would really love it if you would stay.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
“Stay where?”
We both turned to see Mitchell standing at the door. “Here. I’ve asked Corina to stay the night. Would you let Mom know? We’re going up to my room to get her something to wear.”
My brother’s eyes lit up. He glanced at Corina and smiled before heading into the house. No one was in the main living room so we were able to get upstairs unnoticed.
Flipping through my drawers, I found a set of sleepwear I hadn’t even taken the tags off yet.
“Are these okay?” I held up the sleeveless, navy blue shirt and matching Capri pajama pants.
“Yes. Thank you so much.”
“You can use my bathroom. I’ve got shampoo and everything. The guest room is right next door to me. On the other side is Mitchell’s room.”
I wiggled my brows, and she shook her head at me. “Don’t even go there. I’m here for you, not him. Now, why don’t you hop in the shower and get ready for bed. You need sleep, Amelia.”
I nodded in agreement, stopping when my mother walked into my room.
“You’re home. Do you need something to eat?”
“No. I’m tired, and I think I’ll take a quick shower and head to bed. Did Mitchell tell you Corina was staying the night?”
My mother nodded and glanced over to Corina. “I’ve got the bed turned down for you, sweetheart. If you need anything, you’ll let me or John know?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you for letting me stay.”
My mother walked over to Corina, kissed her cheek, and whispered something.
I grabbed my phone and headed into the shower. I spent the next thirty minutes standing under steaming hot water crying until I had no tears left to cry
I would never leave you, darlin’.
The memory of Wade’s voice made my body tremble.
I’m coming, Amelia. I’m coming.
My eyes snapped open, and I fought to catch my breath.
I glanced over to the clock to find it was just after five in the morning.
My door opened and I sat straight up in bed. The light in the hall was on, illuminating Corina as she walked into my room. She ran over and jumped on my bed.
“Get up! Amelia, get up! Mitchell has Wade!”
My head was spinning. “What? Mitchell’s sleeping.”
She shook her head. “After you fell asleep he left again and went to help with the search party along with Tripp, Cord, and Steed. He got a call on his radio. Wade is okay! Mitchell is bringing him here as we speak!”
I stared at her in disbelief. Afraid to believe her words.
“He’s okay?” Tears streamed down my face. My heart raced as I waited for her to answer.
She took my hands in hers and stood, pulling me up. “Yes! He was able to find his way to a house! No one was home, and he had no idea where he was. The flood waters took him about forty miles downstream. Wade told Mitchell he had no clothes on. Everything had been stripped off of him. He managed to find something to wrap around himself and he slept on the porch until someone finally came home! They gave him clothes and fed him and the foal. They tried your cell and Trevor’s, then the police. They patched the call through to Mitchell!”
I reached for my phone. “Oh my God! I forgot to plug it in! How could I forget to plug it in?”
I felt sick to my stomach. Wade had tried to call me, and I wasn’t there for him.
Corina took my face in her hands. “Don’t. He’s okay. He’s on his way back to you. Smile! Jump up and down! Scream, do something!”
I reached up and took her hands. We both started jumping around my bed like silly schoolgirls. Paxton walked in, her hands on her stomach.
“What are you two doing? You’re going to wake up Chloe!”
“Wade’s okay!” I yelled out. “He’s okay!”
Paxton covered her mouth and screamed. “I’d climb up there and jump with y’all if I wasn’t so pregnant.”
Corina and I jumped off the bed and took Paxton’s hands. We danced around the room, laughing and crying.
“He’s here! He’s here!” my mother cried out, running into my room. “Mitchell is pulling down the driveway now.”
I raced past everyone.
“Slow down, Amelia Parker, or you’ll break your neck!” my father cried out from the bottom of the stairs.
I giggled and jumped down the last three steps. I threw the door open and came to a stop on the porch. The passenger side door of Mitchell’s patrol car opened and Wade stepped out.
Crying out his name, I ran down the steps. He had a huge smile on his poor, cut and bruised face. I was running as fast as I could, aiming to slam into Wade’s body, when Trevor grabbed me.
“Whoa, hold on there, Meli. He has broken ribs.”
I sucked in a breath. “Oh, my God! Wade!”
Trevor slowly set me down. “I know you want to attack him, but he’s in bad shape.”
“I’ll be gentle, I swear. I just need to touch him, feel him, to know this isn’t a dream.”
Trevor
let me go and I walked up to Wade. His entire face was covered in scrapes and cuts.
“Oh, God,” I said, placing my hands on his beautiful face. “You’re here. You didn’t leave me.”
Wade closed his eyes for a second before opening them and looking at me. It was still dark out, but I could see those breathtaking grays. “I’m so sorry you’ve been through hell.”
Reaching up on my toes, I gently kissed him. “I love you. I love you so much. I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
His hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me to him. “I survived because of you, darlin’. You were the reason I kept fighting.”
I buried my face into his chest. “You’re home. Thank you, God, for bringing him home to me.”
I couldn’t breathe. My body had never hurt so bad. The water rushed all around me as I tried like hell to hold the horse and keep my head above the water.
“Wade! Don’t leave me. You’re leaving me!”
I forced myself to swim to her voice. “I’m not leaving you, Amelia! I’m here!” I screamed, climbing out of the water.
“Wade! Wade, help me!”
Turning, I watched in horror as my sister was swept away by the flood waters.
“No! Grace, no!”
Sitting up in bed, I grabbed at my chest and sucked in a deep breath.
“Wade, are you okay?”
The feel of Amelia’s hand on my arm calmed me, the nightmare slipping from my mind. Or at least, I pretended it did.
“Yeah, just a bad dream,” I mumbled.
Her blue eyes looked so sad. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Forcing a smile, I placed my hand on the side of her face. “I’m okay, darlin’. I promise.”
Her eyes closed, and I knew she wanted to say something else, but she didn’t. Pulling her to me, I held her tightly while she drifted back to sleep. I spent the rest of the night with my eyes fixed on one spot, forcing myself not to fall asleep.
I heard muffled talking as I sat on the back porch and stared out. The last few weeks had been hell. I was ready to put it behind me, if only my mind would let me.
“Mind if I sit with you?” Mitchell asked as he took a seat in the rocker next to me.
“Not at all. Bored with the baby shower?”
He let out a gruff laugh. “I’m happy for Steed and Paxton, but I’m going to kill my sisters for coming up with this whole co-ed shower shit.”
“Yeah, Amelia’s been pretty excited. I feel bad they put it off because of me.”
Mitchell tipped his beer back and waved off his hand. “Don’t be. It’s keeping Paxton’s mind off of things, and she isn’t due for another couple weeks.”
I finished my beer and set it on the table. “Can’t believe it’s almost the end of July.”
“Wade, if you need to talk, you know I’m here, right?” Mitchell asked.
I felt the anger building as I turned to face him. “What did Amelia say to you?”
He looked at me. “Nothing. She hasn’t said a word, at least not to me.”
I sighed and sat back in the chair. I needed to let this damn anger go.
“Wade, I’m a cop. I see people dealing with post-traumatic stress all the time. Hell, I’ve had to deal with it myself. It’s okay to talk to someone. Have you talked to Amelia at least?”
“No. She’s worried, though.” I pushed my hand through my hair and squeezed my eyes shut for a few seconds.
“I hate that I’m worrying her, Mitchell. It’s just, every single time I close my eyes I relive it. I thought I was never going to see her again and the idea of leaving her heartbroken nearly broke me. It was the only thing that kept me fighting. I refused to let someone tell her I was dead.”
“You didn’t want to break her heart, but don’t you think you’re doing that now by not letting her in? Not letting her help you deal with what you went through?”
I nodded, knowing he was right. We sat for a few minutes in silence.
“I was so fucking scared. The water came out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. It wasn’t even that deep, but I couldn’t win against the force. Somehow I was able to stay out of the main river. Someone up above was watching out for me. I truly believe not getting swept into the middle saved my life.”
“I can’t imagine what it was like. And you kept a hold of that damn foal the entire time!”
With a chuckle, I replied, “Poor thing. How’s she doing? I haven’t seen her in a week.”
“Vet said she’s healing up nicely. I don’t know how you did it, dude, but you saved that horse’s life.”
“I know she belongs to the ranch, but I’d love to have her. We kind of have a…bond.”
Mitchell laughed. “I’ll say. The vet says when you stop by she perks up.”
“Yeah, well, she is a miracle, as well. She honestly should have died. How I was able to hold on to her in the water or have her lay next to me on that porch for so long, I’ll never know. I think we both saved the other one’s life, if I’m being honest. I had Amelia to live for but this little horse was depending on me just as much as I needed her.”
“Amelia’s been to see her almost every day. Vet said she actually sat in the stall with both the filly and the mom and wrote for a few hours.”
I smiled. “Sounds like her.”
“She loves you, Wade. Don’t shut her out.”
I knew Mitchell was right. “I know, man. I won’t.”
We sat for a few more minutes in silence until I turned to Mitchell. “What’s going on with you and Corina?”
His head snapped to me. “What?”
“You like her. She likes you. What in the hell is wrong with the two of you?”
Fear filled his eyes. “I do like her. A lot. Matter of fact, I can’t stop thinking about her. Her smile. Her laugh. The way her cheeks flush when…”
His voice trailed off, and we both let out a chuckle. “So, what’s holding you back? I mean, first it was Tripp, but they haven’t dated in months. Aren’t you worried she’ll get tired of waiting for you to get off your ass and ask her out?”
“Way to get right to it, Wade.”
I shrugged. “Hey, I’m just shooting straight like you’ve done with me. All I’m saying is if you wait too long, she’s going to move on.”
He scrubbed his hands down his face. “Christ, I know. I’m not sure if I’m the settling down kind of guy. I mean, I can’t tell you the last time I was actually with a girl. I’ve fooled around with some, but I’ve only slept with one other girl since that night last fall when I was with Corina.”
“Damn, you’re already practically settled down. You do know it’s mid-July, right?”
Laughing, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. The girl oozes innocence, and I’m not exactly squeaky clean when it comes to sleeping around. I’ve got a pretty dangerous job. How do I know if she wants to worry like that? She probably wants kids right away. That is something I’m not interested in right now.”
“At all? And have you asked her or are you just assuming she wants kids right away?” I asked in a surprised tone.
“I don’t know… I don’t see myself like Steed. Don’t get me wrong, I’d do anything for Chloe. I love that little girl, but one of my own? Hell, no. And, no, I haven’t asked her, but all chicks want kids.”
Mitchell looked away, and I knew he was struggling with what his head was saying and what his heart was feeling.
“Hey! Here y’all are. You’re missing the fun,” Amelia said. “More people just showed up so now we have enough to play the couples’ game Waylynn wanted to play.
Mitchell groaned as he stood. “Jesus Christ, Amelia. Games? No one likes to play games.”
She shot him a dirty look. “You don’t like to play games, but everyone else does. Come on, Waylynn needs a partner, and we have enough now that Corina and Philip showed up.”
I nearly ran into Mitchell as he came to an abrupt stop. “Who’s Philip?”
Amelia glanced
at me and then back to Mitchell. “The guy Corina’s with.”
Oh, hell.
“She’s…she’s dating someone?”
Her eyes darted over to me, then back to Mitchell. “Um, I don’t know, I guess they’ve gone out a few times. I’m not sure how serious it is or anything. They might just be friends.”
Mitchell walked right past Amelia. I stopped next to her, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “I was just telling him if he waited too long with Corina, she was going to move on.”
“Ugh! Why is he being so stubborn? Why can’t men just be open with their feelings? Drives me nuts.”
When she started to head back into the house, I reached for her hand and pulled her back to me. Mitchell was right. I needed to let her in. I owed it to her.
“I’m sorry I’ve been distant. The last few weeks have been hard, and I thought I could handle it on my own.”
Amelia’s lips pressed tightly together. She waited for me to keep going, so I did.
“I keep re-living what happened to me. Sometimes I’m afraid to close my eyes at night. Something as simple as your parents’ pool water falling over the edge of the hot tub can trigger it, and I can’t even begin to tell you what it does to me. I feel like I can’t breathe, and it scares the living shit out of me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, darlin’. Guess I didn’t want you to think I couldn’t handle things on my own.”
Her mouth fell open. “Wade Adams, this thing we have between us.” She used her finger to point back and forth. “This is a partnership. During the good and the bad. I know you’ve been waking up having nightmares, and I suspected there were some other things you were dealing with, as well. I didn’t want to push you, but I’ve already done some research and…well…”
She closed her eyes and shook her head.
Tugging her hand to make her look at me, I said, “Hey, I’m talking to you. You talk to me.”
Amelia chewed on her lip. “I’m wondering if the accident didn’t also bring out some feelings from your parents’ and sisters’ death. The other night, you were having a nightmare and you called out your sister’s name.”