People like me didn’t get happy endings. We got midnight drives on empty roads and a lifetime of looking over our shoulders, waiting for the past to catch up.
I put the truck back in drive and kept going.
I don’t know how long I drove, only that the night seemed to have flown by. Before I knew it, the first hints of gray and pink were pulling at the eastern horizon. I’d driven through the night. But when I turned my phone back on to figure out where I was, I realized I’d been driving in circles. I was only forty miles from Sagebrush.
But that wasn’t what caught my attention. What caught my attention was the fifteen missed calls and dozen text messages that had accumulated while my phone was off. Most were from Mike, but there were others too. Brooks. Rowan. Even Dolly.
I scrolled through the messages with shaking fingers, my heart hammering against my ribs as I read.
Mike: Cash, please call me back. We need to talk.
Mike: I’m at the ranch looking for you. Where are you?
Mike: I know you’re hurting but please don’t run. Not from this.
Brooks: Cash, get your ass back here. Mike’s losing his mind.
Rowan: Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it. Come home.
Dolly: Sugar, that woman was way out of line. Don’t let her poison what you’ve got.
And then there were the voicemails, all of them from Mike.
I couldn’t bring myself to listen to them. Not yet. The sun was creeping higher now, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink that reminded me of better mornings. Mornings when I’d wake up next to Mike and watch him sleep, his face peaceful in the early light.
I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, exhaustion hitting me like a freight train. I’d been running on adrenaline and hurt feelings for hours, but now that was fading, leaving behind a bone-deep weariness that made my whole body ache.
The smart thing would be to find a motel, get some sleep, and figure out my next move with a clear head. But I wasn’t feeling particularly smart. I was feeling like a man who’d just watched his worst fears come true in front of half the town.
I started driving again, this time with an actual destination in mind. There was a truck stop about twenty miles ahead where I could get coffee and maybe some food. Try to think through what the hell I was going to do next.
The parking lot was mostly empty when I pulled in, just a few big rigs and a handful of cars belonging to the overnight crowd. I sat in my truck for a few minutes, staring at my phone. Part of me wanted to call Mike back, to hear his voice and let him explain why he’d just stood there while Doreen tore me apart. But a bigger part of me was terrified of what he might say.
Because what if he’d realized she was right? What if he’d had time to think about what being with me would cost him, and he’d decided it wasn’t worth it? I wasn’t sure I would live through hearing that right now.
I shoved the phone in my pocket and headed inside. The fluorescent lights were harsh after the dim interior of my truck, and the smell of burnt coffee and grease hit me like a wall. I grabbed a large coffee and a stale-looking sandwich, paying without making eye contact with the bored-looking clerk.
I found a booth in the back corner and slumped into it, my body finally starting to relax after hours of tension. The coffee was terrible, but it was hot and caffeinated, which was all I really needed. I pulled out my phone again, staring at all those missed messages.
Maybe I should at least read them. Maybe Mike had said something that would help me understand what had happened back there. Why he’d looked at me like I was a stranger when Doreen started her attack.
I opened the first voicemail with trembling fingers, Mike’s voice filling the small space around me.
“Cash, it’s me. I’m at the ranch looking for you. I know you’re not here, but I needed to see it. To understand.” There was a pause, and I could hear him moving around, probably kicking at debris. “That woman, Doreen, she was wrong. About everything. You didn’t ruin Tyler, and you’re not ruining me. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me since I got to this godforsaken town.”
My chest tightened at his words, but I forced myself to keep listening.
The next message was shorter. “Cash, please. Just call me back. Let me explain.”
And then the last one, recorded just a few hours ago based on the timestamp. “I know you probably don’t want to hear from me right now, but I need you to know something. What happened tonight... it doesn’t change how I feel about you. It doesn’t change anything between us. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not giving up on this. On us.”
His voice cracked slightly, and I had to close my eyes against the pain in it.
“I know I froze back there. I know I should have done more to defend you. But I was scared and caught off guard, and I’m sorry. You deserved better from me in that moment. Please don’t let hateful people win. Don’t let them drive you away from the life you were starting to build here. Come home, Cash. Please.”
There was a long pause, and then, so quietly I almost missed it.
“I love you.”
