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I sat on the roof of the old house Wade had bought, staring over the still-flooded Frio River. Each breath hurt more than the last.
He wasn’t gone. I felt it in my heart.
Paxton walked up and handed me a blanket. I forced a half smile and wrapped it around my shoulders.
Steed had brought a chair for Paxton to sit in. I sat on the same blanket Wade had used for our first picnic.
“He’s stuck somewhere, hurt,” I said with a trembling voice. “He just can’t get back to us. That’s all. He’s…he’s not…he’s not gone, Paxton. He promised me he would never leave me. He’s not gone!”
I felt someone sit next to me, and opened my eyes to see Corina. She took my hands. Her smile was hopeful. “Believe what’s in your heart, Amelia. Reach out to him. Help him find his way home.”
I could hardly see her through my blurry eyes. “You think he’s okay?”
She nodded. “A love like what y’all have is strong. I know Wade, and I know he would fight with everything he has to come back to you. Don’t. Give. Up.”
“I won’t,” I said, my voice sounding weak. “I won’t.”
Corina pulled me to her and let me cry as she ran her hand over my head. “Shh, it’s going to be okay.”
Paxton squeezed my shoulder. “She’s right, Meli. Don’t give up.”
I wasn’t sure how long we sat on that roof. Steed insisted Paxton leave to get something to eat. Corina asked Steed to have one of the boys bring food to me. She totally understood why I needed to be here. She never once told me to give up hope. In fact, she did the opposite. She kept insisting Wade was fine.
The sound of footsteps caused me to open my eyes. I was still on the blanket, but my head was resting on Corina’s lap as she played with my hair. Mitchell bent down and gave me a weak smile.
“Hey, I brought y’all some food. Will you eat something for me, Meli?”
“Of course she will,” Corina said. “She’ll need her strength to hug Wade when he gets back.”
Mitchell’s eyes darted over to Corina. “May I speak with you, please?”
I sat up and took the food from Mitchell as Corina followed him. They stopped not far from where I stood. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. Mitchell seemed angry. Maybe he felt like she was giving me false hope.
I took a bite of sandwich and turned my focus back on the river. The sun was beginning to set and the clouds were a beautiful orange and pink, so different from yesterday’s storm-filled sky. I glanced back to Corina. She looked upset. I made my way closer to where she stood with Mitchell.
“I can’t help it that you don’t believe in love, Mitchell Parker. I do! And I’m going to be by her side until Wade walks through that door!”
“If he got swept away by the flood waters there is a good chance he may not have survived, Corina.”
My eyes closed. A visual of my Wade being swept away hit me and I squeezed my eyes tight.
“He’s not gone,” I whispered. “He promised me, Mitchell.”
“Amelia, sweetheart. I know how much Wade loves you. I want to believe he’s not gone, too, but you have to realize there is a chance he might not have made it.”
“Mitchell!” Corina gasped.
“Stay out of this, Corina. It’s none of your business.”
I sucked in a breath, and pushed my brother away from me. “Don’t you dare say that to her. She’s been here for me. She’s my friend and you cannot push her away. It’s your own damn guilt talking, Mitchell! You let him go after that foal! You didn’t try and stop him! You haven’t found him! You’re supposed to be able to find him! You promised you’d bring him back to me and you lied. You. Lied. To. Me.”
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.
