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“How? What was I doing?”
She must hear the panic in my tone because she leans over and squeezes my thigh. “He doesn’t know where you are, Ayden. It’s okay.”
I nod, appreciating that she understands.
“Someone posted a video from their bachelorette party. They were just a bunch of clips, but in one of them, you were standin’ next to a horse with a devilish smirk on your face. One of the women asked if they could ride the cowboy instead of the horse.”
I snort, laughing at the memory. “Ah, yes. I remember that. I was coverin’ for Wilder, who called in sick that day. Wait. That party was from three months ago.”
“Yeah.”
“It took you that long to find the ranch?”
“Oh.” She pulls her hand back into her lap and looks down. “No, it was easy to find the location since they tagged it, but I wasn’t sure if I should just show up. I also couldn’t take off work right away. I had to make arrangements. And also, find the courage.”
I pull up in front of my house and park, then turn and face her. “So what made you come now?”
She swallows hard as she avoids eye contact, and I can tell something’s wrong.
“Laney, what is it?”
Finally, she lifts her head and frowns. “Howie died.”
ChapterTwo
Laney
Ayden’s breath gets caught in his throat as soon as I release those two words.
Howie died.
He deserved to know. I didn’t want to send him a letter with the news. I needed to see him in person because I had so much to say.
Needed to make sure he was okay after all this time.
I spent years looking for him. He sent me a letter six weeks after he left to tell me he was somewhere safe and working, but didn’t leave a return address or a phone number. It was a painful reminder that we were over. There’d never be a way for me to find him unless he wanted me to. The guilt of telling him not to bother keeping in contact because I was hurting has gnawed at me since the day he left. If I’d told him to write or call me, he would’ve, but I figured the sooner we cut off contact, the less it’d hurt.
“How?” he chokes out.
“Car crash. He was passin’ a tractor, and a semi turned down the road. They say he probably didn’t see the semi until it was too late, and they had nowhere to go except into each other.”
“Jesus.” He shakes his head, disbelief washing over his features. “When?”
“Last Wednesday. His funeral’s in three days.”
“Fuck.” He slams his fist into the steering wheel, making the horn blast, and I nearly jump out of my skin. “I’m sorry. I just...”
“It’s okay. The town’s reaction’s been the same.”Especially mine.
He frowns, and it breaks my heart to see him this upset and sad. “I thought maybe I’d get to see him again,eventually.”
“He did, too,” I admit.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll get you something to drink.”
Howie’s death wasn’t all I needed to tell him, but his head was spinning with this news, so the rest would wait.
Ayden exits without waiting for a response. I hop out of the truck and meet him on the sidewalk.
