Chapter 28: Chapter 28

LANCE

I don’t hear from Wren the rest of the day and I fucking hate it.

I want to make up with her, but I’m also worried about her safety. It makes my blood boil to think of someone at her truck, mere yards away from us.

My instincts say Tad. I know Emma. She’s more likely to frame Wren for doing something to her than to actively try and hurt Wren. I truly don’t think she’s that daring—or stupid.

The question is, how do I stop him without going totally rogue? Obviously I’d love to watch the light go out in his thick skull, but I’m not ready to get my hands that dirty...yet.

My mom and Grant come to my house in the evening. I refuse to leave the living room where I have a view of Big Red, but I need their input.

After I recount the day’s events to Mom, she closes her eyes and I can tell she’s thinking.

“So,” she says finally. “Either it’s Tad or Emma, or Wren’s not telling you something.”

She opens her eyes and looks at me. “You trust her?”

“I do,” I say. “One hundred percent.”

“Then it’s probably best for her to leave, at least for a little while,” she says.

“If she leaves, I’m worried she won’t come back. Plus, what if he just focuses on the rest of us? Next time could be worse than a hairline fracture in Jeremy’s leg,” I say.

“Point taken,” she says. “I’ll call and talk to Sheriff Moody, see if he has any suggestions for dealing with Taddy Boy. In the meantime, we all stay close together and no wandering off alone.

“Grant, will you and the boys make sure to double-check the fences? I don’t know how this asshole is getting onto our land but I want it to at least be a hell of a lot harder.”

“No problem,” he says.

She stands up and comes over to me. “We’ll figure this out, okay? Just stay vigilant and don’t let your heart make stupid decisions for you.”

“Okay, thanks, Mom.”

She gives me a hug and they both leave.

I sleep like absolute shit. I text Wren an apology but don’t hear back. The light in her window goes off around eleven p.m.

I try to calm my thoughts but I can’t stop thinking about how empty this place is without her. Even if she does forgive me, what will happen in two months when the season ends?

I have to find a way to get her to stay, to give us a real shot without all this crazy stuff happening amid a looming deadline.

I indulge in the thought of taking snowy walks with Wren, spending the holidays together, meeting the rest of her family.

It’s in this exact moment that I realize I don’t want to live without her.

I’m in love with Wren.

***

When I wake in the morning, I know Wren is going to want to pick Puck up as soon as possible.

So I walk to her apartment at nine a.m. armed with coffee and a bouquet of wildflowers from the field on the other side of the house.

She opens the door and I can see a glint of happiness even though she remains stone-faced.

“Wren, I’m sorry. Truly. I’m an idiot and should think before I speak from now on. Can I come in?”

Her mouth turns up slightly at the corners. She grabs the coffee and walks away from the open door. I take that as my cue.

“Listen, my mom is going to speak to the sheriff about Tad. Even if it wasn’t him that sabotaged your truck, he’s still a threat and we need to deal with that,” I say.

Wren takes a drink of her coffee and keeps watching me.

“And the guys are going to reinforce the fences and try to figure out who is getting here and how.”

She is still quiet.

“And did I mention that I’m an idiot? And that I hate being away from you even for one night? And I’ll do whatever you want if you come home?”

She smiles then and my heart finally unclenches. She walks over to me and climbs onto my lap facing me. Then she grabs my face and kisses me. My hands wrap around her immediately.

“I missed you,” I say.

“I missed you too,” she says.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re going to figure it out together, okay?”

“I know, I’m just scared,” she says. She curls up into my chest.

“I know, I got you.”

The truth is, I am scared too. For a lot of reasons.