Page 59 of Waiting for Devon
He would neverforgive her.
Reed lost all semblance of reason. Down in the stable, he threw bales of hay, roaring in fury. He tossed saddles and bridles and grooming tools. Swinging a rake like a bat at the stalls, he frightened the horses and the ranch hands who heard the commotion. When Reed ripped holes in the stalls, a couple of the stronger horses broke through and galloped out of the stable. The ranch hands raced after them.
Catching sight of Harry and Smitty, who gawked at him with their mouths wide open, Reed swore at them. “Get the fuck out of my sight!” He brandished the rake.
“What’s wrong, Boss?” Harry ventured.
“You have exactly two seconds to do as I say before I lose what’s left of my mind!”
Harry and Smitty held up their hands and backed out of the stable. “We’re going, we’re going.”
When his fury somewhat abated, Reed saddled Sun Rise and took off at a fast gallop. He rode recklessly, pushing Sun Rise to his limit, until neither could go any further. Reed slipped from Sun Rise’s back and sank to the ground. Spent physically and emotionally, he pounded the earth beneath him and cried for the first time since his mother’s death.
Chapter Sixteen
Eager to seehis ex-wife, Jack watched for Devon as the passengers on her flight disembarked and made their way into the terminal. When he didn’t catch sight of her, he called her cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. He waited until he saw the flight attendants strolling through the terminal before he started to become concerned.
Approaching a ticket counter, he asked the clerk to check the flight’s manifest. “My wife was supposed to be on that plane,” he fibbed. “And she’s not answering her cell phone.”
“Let me look, sir. What’s her name?”
“Dr. Devon Brooks.”
A moment later, she shook her head. “I’m sorry. Your wife didn’t make the flight.”
“Will you check other flights coming in today and tomorrow? I’m worried about her.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not allowed to share that information with you.”
“Of course not. Thanks for nothing,” he muttered as he walked away.
For the next hour Jack called Devon every minute and left frantic messages for her. He begged her to call him, and if for some reason she didn’t want to speak to him, he asked her to at least send a text to let him know she was all right. He sent texts, too, and apologized for sounding like a crazy stalker.
Jack:Please call or text. I’m worried about you.
When she didn’t respond, Jack grew desperate and contacted his former sister-in-law.
“Emmaline, it’s Jack. Please don’t hang up. This is about Devon.”
“She’s no longer your concern,” Emmaline reminded him in a cold tone of voice.
“Listen to me. Devon called me earlier this morning. She said she was flying home from Dallas and asked me to pick her up here at the airport. I’m worried because she wasn’t on the plane, and she’s not answering her cell phone.”
“I don’t believe a word you just said, Jack.”
“Hold on. I’ll prove I’m not lying.” He sent Emmaline a screenshot of his call log. “Now do you believe me? What’s going on? Why is Devon leaving Dallas?”
“Before I say anything, let me try to call her.”
Impatient while he waited for Emmaline to come back on the line, Jack paced. A sick sensation formed in the pit of his stomach. Though he had hurt and abandoned Devon in her greatest hour of need, he had never stopped loving her. It took him awhile to come to that realization, and now all he wanted was the opportunity to win her heart again.
“Jack, she’s not picking up. I called Caleb and he hasn’t heard from her either.”
“For the love of God, tell me what you know.”
“Devon got caught up in a bizarre situation. She’s in Dallas pretending to be Shane Barrington’s fiancée. You’ve heard of him?”
“What the hell? She’spretendingto be the multi-millionaire playboy’sfiancée? Devon would never do something like that. I saw her with him. She looked in love to me.”
