Page 35 of Wistful in Wyoming
“I guess,” Willow snapped, but then she pushed her own mug toward him. “Here. Now, you’re going to sit there like a ginger lump, keep your mouth shut, and listen. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied in the only way he could think of that wouldn’t result in the demons of hell raining down on him. He knew he wasn’t going to like whatever this was, but the alternative of what Willow and Jenna could put him through wasn’t an option. Raising the mug to his lips, he took a long drink, needing the caffeine before he had a pound of flesh stripped from him by the two women who meant the world to him.
“You, my favorite brother,” Jenna started, and he snorted at the old joke—he was heronlybrother. Frowning, she raised her eyebrows, and he snapped his mouth closed. “Youare an idiot.”
“Thanks for that vote of confidence,” he mumbled.
Willow patted his hand. “This comes from a place of love, honey, so deal with it.”
He snorted again, not believing this was fuckin’ happening right then.An intervention? Seriously?
“Well then, go right ahead—intervene, butt into my business, put your two cents in, or whatever.” He waved his hand dismissively.
“You’re gay,” his sister announced with no fanfare, as if he wasn’t already aware of that fact. “And we love you. You being gay has zero bearing on how we feel about you.” She glared at him and pointed at his face. “Also, fuck you very much for never trusting me enough to tell me. Not that I didn’t know. Do you honestly think I didn’t notice you stealing myCosmopolitanmagazines and romance books years ago?”
Jeremiah flushed at the memory and stared at the table, unable to meet her eyes as humiliation rushed through him like a raging river. “I was afraid to tell anyone,” he mumbled.
Reaching over, Jenna took his hand, and sympathy replaced the annoyance in her voice. “I know you were ... and you still are. But you don’t need to be. If you don’t get a handle on this, you’re going to lose the best thing that’s ever happened to you. I’ve never seen you like this before.” She paused, then asked, “You love him, don’t you?”
“I—” He caught himself, not sure if the first time he confessed his love for Dale should be to these two women and not the man himself.
“It’s okay,” Willow assured him. “We know you do. But the fact of the matter is, you don’t have much time.”
“What are you talking about?” Jeremiah’s stomach clenched at the worry in her voice, the coffee turning sour.
She sighed heavily and glanced at Jenna before returning her gaze to him. “Dale came to me this morning. He told me what happened yesterday—not that I hadn’t already heard about it. He gave his notice. He’ll be leaving as soon as I can hire a replacement.”
Jeremiah’s heart stopped, and his lungs seized.
No. No. It can’t be. He wouldn’t ...
Well, why wouldn’t he, you asshole? You haven’t given him a reason to stay, have you?
He stood so fast, his chair fell over with a crash, and he didn’t have a single fuck to give. “I have ... to ... Dale,” he stuttered, his heart racing as he hurried for the front door.
Quick footsteps followed him, and a small hand jerked him to a halt by his bicep. Willow moved between him and the door. “He’s not there.”
It’s too late? Oh, God, no!
“Where is he then?” Jeremiah snarled like a cornered animal.
“He asked if Nathan and I could take care of the chores today, so he could have time off. I don’t know where he went.”
Frantically searching his pockets, he felt for his cell phone and came up empty. Spinning around, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Jenna waving the device in the air. He snatched it from her without an apology and pulled up Dale’s contact, hitting the button to call him. It rang once and went straight to voice mail. Hanging up, he called again and got the same response.
Fuck!
When the beep sounded in his ear, he flat out begged, ignoring the fact Jenna and Willow were witnessing him falling apart. “Dale, please, call me. I need ... we ... I need to see you, baby. Please. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Thoughts of what he should say dried up, and he ended the call as his eyes stung. Shoving the phone into his back pocket, he sniffled, praying the impending tears wouldn’t fall. After a few moments, he had his emotions under as much control as he could muster and lifted his gaze to Willow and Jenna.
His sister set a comforting hand on his arm. “We’ve got your back. He’ll call—I know he will. Until then, you have work to do. I told Anthony you weren’t feeling well, and that you might be out later.”
“Thanks ... that goes for both of you.” Tears burned his eyes again, but this time they were from gratitude, not fear and regret. Willow and Jenna were right. The people that really mattered in his life loved him and just wanted him to be happy, no matter who that happiness was with or what it looked like. Their love and acceptance gave him the strength to finally go after what he wanted.Whomhe wanted. And that was Dale Harris, the sexy retired Marine who’d manage to capture Jeremiah’s heart. Now he just needed to track the stubborn man down so he could tell him that.
* * *
Dale listenedto Jeremiah’s voice mail for the third time in a row. It was almost noon, and he was sitting in his truck outside the Spur & Bull, the only decent bar in Antelope Rock, thinking about going in and getting loaded. He hadn’t turned to booze to numb his emotions since the last time he’d gotten his heart broken. He knew the alcohol wouldn’t help for long, but it would dull the pain for now.
Willow had knocked on his RV door early that morning. She’d seen his and Jeremiah’s shouting match yesterday and had figured out the reason for it after hearing about the incident in town from the Rock’s rumor mill. Thankfully, she’d waited. He’d invited her in and told her everything from his point of view, spilling his guts all over the tiny kitchen. He’d only managed to keep from bawling by the skin of his teeth. Jeremiah, as far as he was concerned, didn’t deserve his tears right then. Maybe not ever. There was a gaping hole in Dale’s chest where his heart used to be. He mourned the loss of them, the loss of what could’ve been, and a blissful future he’d only glimpsed a fraction of. The possibility of forever had been spread out before them, and now ... all he could see was an empty road and a solitary existence.
