turned chatty, which only pushed him deeper inside his own tortured thoughts. Was Sam dead? Lying hurt somewhere?
Images of the dog led Heath’s mind’s eye to Patricia’s dark last days. She’d been in such pain and he’d been powerless to do anything to help, other than demand more meds. To feel such helplessness for a woman he’d loved so insanely, deeply, completely had been far worse on him than any physical pain he might one day endure.
Having loved the deepest, and now hurt the deepest, what else was left?
“Great,” his mom said. “You’re fine—again. Only, clearly you’re not, so whether you like it or not, I’ll get Uncle Morris to look after the motel tomorrow, then I’ll be out to help search for Sam.”
“For the last time...” Heath cocked his head back, staring up at the stars. Common sense told him he needed all the help he could get in looking for Sam, but a sick foreboding got in the way. If the worst had happened, Heath would somehow have to deal with it in his own private way. “Thanks, but no thanks. I just want to be left alone.”
“Duly noted.” She took her keys from her jeans front pocket, then kissed his cheek. “See you first thing in the morning.”
* * *
“RUN INTO ANY TROUBLE?” Gretta asked Libby the next morning from behind the wheel of her forest-green Ford Explorer. The fog had been as thick as it was the day before, but by nine, warm sun had rapidly burned it off.
“Nope. Everything was quiet, just like you’d expected.” It’d been late when Gretta returned from Heath’s, so they hadn’t had much time to talk. It had been a long day, and Libby had struggled to keep her eyes open.
In her cozy room, she’d changed into pajamas and reveled in the luxury of indoor plumbing. When she’d slipped between cool sheets and eased her head onto not one, but two downy pillows, for the first time in months, she’d happily sighed with contentment.
Cupping her hands to her belly, she’d closed her eyes and smiled. But then her eyes popped open. All she could think of while drifting off to sleep was Heath.
The kind of warmhearted, honorable man she’d always secretly yearned for, but knew a broken mess like her would never deserve.
“Thanks for riding out here with me.” Gretta turned onto the desolate road leading to Heath’s dirt lane. “I’ll have to introduce you to my brother when we get back. Morris has been married four—maybe five times?” She scratched her head. “After three I lost count. He’s a hopeless romantic. He retired from the navy, made a fortune in the private sector and now I swear his only goal in life is making me crazy, asking for love advice.” She paused for air. “He is a doll about helping out with the motel, though. He loves to cook, so the diner’s his baby. The motel and restaurant have been in our family for generations. The two of us grew up in the little house behind it. After Heath’s dad died, I moved back.”
“It’s good you and Morris are close.” Libby angled on the seat as best she could to face Heath’s mom. “I’m an only child, but always wanted a brother or sister.”
Gretta snorted. “Be careful what you wish for. Having a sibling hasn’t been all sunshine and roses. Morris and my husband—God rest his soul—used to get into horrible rows.”
“Oh?” Libby didn’t bother asking why, since she assumed chatty Gretta would soon enough fill her in with the details.
“My Vinnie—Heath’s father—was a no-nonsense man. I guess twenty years in the military will do that to a person. Not long after he took retirement, we moved back here to take over the motel from my parents. Heath was such a moody teen in those days. He’s named after Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Never did I think he’d turn out to have the character’s same brooding disposition. Did I curse my own son?”
“I’m sure not.” Although Libby had been curious about Vinnie and Morris’s feud, anything about the elusive Heath was infinitely more entertaining. “Has he always been quiet and gloomy?”
“Not at all. In high school he was homecoming king, and made quite a splash on the basketball team. Everyone loved him—but he had his occasional spells when he enjoyed going off in the woods for fishing and hunting. In the navy—did you know he was a SEAL? He was all the time earning medals. But when he lost Patricia, he just gave up. Breaks my heart. Really does.”
“I’m sure.”
“Another thing that gets my goat is...”
Libby politely acknowledged Gretta’s latest monologue, regarding her neighbor’s refusal to plant an appropriate amount of potted flowers for the upcoming Independence Day festivities. But mostly, she stared out at the wall of green on either side of the road, wondering at the vast, remote stretch of land and the odds of Heath ever finding his dog.
Funny, a day earlier, though Libby always viewed her cup as half-full, lately, she’d begun doubting this practice. Beyond her healthy pregnancy, pretty much nothing before meeting the Stones had gone right. Now that she’d heard even part of Heath’s tragic story, she was embarrassed for believing she had problems at all. No one had died—well, unless she counted the small piece of herself she’d have to abandon upon returning to her parents’ home. She didn’t doubt for a moment they’d take her and her baby in, but with the expectation she play by their rules, tossing aside her own hopes and dreams.
* * *
AFTER A FITFUL night’s sleep, Heath woke at dawn to resume his search for Sam.
He’d been out a few hours, then returned to the cabin to grab energy bars and more water.
The previous night, when his mom told him she’d be back, he’d hoped Uncle Morris was so busy with the diner that he wouldn’t be able to help with the motel—in fact, he’d have rather she sent her brother as her proxy. Heath’s easygoing uncle wasn’t constantly nagging with questions, and he sure as hell would never be so insensitive as to suggest he “climb back on his horse” to find a new love as Gretta occasionally liked to do.
What kind of Happy Land planet was his mom living on that she believed for one second he’d ever be able to replace Patricia? The very idea was insulting.
After downing a piece of white bread smeared with peanut butter, he was loading bottled water into his knapsack when a car roared down his road.
While his initial thought was to punch a hole through the nearest wall, he soon enough realized that since his home was built of logs, that might not be such a great idea for his fist.
A minute later he glanced out the open front door to see his mom’s perpetual smile. Making matters worse was the fact that she’d dragged Libby along with her.
Hands in his pockets, he did the right thing by heading out to the SUV to greet them, though he wanted nothing to do with either of their cheery smiles.
“Any luck?” his mom asked, first out of the car.
“Nope.”
Libby had opened her door, but clearly needed help getting out. On autopilot, he went to her, steeling himself to ignore her pretty floral smell and the way her petite frame made him feel oversized and all thumbs. “Here we go again....”
“This does feel familiar.” Her friendly
