it was still hidden inside. Had she been that obvious?
“I saw Hollister give it to you outside, and if I were in your boots, I’d be dying to read it, too. Especially if it says Joe Wilcox is a nutcase and you shouldn’t let him within a hundred feet of you.” He smiled, but she knew he was itching for a clue as to why he was here.
Still, she wanted to be alone when she read whatever Dave hadn’t wanted to tell her in person.
If truth be told, she felt badly about possibly hurting his feelings while he was in a war zone, no matter how gentle she’d tried to be. And she regretted the distance her honesty had created between them.
“Thanks for understanding,” she said. “I’ll let you know if it says anything about you.”
Joe nodded. Then he began to mop the floor under the table, which was the only dry spot left. After he finished, he leaned the mop against the wall and carried the bucket through the mudroom and out into the yard.
When Chloe was finally alone, she went into the living room, took a seat in the chair in which Sheriff Hollister had once sat and took the envelope from her pocket. After opening it, she withdrew the letter and unfolded the single sheet of paper.
Chloe,
If you’re reading this letter, then that means Joe found you for me and hand-delivered it.
I can never thank you enough for what you did for my mom during her last days, and I’m sorry that my love and gratitude made you uncomfortable. Even though my feelings weren’t reciprocated, that doesn’t mean that I felt them any less.
I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be than with you. But if you’re not interested in what we could have together, then I won’t bother you again.
Goodbye.
Dave
Chloe read the short note several times, focusing on the last cryptic part. Dave had a penchant for the melodramatic, so it was hard to know what he meant. Still, he didn’t have to stay away. The ranch belonged to him, and she would gladly turn the reins back over to him when he came home.
If he came home. Joe clearly knew where he could be found—that is, if his memory ever returned. When it did, she’d ask him to contact Dave and tell him she was leaving, that she couldn’t stay on the Rocking C forever.
But why hadn’t Dave contacted her in person? And why had he wanted the letter delivered when it would have been much easier to mail it? Or even to call?
Had Dave asked Joe to evict her? Maybe, once she’d cleared out of the house, Joe was to inform Dave so that he could return to the Rocking C without having to see her.
But if that was the case, all he’d had to do was say the word and she’d start packing.
However, she wouldn’t leave the ranch unattended until he actually arrived. So he’d just have to man up and deal with her temporary presence.
In the meantime, what in the world was she going to do with Joe?
And what would he tell her once his memory returned? She had no idea.
For a moment, she pondered showing him Dave’s letter, thinking it might jar his memory. But she didn’t consider that option very long. She’d just tell Joe that Dave had asked him to deliver it in person.
Perhaps just her reassurance that Joe was actually Dave’s friend was enough. It would have to be—until she figured out just what Dave meant when he said, “But if you’re not interested in what we could have together, then I won’t bother you again. Goodbye. Dave.”
What if he’d actually been saying goodbye forever? What if Dave had...?
Oh, God. And what if, somehow, it had been her fault?
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