“Jason, you can forget about it,” Lauren snapped in a furious tone Wade had never heard her use. “I’ve told you at least a hundred times that I am not coming back. Why can’t you get it through your head that that part of my life is over?”
Those were the same words she’d spoken to him the night before, but they sounded very different now. Wade’s gut churned as he waited to see what would come next.
“No,” she said flatly. “No, absolutely not. Look, it was a great run while it lasted, but that’s it. No more.”
So, he thought, listening to her, despite her claims the night before, she had left someone behind, someone who hadn’t liked being dumped, someone who was still pestering her. She had lied to him about the men she’d married. They weren’t out of her life, the way she’d insisted. Was it possible that one of them was stalking her? That he hadn’t gotten over the divorce? Or could this be someone entirely different, not an ex-husband but a third man who had a hold on her heart—or thought he did?
Just let him show up in Winding River, Wade thought, filled with rage. He’d put an end to any lingering possessiveness this Jason felt toward Lauren. The thought of another man putting his hands on her—having the right to put his hands on her—made Wade crazy. And the fact that it did made him crazier yet.
He sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm down. He had no right to let it make him nuts. He knew that. But that didn’t seem to ease the tightening in his belly or the raw fury that bubbled up inside. He spun away from the door and headed for the barn. Halfway there, he muttered an oath and turned back.
They had business to discuss. They had made a vow in his kitchen the night before to leave the past alone. He wasn’t going to start the day by letting whatever had gone on in Lauren’s past get in the way of the here and now, at least not when it came to the horses. When it concerned the two of them…well, that was a whole other issue. One of these days, he’d ask all the questions that were suddenly nagging at him about whether she’d been totally honest about being rid of emotional ties to her ex-husbands or any other man.
By the time he got back to the house, it was quiet. Apparently the call had ended. He rapped on the door and stepped inside, forcing what he hoped was a completely neutral mask onto his face.
He spotted Lauren at once, sitting at the table, her shoulders hunched, her head resting on her arms. Everything about her looked dejected. Wade had never seen her like that before. She reminded him of Miss Molly. Who the hell was this guy who was capable of sapping the fire right out of her?
“Problems?” he asked cautiously, not sure he wanted to provide a sounding board for whatever personal issues she might have that involved another man. It was one thing to hear about past loves in the abstract, but to hear all the telling details might be more than he could stomach.
Her head snapped up at once. “No,” she said flatly. “Nothing I can’t handle anyway. Did you need me?”
“Grady wanted the two of us to ride over to the Grigsby place today. Grigsby’s got a couple of horses for sale. Word is that he might be planning to sell out.”
A hint of sadness passed across her face. “I remember Otis Grigsby. Gosh, he must be ninety by now. I’m amazed he’s kept that place going as long as he has.”
“Grady seems to think it’s gone downhill a lot the last couple of years, but he says the one thing the old man would never slack off on was caring for his stock.” He studied Lauren’s lackluster expression. “Do you feel like coming, or should I head on over alone?”
“Of course I’ll come,” she said, though without much enthusiasm. “Let me splash some water on my face first. I’ll meet you at the truck. Are you taking a trailer along just in case?”
Wade nodded. “Might as well be prepared. The way I hear it, now that Grigsby has made up his mind to go, he’s in a hurry.”
“Or maybe his son is,” Lauren said. “Otis Junior never did have much patience where his daddy was concerned. I heard he moved to Phoenix years ago. Maybe he’s intent on getting his father down there, so caring for him will be less inconvenient.”
“Maybe so. Grady didn’t say.” Wade’s gaze narrowed when she showed no sign of moving. Finally, because he couldn’t bear to see her looking like this, he dragged out a chair and sat down opposite her. “Okay, what’s going on? And don’t tell me it’s nothing. You look as if you lost your best friend.”
She met his gaze. “Sorry. I’m just having a bad morning.” She shoved her chair back and started to stand.
“Sit,” Wade ordered. “Talk to me.”
A flash of fire lit her eyes for an instant, and he thought he might have stirred her temper back to life, but then she sighed and sat back down.
Though he’d vowed to say nothing about what he’d overheard, he couldn’t help himself. “Lauren, dammit, what does this mood of yours have to do with that phone call you were on a few minutes ago?” he demanded. “Did you have a little lovers’ tiff?”
Bright patches of color darkened her cheeks at that. “You were listening?” she asked, practically quivering with indignation.
“It was hard not to. I came to the door and you were shouting at the top of your lungs.”
“So you just stood there and eavesdropped?”
“No, dammit, I walked away.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You did?”
“What the hell difference does it make whether I did or I didn’t? Unless, of course,
