Page 257 of Cowboy Daddies

“You’re a real bitch, aren’t you? What? Did you have dibs on him or something? Do you think you’re better than me?” Casey snapped.

“Are you staying?” Megan asked in a sickly-sweet voice. “Wyatt deserves the truth, right?”

“You don’t care about Wyatt,” Casey said. “And that’s none of your business.”

“See, Wyatt? She’ll be gone soon. Poof. Never to be seen again.” Megan stalked away.

That bitch.

Casey glared after her before turning back to Wyatt who stared up at her with devastation in his face.

“Wyatt,” she whispered, feeling broken.

Turning, he ran off out of the ice cream parlor.

“Wyatt!”

Shit!

She took off after him, dumping her ice cream in a garbage bin as she raced down the street. They ended up in the place where it had all begun.

Elise’s playground.

Wyatt sat on the swing and pushed it back and forth, refusing to look up at her as she stopped in front of him.

“Wyatt, can you stop and look at me, please,” she begged.

“When are you going?”

“What?” she asked.

“When are you leaving?” he asked, glancing up at her.

“I don’t . . . I don’t know. My car will be fixed in a few days. So, I guess soon. Wyatt, you always knew I was leaving.”

“I thought you’d change your mind! If you were Papa’s girlfriend you’d have to change your mind!”

Her stomach was twisted into knots. “I like your Papa.” Maybe she even felt more than that. “And I really like you.”

“Then stay!”

“Oh, Wyatt. It’s not that simple.”

“Sure, whatever.” He jumped off the swing and gave her a sullen look. “I wanna go home.”

Maybe that was for the best. She needed to talk to Jeb. The drive home was silent and her heart was heavy.

As she pulled up, Wyatt jumped out of the truck and headed inside.

Feet dragging, she headed into the house and moved to the sink to fill a glass with water.

Urgh.

What was she going to do?

She had to fix this somehow. Staring out the window, she saw Wyatt running past. Where was he going? It wasn’t long until dark now. He wasn’t supposed to go out on the ranch alone.

Shit. Shit.