Page 6 of Wyatt

Mav walks over to the front window and pulls the curtain aside. “Her car’s gone too.”

I walk over to join him, needing to see it for myself, and sure enough, Georgie’s little sedan is no longer there. “What’s the letter say?” I ask, already knowing the reason why Georgie left without a word. If what Brooks says is true and she has been in love with me this whole time, I’m pretty sure I not only broke her heart last night, but I also stomped on the pieces for good measure.

Scarlett sniffs tosses the letter on the table, her eyes glaring at me. “Read for yourself,” she says, an undertone of anger in her voice. On shaky legs, I make my way over to the table and snatch up the letter before anyone else can get their hands on it, my eyes skimming over the page quickly.

Scarlett,

I’m so sorry to leave you like this, especially without saying goodbye, but you’ve always been the stronger of the two of us, and you have your whole family with you, so I know you’ll be alright. I’ve spent most of my life caring for other people, something that brings me nothing but joy, but I realize that maybe I haven’t been taking very good care of myself.

The boys are all getting married and having babies. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever known, so I’m sure you won’t be far behind. You’re all going to do so well, you don’t need me taking care of you anymore.

Please don’t be mad at anyone about this, and don’t try to find me. It’s no one’s fault that I’m leaving. It’s just something I have to do. I love you, Scarlett. Give my love to the rest of the family. I’ll miss you all very much.

Love,

Georgie

P.S. All the recipes I use are in a book on top of the fridge. I know how cranky you all get when you don’t get your mama’s biscuits at least once a week.

My eyes start to well up a bit, so I drop the letter on the table and head up the stairs to Georgie’s room before anyone can see my face. I thought I screwed up last night, but it’s so much worse than that. I destroyed any chance at happiness I might have had and I drove away the only person who saw me as more than just one night of fun.

The door to Georgie’s room is slightly ajar, so I push it open and head inside. My eyes glance around the room, seeing the empty closet and drawers of her dresser, but it’s what I see sitting on top of the dresser that really kills me.

I reach out and pick up the bracelet I made for Georgie, the one I gave to her last night before I fucked everything up. Turning it over and over in my hand, I finally collapse on the edge of her bed, grabbing her pillow and inhaling some of the sweet cinnamon sugar scent that seems to follow her around everywhere.

A throat clearing at the door draws my attention, and I peek up from the pillow to see Brooks standing there, a sad expression on his face.

“I missed my chance,” I say, my voice cracking on the last word as a tear falls from my face. I swipe at it angrily and cling onto the pillow tighter as if squeezing the life out of it will bring my girl back.

“No, brother. You didn’t miss it,” he says, sitting down next to me and patting my knee. “It’s just delayed a bit is all.”

I swallow thickly and voice the words that have been running through my head since the moment Scarlett told us Georgie was gone. “What if she doesn’t come back?”

“She will,” he says without hesitation. “She’s hurting and needs to take care of herself for a while, but she’ll be back.” He knocks my knee with his before standing and offering me his hand. “She’s got at least one good reason to.”

“Yea, Scarlett,” I say as I grab his hand and let him pull me up.

Brooks snorts a laugh. “Okay, then. Two good reasons.” He walks over to the doorway, but turns back to me one more time before he goes. “Maybe while she’s gone, you can work on believing that you’re worthy of her…because you are.”

“Even after last night?” I ask, needing to hear that my chances aren’t completely hopeless.

“Yes,” he says with a smile. “Even after last night.” With that, he steps out of the room and leaves me to my thoughts. Stuffing the bracelet in my pocket, I head out of Georgie’s room and down the stairs, ready to start the day and work on not only believing in myself a little more, but on getting some things done to take care of my girl when she does come back.

Chapter Four

~Georgie~

Three months later

The April sun feels good on my skin as it streams in through the window of my small apartment, warming my skin that’s icy cold from the air conditioner that blasts a little too hard despite my best efforts to fix it and the many calls to the landlord.

When I left Landry Ranch a few months ago, I thought I might take myself on a mini vacation, see the country. After the first hour of driving though, I quickly realized how bored I would be. I was used to working from sun up to sundown and beyond, so sitting on some beach alone with nothing but my thoughts didn’t sound as enticing as I first thought.

My car only took me about one hundred miles away to Oklahoma City when I decided to stop, boredom and regret already setting in. As badly as I wanted to turn around and go back to the ranch, I still felt like I needed this time on my own, time to figure out a few things.

The first thing I did when I got to the city was look for a job. Finding ones that were available were easy enough, but finding an employer who wouldn’t call your previous place of business wasn’t. I tried diners, bakeries, hotels, and just about everywhere else I could think of to get a job, but they all wanted to know why I left and talk to Sawyer about how well I worked. I understand their need to do that, but I wasn’t willing to deal with any of the Landrys just yet.

Rolling over on my bed, I glance at the clock on the nightstand I grabbed from a thrift store. It’s almost ten o’clock in the morning. Normally, I’d have been up for at least five hours by now, but since my new job is as a waitress at one of the bars in the city and my shifts don’t end until midnight, I’ve been sleeping in more and more.