Page 54 of Mountain Dreams

“I don’t get it. Why won’t she tell me where she’s staying?” Wyatt repeated for the third or fourth time.

Cody wanted to tell him that it was none of his business, but that would probably make him more agitated. “You broke up with her,” he pointedly reminded him.

“That doesn’t mean I stopped caring about her.”

Cody swallowed his sigh. “Give her some time, and then maybe she’ll tell you.” He figured Wyatt would find out eventually, but he didn’t want to be the one who told him, especially not while he was like this.

“I don’t know. She sounded different on the phone. It was like talking to a stranger.”

Can you blame her, you idiot? “She’s probably trying to move on, and you should too.”

“I didn’t think it would be this hard, and I miss her, man—a lot.”

Cody had a feeling this might happen. The grass had seemed greener elsewhere until Wyatt had gotten close enough to see the dandelions poking through. He wondered what had happened with the waitress at the bar, but he couldn’t ask without giving himself away.

“I think I made a mistake,” Wyatt added, almost as if he were talking to himself.

He’d screwed up big time, but Cody had a hard time feeling sorry for him. He’d caused Maddie too much pain for that.

Before Cody could come up with a reasonable response, he heard the doorknob rattle. At first, he thought it was the wind, but then the door opened, and Maddie stepped inside.

Wyatt was sitting with his back to the door, but he jerked his head around at the intrusion. Both men stood as she came into the room.

There was an eerie stillness until Wyatt broke the silence. “Maddie? What are you doing here?”

Cody tried to send her a telepathic message, I haven’t told him you moved in, but she kept her gaze on Wyatt.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she said.

Cody had a hard time standing still. He wanted to rush over and insert himself between her and Wyatt, but this wasn’t his battle—at least, not yet.

“I was worried about you,” Wyatt said, sounding more vulnerable than he had before. “I came over to see if Cody had heard from you.”

“Well, as you can see, I’m fine.”

She had a steely determination in her eyes that made Cody immensely proud of her. She might be a bookworm, but she was no wallflower.

“Are you really? Okay, I mean?” Wyatt said.

“It’s really none of your concern anymore.”

His shoulders slumped. “I miss you, Mads. I don’t know what I was thinking, letting you go.”

She was quiet for a few beats, and Cody practically held his breath as both men awaited her reaction.

“I can’t believe this. Am I supposed to run back into your arms now? Because I’m not going to. It’s too late.”

“We only broke up a week ago.”

“But you’ve had one foot out the door for the past few months!”

Wyatt hung his head.

Cody considered walking out to give them some privacy, but then he quickly discarded the idea. Unless she asked him to leave, he was going to stay put in case she needed him.

“Look at me, Wyatt,” she said, her voice softening some.

He slowly raised his head. “If I came back to you, how would I know this wouldn’t happen again?”