Page 43 of Solitary Man

“Don’t stay out working too long,” she called. “Dinner will be ready in an hour.” She smiled at me, then went back inside.

I busied myself until it was time for dinner. Riley had made a chicken pie. One of my favorites. Something she’d learned about me from Landon. It was good, but I had to choke it down. My sweet, trusting wife was trying to give me everything I wanted, to make me happy. She was chatting away while we ate, trying so hard to make this work.

But now that I knew the truth, I became aware of the strain on her face. Could see the disappointment when I answered in my usual way. But I didn’t know how to be anyone else. I didn’t know how to be the man Landon created.

And when we went to bed later that night, for the first time in two weeks, we didn’t…make love. That’s what it had been for me, and I wanted her so bad it hurt not to take her, not to please her. But until I worked out what I was going to do, I couldn’t bring myself to touch her, not like that.

“Cash?” she said into the darkness.

“Yep?”

“Are you okay?”

“Just tired,” I muttered.

She snuggled into my side. “You’ve worked hard all day.”

I didn’t answer, swallowing convulsively as I wrapped my arms around her.

She was going to leave me.

As soon as she found out, she would leave. And I’d be alone again. But this time, I wouldn’t survive it, not now that I knew how wonderful my life could be with Riley in it.

I was making coffee when the satellite phone rang. I snatched it up in a bad mood. I was tired and confused, and I wanted to hold my wife. I wanted to make love to her, kiss her. Listen while she talked nonstop. She was in her office working, and I was out here avoiding her when what I really wanted was the complete opposite.

I put the phone to my ear. “Yeah?”

“Cash, it’s Landon.”

I clenched the phone tight and gritted my teeth. I was trying to work out what to say when he carried on talking.

“A cop from Denver called, spoke to Brady, wanted to pass a message on to your Riley. He…ah…thought it would be better coming from me.”

Brady was one of the local police officers. I gripped the phone tighter. “A cop?”

“She say anything to you about some guy named Keith?”

“No. She say anything to you?” I bit out.

There was a beat of silence. “Can’t say that she did…” More silence. “You know, don’t you?”

“Yep.”

“Shit, I was just trying to help, boy. You’ve been on your own so long and I…your parents…wouldn’t want that.” He cursed under his breath. “Look, you can be pissed at me later. This is important.”

“Then spit it out.”

He cleared his throat. “Riley…she had a stalker back in Denver. This guy Keith is her ex-boyfriend. Anyway, he set about harassing and following her after they broke up. They couldn’t prove it was him. Then he broke into her place one night, terrorized her for hours. He went into hiding. They finally found him, seeing as he’s been going crazy looking for her since she moved out here, and he got careless. Cop wanted her to know they got the evidence they needed. He’s been charged. And that it’s…um…safe if she wanted to go home.”

I stood rooted to the spot.

Home.

She was goddamn home.

“Cash?”

“Gotta go.” I hung up and braced my hands on the counter, staring out the window.