Page 52 of Hometown Cowboy

Gabe looked at him. He straightened his shoulders and sighed.

“That, my friend, is something you’re going to have to talk to Darby about. It’s none of my business, and certainly not my business to tell.”

That only confused him more. He drew breath to insist on answers only to have Gabe pat his shoulder.

“Get settled. Rest. It was a long trip home for someone in your condition. Your mum will be by to check on you soon, I’m sure. And you’ll probably have to contend with hordes of locals coming to wish you well. The rest will sort itself out, in time.”

Ryan nodded in defeat. He knew there was much Gabe wasn’t telling him, but he didn’t know why. If he forced the issue, Gabe would just clam up all the more.

And why did his chest hurt so much when he thought of Darby?

A distinct pain in the very specific vicinity of his heart.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ryan sat onthe edge of his recliner and gently scrubbed the towel through his freshly washed hair. He winced a little at the pain in his ribs that the motion caused. He’d hobbled his way into the living room from his shower. He hated that he had to use a chair in there, but at least it meant he could be semi self-sufficient. He’d asked his mother to drive him into town to go see Darby, and for some reason had butterflies bouncing around deep in his belly while he showered to make himself presentable.

A knock at his front door had him looking up.

“Darby!”

Happiness surged through him; a weird littleflip-flopin is belly. He hadn’t seen her in over a week, not since she’d left the hospital, which was a rare thing for them. He tried to stand, forgetting the crutches lying on the floor next to the recliner, and fell back onto the plush cushioning. He swore loudly. Darby laughed and hurried to his side. She picked up the crutches and handed them to him.

He grabbed them awkwardly and stood with more care. “I was coming to see you.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Oh? Why?”

Did he say what he really wanted to, or just beat around the bush to try and wangle answers out of her without letting her on to him?

He sighed. No.

“I want to know what’s going on. Everyone’s been…weird… since I’ve come home. I know it’s only been a couple of days, but the people I’ve seen have been friendly, but odd. Like there’s something they’re not telling me. It’s like coming home to a town of pod people in place of everyone I know.”

The smile drifted from Darby’s face.

“And Gabe says it has to do with you. But he won’t tell me what. What’s going on, Darb? What’s happened? Did we have a huge fight or something in front of the whole town?”

He said the last facetiously, hoping like crazy that he wasn’t right.

But she was here, right? It couldn’t have been too bad if they had? And what would they fight about, anyway?

Lines deepened around her mouth. A subtle tightening; a telling giveaway. Deep sadness darkened her grey eyes. She sat down with a careful deliberation on the chair opposite his, her gaze on her skirt. She brushed at it, straightening some perceived wrinkle.

“You might want to sit down for this. I was hoping to have more time… to give you more time, to see if you remembered…”

Ryan sank slowly to the edge of the chair. His gut tumbled at a million miles an hour, making him nauseous.

“Please, just give it to me. If I screwed up somehow, just say so and I’ll apologise, and things can go back to normal. Okay?”

He smiled at her, trying to get her to meet his gaze. They’d had arguments before. Never anything major, though, and they had always been able to sort things out fast. He couldn’t have messed up that badly, surely?

“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.” Darby straightened her back and looked up. “Do you remember anything about me at all? Past the foggy bits, I mean.”

He shrugged and shook his head. “I’m not really sure what you mean. I don’t remember anything at all past Easter. We had that barbie at your parents’ place, where half the damned town seemed to turn up. Then… nothing.”

He held up his hands, at a loss.

“And now I’m here, and it’s halfway through spring. It’s really disconcerting, I’ll tell you that.”