Thank you for making me part of your lives these past weeks. I will never forget you.
Jake
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The rain was a steady downpour, but Jake was used to bad weather. Water sheeted off his hooded poncho as he trudged down the winding, graveled road toward the highway. Just ahead was the spot where the motorcycle had gone off the road. He passed it without looking down. It didn’t matter anymore. Whatever had happened last night was behind him. He’d learned not to look back.
The red Cadillac had swerved around him, going downhill a few minutes ago, splashing him with muddy water as one wheel swished through a puddle. He’d recognized Mack in the passenger seat. At least the fool kid was alive. But Jake had known better than to try and thumb a ride. He’d be better off in the rain.
He thought about Kira. By now, she would have discovered he was gone. He could almost picture her beautiful face as she read the letter he’d written.
He forced back a rush of emotion. Leaving Kira and Paige had been like cutting off his arm. But it had to be for the best. Now that they’d seen the monster lurking inside him and heard the obscenities that poured out of his mouth, they wouldn’t want him on the ranch.
Kira wouldn’t come after him, he knew. She had her pride, and she was smart enough to know that he mustn’t stay. Being around him wouldn’t be good for Paige. And what would happen to Kira’s practice if word got out that she had a crazed army vet working with her students?
Lightning flashed across the sky. An earsplitting boom triggered more rain, pelting hard enough to sting. Jake had planned to walk down the three-mile road to the construction site and maybe get a ride into town with one of the workers when they finished their shift. But they wouldn’t be working in this weather. He’d have to hitchhike, or shelter in one of the open equipment sheds until the storm passed—nothing he hadn’t done before.
Pausing, he turned and gazed uphill toward the ranch, now veiled by a gray curtain of rain. He was moving on, as he always did. But this time would be different. He would be leaving his heart behind.
* * *
Kira was soaked by the time she reached the front porch. The dog got up and greeted her, wagging his shaggy tail. She gave him a pat and hurried inside. Ignoring the students lounging by the fire in the living room, she rushed down the hall. Coming out of the dining room, Dusty gave her a startled look as she passed him.
In her room, she toweled her hair, stripped off her wet cotton shirt and replaced it with a warm sweatshirt. Her damp jeans, she decided, would have to do for now. She would change them later.
Jake’s letter was folded inside one hip pocket. She had taken it out, unfolded it and flattened it on the bed to dry. She soon heard a light tap on the door, followed by her grandfather’s voice. “Kira, are you all right?”
She sighed. Sooner or later, Dusty would need to know everything. “Not really,” s
he said. “Come in and I’ll tell you about it.”
Dusty walked in and closed the door behind him, leaving it ajar. “What’s the matter?” he asked, seeing her stricken face.
“Jake’s left.” Kira forced herself to speak calmly.
“On foot? In this rain?”
“You know that wouldn’t stop him.”
The old man sank down on the foot of the bed. “I was afraid something like that might happen,” he said.
“Did you know he had an episode in the night?”
“I heard it, all the commotion. I stayed in bed because I figured he didn’t need me for an audience. But it sounded pretty bad.”
“It was. When he didn’t show up this morning, I went to check on him. His things were gone, and I found this on his bed.”
She handed Dusty the letter. He read it, sadness creeping over his features. “Does Paige know yet?”
“I haven’t told her. But she was there when he lost control. She saw and heard everything. I think that’s what really got to Jake. And I think that’s the reason he left.”
“She still doesn’t know he’s her father?”
“He was going to tell her today. Before all this happened, he’d told me he was planning to stay.”
Dusty glanced at the letter again, then laid it on the bed. “Are you in love with him?”
The question almost shattered her. She glanced away to hide a rush of painful emotion. “It doesn’t make any difference now, does it?”