The Cowboy's Love

{Chapter} 31

“Okay, so if she was just going to a ride, her things would be gone. She had to have left. I figure the time to be about six, so that means she probably will catch the nine thirty train if she’s leaving” he spoke to himself.

Why would she leave? Something must be wrong.

She said that he knew why she was leaving, but she had it all wrong. Wade didn’t have the slightest idea. Sure, she was a little cranky last night, but that was a regular occurrence with any person, right? He’d figured that she had just had a bad day. He guessed that he had been wrong.

Wade saddled Abe and Jay came into the barn.

“Where ya goin’?” he asked.

“To find Aubrey. Go back down to the ranch and wait for me” Wade told him, putting his dusty boot in Abe’s stirrup.

“When will you be back?” Jay asked.

“I’m not sure. Tell Ms. Toni that Aubrey’s gone and I have to find her” Wade mounted and looked down at Jay.

“Is she gonna come back?” Jay asked.

Wade looked up at the barn ceiling.

*God, please don’t let her leave before I get there.*

“I’ll be back as quick as I can” Wade spurred Abe into a run.

“Come on, Abe. You’ve gotta get me to town before that train leaves” Wade tried to convey the urgency to his horse.

Abe picked up speed, and Wade prayed that it would be enough.

***********

Aubrey twisted a handkerchief between her fingers and wiped tears from her eyes. The train would leave any minute taking her far away from Desperado and even further from Sundance, but furthest from the MC Ranch. She didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to never see any of them ever again. She wanted to believe that there was no chance that Wade would ever be unfaithful. Her insecurities about her own feelings had driven him to it, she was sure of that. Yet when she envisioned him with another woman, it made her blood boil.

He had been her man, no one else’s, and yet some snooty, flighty female had taken him. Aubrey could picture her now, blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and a perfect figure. Aubrey fisted her hands and tried not to think of that any longer. Suddenly feeling stuffy, Aubrey opened her window on the train, embracing the cold December air. It hit her that Christmas was just around the corner, and yet she wouldn’t spend it with the one she loved most. Her heart was shattering into a million pieces.

“Aubrey!” A voice called.

Aubrey looked out of the window, sure she had heard wrong.

Yet there he stood, in the flesh, Wade Dylan.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, sticking her head out of the window.

“What’s wrong here, Aubrey? Why are you leaving?” Wade asked, breathing heavy.

So now he was going to play dumb?

“You know exactly why I’m leaving! I’m onto you. I had my suspicions, but that perfume I smelled on you last night just confirmed it.

“Let me explain. Can we just talk about this?” Wade asked.

“I don’t want to hear any weak excuses” Aubrey tried to sound tough and hardened like Toni McBride, but the tears flowed anyway.

“Please, honey. I’m begging you not to leave” It seemed like Wade’s dark sapphire eyes turned into a baby blue color in a split second with fear, but Aubrey knew she was imagining things.

Yet hadn’t his eyes always given away his emotions?

The train started moving and the whistle blew. Aubrey knew it was too late now.

“Please” Wade sounded like he would get on his knees at any moment and beg her to return home.

The train started moving, and Wade walked along with it, faster and faster.

“Talk to me” he pleaded.

Aubrey wanted to jump off the train and forget that this ever happened, to just pretend that this was all a bad dream. But it was too late.

“I’m sorry” she heard herself say before Wade ran out of platform and stood at the edge, watching her leave.

Aubrey could have sworn that she saw tears behind those pleading eyes.

Just like that, he was gone.

Aubrey leaned back against her seat and took a deep breath. This couldn’t be happening.

She felt hot tears stroll down her cheeks one by one until they all broke loose. She hated the fact that she had doubted Wade in the first place. Everything in her wanted to hear what he had to say, but feared that she wouldn’t believe him.

*You’ve got yourself into this mess, now you follow through with it, missy.*

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Ta-da!