“If this is true—” Micah tapped the story, which he’d read quickly through and then summarized for Walker “—you’re going to have some apologizing to do.”
“Yeah,” he said one more time, aware that it was likely the understatement of the century.
“Then drop me off at my car and get to it.”
“Sure. But... What if she doesn’t want to see me?”
His brother offered a hand and pulled him up. “Then I guess you’ll have to suffer in silence until she does.”
“Thanks. That helps a lot.”
“Come on. You’re the expert on women, Walker. Not me. If anyone can effectively beg forgiveness, it’s you.”
Walker felt so dazed he had to concentrate on driving to keep his mind from drifting. Had Charlie really done that? And had he pushed her into it?
He’d taken off at five o’clock the morning after their argument, and he hadn’t been back in town since. He hadn’t even been in cell phone range. One week on the mountain and all hell had broken loose. A hell he might have set in motion.
Micah looked at him as they pulled up to the hospital. “Whoever this girl is, whatever happens, she’s right about the Ability Ranch, you know.”
“She might be,” Walker conceded. “We’ll see.”
“If that’s why you’re looking into the GED, then you already know she’s right.”
He shrugged, feeling worse about it than ever. “Probably.”
“All right. I’ll call you later.”
“You think we should check about Dad?”
“I’ll call the mortuary,” Micah said. “You go on and find her. I’ll see you tonight.” He shut the door and walked toward his car.
“Micah!” Walker called, rolling down the window. His brother turned around. “Thanks for taking care of him. When I didn’t want to. When I refused to. Thanks for that. I’m the older brother. I should have done it.”
Micah just watched him for a moment, and then he smiled. “But you did everything else. You had to leave a little for me. I love you, Walker. Now go on. Make me proud.”
Shit. Walker felt the burn of tears in his eyes as he pulled away. But he managed to blink them back, too overwhelmed by panicked worry to indulge in anything deeper right now.
Her car was there when he arrived at the Stud Farm, and even though he’d feared he wouldn’t be able to find her, the fact that she was there felt like terror. Now he really would have to face her. He’d have to apologize. He’d have to walk away if she slammed the door in his face. Whatever anxiety he’d felt about his educational failings was nothing close to this, but he’d face it for her.
He ran to the building and took the stairs two at a time, the newspaper still clutched in his hand. The building was empty. No reporters milling about or police parked at the door. It seemed anticlimactic, but his heart was thundering like crazy when he stopped in front of her door and raised his hand.
Two deep breaths and then he did it. He knocked. And she opened the door right away.
Her face was pale. Her eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Her hair was mussed as if she’d just woken.
“Charlie?” he whispered. “Are you okay?”
Charlie took one step forward. Her lip trembled. And then she fell into his arms, sobbing. Walker just picked her up and held her. “I’m sorry,” he said, and she cried harder. His own tears finally fell.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“I’M SORRY,” he murmured again against her hair, pulling her tighter to him on the bed.
“You don’t have to keep saying that,” Charlie insisted, though she took the chance to kiss his chest one more time.
“I do have to keep saying it.”
“No. Anybody would’ve believed the worst. The whole thing was set up because it was so believable.”