I roll my eyes, too tired to fight with her properly. I’m a little surprised at the protective note in her voice, but Katiehasbeen working on the ranch for years. It makes sense for her and Jenny to be close.
“I’m going to go out to the barn, say hello, and come back to look at your goddamn contracts,” I bite out. “Or does that not work for your schedule?”
“I hope for Katie’s sake that you can get over whatever crawled up your ass and died while you were gone.” She shakes her head in distaste and turns her attention back to her laptop. “Anyway, she’s not here today. She called out.”
Disappointment slams into me like a brick wall.
I haven’t seen her in two weeks, haven’t even heard her sweet voice through my phone. How am I supposed to wait even longer? I don’t even think before I turn back toward the front door.
“Are you seriously leaving?” Jenny calls after me.
“I’m going to go say hi to Katie,” I say, not turning to look at her. “I’ll be back after.”
I step outside and swing the door shut on her frustrated shouting. All I can think about is seeing Katie again. I miss everything about her, from the blush that paints her cheeks when I call her pretty, to the way her hands feel against my skin. I want to know about what she got up to while I was gone. I want to hear her say she missed me, too.
Pissing my sister off doesn’t matter, if it means I get to smell Katie’s perfume even a few minutes sooner.
I hop in my SUV and head straight for Katie’s place, excitement thrumming in my veins. It would probably be sweet if I stopped to get her flowers, but I’m too impatient. I’ll get her some tomorrow, but for now, I just want her in my arms again. Jenny said she called out, which means she’s probably sick. It might actually be nice to take care of her, which isn’t something I’ve ever wanted to do for someone else.
Traffic is still light this early in the morning, and I make it to her apartment before most people are even finishing their first cup of coffee.
She doesn’t answer the first time I knock. I rap my knuckles against the door harder, then try the doorbell.
Nothing.
I can hear muffled noises from inside the apartment, and her car is in its usual parking spot, but she doesn’t answer. I try one last time, putting all my force into the knock.
“Katie?” I shout through the door, hoping she can hear me. “Katie, it’s Wayne. Are you alright?”
The noises stop for a brief moment, and then I hear footsteps heading toward the door. Good, I was starting to get worried she was seriously sick and I’d need to call an ambulance or something. The door swings open, and instead of what I expected — Katie with a red nose, a cold, not feeling well — her look is one of pure rage.
“Who thefuckdo you think you are?” Tears make a mess of her face, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her lips look like she’s been biting them in an attempt to stifle her sobs, and her hair sticks up at odd angles like she’s been tugging furiously at the curls. “You’ve been gone fortwo fucking weeks, and you think you can just show up at my door?”
I blink at her in shock, my excitement over seeing her dissolving into pure confusion. I tried to call her less than two hours ago. And it’s not like I… well, I guess I did leave without warning, but we’re not married or something. I don’t have to tell her my every move.
“Jenny said you called out,” I say lamely, instead of responding to her questions. “Are you sick?”
My voice sounds feeble even to my own ears, and Katie scoffs at me. She looks angrier than I’ve ever seen her.
“Fuck you,” she spits. “You don’t get to ask if I’m sick, you asshole. I called out because everything’s a fucking mess! You couldn’t care less about me, you just want to get your dick wet! I’m getting fucking sued by one of my clients, Al is getting worse,and you don’t give a shit about any of it! Go back to Billings and enjoy your pathetic life, you shitstain. And don’t ever fucking call me again.”
I don’t have a chance to digest any of that before the door slams shut in my face with a resounding thud. The dull white paint stares back at me as I try fruitlessly to figure out what I’m supposed to do.
All I can think to do is to knock again.
She ignores me.
Panic rises in my gut as I hear sobbing from the other side of the door, and I fumble for the knob. It’s locked, but I rattle it anyway, my other hand pounding on the door.
“Katie! Katie, come on, talk to me, please!” I’m sure her neighbors can hear us, but for once I don’t care about my image. I need to make sure she’s okay. That’s all that matters. “I’m sorry, okay? Let me take care of you. We can talk about this.”
A heartbroken shout of pain sounds from behind the door, but that’s all I get.
“Fuck off, Riggs.”
The words are shouted loud enough for me to hear them through the door, but they still sound weak. Shattered. They pierce straight through my chest like a spike.
My hands fall to my sides as the wind is taken out of my sails, my frustration fading to bitter fear. Is this how things are going to go now? Bouncing from one shitty situation to another? Am I never going to have somewhere I’mwantedagain?
