“That’s not being impulsive, Cord. That’s fucking suicidal.”
I smirk humorlessly at her potty mouth. “That’s what West said.”
“West is smart. You should listen to him.”
“I did.” I finish buttoning my shirt and press my hand flat to the tailgate. “West stood by me through every PT session. Theman had to put up with me crying on him on more than one occasion.” A crooked smile twists my lips.
“I’m amazed you can look at that part of your life and smile.” She twists the grass stem in her fingers, turning to face me.
“I couldn’t always.” I meet her eyes, luminous in the falling dusk.
Lanie remains quiet. The grass stem falls from her fingers as hers creep forward to fold around mine.
“And you’re still going to ride?”
“I have to.”
Her eyes blaze into me for a pensive second. Then her gaze shimmers, and a single tear tracks her cheek. A brisk wind freezes the breath between us and she turns away before I can sweep the salt from her skin, my false promise unspoken between us.
Stay with me.
Don’t leave me here alone.
The words remain on the inside, trapped within the hollow confines of my chest, as we stare at the dusky mountains concealed within their azure haze. We stay that way for an age. I don’t think she minds that we forget to look for her wolves before we head back.
SIXTEEN
LANIE
The Hours Between
“Are you freaking kidding me? Get your backside home right now, Lanie. Actually, no, scratch that. Sally and I are coming to get you. My brother needs?—”
“I’m not leaving, Winnie,” I say softly.
Silence reigns on her end of the call. “He is totally out of line. Did you punch him?” Winnie’s voice holds a hopeful note.
I bite back a laugh. “No.”
“Did you kiss him?”
“Not recently. Not since…” I stop, correcting myself with a small frown.
“So there’s hope? Nah, forget him. I’ll find you another man. We’ve got this relationship thing down.”
“It’s okay, Winnie. I didn’t—” I break off, pursing my lips.
I didn’t mean to tell Winnie anything. Even though she’s Cord’s sister, divulging his worst moments weigh in as a breach of trust, of respect for the man I’ve fallen for too fast and way too hard, despite everything that came after and not really knowing where we stand right now. But when Winnie asked, what happened in the bedroom—or hadn’t, when I first arrivedat Coyote—just tumbled out. I couldn’t force the rest past my lips, and maybe that was a good thing.
“You weren’t going to tell me,” Winnie says slyly. “Were you? Am I not good enough anymore?”
I groan. “You know that’s never true. Win—about his accident. Has he talked to you about it?”
“That damn bull? We were there while he was unconscious. He was in a coma for three weeks, Lanie. Three freaking weeks! I thought I lost my brother. Then he woke up. A different man came back, I swear. He told us all to go to hell, and everyone else believed him. He speaks to me now, but…it took a while. Mostly when he found himself again. But for a while, I did lose him.” Winnie’s voice turns thin. A cough echoes in the background, like she’s cupped her hand over the phone to mute her reaction.
Not that I blame her. I had tears in my eyes as I listened to Cord’s story the night before, too.
“A coma?” I swallow. It sounds like a Hollywood B plot. Cord never said anything about a coma. Neither did West. My stomach flops over on itself in a nauseating motion that leaves me reeling. “That’s horrifying.”
