Meredith hushed Chico and waved goodbye to the officer.He moseyed back to his squad car and drove on.In the cold light of day, she noticed a road sign she hadn’t been able to read last night.It named the closest town, at a distance of five miles.She puzzled out the sequence of letters until recognition dawned.
Last Chance.
She’d heard Wynona mention the town only once, but it was enough to make an impression.Last Chance, Texas, was Hendricks central.Wade had grown up here.It was the location of Billy’s suspicious gun accident.Wade’s father, an abuser of women, was the sheriff.It was the last place on earth she wanted to get stranded in, other than Tripp Gilley’s rural, upscale neighborhood outside Memphis.
Meredith attempted to start the engine, but it didn’t turn over.She tried not to panic as she got out and popped the hood.A soft rain began to fall, misting her head and shoulders.The radiator was empty, with no coolant in the reservoir.She glanced underneath the engine and found a murky green pool.This was a problem she couldn’t fix.
Letting the hood fall shut, she considered her options.Walking five miles into town would be like entering the devil’s pit, but there was nothing but cows and haystacks in the opposite direction.She studied the Last Chance sign again.Below the town’s name, another location was posted with a distance of half a mile.It began withC-Hand included the wordsFALLSandFOREST.
Meredith grabbed her backpack and picked up Chico.She needed to get out of here before the police officer returned to check on her.She could walk into the forest, find a hiker, and ask for help.People in Texas were friendly, especially the rural areas.Someone would give her a ride to the nearest bus station.She didn’t have to be in Stillwater until this afternoon.She could make it.
As she headed toward the nature area, she imagined Wade on his mountain bike.He must have visited the falls before.She’d find someone like him, a Good Samaritan.The irony of the situation didn’t escape her.She was looking for a helpful person like Wade, because she’d left without asking for Wade’s help.
Meredith groaned as rain began to pour in earnest.She was alone and vulnerable, on the side of the road, exactly as Wade had predicted.
But even he hadn’t imagined she’d end up in Last Chance.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Wade was ina dark mood on Monday morning.
He’d awoken alone, without Meredith in bed beside him.A quick search of the house revealed that she wasn’t in her bed, either.She’d fled like a thief in the night, leaving only a cryptic note in her wake.
I’m sorry love M
It only took those three words to destroy him.Or maybe, just the one.Did she have to rip out his heart by addinglove?Was it just a throwaway close for an awkward goodbye note, or was she actually saying that she loved him?
Wade wasn’t sure it mattered; she was gone.
His mother didn’t shed much light on the subject.When he burst into her room to question her, she was in a deep sleep, her eyes covered in a silk mask.
“Where’s Meredith?”
“Hmm?”
“Where.Is.Meredith?”
She pushed the eye mask up, puzzled.“Whois Meredith?”
“Mary,” he said.“Where is Mary?”
“Oh,” she said, and put the mask back on.“She went to Kansas.Family emergency.Is that her real name?”
“When did she leave?”
“Last night.”
“How?”
“Hmm?”
“How did she leave?”
“I don’t know,” she mumbled into her pillow.“Maybe she bought that truck she was looking for.”
Wade couldn’t believe she’d bought that goddamned truck without telling him.Where had she parked it?Why hadn’t he asked her about it?He felt like a fool.A lovestruck fool, trusting a woman who’d proven to be a liar.
“Where in Kansas?”he asked.
