Chapter Four
Meredith watched WadeHendricks approach with a sense of impending doom.
He looked like a hero from a disaster movie.He’d removed his cowboy hat, along with the Carhartt jacket and safety vest he’d been wearing earlier.Now he was clad in a formerly white T-shirt, jeans with one ripped knee, and heavy work boots.His dark expression made it clear that he didn’t appreciate his mother’s choice of activity.
Meredith didn’t approve of it, either.First of all, Wynona didn’t need to be here.Her home hadn’t sustained any damage in the tornado.Second, it was highly insensitive to dance in the ashes of a natural disaster, next to displaced families.Wynona was treating the event like a celebration.Meredith had attempted to convince Wynona to leave, without success.When she was having fun, she was unstoppable.
Wade strode forward, and Wynona finally noticed him.Her face didn’t show delight.Quite the opposite, in fact.She visibly recoiled, as if she feared him.
Meredith had reacted the same way to Tripp many times.It made her wonder if Wade played the hero in public and the villain in private.He’d shown no indication of a sinister bent during their single afternoon together.He’d controlled his temper after she’d fired the shotgun.But she hardly knew him, and her experiences had made her wary of men.She rose to her feet and moved closer to Wynona in case things got ugly.
“Hello, Mother,” he said in a sardonic tone.
Wynona didn’t embrace her son or pretend it was nice to see him.She put her cup down, along with the tambourine, and picked up the bottle of Wild Turkey she’d brought with her.“Party’s over, boys.Thelawis here.”
Wade watched in stony silence as his mother gave a splash of whiskey to everyone in her vicinity, including Meredith.Then she laughed with naughty glee, like a rebellious teenager acting out in front of a disapproving parent.Her manner had changed so quickly Meredith wondered if she’d imagined the unease from a moment ago.The quartet of old cowboys seemed entertained by the show.
“Can we speak privately?”Wade asked.
Wynona waggled the bottle, which was almost empty.“Why don’t you loosen up?Have a drink for once in your life.”
He took the bottle away from her and tossed it in a nearby trashcan.Meredith sensed that Wynona was about to lose her temper, so she stepped forward to make peace.“Let’s go outside and get some fresh air.”
Wynona blinked at her in annoyance.
“Please,” Meredith whispered.“These people need to rest.”
The woman glanced toward the row of cots, as if she’d forgotten about the evacuees.With a huffed breath, Wynona said goodbye to her drinking buddies and allowed Meredith to lead her toward the exit.
“Let’s sit in the car,” Meredith suggested.
Wynona wasn’t quite that cooperative.When they got near the car, she put on the brakes.“I want to sit with my friends.”
Wade spoke to her in a low voice.“It’s not a party, Mom.It’s an evacuation center.People lost their homes.They lost family members.”
“I’m cheering them up!”she said and whirled around.She stumbled on the blacktop and almost lost her balance.
Wade grasped his mother’s upper arm to prevent her from falling.Instead of thanking him for the assistance, she cursed at him.He held tight, his mouth grim, and Meredith knew they were in trouble.Wynona wouldn’t hesitate to make a loud scene.Wade was angry, and kind of scary, but he seemed the more sensible of the two.Meredith put her hand on his shoulder in a silent plea.Hard muscles shifted beneath her fingertips.His pale brown eyes met hers.The color looked cold now, like frozen amber.After a tense moment, he released Wynona’s arm.Meredith breathed a sigh of relief.
Wynona didn’t return to the cafeteria, as feared.Lips pursed, she looked back and forth between them.“What’s with you two?”
Wade crossed his arms over his chest.“We met earlier.”
“Well, she works for me,” Wynona said.“So, you can forget about recruiting her for your Boy Scout troupe.”
Meredith choked back a laugh.Wade gave her a dark look.
“What are you doing here, anyway?”Wynona asked.
“I’m part of the emergency response team.What areyoudoing here?”
“The power went out at the bar,” she said.
“It’s been a long day,” Wade said.“I’m scheduled to come back at six tomorrow, and I need a place to stay tonight.”
Wynona didn’t offer him a room at the ranch.
“I’d appreciate your hospitality,” he said through clenched teeth.“You open your door to every drifter and stray cat in town, so I don’t think it’s too much to ask.”
