A Cry in the Dark (Carly Moore #1) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,61
the motel?”
“Sometimes.”
Was Carson Purdy Max’s ace in the hole? If so, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I wasn’t sure I wanted any help from the elder Drummonds—even if they were so inclined.
Ruth gave me a questioning look, but when I didn’t offer any information, she changed the subject for me. “How is it that you caught a ride with Wyatt?” she asked in a hushed tone. “What in the world was he doin’ in Greeneville?”
“Same as me,” I said. “Visiting Hank.”
I expected her to show more surprise, but she simply pressed her lips together.
“Is Wyatt a family friend?” I asked.
“You could say,” she said. “Wyatt was kind of a mentor to the boy, and he helped out around the place. Hank’s been pretty much homebound for a while, so Wyatt ran the boy down to Greeneville and Ewing for things they couldn’t get in Drum.”
Hearing that did something to me, as if a handful of rocks had been sent ricocheting through my empty places. Wyatt must have been devastated to hear the news. No wonder he’d shown up at the bar in such a state.
“Did he hear you tell Mr. Hank about Seth’s last words?” Ruth asked.
“No,” I said. “He showed up after I told the nurse I’d bring Hank home tomorrow morning.”
She propped her hands on her hips and jutted her body to one side. “You did what, now?”
I was having déjà vu of my conversation with Max. “The nurse told Hank that he’d have to go to a rehab center if no one showed up to get him. So I offered to do it.”
“You must be out of your ever-lovin’ mind,” she said. “That man just had his leg amputated. Who’s gonna take care of him?”
“I am,” I said “I’m gonna stay with him until his home health service kicks in at the end of the week.” Then I quickly added, “But I’m still gonna work here at the tavern.”
“Who’s gonna watch him while you’re workin’?” Ruth asked.
“I will,” a firm male voice said from the doorway to the back. Wyatt stood in the opening, his confident air demanding my attention. To my frustration, my reaction to him seemed to intensify every time I saw him. But the look on his face made it clear he wasn’t here for a friendly chat.
“What the hell are you doin’ back here, Wyatt?” Ruth demanded, fury in her eyes. “Wasn’t busting in here last night enough for you?”
“Max told me Carly was back here.”
The veins in her neck popped out. “Max let you back here? We’ll just see about that.”
Giving herself a wide berth around him, she marched off toward the bar.
“I take it you two aren’t fast friends,” I said, gesturing to Ruth. Maybe their short romance hadn’t ended well.
Standing in front of me, he turned to cast her a long glance, his face expressionless. “You could say that.”
But he didn’t elaborate, and it was none of my concern. “Did I hear you correctly that you’ll stay with Hank while I’m working?”
He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant but failing miserably. “He won’t stand for a full-time babysitter, whether it’s you, me, or a nurse. He’ll want us to check on him and get out.”
“That’ll be hard to do if I’m living with him.”
“About that…” He held my gaze. “That’s a bad idea.”
“Why?” I asked, telling myself to listen to him before I jumped to any judgments. I’d just met Hank this morning and he’d been stricken by shock and grief. Maybe he was the devil incarnate and Wyatt was about to warn me. But I doubted it. Sure, Hank had been on the cantankerous side a few times, but I’d seen the sorrow in his eyes. He’d loved that boy with his entire being, and a man who loved that fiercely wasn’t evil.
“Do you really want me to spell it out for you?” he asked, his face hardening.
I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a saucy glare. “Apparently I do.”
His jaw tightened and he took a step closer, looming over me. “He’s a harmless old man. Leave him alone.”
That wasn’t the response I’d been expecting. Especially after he’d been so kind to me earlier. I’d thought we’d come to an understanding, and it hurt more than it should to find out I was wrong.
“What exactly do you think I’m going to do to him?” I asked, my temper flaring. “We went over this already. I didn’t kill that poor boy. I may be a