Fragile Hearts (Poplar Falls #4) - Amber Kelly Page 0,78

she follows me.

“I will be,” I tell her.

I grab my keys and wallet.

She looks at the clock on the stove and asks, “Where are you going at this hour?”

“Denver.”

“Denver? You have appointments starting at eight,” she reminds me.

Shit.

I turn to face her. “I need you to call and reschedule everything for the next few days.”

Her eyes widen. “You’re closing the office?” she asks in surprise.

“Yes, move everything to next week. I’ll work some night hours and weekends to make up the work.”

“And if there is an emergency?” she asks, flustered.

“Send them to the clinic in Aurora. I’ll call Greg and tell him what’s happening, and he’ll see to the emergencies.”

“Aurora is over an hour from here,” she tells me something I already know.

I stop and look back to her. “Hopefully, nothing urgent comes up, but I have to go. I have to tell Bellamy how I feel. If I don’t, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and she sits at the table.

“Mom?”

I sit beside her, and her hand comes to my cheek.

“I’m proud of you. You’ve been sleepwalking through your life the last couple of years, and you’re finally starting to wake up.”

I lean into her touch.

“Go, and don’t come back without her.”

I kiss her cheek again and then race to Myer’s house. It’s five in the morning, and he should be up and heading to Stoney Ridge any minute.

I pull up and park. I walk up onto the porch. I can see him inside, walking back and forth in front of the kitchen island.

I knock lightly and wait.

He opens the door, carrying his baby girl, who is bundled up in a fuzzy blanket. The smile on his face is replaced with a scowl.

“Awfully early for a visit, isn’t it, Doc?”

“Yeah, sorry about the time, but I need to know where Bellamy is.”

He leans against the doorframe. “And why would you need to know that?”

I swallow hard, and then I look him in the eye. “Because I love her and I need to tell her that.”

I can tell that was not the answer he’d expected.

“You love her?”

“More than anything, and I know that it might be too late, but if I don’t tell her, I’m afraid that I’m going to sit in the shack and drink myself to death.”

“Come again?” he asks, confused by my babbling.

“I just need to know where to find her. This isn’t something I can say to her over the phone. Please,” I beg.

A head of red curls looks around him and grins.

“Hyatt Regency, downtown Denver,” she says before reaching up and taking the baby from Myer and walking back inside.

“Hyatt Regency,” I repeat to myself as I turn back to my truck to get my phone.

“Doc?” Myer calls after me, and I stop and turn back to face him. “Only an insane man would take advice from Walker Reid.”

“That’s me, as crazy as they come.”

He laughs.

“By the way, you’ll be getting a call from my mom to reschedule your castration appointment. I’m taking a couple of days off. Family emergency.”

“Go get Bells and bring her home. And if you aren’t successful, I wouldn’t eat or drink anything my mother offers you when you come to the ranch going forward, if you know what I’m saying.”

He gives me a salute and shuts his door.

I dial the Hyatt and make a reservation, and then I get on the road.

I’m so anxious to see her that I make it to Denver in record time.

I told myself the entire drive that if she and the ex-boyfriend were trying to work things out, then I would walk away. Let her have the job and the new start without my interference.

But then I decided that asshole had his chance, and I was taking mine.

I check into my room and then head down to the bar. This hotel is a conference center, and it is huge. She could be anywhere.

I sit down and order a drink, and then I people-watch for over an hour. Every time I see someone with long blonde hair walk by, my heart stops.

I finally have had enough of waiting and walk to the reservation desk.

I stand in line, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for why I need her hotel room number while I wait my turn.

That’s when it happens.

I catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye. She heads for the elevator, chatting with another woman. I race to get there before she