to leave Letty for now.”
“Letty can stay here as long as you need.”
I nodded and opened the door.
“This ain’t forever,” he said, sounding heartbroken.
I turned to face him, my hand still on the doorknob. “Then why does it feel like it is? It might be longer than a few weeks, right?”
He stared at me and didn’t say anything.
I started to walk out, then stopped. “Did Wyatt put you up to this? So I’ll leave Drum?”
Exasperation washed over his face. “You don’t have to leave town. Just stay with Marco.”
“But if I did leave town . . . ?”
He was silent for a moment. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
Nodding to myself, struggling to hold back tears, I walked out the door toward my car.
“Carly,” he called after me.
I opened my car door and tossed my purse into the passenger seat.
“I don’t want you to go,” he said, looking devastated. “If I could, I’d keep you here. But you and I both know you don’t belong here.”
A traitorous tear slipped down my cheek. “That has to be the cruelest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“A good parent does what’s best for their child,” he said, his voice breaking as he clung to the porch post. “Not what their selfish heart wants.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “There’s more to life than money and things. Love is the most important thing, Hank. I thought I had that here.”
“You know you do,” he said, getting aggravated. “But things are gettin’ dangerous, and you have a way of findin’ trouble. After Jerry was run off the road . . . it might be safer for you if you leave town altogether. You could go back to your friends in Arkansas,” he said. “They’d protect you.”
“I’m sick to death of people needing to protect me,” I spat. “I’m a grown-ass woman, and I’ve learned how to protect myself.”
“You can’t do it alone,” he said.
I pointed my finger at him. “You contradicted yourself. One minute you’re telling me to run away alone, and the next you’re telling me I need people. Which is it, Hank?”
He swallowed, looking close to tears himself. “Go stay with Marco. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come home.”
“You just told me to leave Drum!”
“No,” he said. “I told you it would be safer if you did. It’s selfish of me to want you to stay, but I’ll never tell you to leave, because if I’ve learned anything about myself over the past sixty-some-odd years, it’s that I’m a selfish son of a bitch. Just ask my Mary, God rest her soul.”
I stared at him for several seconds, then strode across the grass and up the steps, throwing my arms around him with so much force that I nearly knocked him over.
He cupped the back of my head and buried his face on top of my head. “I love you, girlie, and don’t you ever think I don’t. Why can’t you let me be a good person for once?”
“I need you, Hank. I can’t lose you too.”
He leaned back and cupped my cheek. “It’s only for a few weeks. You can come back, but part of me hopes you won’t, that one of my kin will get the hell out of this godforsaken town.”
“Hank.”
“Marry Marco. Leave these mountains. Have a good life. That’s what I want for you, but selfishly, I don’t want it for you yet.”
“I love you,” I said, tears streaming down my cheeks.
He pulled my face to his, kissing my forehead. “I love you too. Now go before I change my mind and put you in more danger than you’re already in.”
I hugged him again, then kissed his cheek and headed to my car.
He watched me back up my car, wearing a forlorn expression. He lifted his hand, and I did the same as I pulled away, my heart squishy. But a quarter mile from the house, I took a deep breath and told myself to get it together. I had to interview Louise Baker, and I would need my wits about me.
As I drove toward town, I glanced in the mirror to see if I was a mess. Sure enough, some of the mascara I’d put on at Marco’s was smudged under my eyes. Using the visor mirror, I wet my thumb and rubbed it off. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but I supposed it didn’t matter. Louise might be more likely to talk if I looked bedraggled.
When I reached town, Marco’s Explorer was parked