Too late now.
The curtains in Ward’s house were drawn, and he expected the door to be locked, but it opened when he turned the handle. Stepping inside, Emerson instantly knew his hunch was right. Something was off.
The furniture was still in place, but the house had the spotless, empty feel of a showroom—all signs of habitation gone. He did a quick circuit of the rooms, checked the refrigerator, the kitchen cupboards and the closets in the bedrooms, then came back to gesture Wye in. She had already gotten out of the car and released Elise from her seat. She hurried to meet him, the baby in her arms.
“What’s going on? Is Ward here?”
“No. He’s gone.”
“Gone?” Her voice rose an octave.
“Not dead,” he hastened to reassure her. “Gone. He’s moved out. All his personal belongings have been removed.”
Wye blanched. “That can’t be right.” She pushed past him and strode quickly through the house, opening closets and dresser drawers, her mouth drawing into a thin line as the truth sank in. When she was through, she turned on Emerson. “How could he do this? How could he leave his baby?” She handed Elise to him, pulled out her phone and tapped on it, then lifted it to her ear. “Still not answering.” She paced in a circle. “He can’t mean to abandon her—not really! He couldn’t be such a monster, could he?”
Emerson thought perhaps he could. What’s more, he was sure Ward thought he was doing the right thing. Wye loved Elise, and Wye was getting married. Emerson remembered what Ward had said: “You’ll take care of her, won’t you?”
“What a selfish, horrible thing to do!” Wye exclaimed. “He can’t think he’ll actually get away with it, can he? The police will track him down, and what about Elise? She’ll end up in foster care. It’s not like I can just keep her without any kind of authority to do so.” She took Elise from Emerson’s arms, as if someone might come and rip the baby away from her. “What do I do? Do I call Cab Johnson? Report Ward missing? Will Child Protective Services take Elise tonight?”
“I don’t think you have to do anything if you don’t want to,” Emerson said, hearing the panic in Wye’s voice and wanting to reassure her. “For all you know, Ward will come back tomorrow.”
“But—”
A knock on the door startled both of them. Emerson turned on his heel, but the door opened before he could reach it.
“Yoo-hoo, is someone here?” a woman’s voice called. Megan Lawrence walked in, evidently as surprised to see them as they were to see her. “Ward didn’t tell me you’d be here. You weren’t planning to take anything, were you? All the furniture is part of the deal.”
“What deal?” Wye asked.
Emerson’s stomach sank even further. If Ward had been planning this long enough to hire a realtor and sell his house, he really didn’t mean to come back.
“The house deal.” Megan cocked her head. “The buyers purchased all the furniture, too. They won’t take possession until the end of the month, of course, but when I saw lights on and a truck outside, I stopped to make sure no one was robbing the place. Glad it’s only you two. Did Ward forget something?”
Wye looked as if she’d been struck. “Are you telling me Ward sold his house?”
“Of course—that’s why I told you to congratulate him,” Megan said with a smile. “His house sold in record time, but that’s because he listed it so low. I wish he would have taken my advice and tried for a higher price—for his sake, not mine!” she rushed to add. “I’ve never conducted a sale in such a short time. One week until closing—that’s fast!”
“That is fast,” Emerson said.
Wye turned bewildered eyes to him. “Closing? How… how long was he planning this?” He could see her working it out in her mind. Knew how sharp her pain would feel. To know someone in your family meant to bail on you—had planned carefully just how to sever the connection—hurt like a knife sliding between your ribs, aimed at your heart. “He knew I was getting married,” Wye sputtered. “And he just bailed?”
“Married! Bailed? What do you mean?” Megan asked. She looked from one to the other. “Didn’t you know Ward was selling his house?”
Wye shook her head. “He didn’t breathe a word.”
Megan put a hand to her throat. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t he tell you? Isn’t…?” She took a breath, her eyes going wide as she looked at the baby in Emerson’s arms. “Isn’t that Ward’s daughter?”
Wye didn’t answer her. She turned to Emerson. “He’s really gone, isn’t he? This is exactly what my dad did—sold up and took off and left me behind like I meant nothing! How could Ward do the same thing to Elise that Dad did to us? How can he just—leave her?”
“He must be in a world of pain if that’s what he’s done.” Emerson ached for Wye, knowing exactly how she must feel.
Megan had gone pale. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t realize what was going on. I would never have sold the house if I’d known what he meant to do.”
“It’s not your fault,” Emerson assured her. Wye was shaking, her face drained of all color, and he knew Megan’s presence wasn’t helping any. “We’ll lock up when we go,” he said to the realtor pointedly.
“Of course. Wyoming, I’m sorry,” Megan said again. “I won’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Take all the time you need here.” She hurried for the door. “But—you said someone was getting married?”
“We are,” Emerson told her and nodded toward the door. She took the hint, slipped out and closed it behind her.
Wye huffed out a ragged breath. “It will be a miracle if the whole town isn’t talking about us by nightfall.” Her voice was tight and strained, and Emerson realized she was focusing on possible gossip so as not to have to focus on what Ward had done. He was ready when her face crumpled and she began to sob. “Now what are we supposed to do?” she cried, scrubbing her free hand over her cheeks. The tears came faster than she could wipe them away, though. Emerson tried to put his arms around her and the baby, but Wye stepped back, Elise still in her arms. “I don’t have time to cry,” she told him. “I have to stop Ward. Bring him back. I just don’t know how to do that.” Her voice broke again.
“I don’t think there’s anything to do,” Emerson said. “We’ve got to give Ward time. Trust that he’ll come to his senses. He’s not your father, and I’ve seen him with Elise. He loves her.”
“He sold his house!” Wye exclaimed. “Without telling anyone. He packed up and left, Emerson. No one comes back after doing that!”
“After the wedding we’ll track him down. I promise.”
“Wedding?” Wyoming stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What do you mean after the wedding?”
“Our wedding—the day after tomorrow,” he reminded her.
“You think I’m going to marry you? After this?” Wyoming’s voice rose. “This is what men do, Emerson. They leave—just when you need them the most. Every last one of them! There’s no way I’m marrying anyone now!” She rushed out the door and slammed it behind her, hard.