ThE BUCKHORN LEGACY

Damn it, hadn’t he told her a dozen times she wasn’t a bother? No. He’d told her not to apologize, but he hadn’t told her that he wanted her there, that he wanted to help. That he cared about her.

Have a good life, Casey. I’ll never, ever forget you.

Love,

Emma Clark

Casey crumpled the letter in his fist. He wanted to punch something, someone. He wanted to rage. It felt as though his chest had just caved in, destroying his heart. For a long moment, he couldn’t speak, couldn’t get words out around the lump in his throat.

Sawyer sat down beside him with a sigh. “I’ll call Morgan and see if he can track her down.”

As the town sheriff, Morgan had connections and legal avenues that the others didn’t have. Casey looked at his father, struggling for control. “We don’t know for sure where she’s going.”

“To Ohio, to her cousin, she told us,” Honey reminded them.

“She never gave us her cousin’s name.”

“I’ll call Dell.” Sawyer clapped Casey on the shoulder, offering reassurance. “He’ll know.”

But half an hour later, after Sawyer had finished his conversation with Emma’s surprisingly rattled father, Casey’s worst suspicions were confirmed. Emma didn’t have a cousin in Ohio. As far as Dell knew, there was no one in Ohio, no relative, no friend. Dell spewed accusations, blaming Casey for his little girl’s problems, for her pregnancy, even going so far as to insist he should be compensated for his loss. He said his wife was sick and now his daughter was missing.

Casey suffered a vague sense of relief that Emma had gotten away from her unfeeling father. If only he knew where she’d gone.

If only he knew how to get her back.

Neither he nor Sawyer bothered to explain the full situation to Dell Clark. If Emma had wanted him to know, she would have told him herself. Eventually Dell would know there had never been a baby, that Emma had only used that as an excuse to be thrown out—to escape.

But from what?

Casey hoped she hadn’t gone far, that it wouldn’t take too long to find her. Damn it, he wanted to take care of her, dumb as that seemed.

But hours after Sawyer put in the request to Morgan, he came outside to give Casey the bad news.

Casey had been standing by a fence post, staring out at the endless stretch of wildflowers in the meadow. He’d bored the horses with his melancholy and they’d wandered away to munch grass elsewhere. The sun was hot, the grass sweet smelling and the sky so blue it could blind you. Casey barely noticed any of it.

“Case?”

At his father’s voice, Casey jerked around. One look at Sawyer’s expression and fear grabbed him. “What is it?”

Sawyer quickly shook his head. “Nothing’s happened to Emma. But Morgan checked with highway patrol… They haven’t seen her. There’ve been no reports of anyone fitting her description. It’s like she vanished. I’m sorry, Case.”

Casey clenched his hands into fists, and repeated aloud the words that had been echoing in his head all morning. “She’ll turn up.”

“I hope so, but…something else happened last night.” Sawyer propped his hands on his hips and his expression hardened. “Late last night, Ceily’s diner caught fire.”

Slowly, Casey sank back against the rough wooden post. “Ceily…?”

“She wasn’t even there. It was way after hours, during a break-in, apparently.” Sawyer hesitated. “Morgan’s investigating the fire for arson.”

“Arson? But that means…”

“Yeah. Someone might have tried to burn her down.”

On top of his worry for Emma, it was almost too much to take in. Ceily was a friend to all of them. Everyone in town adored her, and the diner was practically a landmark.

“It’s damn strange,” Sawyer continued, “but the fire was reported with an anonymous call. Morgan doesn’t know who, but when he got on the scene the fire was already out of control. Structurally, the diner is okay, but the inside is pretty much gutted. Whatever isn’t burned has smoke damage.”

Casey felt numb. Things like arson just didn’t happen in Buckhorn.

Of course, girls didn’t accuse him of fathering a nonexistent baby very often either. “Morgan’s okay?”

“He’s raspy from smoke inhalation, but he’ll be all right. Ceily’s stunned. I told her we’d all help, but it’s still going to take a while before she’ll be able to get the place all repaired and opened again.”

Barefoot, her long blond hair lifted by the breeze, Honey sidled up next to Sawyer. Automatically his father put his arm around her, kissed her temple and murmured, “I just told him.”

Honey nodded. “I’m so sorry, Casey. Morgan has his hands full with the investigation now.”

“Meaning he doesn’t want to waste time looking for Emma?”

Honey didn’t take offense at his tone. “You know that’s not it.” She reached out to touch his shoulder. “He’s done what he can, but considering the note she left, there’s no reason to consider any foul play.”

Sawyer rubbed the back of his neck in agitation. “I know how you feel, Case. I’m not crazy about her being off on her own either. Hell, I’ve never seen such an emotionally fragile young woman. But Dell doesn’t want to file her as a missing minor, so there’s nothing more that Morgan can do. She’ll come back when she’s good and ready, and in the meantime, all we can do is wait.”

Honey patted Casey again. “Maybe she’ll contact you. Like Sawyer said, we’ll wait—and hope.”

When Casey turned back to the meadow, both Sawyer and Honey retreated, leaving him alone with his worries. Yes, he thought, she’ll contact me. She had to. They shared a special bond, not sexual, yet…still special.

He felt it. So surely she felt it too.

* * *

THE DAYS TICKED BY without word from Emma.

The fire at the diner had stolen all the news, and Emma’s disappearance was pretty much skipped by most people. After all, she hadn’t made any lasting friendships in the area. The boys had used her, the girls had envied her, and the schools had all but given up on her. Not many people missed her now.

In the next few weeks, the town gradually settled back down to normal, but an edgy nervousness remained because whoever had broken into Ceily’s diner and started a fire was never found. Casey went through his days by rote, hurt, angry with himself as much as with Emma.

Three months later, he got a fat envelope filled with the money Emma had taken, and a few dollars more. In her brief note, Emma explained that the extra was for interest. There was no return address and she’d signed the note: Thanks so much for everything. Emma Clark.

Frustrated, Casey wondered if she always signed her first and last name because she thought he might forget her, just as the rest of the town had.

At least the return of the money proved she was alive and well. Casey tried to tell himself it was enough, that he’d only wanted her safe, that all he’d ever felt for her was sympathy with a little healthy lust thrown in.

But he’d be a complete fraud if he let himself believe it. The truth burned like acid, because nothing had ever hurt as much as knowing Emma had deliberately walked away from him.

He didn’t ever want to hurt like that again.

Since she didn’t want to return, didn’t want to trust him, didn’t want him, he couldn’t help her. But he could get on with his life.