Can't Hurry Love
Chapter 25

Beth flicked through Seth's Netflix account, looking for something to watch. Her own was too full of romance to be good for her right then. She needed something filled with guns and explosions, not hearts and flowers.

Her phone was beside her on the chair, filled with missed calls and voicemails and texts from Josh. She was going to hear him out, she'd told Zoe earlier. But then Zoe had called to say that his ex-wife had come into the bakery for dessert for their "romantic catch-up dinner," and Beth felt as if a knife had twisted in her heart at the news.

"It mightn't mean what we think," Zoe had said but Beth had heard the doubt in her friend's voice.

There weren't many ways to misinterpret romantic catch-up dinner.

Beth figured that he'd resisted a relationship between them because he was being a faithful husband. Maybe a year of celibacy was too much for him. Maybe he'd decided to take what she'd been throwing at him, not caring about her or his wife.

She flung the remote to the seat and dropped her chin into her hands.

That just didn't match with the man she knew. Even though the evidence was pretty damning, she just couldn't get her head around Josh treating her that way.

And what about him saying he wasn't staying in Rocky Valley, a voice that sounded weirdly like Brooke's no-nonsense tone piped up. He obviously never meant to stay in Rocky Valley forever. There has to be a reason for that.

Beth had assumed it was just the change between being a hotshot hospital consultant and a country MD that had him rattled. And she'd stupidly let herself think that maybe with things going so well between them, he was starting to change his mind about leaving.

She was an idiot.

If he was really through with that woman, if she was out of his life, he'd have sent her packing. She wouldn't be walking around Rocky Valley planning romantic meals for her husband.

Beth felt her eyes smarting. She'd cried enough to flood the valley between last night and today. And if she dehydrated, she couldn't exactly seek medical help from Dr. Larson, could she?

She had to admit that her years of obsessively reading and watching over-the-top romance had bitten her in the butt. She'd turned her and Josh into a fairy tale in her mind, when in reality, he was nothing more than a dirty cheat, and she was the other woman. She'd helped him cheat on his wife!

All day Paige, Brooke, Zoe, Jenna, and Tara had been calling and texting offering her a shoulder to cry on. Well, Brooke offered to help her smash things to get her anger out. But she didn't feel angry, not really. She just felt desperately sad. She'd turned down their offers of support, she'd avoided mealtimes with her brothers who, thankfully, hadn't set the kitchen on fire fending for themselves.

She just wanted to be alone to wallow.

There was nothing else for it. Only Air Supply could help her now. Dragging herself off the couch, she put on the sound system. All Out of Love blasted through the speakers.

The only men she could rely on in life were her brothers and Air Supply, she decided tearfully.

Well, them and Ben & Jerry.

She was about to grab a pint of chocolate healing from the freezer when a set of headlights lit up the darkened windows, and Beth froze.

Had Josh driven out here? She'd half expected it, and even though it was idiotic, she'd actually felt disappointed when he hadn't.

Frowning, she watched the car speed up the driveway. Whoever it was, he was driving way too quickly. Nobody would drive like that unless there was something wrong. Worried now, she rushed over to open the front door and out to the porch.

It was Josh's car, she saw with a painful thump of her heart.

What was he doing driving like a maniac? He'd get himself killed!

The engine cut out, plunging them into silence and darkness, and she opened her mouth to chew him out for his dangerous driving. But when the door opened, it wasn't Josh who stumbled out. It was his wife.

Josh walked out of the bedroom, feeling calmer than when he'd gone for his shower.

The romantic music was still playing on the stereo, making him feel vaguely uncomfortable. Passing by the kitchen he saw no sign of Elaine. Or the wine she'd been drinking.

Great.

She may not be taking anything, but she was clearly drinking a lot.

Preparing himself for a difficult night, he walked into the living room. It was empty. He frowned in confusion. He'd been using the only bathroom in the place. There was nowhere else she could be. A flicker of panic started in his stomach.

Just then his phone rang. Rushing back to the bedroom to get it, his heart hammered when he saw Beth's name on the screen.

"Beth," he could hear the relief in his voice, but the timing couldn't be worse. "I'm so glad you called and believe me, I really want to talk to you but “

"I'm not calling to chat, Josh." Her voice was as cold as he'd ever heard it. "I'm calling because you need to come and collect your wife."

Josh froze as fear gripped him. He didn't know Elaine's true state of mind. He didn't know how far she'd go when upset.

"Shit. Beth, listen to me-Elaine is- She's troubled. Don't do or say anything to upset her. I'll drive out there now. You're at the ranch?"

"She came in your car," Beth said, but there was a note of fear in her voice now.

He didn't think Elaine would hurt her, but he couldn't be sure. She was drunk and erratic.

It was a miracle she'd managed to drive there in one piece with the amount of alcohol in her system. He cursed again.

"Where's Grayson?" he asked, his brain running a mile a minute. "Or Zach, or Seth?"

"They're all in town," she said, sounding a little panicked. "They've been out on dates all week with the festival going on."

So, she was alone out there with Elaine.

"Alright," he kept his voice calm and even, not wanting to frighten her more. "That's good. That means I can take one of their cars. I'm gonna go find one of them and drive out there. I'll be there soon, sweetheart, I promise. Just hang tight." Beth didn't say anything else, just hung up, and he tried not to think it was for any reason other than she was still angry with him.

It took only minutes to track down Grayson in Joe's Bar & Grill. He was sitting across from a brunette Josh didn't recognize, and from Grayson's stony expression, he couldn't tell if the other man was enjoying himself or not. He hoped not, so he wouldn't want to kill Josh for ruining his date. Because he'd already have reason enough when he heard why it was being interrupted. "Grayson."

The rancher looked up and frowned at Josh.

"I need to take your truck," Josh didn't even bother apologizing.

"What's going on?" Grayson asked, standing up.

He was slightly shorter than Josh's six feet, two inches, but he was broader.

Josh sighed, hoping that Grayson would wait until after they'd made sure Beth was okay before punching his lights out.

"My ex drove out to the ranch. I don't know why but she's drunk and—and a little troubled. I don't think she'll do anything dangerous, but I need to get out there, and she took my car."

Grayson swore under his breath, and with a fleeting apology to the brunette, he stormed out of the bar, Josh hurrying in his wake.