Page 42 of The Perfect Hosts

On the dresser, Wes’s phone begins to vibrate. They both stare at it.

“Will you grab that for me, please?” Wes finally says, his tone formal and clipped. Madeline picks up the phone, sneaking a look at the display. There’s no name, just a string of numbers. She hands it to Wes and then lowers herself onto a chair covered in chintz. The sun is barely up, and any incoming calls at this time of morning can’t bring good news.

“Hello?” he says cautiously into the phone. “This is Wes.” He then falls silent while the person on the other end continues. He glances toward Madeline, who is holding her breath, and he holds up one finger as if to tell her hang on a second.

Dix, Madeline thinks. It has to be the hospital. Or maybe the police. Or the worst-case scenario—the coroner. “Uh-huh,” Wes says, his face falling.

“Who is it?” Madeline asks. “What’s happening?”

Shut up, Wes mouths and then returns to his call. “No, I understand... Keep me posted?... All right.” Wes’s voice breaks. “Thank you.”

He sets the phone down on the bed beside him and covers his eyes with one hand.

“What?” Madeline asks, her heart thundering in her chest. “What happened?” Wes and Dix are as close as two brothers can be.

“That was the sheriff’s office. They haven’t found him yet,” Wes says. “They’ve checked all the hospitals in the county. He’s not at any of them.”

“Oh my God, that’s awful. He has to be somewhere,” she says, dropping on the edge of the bed just as Wes is getting to his feet.

“What are you doing?” Madeline asks as he moves to the closet where the clothes he wore the other day hang, now laundered by hotel housekeeping.

“I’m going home. I can’t take another minute just sitting here doing nothing.”

“Home?” Madeline asks in surprise. “Do you think we can even get back into the house yet?”

“Notwe,me,” Wes says, getting to his feet with a groan. “And yes, they released the scene, but I want you to stay here.”

“I don’t want to be here without you, and you can’t drive yourself,” Madeline says in disbelief. “You have a concussion, and you can barely keep your eyes open.”

“I’m not planning on driving,” Wes says, tapping a text out on his phone. “I’m texting Trent for a ride. You stay here, get some rest.”

“But I want to go home too,” Madeline insists. “I don’t want to stay here all by myself.”

“You’re staying,” Wes says, removing the plastic cover from his laundered clothes. “Besides, I’m only stopping at home to grab a few things, and then I’m going to find Dix myself. Phone calls obviously aren’t working.”

“Wes,” Madeline says in exasperation. “You were nearly killed. Be smart about this.”

Wes shoots a dark look her way, and Madeline clamps hermouth shut. “No,” he says with finality. “I want to make sure the house is safe and secure before you come home, and I don’t want you staying there without me.”

Madeline knows better than to argue. Once Wes makes up his mind, there’s no changing it.

He finishes dressing and sits in moody silence until there’s a knock at the door. Wes’s ride.

“I love you,” Madeline says, kissing his lips gently before he goes to answer the door to let Trent in.

“I love you too,” Wes says. “Get some rest. There’s a credit card on file at the front desk, and I’ll call the room with any news.”

Wes opens the door, but it isn’t Trent as Madeline expected. It’s her sister. Lucy has her hands stuffed in her pockets and greets them with an innocent smile.

At the shocked look on Madeline’s face, Wes says, “I texted Trent, but he said one of the mares is foaling. He has to be there, so Lucy was kind enough to come get me.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Lucy says, hooking her arm through Wes’s. “Don’t worry, Mads. I promise to take excellent care of the patient and make sure he gets home safe and sound.”

“I’m sure you will,” Madeline says, working hard to keep the irritation from her voice. Lucy hasn’t called her Mads, the family’s pet name for her, in years.

Wes gives her one more peck on the cheek before stepping out into the hallway. “I’ll call you with any news,” he says and then shuts the door, leaving Madeline all alone.

Chapter 20