Chapter Twenty

Leo was still missing.

Last night, when Stone had rushed to the ranch to coordinate with the men and form a search party, all he kept thinking was he’d fucked up again. An invisible fist had rammed down his throat, through his tight chest, to twist his gut without mercy…and still remained.

How many damn times was he going to fail Leo before his buddy ended up dead?

“Go home, Stone. Get some rest,” Cord ordered, that damn Irish concern of his blatant in the grooves deepening around his eyes as they stood outside McGregor Feed late the next morning.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, stifling a yawn. All he needed was another pot of coffee. Or two. Unfortunately, just because his friend was missing, it didn’t mean the world stopped. “Foxtrot has responsibilities.”

One of the hardest things he’d ever done was to stop searching for Leo in order to go to work a few hours ago. At least Brick and some of the men were still out looking.

“Yeah, and we’re upholding those responsibilities.”

His buddy was right. They had crews at the Hastings job site and here. Foxtrot was meeting its obligations, and so was their bank account, thanks to the check from Jovy he deposited that morning.

“The men are fine. You trained them well, but I knew you’d give me shit about leaving, so that’s why I’m here. I’ll stay and supervise.”

Stone straightened, some of the fatigue evaporating from his body. If Cord stayed, that freed him up to get back to the search.

“No. Go the hell home and get some sleep,” Cord growled as if reading Stone’s mind. “You’ve been up over thirty-one hours. This discussion is not open for debate. You can rejoin the search tonight.”

Stone blew out a breath, truthfully too exhausted to argue with the stubborn guy. “Fine. I’m going.” He climbed into his truck and let go of the yawn he’d been fighting. Maybe two hours of shut-eye wasn’t such a bad idea.

But first, he had to see Jovy.

He wasn’t happy with the way he’d left things with her last night. Especially after the incredible time he’d spent in her arms. He owed the sweet woman an apology. In person. So he drove the short distance to the restaurant and parked behind the building, determined to make things right.

Dragging in several deep breaths, he pushed aside his fatigue and strode through the back door into the building. He hated the feeling of life spiraling out of control. At least this was one mistake he could fix.

He entered the restaurant and nodded to Cece, who was pouring a customer coffee at the counter. “Is Jovy here?”

“Yes, she’s in the office in back.” Concern warmed the woman’s eyes as she stepped toward him. “Any luck finding Leo?”

The tightness in his chest increased, along with the urge to yell, so he shook his head and continued into the kitchen where a very pregnant Leslie stopped chopping vegetables to glance up at him. He nodded but didn’t stop or speak, needing to escape the sympathy in her eyes, too. These women were killing him. He didn’t deserve their compassion, and if he hadn’t needed to fix things with Jovy, he would’ve turned around and hightailed his unworthy ass out of there.

Just the sound of her voice as she spoke to Blanche in the adjoining office calmed some of his internal rage. Damn, he hadn’t realized how much he needed to see the woman. Touch the woman, just be near the woman he loved. Already, the stiffness in his shoulders and back started to dissipate as he neared the open office door around the corner.

“Does your grandfather know about the money you gave to At-Ease?” Blanche asked, stopping Stone in his tracks.

The stiffness returned in a heartbeat that rocked in his chest.

“Not yet. But he’ll see it recorded in the books I turn in on Saturday.”

“Do you think he’ll take your lack of profits into account when he picks his successor?”

His successor?

Fuck.

The tightness in Stone’s chest increased tenfold. He marched the last three feet to stand in the doorway. “You’re here to prove you can take over Larson Industries?”

“Stone!” Jovy’s face lit up as she jumped to her feet and rushed forward to hug him tight. “I was worried about you.”

Blanche bounced her gaze between them. “I’m going to go help Leslie,” she said on her way out the door.

He grasped Jovy’s arms and drew her back. “Answer me. Were you here to prove to your grandfather that you could run the company?”

“I…” She blinked, and her face paled before his eyes. “Sort of.”

Son of a bitch!

He released her to thrust a hand through his hair and tried to drag air into his lungs with little success. His chest was crushed under the weight of her admittance. Dammit. He had to get out of there. The walls in the small office were closing in. Fast.

Unable and unwilling to talk, he twisted around and strode from the room, retracing his steps in need of fresh air.

“Stone…wait,” she called, following him through the restaurant all the way outside. “Please, listen to me.”

Halting in front of his truck, he turned to face her. “What for, Jovy? You lost because of me.” The money she gave him was already half spent on materials he’d ordered that morning. There was no way he could get it back into her account by the weekend. “You threw away your damn dream because of me.”

He was so pissed at himself he could spit nails.

“Bullshit.” She straightened her spine and jammed her hands on her hips. “You listen to me, you stubborn fool. I didn’t lose anything, but I gained a whole hell of a lot.” Warm fingers curled around his arm, her touch as soft as her gaze. “Don’t you get it, Stone? I love you.”

Three words that should’ve made him the happiest guy in the world caused the opposite effect, adding to his numerous burdens. One more person to let down. Once again, her admittance crushed his chest.

He shook her off and turned a blind eye to the pain etched in her face. “Then stop. I’m not worth it. I’ll only bring you down.”

“No. That’s not true.” She stepped toward him, and with her mouth open and gaze blazing, she no doubt had more to say, but his phone rang.

He pulled the cell from his pocket and stared at the caller ID. “It’s Brick.” Everything inside him seized tight as he answered.

“Found Leo,” his brother stated. “He’s in the VA hospital in Dallas.”

Stone’s mind grasped the fact that his brother hadn’t used the D word, and that Jovy hovered nearby, concern clouding her gaze. He glanced down at his boots. “Is he all right?”

“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me. I called his mom. She wants me to pick her up on the way.”

“I’ll be right there. Don’t leave. I’m going with you.” Without waiting for a reply, he hung up and shoved the phone back in his pocket, unsure how the hell he was going to face the mother of the guy he’d failed on more than one occasion.

Jovy moved close. “Leo?”

He nodded. “He’s in a hospital in Dallas. I have to go.”

“Of course.” She stepped back. “We can finish this some other time.”

He stopped short by his door, turned to her, and scowled. “No, Jovy, we can’t. There is no other time. I’ll call your grandfather and explain about the money, but we’re done. Go back to Philadelphia and forget about me.”

Feeling lower than dirt, he climbed into his truck and drove away, leaving the best thing he’d ever known in his rearview mirror. His gut clenched tight at the sight of her standing alone in the parking lot, arms wrapped around her middle while tears streamed down her face. Now he could add callousness to his list of offenses. The woman was a gift and deserved so much better than him. So damn much better.

What he’d told her was true. He was no good to anyone. All he did was bring them down, and by God, he refused to allow the woman he loved to be another Stone Mitchum casualty.