Waiting For Love (Wild Creek Ranch Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Leave my hand, Rex, " Ember said quietly. Why couldn't he just let her be and go ahead and enjoy life with the woman he had moved on with. 

"Are you sick? Is your fiancé not treating you well?" He asked furiously, looking at her fiercely. 

"None of your concern," she muttered, trying to extract her hand. 

"It is my concern, dammit," he said looking like he would murder someone in his rage. 

Before she could answer they heard someone call out his name in a nasal tone,"Rex, baby?" She said, looking for him. "There you are," said the woman. Ember saw that she was the same woman who was clinging to him earlier. 

Rex's hand relaxed and Ember took advantage of the opportunity and extricated her hand and made a dash for her car. "Ember wait," Rex said, rushing after her.

"Your girlfriend needs you, goodbye Rex, " said Ember, starting her car as Rex came closer to her car to stop her from driving away. She drove out away from a furious Rex running after her car while the woman rushed after him. She soon sped up and lost track of him away from Wildcreek Ranch forever. 

"Darling, who was that thin, ugly woman?" Asked Charmaine in her nasal tone after Ember left and Rex stood panting at the gates of the ranch. 

Wild with fury, he whirled around and caught her wrist in a vice-like grip. "Stay.away.from.me or I'll twist your wrist into a mangled mess," he hissed, twisting her wrist a little but she screamed out in pain, nevertheless. "This is my final warning to you. Next time I won't be nice." He yelled and she cowered with fear. Rex released her and she staggered to the house, scared to her wits end. Rex saddled his horse, Flash and climbing onto it's back, rode away at a breakneck speed to calm himself down. 

He wanted to follow her to her home but it was late and she had returned after so many months, maybe her grandparents wouldn't welcome him now. He rode and rode to the small creek where he had taken Ember to propose. He tied his horse nearby, he sat down on a boulder and wept like a broken man. 

For the last few months, ever since Ember had left, he had tried to approach Adelaide many times but she had stopped talking to him altogether. He had no information about Ember and had expected her to return to Fordsville everyday but she hadn't. 

His life was a mess and he was managing fine. Sawyer being younger than him too got married and that made his parents start thinking seriously about his wedding too. They tried to coax him to marry his aunt Charlotte's niece Charmaine whom he hated with a vengeance. Little did they know that the bitch tried to grab every brother of his, Ryder, Ryan and even Rhett and Sawyer who were married. He hated her and usually kept her at a distance however when Ember arrived and he started drinking, she tried to cling to him. He was too occupied with Ember to notice her. 

Ember's words rang through his head. She had misunderstood Charmaine as his girlfriend. Maybe she wasn't planning to return at all and that was why she bade him a goodbye, as a final farewell. 

Rex sighed. He was shocked to see Ember's condition. Was her boyfriend torturing her? She didn't look very well. She had reduced so much that the clothes hung on her body. There weren't any of those delicious curves which she possessed. She needed to be taken care of. In fact, she herself needed more hospitalization than her patients. 

He wiped his tears and got up from the boulder. He needed to find out what exactly was wrong with her. But not tonight. He would go to her house tomorrow morning. Fee,ing a little better at the prospect of seeing her the next day, Rex climbed onto his horse and rode slowly back home. Dinner had just been served and he sat down quietly to eat. Noone asked him a single question about his whereabouts since they all knew that they wouldn't be getting any answers out of him. He had become the angry, grumpy, short-tempered, impossible member of the family whom everyone stayed away from. 

Ember returned home more sad than she ever was. The sight of the woman with Rex had made her want to kill her with her own hands. She had to get away to stop herself from doing something stupid. 

"Did you get to see Andrea, sweetie?" Asked her granny, the moment she stepped into her granny's house.

"Yes, she's beautiful like an angel. We took pictures, " she said with a small smile playing on her lips. 

"Did you eat anything?" Asksd granny knowing her granddaughter too well. She might not have touched anything there. Ember shook her head.

"I'm serving dinner. Freshen up and come to eat," she told her. Ember nodded. Granny was bursting with curiosity but couldn't get herself to ask Ember anything. She didn't want to upset her with her questions. She wanted to know about Rex, what actually had happened between them. Adelaide knew everything but she was bound by a promise which she would never break. So it was useless asking her.

Ember changed into her pajamas and came down to dinner. Gramps had gone fishing to celebrate Ember's homecoming and granny cooked Ember's favorite fish dish. "This is the best, granny, " said Ember, loving the food. Her granny and gramps eyed one another and decided to talk to her finally.

"It's Sunday tomorrow. Are you staying?" Asked granny with hope.

"No, granny. I'll go back tomorrow morning," said Ember. 

"What's the hurry dear? Spend a few days with us?" Begged granny. She wanted to take care of Ember and fatten her a bit and make her healthy again like before. 

"I don't think I can, granny. I'll lose my job, " said Ember while she knew that she really deserved a break. The hospital would never object to a few days leave since she hadn't taken a single one yet. She had missed her grandparents so much that she really wanted to hide from the world and lay her head on her granny's lap and sleep all day. 

"Rubbish. You can't lose your job if you're unwell and need a few days leave," said her gramps. 

"Okay, I'll apply for a two day leave on Monday. Happy?" Said Ember, giving in to their request. 

"Good. You will eat, sleep and enjoy with us," said granny. Ember went to bed early as she felt too exhausted from lack of sleep for so many months. She had no idea why she felt so sleepy here in her own room, on her own bed. It seemed like she could sleep all day.

0The next morning, it was already 10 o'clock and Ember still didn't wake up. Granny found it strange and went into her room. Strangely she wasn't on her bed. Granny looked into her en-suite and to her horror found her lying on the floor unconscious. She shouted for her husband and they carried her to their car like they had before. After locking the house well, they drove her to Fordsville Public Hospital. Ember was admitted in the emergency department. She was suffering from chronic depression leading to anorexia coupled with months of stress and overwork. Granny informed Adelaide and after thirty minutes, she arrived with her husband.

"What happened to Ember, granny?" She asked with concern. Her face was drenched with tears. 

Granny updated her how she found her in the morning unconscious in her en-suite. She told her about the doctor's diagnosis. 

"I knew it. She wasn't looking normal last night when she came to the party. In fact, even granny, Rihanna and mom thought that she looked very sick," said Adelaide. 

"Can we go and talk to the doctor about her treatment?" Asked Rex. 

"My husband has gone to talk to the doctor," said granny. "Go inside and you'll see him." Rhett went inside the emergency ward. 

"Anything happened last night?" Asked granny with worry. 

"I don't know, granny but Rex ran after her like a mad man when she left. He still loves her. He won't move on at all. He thinks she is with someone. I think he saw Ember that night with Jamie. I'm not sure. I don't want to interfere in their matters. Ember made me promise her and I don't think I can break my promise," said Adelaide. 

"He isn't with that Charmaine woman?" Asked granny with hope.

"Not at all. He hates her. Last night I think he warned her very badly. She came home sobbing hard. I think she'll leave tonight, " said Adelaide. 

"That's the best news that I heard today," said granny. 

"Yeah, me too. Rex doesn't know yet about Ember's condition else he would have accompanied us like a mad man. He has become wild and impossible. I think these two need help, granny, " said Adelaide. 

"I think so too," said granny.