What to Read This Weekend!

1/1/2026

“Are you sure there’s no way to get some time off and come with me to California? Help me hunt down more intel on Marcus Paulle?” Wyatt asked.

Val sat on the bed in the spare room Wyatt often used and watched him pack a small suitcase. He shook his head. “I wish I could, but I can’t get the time off. Rules, you know. I’ll miss you.”

Wyatt stopped arranging things in the case and looked at Val. He reached out, took Val’s chin in one hand, and tipped his head up slightly. After brushing his lips over Val’s in a soft, gentle kiss he said, “I’ll miss you, too.” Wyatt sighed and pulled a card from his back pocket. “I’d feel a lot better about this if you weren’t here alone.”

“My house can’t be seen from the road, so someone would have to know it was here, and there is always someone around the farm,” Val said.

“I found my way back here,” Wyatt pointed out. He held the card out to Val. “If there are any problems, anything suspicious or out of place or just odd, call this person. Her private cell is on the back. Tell her I told you to call. Leave your phone on and make sure the GPS is active, and help will get to you in a few minutes. If you see someone suspicious or so much as feel uncomfortable, stay somewhere public if you can.”

“You’re overreacting. I’ll be fine. No one has asked about me or followed me, or any of the things you were concerned might happen,” Val said.

He didn’t feel fine. Ever since they came to the conclusion that the wrong person might know Val had been following Janelle’s car and was at the crash site, he had been looking over his shoulder. It was nerve wracking, thinking that there was a killer about who might come after him. Having Wyatt around instilled a sense of calm and security in Val, but he certainly wasn’t going to admit that when Wyatt was about to leave town. The fact Wyatt was so worried clued Val into the fact he was probably picking up on Val’s feelings. It felt good to have someone care that much for him.

“I sure hope I’m overreacting. If you are being watched, it’s not something I want to find out about the hard way. Janelle has some security, and that makes me feel better,” Wyatt said and closed the suitcase, snapping the latches shut. “That doesn’t mean I won’t worry about you.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” Val trailed Wyatt to the door.
“Keep the doors and windows locked and—”

Val arched an eyebrow and snickered. “Yes, Mom. I’ll make sure to wear clean underwear, eat my vegetables, and shower daily.” Wyatt opened his mouth and shut it again, making Val laugh. He lifted up his shirt and smacked his abs. “What Mom really told me was drop and give her twenty.”

Wyatt skimmed the knuckles of his free hand over Val’s middle. “Remind me to thank her.” Holding the suitcase, he moved his free hand to Val’s hair, grabbed a fistful, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Val didn’t hesitate. He was going to miss Wyatt and wasn’t afraid to show how he felt. He stepped forward, pressed against Wyatt, and slipped his arm around his waist, holding on tight until Wyatt stepped away and broke their kiss.

Leaning his forehead against Val’s, Wyatt spoke between pulling in desperate breaths. “I shouldn’t be gone long. I’ll check in as soon as my plane lands.”

Wyatt stepped out the door and closed it softly behind him. Val felt suddenly very acutely alone. He spent a few more minutes propped against the door with his eyes closed. Fortunately, there was no one to see him need to compose himself. Val had never really minded living alone until recently after Janelle, then Wyatt, came to share his house. Now his little house seemed big and empty.