Page 23 of Love in the Wild

Gage: Good.

It was all he could share without spelling out who and what they were talking about. Mom wanted to know how Thea was doing, and Gage gave her the only news he had. She’d understand the message. They’d been texting in the simplest terms for years–even before his dad died.

Gage sent another text to Brett and turned his attention to the road in front of him. When he finished delivering the moonshine, he checked his phone again. No word from Brett.

Why did he leave Thea in Brett’s hands? He’d practically handed his sister over to the enemy, and now Gage had to find both of them.

A dangerous game was playing out in his head. He had to be careful, strategic, and cunning. He had to manipulate and deceive both Brett and the rest of the Howards.

Gage’s alliance was changing, and the only ones who had his fealty were his mom and Thea. He’d do whatever it took to protect them. He didn’t need an army. He was an army of one, and that was enough.

He pulled into his driveway at a quarter past midnight. Living out in the middle of nowhere meant he didn’t have to worry about nosy neighbors or anyone who might bother him. The drawback was that he was his own security system with no backup if someone got the bright idea to take their chances with him.

After locking up, Gage showered and fell onto his back on the bed. His eyes were already closed when he reached behind the headboard and grabbed his hunting knife. Keeping his grip on the worn handle, he slid the knife under his pillow.

He’d be ready for the worst, even while he slept.

8

HADLEY

Hadley paced in the small restroom at the dining hall. Two steps one way, and two steps back.

She was a responsible adult, at least for a twenty-year-old. She was never late to work, she never let her license expire, and she always paid her taxes.

She had good decision-making skills, darn it! When someone asked for help, she was supposed to say yes.

So why was she freaking out about agreeing to let Thea stay with her until she recovered?

Hadley picked at her already shredded cuticles and made another turn in the small space. Saying yes was the right thing to do.

She was only freaking out a little bit. Brett and Thea came to the cabin as soon as she was discharged, and Hadley got the whole story in vivid detail. The police came to get Thea’s statement about what happened, and the whole bloody tale tumbled out.

Brett’s and Thea’s dads were both dead–murdered–because of the feud between their families. Hadley had known that days ago, but hearing the gritty details had her more breathless than John Michael Montgomery singing about the Grundy County Auction.

Now, she was locked inside a bathroom–of her own choosing–trying to get her act together.

There was a quick knock on the bathroom door. “Hadley, you okay?” Remi asked.

Hadley threw open the door and plastered on a smile. “All good.”

“Great because I’m about to pee my pants,” Remi said as she pushed past Hadley.

No more lollygagging in the bathroom. Back to regularly scheduled programming.

Everyone in the dining hall was carefully circled around Thea as she picked at her food next to Brett. The bruises and cuts on her face were another punch to Hadley’s gut. There wasn’t any way in the world she could have said no when Brett called asking for a big favor. Thea needed help. She’d been through so much already.

Straightening her shoulders, Hadley made her way past the long table where a dozen workers sat vying for Thea’s attention. Vera and Stella were pulling trays off the serving line, and Hadley jumped right in beside them.

“You okay?” Vera asked.

Hadley made sure her smile was still in place. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Stella rested her hand on Hadley’s shoulder. Stella had at least ten years on Vera and was ten times as chatty, but the two were the best of friends and even lived together on the ranch in the old foreman’s cabin.

Neither of them had children, but they were soothing some of the broken pieces of Hadley’s heart as she came to grips with her mom’s new normal after the stroke.

“We heard you have a new roommate,” Stella said.

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