Page 12 of Savage Secrets

Himself.

Chapter Four

The old screen door creaked as Opal stepped out onto the porch. The sunlight had long since faded, leaving deep shadows that gathered around the ranch.

She didn’t want to think about what might be lurking in those shadows. Why had she ever thought it was a good idea to move onto the ranch where her father lost his life, let alone with her young daughter? She must be crazy.

But not weak. She was here to defend the land that her father loved to his very last breath. When she decided to pack up her life and come here, defending the property against more attacks was at the fore of her mind.

There was also the fact that if Zach Webb hadn’t agreed to watch over Springvale, Opal would never have considered staying here.

She huddled deeper into her dad’s old, quilted flannel jacket she’d thrown on and inched over to the top step. In the dim light, she made out Zach standing by the corral, his broad shoulders outlined against the darkening sky as he brushed down one of the horses.

Soon, he would finish with his chores and then she’d call out for him to join her on the porch for that drink.

All day long, Zach had become one of those shadows, passing through the ranch, doing his work and then disappearing for stretches of time. But she sensed his presence and knew he was always there.

When she was organizing the groceries she’d brought with her in the pantry, she glanced out the window and thought his truck was gone. Then the gray curl of worry fled as she spotted it parked on the other side of the barn, and Zach loading bales of hay into the back.

Warmed by the physical labor, he’d removed his heavy coat and rolled up the sleeves of his black western shirt. The sight made her stop—a can of vegetables still in hand—mesmerized by the rippling display of testosterone outside her window.

That evening, the chill in the air stroked over her cheeks that heated from the memory. As she looked on, Zach finished brushing the horse. He took the animal by the rope and led him into the barn to be tucked in for the night in a warm, dry stall, complete with fresh straw.

Opal let out a sigh, creating a plume in the cold air. She had so much to do around here. Fixing up the inside should be the least of her worries when there were cows, pigs and chickens to care for. Not to mention the few horses her father kept around. Even though he didn’t need them to run the ranch, and the cost of their care was an expense he couldn’t afford, her dad was too softhearted to sell the horses.

Zach emerged from the barn. The telltale creak of the door closing and the heavy thump of the board latching it shut carried on the breeze.

“Zach! Come on up for that nightcap,” she called out.

Each step he took toward the house felt slow and measured. When he entered the ring of light cast by the kitchen windows, the brim of his hat cast his face in shadow and masked his expression from her.

He set a boot on the bottom step. “I’ll skip the alcohol.”

“Coffee?”

He gave a single nod and walked up the sagging steps.

She waved at the wooden chairs. “Sit down. I’ll grab the coffee.”

Aware of how big he was—and just how wide his shoulders were—she hurried inside to make that pot. At this hour, if she drank caffeine, she would have trouble sleeping, but she wanted to put her new employee at ease.

Oh no.In the storm of all that happened, she hadn’t even thought to discuss pay with Zach. Not that the ranch could afford much, but she did have a small savings set aside that she could dip into if necessary.

Moving quietly so as not to wake Rainie, she set the coffeemaker to brew and pulled out a small tray. She set two mugs on it, added a small jug of milk and two spoons. She didn’t know if he took sugar in his coffee, but Zach didn’t look like the sugar in coffee type.

Minutes later, she backed through the screen door with the tray in hand. Zach made a move to stand, but she shook her head. “Stay where you are. I got it.”

After she set the tray on a small table between them, he reached for a steaming mug. “Smells terrific.”

“I don’t usually drink coffee at this time of day, but it smells so good that now I’m wondering why I don’t.” She lifted the milk and splashed some into her mug.

Zach’s posture was stiff, his back straight as he brought the coffee to his lips. As he sipped, she watched some of the tension flow out of him. He extended one long leg in a more relaxed way.

Cradling her mug, she let the warmth seep into her cool skin. “How did the chores go today? Any surprises?”

Her question seemed to surprisehim.His lips twisted at one corner in the only semblance of a smile she’d ever seen on him.

Zach Webb was known to be a hard man. And if that awful investor, Eli Feldman, was to be believed, he’d done time in prison.

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