Page 26 of Savage Secrets

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Zach rolled down the truck window. He needed to feel the fresh air on his face, especially after the…what did he call that? He’d asked Opal and Rainie to go to a…apumpkin patch?

He floundered for a minute and all he could come up with wasthe leaphe’d just taken. Taking her to bed was one thing. Cozy family stuff was very different.

Who was he? He was changing. His therapist would have things to say about it.

He sucked in a deep breath of the mountain air that was tinged with the last remnants of warm weather and spiced with the fallen leaves.

His offer to pick up more coffee was valid since it was a product he used. Fact was…instead of moving furniture, he’d move boulders for her.

The man who spent evenings drinking coffee with Opal…then took her to bed…would walk across a bed of hot coals for her.

The hum of the engine and the grind of tires on the bumpy country road leading away from the Springvale were the only sounds besides the gears turning in his own mind.

The road wasn’t often traveled, so when he spotted a vehicle headed toward him, he let off the gas to see who it was.

The car was too shiny to belong to any of the locals. The pristine white SUV looked like something off the streets of Los Angeles.

As he drew closer, the familiar anger he’d spent years battling exploded inside him.

The investor.

Feldman.

“Motherfucker!”

The car slowed enough to pass him on the narrow road, giving Zach enough of a look at the driver’s face to prove his suspicion was correct.

There was only one place that Feldman could be going—Opal’s.

Zach gripped the wheel until his fingers ached. What now? He had an appointment with his therapist. But he couldn’t leave Opal to deal with the sneaky snake on her own.

After the car rounded a bend and drove out of sight, Zach whipped the truck around and headed back to the ranch. That man was not going to harass Opal—not on his watch.

One-handedly, he shot off a text to his therapist, giving her the excuse of a ranch emergency and telling her he was going to be late.

He was angry enough that he didn’t notice his lead foot pressing down hard on the gas until he caught up to Feldman. He pulled into the driveway right behind him and leaped out of the truck before the guy ever set his shiny leather loafer on the dusty ground.

In long strides, Zach headed the guy off. “I thought Opal made it clear that you’re not welcome.”

Feldman held up a hand, soft from years of having everyone else do his dirty work.

“Now, Webb. This isn’t your business.”

Behind him, he heard the creak of the old screen door as Opal stepped onto the front porch. He tossed her a look over his shoulder, cautioning her to stay away.

He twisted back around to face Feldman. “Get back in your vehicle.”

Feldman offered a smile that was probably meant to appear friendly, but the way his eyes narrowed said otherwise. He squared his shoulders and dropped his foot close to Zach’s.

“We are very different, you and I.”

Zach cocked a brow. “Yeah? How’s that?”

“Unlike you…I always get what I want.”

“And you want every ranch around.”

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