Page 38 of Savage Secrets

At the sight of her, his heart flexed. Her dad’s old coat hung off her slender shoulders. Her hair was pulled back, but the wind picked at several strands and sent them swirling around her oval face.

He jumped off the truck bed and approached her in measured steps that went against everything he wanted to do. Grab her. Cup her face. Kiss the hell out of her.

Toss her in the back of the truck and bear her down on the fresh hay, bury his cock in her tight heat and lose his mind for hours.

As he approached, her gaze never strayed from his face. He wished he could see her hands, but they were stuffed in her pockets.

He closed the gap between them, coming close enough to catch the scent of her shampoo. Though he’d spent all week trying to convince himself how wrong he was for Opal, his heart clenched.

Then he noticed the happy smile teasing at the corners of her lips. It was echoed in her eyes. It looked good on her.

Not good—fantastic.

“What’s up?” He knew she wasn’t smiling because she was happy to see him.

“I just received a letter from the life insurance company. The policy is valid despite the circumstances surrounding my father’s death. I have money coming.”

“That’s great news.”

She stared at him harder. “Better than great! We can get the repairs done and even hire some help for you. We can get the place running more efficiently. I’m not entirely sure what that involves yet—we need to sit down and discuss it. If my plan doesn’t work, I have no idea what I’ll do. Sell stuff, probably.”

Oh god. Like at auction. His gut hollowed reactively.

Back on the Gracey Ranch, some of the guys had suspected Zach of stealing and selling the equipment at auction. In reality, Mr. Gracey himself was behind it. He’d been selling his own equipment to get enough money to pay back the loan shark.

Opal wasn’t doing that. She was just trying to keep the ranch afloat. And she wasn’t accusing him of anything either.

“Hiring someone won’t be easy.”

Her brows pinched. “My dad said as much. Then again, he couldn’t offer them a good wage. I think I can do better, if I’m smart with the money coming to me.”

“Plenty of owners would take the money, sell the land to the investor and run. You’d be further ahead.”

Her jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

He shrugged. “Ranchin’s not easy work even with money backing you.”

“Are you telling me that I shouldn’t even try? My dad told me that all my life.”

He’d screwed up in opening his mouth on the topic, and the edge in her voice solidified that fact.

“I can’t tell you what to do, Opal. I’m just telling you what others might do.”

“Well, that’s not me.” She looked past him, into the distance. Without turning, he knew the vista she was studying—a pasture dotted with the small herd of cattle, mountains, sky. “I want this.”

“Then I’ll do anything I can to help. Skilled labor doesn’t come cheap.”

“Do you know anyone who might be interested?”

He hesitated. “For a while, I’ve been tossing around an idea.”

She tilted her head, giving him her undivided attention. “I’m eager to hear it.”

“When I got out of…” A heavy beat hung between them.

She nodded. “I understand. Go on.”

“Mr. Gracey took a chance on me despite my record.”

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