Page 162 of Burn the Wild

My dream girl.

I plant my hands on Reese’s waist. “You’re here.”

“Of course I am.” She touches my chest, and the weight of tonight, the worry over my family, falls away. That’s the power of Reese. She calms me.

“It’s late, baby,” I tell her, fighting emotion in my throat. I tuck a lock of wavy blonde hair behind her ear. “You should have gone back to the ranch with Ruby and Koty.”

She shakes her head, a stubborn glint in her green eyes. “I didn’t want you to be alone.”

My heart seizes at that. An obstruction the size of the Rockies forms in my throat.

Thisfuckingwoman. I never thought a woman could hold my heart and break my soul, but here I am. Broken. In love. Whipped.

So damn natural. So damn easy. Like I wound up for a pitch, and by the time I let it whip, the game’s already over.

But my world with her is just beginning.

“How’s Wyatt?” she asks.

“An idiot, but he’s still breathing.” I tug on her hand, pulling her closer. “Has a minor concussion, but he’ll live to annoy again.”

A shaky laugh pops out of her. “Good.” She pokes a finger in my chest, her pretty face stern. “You have to stop scaring me to death, Country Boy.”

I chuckle. “Gotta keep you quick on those high heels, Birdie Girl.”

Above us, the neon light flickers. Bootsteps sound down the hall and Reese stiffens, fear on her face.

She relaxes when Fallon slices down the hallway like a shark. When she sees us, she says nothing, only slips by to enter Wyatt’s hospital room. The door clicks closed.

I look at Reese. “Birdie, what’s wrong?” By now, I can read her.

She bites her lip, then says, “I saw a car.”

“What kind of car?”

“A black SUV. I’ve noticed it around town a few times. And tonight, it was at the fairgrounds.” She shivers. “Like it was watching me.”

I exhale, frustrated she kept it from me. “You should have told me.”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Always worry me when it comes to you. You hear me?”

She nods.

“I’ll handle it.” I drop a kiss to her lips, wrapping my arms around her waist. “You wanna go home?”

Home. That’s what she is.

“Yeah.” She smiles, and without another word, holds out a hand to me.

I take it, and then I lead her back to the ranch.

Sleep. Food. Sex. Peace and quiet. Ranch work. Sex. Sex.

Life has been scarily, blissfully perfect.

Ford and I are essentially living together, if living together constitutes me at his place twenty-four seven. Between therapy, Ford, and working with Geneva on our new venture, I feel like I’m blooming in slow motion. Bosko continues to dig into Gavin’s finances. He has the password to get my money. All he’s waiting for is for me to say go. But not yet. I want to play my cards just right.

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