Page 167 of Burn the Wild

“See anyone?” she asks.

“No. Could be a guest, could be an animal,” I tell her, wiping a drop of water from her lip. The thought of someone watching me—watching Reese—fills me with anger.

I pull her close, kiss her brow. “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

The next morning, I wake before Reese. She’s buried in blankets, one tan leg tossed over the comforter. I sweep a kiss over her bare shoulder before slipping out of bed. I want her to rest. Especially after last night.

I head straight for the lake. There are footprints on the red sand bank, leading to the woods, the chalets. Reese’s or mine or someone else’s—I can’t tell.

An icy feeling settles in my gut.

I think of the black SUV Reese told me about.

The shadow in the woods last night.

Damn if it doesn’t feel off. Everything feels off.

I head back to the garage and leave a bowl of kibble for Mouse. I haven’t seen her in a week. She’s a ranch cat, but hell, I’m worried.

Before I can head back upstairs, my eyes light on a yellow, sticky note on the window of my old Chevy. I must have missed it earlier.

I pick it up and smile.

You’re the best serotonin boost I’ve ever had.

My heart thrums against my chest like a kick drum.

It hits me what I have to do.

I yank my phone out of my pocket, scroll through my contacts, and hit dial.

Jim Donovan picks up on the second ring. “About damn time, son.”

“I’m afraid I got bad news for you,” I tell him. “I’m not taking the job.”

His exhale is long and loud. “That’s disappointing. Better opportunities?”

“Something like that.”

“Think I could change your mind?”

“You can try. But I’m locked in.”

“You know I don’t back down from a challenge.”

I grin as Reese, sleepy-eyed and messy-haired, appears on the stairwell. She waves, giving me a bright smile.

“Neither do I.”

Never backing down. Not from her.

For so long, Runaway Ranch felt like a tentative place to land until I figured it out. Watching out for my brothers, watching out for my heart. But with Reese, it feels like home.The three short months we’ve been together matter more than the three years I spent with Savannah.

When Charlie gave me the chance to walk away two years ago, I didn’t take it, and I still wouldn’t.

I love this life, and I don’t have to change it to be happy. I have the ranch. I have baseball. All I need to do is add to it. And that’s Reese. The biggest, brightest part of my life. A friend, a lover—a soulmate. I’m a goddamn sap for that girl.

She’s mine. Now she just needs to know that.

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