Page 33 of Something Tangled Something True
The thought is fleeting as the fence comes into view, and my gut clenches. Even from fifty feet away, I can see the problem. The wire sags unnaturally, curling like it had given up on holding itself together. I continue my approach, peering around, as if something,or someone, might jump out of nowhere.
The tension wire has been cut clean,tooclean. This wasn’t wear and tear or an accident. Someone had done this deliberately.
I crouch down to get a better look, running a finger over the edge of the wire. Smooth. Fresh. My jaw tightens as a chill creeps up my spine, and it has nothing to do with the cool air.
The ranch stretches out around me, wide open, and what I’d usually consider peaceful under the pale morning light. But it doesn’tfeelpeaceful. I feel exposed. Vulnerable.
The horses are clustered closer to the barn than usual, their ears twitching and heads bobbing nervously. They aren’t relaxed; they’re waiting, waiting for me to tell them everything is okay.
But I’m not so sure it is.
I pull the pliers from my tool belt and start fixing the wire, my movements quick and precise. I’ve done this a thousand times before, but today, it feels different, like the air itself is holding its breath. I’m hyperaware of every creak and whistle of wind.
I finish up, and a flash of silver near the fencepost catches the light from the rising sun, glinting off it enough to momentarily blind me.
I step closer, kneeling to get a better look.
A knife. Small, practical, the kind you’d pick up at a hardware store without thinking twice. But it isn’t mine, and no one who belongs on this ranch would leave something like this behind.
I turn it over in my hand, the handle smooth, the blade clean, save for a streak of dirt. My chest tightens as I scan the horizon, my gaze locking on the tree line at the edge of the property. The shadows are longer now, stretching across the grass like they want to pull me in.
Blades of grass dance in the wind, a faint but unmistakable scent fluttering around me.
A clean, earthy cologne like patchouli.
No one on the ranch wears cologne while working with the animals. Not out here, not when the wind carries scents for miles.
A cold knot forms in my stomach, twisting tighter with each breath. This isn’t an accident. It isn’t random.
Someone was here.
And they want me to know it.
I gather my tools, heading into the stables to check on the horses, and spend the rest of the day trying to push the thought from my head.
When the sun starts to set, I hurry to my truck and make it to town just before Ever After is due to close for the day.
The bell over the door rings loudly as I enter Ever After Boutique, filled wall-to-wall with dresses for every occasion.
“Ryder Lockhart, is that you?” Betsy, the ancient woman who’s owned this place longer than I’ve been alive, asks.
“It sure is, Betsy. It’s good to see you,” I tell her with a warm smile.
“Come here and give me some sugar,” she drawls, opening her arms wide for me. I give her a tight hug and straighten. “Now, what can I do for you?” She pats my cheek and sits on her stool behind the counter covered in fabric swatches.
“Mayte dropped by with a wedding dress she was returning today.” She nods, waiting for me to continue. “Any chance I could purchase it from you?”
Her face contorts, confusion written plainly across her features. “Sure, hun. Might I ask why?”
“Lola and I got hitched, and I know it would mean a lot to her if she could keep it.”
Her light brows shoot up her forehead. “Lola Lima?”
I nod. “Yes, ma’am, the one and only.” My lips don’t get the memo that we’re playing it cool; just the mere mention of this woman has me grinning ear to ear.
Not only do I get to surprise my girl, but nowthe rumor mill will effectively spread the news for us. We won’t have to lift a finger.
“Well, my, my, Ryder. I always knew you’d get the girl,” she says brightly, hopping off her stool and making her way toward the back, disappearing behind a door that reads “staff”.
