Page 53 of Another Man’s Treasure

My fingers had trembled with the ache to lock him up and never let him go.

It’s unnerving. Past unnerving. And I haven’t been unnerved since I rode my first-ever bull.

What is this? It can’t be love. Not this fast. But I’ve never dealt with it. And now he’s out there somewhere in Pine Gulch without me, and with Saint running wild and free. I’m not there to protect him, and it makes me want to pull everything down to the ground.

It’s obsession, maybe. That’s gotta be it.

I’ve comm’ed Willa three times, but she hasn’t answered. She’s probably knee-deep in that lair, trying to figure out how to get past the door. Maybe there’s no service down there.

Rising, I grab the communication disk and toss it down on the kitchen table, directing it to call Marcy Lane. When my mother’s hologram picks right up, a smile splitting her heart-shaped face, I smile despite my current gloom.

“Wilder, my love, why do you look so glum?” She steps forward, clasping her hands together as her brows furrow in apparent concern.

“Hey, Mama.” I force a half-hearted smile. “How are you?”

“Psh,” she scoffs, waving away my question. “I know you didn’t call to talk about that, although I’ll happily update you afterward. Tell me what’s got those elevens between your eyes, baby.”

I chuckle at the familiar humanism, noting the pale green eyes we share. My father left after Willa was born, so my memories of him are vague at best. But most of my childhood memories revolve around my mother’s beautiful eyes wrinkling in the corners as she smiled down at me.

“I met someone here, but I think I’ve messed it up before we even got started.”

Five minutes later, I’ve shared the whole story, and she’s got her lips pursed together, considering everything I said. After a moment, she smiles at me. “My love, this is pretty simple, really. You like him, right? You’re romantically interested in him despite the circumstances around how you met?”

A memory of that night, of that first kiss, runs through my mind. His lips were so cool and soft, his tongue tangling with mine so deliciously.

“Yes,” I say. “I do, Mama.”

She shrugs. “Well, baby, then you need to find him and tell him how you feel. That other male doesn’t matter. He’ll be in your rearview soon. But find your guy, okay? I want to see that smile back on your handsome face.”

She’s right. It really is that simple. Except I don’t know where Oz might be right now, and I don’t know where he lives.

When he left, Ginger went with him, or I’d try to finagle the pretty little pit hell into taking me to him.

“How are you, Mama?” I repeat the earlier question. “I need you to come visit soon. I wanna show you the ranch and the bulls.”

She beams at me. “How about I come right after the paperwork’s settled as a little celebration vacay? Would you like that?”

“Gods, yes,” I admit. “We miss you like crazy.”

She snorts. “Please tell me Willa’s behaving as much as she’s capable of.”

I glance at the ceiling as I shift my head from side to side, trying to decide if I consider my baby sister’s behavior good or not.

She laughs. “Honey, I’ve got some stories to tell you, but for now, just go get your man and tell your sister to comm me. I’ve been trying to get ahold of her about a horse I want to buy.”

I snort. “She’s fully embroiled in a local mystery at the moment, but I’ll make sure she calls.”

“See that you do, baby,” she says with a laugh. “That sister of yours is wild; I bet she’s lovin’ it there.”

I’ll leave it to Willa to update our mother on everything going on with the Keeper’s poem. That’s a story for another day. For now, I need to find Oz and have that conversation he tried to have with me earlier.

Cutting the call with my mother, I lift my watch and direct it to call Bluebell. She doesn’t answer, so I try Lemon next. She, thankfully, answers on the first ring.

“Wilder? Everything okay?”

I don’t want to rehash the whole story, so I opt for a shorter version. “I need to talk to Oz. It’s important, but he’s not answering, and I don’t know where he lives. Any chance you can help me out?”

She chuckles. “Oh boy, am I gonna get in hot water with Oz if I tell you his address?”