38. Wilder
Wilder
This entire dinner has gone so sideways I don’t even know where to start. This bombshell news? What am I even supposed to do with it?
“She didn’t test positive for keeping traits,” I offer gently. “I don’t want you to hang your hopes and dreams on her; we—”
“That’s not exactly right, is it?” Artur asks Wills. “You never went through the testing, did you?”
Willa shifts uncomfortably in the seat, looking between the Sandovals and me. Waving a dismissive hand around, she looks anywhere but at the Sandovals. “Technically, no.”
Oz gasps, and I lean around him to stare at my baby sister. “Willa, what in the hells is going on? What’s he talking about?”
She grabs the end of her braid and tugs on it, a nervous tic I haven’t seen her do in years. Not since the tense times just after our father left us and disappeared.
“I didn’t want to,” she says quietly. “I was in law school, and I didn’t agree with how Hearth HQ ran the program. What if I’d been forced to become a Keeper halfway through school? I wasn’t willing to take the risk, and I had a…friend in the testing department. He helped me out.”
I’m so flabbergasted by this, I can’t find a single word to say.
“How’d you come by that information?” Willa asks.
“We’ve our ways,” Artur says simply. “That’s all you need to know.”
A shadow appears to the right just as I’m about to ask for more details.
“Not hardly,” says Saint Ashbourne, dragging a chair over. He drops into it with both arms over the back, grinning as he looks between all of us.
Oz tenses next to me, and I’ve never been more grateful for Willa being next to him so there’s space between us. I’d love nothing more than to reach over this table and throttle him.
“You’re not needed at this dinner, Mister Ashbourne,” Emmer says coolly. “See yourself out, if you please.”
“I don’t think so,” Saint says with a cruel laugh, glancing at Oz and me.
“See, I’d thought when I came here maybe Oz and I could rekindle a little something we had before, but of course he belongs to Wilder, so that didn’t work out.
But it got me thinking, because it wasn’t really that long ago.
How recent could this little interlude really even be? ”
Ice fills my veins as Oz wraps his tail around my wrist, squeezing it so hard it cuts off my circulation.
Saint reaches out and grabs a piece of bread from a basket in the center of the table.
Biting off a big hunk, he chews as he smiles between us.
“See, here’s the thing. It gave me time to do a little bit of digging, get to know the local folk, ya know?
It turns out folks here are real happy to talk about anything and everything.
Including,” he waves at Oz, “how long they’ve known Oz, and how very, very single he’s been up until quite recently. ”
Oh shitting fuck. He’s far more observant than I gave him credit for.
“Those pixie twins?” He grins big at Oz, who’s frozen by my side.”They are an absolute wealth of information about you two.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I manage on a growl.
“Don’t I?” Saint chews the last few bites of bread as he glares at me. “Because what it seems like to me is you two are faking a relationship in order to complete this purchase. Is that right? What’s Oz getting out of this? Let me guess…money for his precious spa?”
“Stop it, Saint,” Oz whispers. “Just stop it.”
“Well?” He looks at the Sandovals. “Now what?”
“Mister Ashbourne!” Artur Sandoval snaps.
“Get out of here,” I bark, “before I take you out of here myself. If I hear a single other word against my ma—”
“Mate?” He scoffs as he rises and tosses the chair away from our table. “That’s a joke, right? He was mine before he was yours and—”
Roaring, I stand and leap over the table, knocking everything down as I barrel into Saint Ashbourne. We fall to the ground in a heap as shouting begins behind us. Ginger snaps and snarls toward Saint’s face, teeth bared as I wrap my fingers around his neck and slam against the ground.
Saint laughs as he lifts both hands.
“Fight back, you fucking asshole!” I shout.
He looks over my shoulder with a cruel smile. “No need to, Mister Lane. No need to.”
Frustrated, I stand to check on Oz, but when I turn, Willa’s there but Oz is gone. His comm watch lies on the floor. It must have fallen when he left. But that’s it.
* * *
All thoughts of the ranch and the Sandovals and even Willa’s bombshell are gone. I’ve got to get to Oz, to reassure him I love him and what Saint said doesn’t matter. He needs to hear that I’d even let the ranch go if it meant keeping him.
I yank the door to the saloon open and nearly run into Lemon, who’s standing outside, blond brows scrunched into a concerned-looking vee.
“Oz!” I gasp, spinning in circles as I look for him. “Have you seen Oz?!”
“He just took off into the sky,” she says. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Saint,” I say on a growl. “Saint happened.”
“Fuck,” she mutters.
Where would he go? His place? Mine? Leaving Lemon behind, I rush down the street to his apartment.
Not there.
I run to my cottage next, but he’s nowhere to be found. Circling back to Main Street, I start shouting for Ginger. Surely the pit hell can help me find him.
“Mister Lane?”
I whirl around to find Emmer Sandoval standing in the middle of the road wearing a half-hearted smile.
“I can’t do this right now,” I blurt out. “Emmer, I love him. I love him, and Saint—”
“We know you love him,” Emmer says. “Surely you didn’t think we could drag up that sort of information about your sister and not know you and Oz had a fake relationship going on?
We’ve been watching you.” His smile grows slightly more real.
“Not in a creepy way, of course. It’s just Pine Gulch has been watching all of you this whole time, and she loves your little family, crazy as your story started. ”
He claps a big hand to my shoulder. “I know it’s your inclination to find your mate right now, but will you do me a favor and come with me first? Perhaps Oz just needs a little bit of time.”
“No,” I all but shout. “I have to find him right now. This can’t wait.”
“Actually, it can,” Emmer says with a bigger smile. “Because what I have to show you might help you make just the kind of grand gesture Oz probably needs after that disastrous dinner. Come on, Wilder.”
Lifting my comm watch, I ring Bluebell. She picks up right away.
“What’s wrong?” she barks.
“Is he with you?”
Bluebell’s silent for a moment. “Oz? Of course not, I left him with you.”
Sucking at my teeth, I release a growl of frustration. “Fuck, okay. If you see him, can you just let me know he’s alright? He left our dinner really upset, and I couldn’t catch him before he took off. He’s hurting, and I have to fix it, Bluebell. I have to, do you understand?”
She’s silent for a moment. “Did you hurt him?”
“We got found out,” I admit. “Saint caused a big scene in front of the Sandovals. They know everything, and they know I love him for real. But he left before we resolved it, and I’m worried about him. He matters to me more than this deal ever could.”
Emmer Sandoval glances away, although the ghost of a smile tips his lips.
“I’ll comm him,” she offers, “and if I can find him, I’ll let him know you called.”
“Please.” I’m not above begging at this point. “Please just let me know he’s okay.” My voice cracks at the request.
“Don’t worry,” she says finally. “As long as you’re not the one hurting him, we’re on the same side, Wilder.”
“I just want to love him,” I whisper. “Fully. All day. Every day.”
“He deserves that,” she says. “I’m Team Oz and Ginger Happiness all day long.”
I drop my wrist, staring at Emmer. “Me too, Bluebell. Me too.”
She hangs up, and I look at Emmer. “Lead the way, friend, and I hope this is good.”