Wade’s expression darkens the second he sees it. “Son of a—” he cuts himself off, dragging a hand over his face.
Brooks crouches down, inspecting it without touching. “This didn’t happen by accident,” he says, which we all already know.
Luke scans the surrounding area, his posture shifting into something sharper, more alert. “Anyone see anything?” he asks.
“No,” Wade answers, too quick. “We’ve been out here all morning.”
“Doesn’t mean they weren’t watching,” I say, my gaze moving over the open land again, every inch of it feeling different now than it did an hour ago.
This isn’t just a warning.
It’s a message.
And whoever left it wanted to make sure I got it.
I look back at the truck, then out at the stretch of land we just started claiming, the stakes driven into the ground, the work already in motion, and something in me settles in a way that feels a lot like resolve.
They don’t want me here.
Too bad.
I’m not backing off.
Not now.
Not from this.
And whoever thinks they can scare me off…
Just made the wrong move.
Chapter six
He Keeps Showing Up
Riley
The last thing I expect when I pull up to the ranch again, a couple of days later, is for things to look normal.
Not quiet exactly, not calm in any kind of predictable way, but steady, like whatever storm I walked into before didn’t leave behind the kind of damage I braced myself for. It throws me off more than I’m willing to admit.
Hadley doesn’t hesitate.
The second I put the truck in park, she’s already unbuckling, practically vibrating with the kind of excitement I’ve been trying to temper. I reach over to stop her before she can fling the door open without thinking.
“Slow down,” I tell her, keeping my voice firm but gentle. “We’re not running into anything. We’re walking.”
“I know,” she says quickly, even though she absolutely does not know, her eyes already scanning the yard like she’s expecting him to appear out of thin air.
And apparently, she’s not wrong.
Jace steps out from the side of the barn like he was already on his way over. His stride easy, unhurried, but there’s nothing careless about it, nothing reckless the way I remember, and I hate that I notice that right away.
It doesn’t match the version of him I’ve held onto.
It doesn’t make this easier.
Hadley waves before I even shut the truck door. “Hi!” she calls, her voice bright and open in a way that makes my chest tighten just a little.
