Page 81 of Another Man’s Treasure

“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.