Page 86 of Another Man’s Treasure

He halts at the end of my row, lifting a hand toward me. “If you’ll have me?”

Wild couldn’t look more vulnerable than he does right now with that hopeful expression and outstretched hand. He told me once that he wasn’t good at expressing his feelings. But this? This is over the top.

“I’d be glad to have you,” I say with a big smile. “For now and always, Wild, and I’m sorry too.”

Might as well go big or go home, now that we’re doing this in front of the entire haven.

He breaks into a huge smile as I scoot down the row, bypassing friends and neighbors until I get to him. When Wild pulls me into his arms, dropping the microphone and bending me back to take my mouth with practiced, ferocious intensity, the gazebo breaks into a ruckus of screeches, roars, and victorious shrieking.

The structure herself creaks and claps and groans until it's so loud, I have to resist the urge to cover my ears. But my mouth is on Wild’s, and he’s as warm and commanding and soothing as ever.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper when we part enough for me to speak.

“Don’t be.” He brushes a thumb over my lips.

“Alright, everyone,” Emmer Sandoval calls out from the stage. “Settle down because that show ain’t all we called you here for, although we do adore a good love story, ain’t that right?” He turns to look at his father, who walks slowly forward and takes a microphone from Emmer’s beefy hand.

“The Sandoval family has a long legacy in Pine Gulch; most of y’all know that. And while I’m thrilled to be passing on the ranch legacy to Wilder Lane and his mate, Oz, I’m also thrilled to announce that Pine Gulch has a new Keeper!” He turns to Willa with a grin. “Miss Willa Lane, welcome to the haven that’s been waiting for you for a very, very long time.”

Wilder

Willa gasps, mouth dropping open. “What, me? No, oh no no no, I didn’t; I mean…this is some kind of mistake, surely? I thought you were kidding before!”

Oz stares up at me. “Did you know about this?”

I stroke stray dark purple hairs away from his horns, tucking them behind his ear while Willa sputters and denies what Sandoval just announced.

The gazebo’s in an uproar between folks clapping and others lobbing a volley of questions at the Sandovals and Willa.

“Let’s hear it for the new Keeper!” Emmer shouts.

“Oh my gods!” Willa’s in obvious shock, mouth open but both hands covering it. “I mean…alright, of course, alright!!”

Chaos erupts as winged monsters take flight, hooting and hollering from up near the rafters. Willa looks around with a hand over her heart, tears streaming down her cheeks. She’s barely holding back a smile, and it's then I know, for all her babbling and bluster, she wants this job. It might not be the thing she expected, but she wants it anyhow.

The Gulch weaseled her way right into my sister’s heart. Seems like neither one of us was ready for what she had in store.

“She’s gonna be so damn good,” Oz murmurs. “With all that face reading and figuring out historical mysteries and whatnot. You must have found the key, right? After I…left?”

I nod as monsters throng around us, clapping us on the backs and shoulders and interrupting any response. It’s so damn loud in here I can’t hear myself think.

“Ah! So happy for you two!” Lemon comes up and throws herself in Oz’s arms, squeezing him so tight he turns a darker shade of purple.

When he puts her down, she beams at me. “Welcome to the family, officially, now that it’s out in the open and everything. I thought Furyon saving me from a train was pretty epic, but this grand gesture?” She waves her hand at her face. “This was really something.”

“Don’t know how you pulled it off,” says Bluebell as she joins us, slinging an arm around Oz and the other around Lemon, “but I’m fucking glad you did. He was so miserable at my place.”

My mouth drops open, but I zip it and scowl. “You told me you hadn’t seen him. Liar.”

She shrugs. “He just needed a safe place for a minute. And anyhow, it gave you time to put all of this together.” She slaps my biceps. “Plus, he did leave and go looking for you!”

“You did?” I squeeze Oz tighter to me.

“Yeah, I felt like such an ass,” he shouts over the din. “But I couldn’t find you.”

“Took me, Willa and the Sandovals all night to put this together and warn a bunch of folks that the bell meant to come down here. It was a whole production.”

Oz looks around me at the stage. “The Sandovals helped?”