Page 36 of Wilder Heart

Cash’s heart lurched. “No. I haven’t even thought about what to tell him.”

“Knowing you care about his brother might help sway him.”

“Yeah, or—” Cash hesitated, worrying that if he put this fear out into the world he might somehow make it come true, “—he might not like it. He might want us to break it off, or separate us somehow.”

“You don’t think he really cares that much about who his ranch hands are involved with, do you?”

“Normally, no. But he might care that much about who his brother’s involved with.”

“What are you gonna do then?”

Cash shook his head. “I don’t have a damn clue.”

He spentthe afternoon crawling around the combine with Clyde and Darryl, checking one thing after another. They missed lunch entirely, snacking on protein bars and drinking water from the cooler in the shade of the barn, but eventually they found the problem and got the combine working. He and Clyde stuck around for an extra hour, just to make sure Darryl would be able to run it without it giving him any more problems.

By the time they made it back to the ranch, it was after dinner. The other hands had eaten leftovers from yesterday and scattered. Cash ate with Clyde, both of them too tired for conversation, and he bade Clyde farewell as soon as his plate was planted in the dishwasher. He was tired and dirty.

On his way to his room, he noticed the light in Wilder’s room was on. The curtains were drawn but pale enough to let some light spill through. His steps slowed, and he debated knocking on the door. But no, they had to get up early to start moving the herd, and Cash still needed a shower. They could talk—and kiss and touch—later.

Reluctantly, he turned away.Later, he promised himself. They would have time later.

CHAPTER 14

WILDER

The moment Wilder left Cash’s side after that night under the stars, he flew into a very quiet panic.

Lain would fire him if he found out about it, he was certain. There was absolutely no way he’d be okay with Wilder moving in on the man who helped him turn the ranch around.

Good things did not happen to him. His growing feelings for Cash were dangerous. They were a weakness that would be exploited, and when Cash was ripped from him, it would hurt worse than,‘Lain, wait. Please!’Worse than sitting in the police station and realizing no one was coming for him. Worse than the slam of prison bars and the sick acceptance of his new, rotten life.

So he distanced himself. He made sure he was in the kitchen early for breakfast and early for dinner. He managed to avoid Cash all day and stayed inside his room that evening, afraid that going out to visit Blaze would mean running into Cash. He couldn’t resist a Cash that was bathed in moonlight.

But the following morning was the big day. They were moving the herd. Not only would it be an all-hands-on-deck situation, but even Lain would be joining them for the ride.

Wilder’s heart stuttered to a stop, and he ducked his head to hide whatever his expression did.

After that, they filed out to the barn to get started. Two part-time grooms were already there, saddling the horses for them. No one had managed to corral Blaze into the barn, so Wilder went out to lead him in by the halter. Blaze snorted, walking agreeably behind him.

“Trust me, I’m not totally happy about it either,” he murmured, and the horse’s golden ears turned toward him.

Lain was already in the barn, securing the saddle to Persimmon. Wilder pointedly avoided looking at him, hooking a wall-tied lead to Blaze’s halter so he could go and grab the saddle without him running off.

“Here.”

Wilder turned at the gruff voice just in time to see Cash sling the saddle pad and saddle onto Blaze’s back. Wilder’s breath caught in his throat as he inhaled leather and coffee and pine. He was taken right back to that night, staring up at the stars as pleasure rocked through him, the weight of Cash’s body peeling away every layer of armor Wilder had spent a lifetime weaving into place.

His lips parted without his permission, his body swaying toward Cash like the man had his own gravitational pull.

Cash’s smile went buttery soft, and he laid a hand on Wilder’s shoulder, his thumb grazing the soft skin of his neck for the barest of moments.

“Can we talk later?” Cash asked.

It took Wilder a moment to find his voice. “I-I don’t know. It’s?—”

A small hand touched the center of his back, and a jolt of lightning went down his spine.

“Hey, babe,” a feminine voice said. “We brought?—”

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