Page 22 of Possessive Rancher

Rage simmers in my gut as I get up and Heather looks at me. I motion for her to keep talking to her mother and twist my hand to signal for her keys.

She listens to her mother ramble on about work and the weather as she heads upstairs. It only takes a minute for her to toss the keys to me, and I head outside where a bright yellow hatchback sits in front of my house.

I should probably put it in the garage but will have to move the ATVs out of the way. Heather’s standing at the door, holding her phone as her mother continues to ramble on. I never knew the weather could be such a conversation piece, but alas, that’s not my concern.

My concern is what her mother said. “He said you told him you were at a place called Heaven’s Haven.”

My family’s ranch can probably be seen from space the way technology is, but out here in Conklin, it’s not exactly hot on the map. I’m staring at the car, wondering what I’m looking for.

Instead of beating my head against the wall, I pull out my phone to make a call.

Hendrix picks up on the first ring, “Morning, River.”

“Jimi,” I reply.

It’s our thing and I don’t know when it started or why it’s been going on since our teenage years. Hudson like the river, and of course, Jimi the legendary Hendrix.

“What’s going on?” he asks.

“You busy? I need to find some sort of tracking device on a car. I’d rather not roll around on my back, but if you get out to the ranch?”

“Say no more. I got some free time before my next appointment. I’ll be there in ten.”

Hendrix ends the call and arrives sooner than I expect. I let him drive his truck onto the property, and he parks next to Heather’s car. She’s off the phone with her mother by now as she steps down to greet him.

“Morning ma’am,” Hendrix says with a tip of his head to her. He looks at me and smirks.

“Heather, this is my younger brother, Hendrix. Hendrix this is Heather, my-”

“New operations manager,” Heather finishes with a smile.

I wrap an arm around her waist and tug her close to me. “My everything.”

“Everything?” Hendrix looks at me with a dozen silent questions, but I nudge him toward her car.

“Yeah, everything.” I kiss her on the top of her head, which makes her blush. “I need you to do what you do with the security stuff. See if there’s a tracker on her car.”

Hendrix looks at the car and then back at me. “You mean like the GPS to find it if it’s been stolen? Who would steal this?”

“Hey,” Heather chimes in with a soft laugh. “I’ll have you know that Meringue will give you the greatest ride of your life. She’s an actual steal for the price I paid for it.”

“No offense, ma’am,” Hendrix replies with a laugh and looks at me. “I get it. She’s perfect for you.”

Heather sidles up next to me as Hendrix walks to his truck for his tools. “What’s he mean ‘perfect for you’?”

“Feisty, fiery, outspoken, and not shy,” I tell her proudly.

Heather leans her head against my arm and slips her hand into the back pocket of my jeans, giving my ass a squeeze while my brother does a sweep of her car.

“Little girl, don’t start nothing out here. My brother won’t care in the slightest if I bend you over the hood of that car and fuck you til you cream over my-”

Hendrix clears his throat as he walks toward us with something small, circular device in his hand. “I actually do care, ma’am. There’s no need to rub y’all lovey-dovey stuff in my face. But here. Found this button tracker in the door frame. You’d definitely miss it if you don’t know what to look for.”

Hendrix drops it on the ground, ready to smash under his steel-toe boots when I stop him.

“Wait a minute. I want whoever put that thing on her car to come try to get it back. Then, I’ll break it right after I break their jaw,” I tell him.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Hendrix shakes his head. “I’ll grab Hayden and we can camp out here for the next few days until they do. Make sure you got the key to the gun safe somewhere we can find it.”

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