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Jess ended the call, and he dropped the phone into the cupholder of Stella’s car. Remi had left the ranch, so she had to be in town somewhere. Maybe she went to the church. The doors were locked, but driving by was worth a shot. He headed out of town, back toward the ranch. The small church was covered in a white layer of snow, and there wasn’t a single tire track in the snow-covered parking lot.

The steeple jutted into the blue sky, reminding Colt to ask for help when things looked darkest. He turned the car toward the ranch and prayed as he drove. The helplessness that vibrated under his skin diminished centimeter by centimeter. He wasn’t any closer to finding Remi, but the Lord seemed to be telling him to sit tight.

His phone dinged with a message as he turned back into the ranch.

Camille: She’s on her way home.

Colt let out a rough sigh. She’d been with Camille. What did that mean? The heads-up implied at least a little trust from Camille, but did that extend to Remi too?

Where would she go when she got back to the ranch? She’d left him at the dining hall, so maybe she’d expect him to still be there considering she ran off in his truck.

He huffed. His truck. Since they’d been married, he’d started thinking of everything he owned to be hers too.Hewas hers. Now, all of those carefully tied connections had been undone like slipknots.

He parked in front of the dining hall and trudged inside. The large room was nearly empty. The summer crowds were gone, and only the year-round workers remained. No sign of Stella and the kids, but Brett, Jameson, and Ava sat at a table near the serving bar.

Ava stood. “Did you find her?”

Colt tossed his hat onto the table and sat beside Brett. “She’s on her way.”

“Where’d she go?” Brett asked.

“To talk to Camille.”

“What happened?” Ava’s soft question held a dozen more. Remi was known to make quick decisions, but she stuck to them. If she wanted to leave, she was long gone.

“Where to start? I told you about Brittany’s crazy sister, Tasha? Well, she’s here, and she knows about Mark and Brittany’s inheritance. She showed up at Camille’s office and threw a fit. Then she accused me of…” The blood in Colt’s veins burned hotter. He’d been so worried about Remi’s mad dash that he hadn’t stopped to let his anger at Tasha fester. “She said we used to date and that I abused her.”

“That’s a load of crap,” Brett said around a mouthful of bread.

“Thanks for the quick support, but Remi wasn’t so convinced.”

Ava sat slowly. “She couldn’t really think you’d do that, right?”

“She seemed like she didn’t believe it. But Tasha showed up with some screenshots of text messages she said I sent. They’re terrible, and completely fake.”

“So, Remi had to know they were fake,” Jameson said.

Colt held up a finger. “You’d think, but somewhere in that long string of lies, Tasha added in a landmine. Princess.”

“Nooo,” Ava said. “How?”

“Beats me!” Colt scratched furiously at his head. “I have no idea! Remi has always been my princess, and no one else. Tasha either got lucky with that nickname or she’s been watching us.”

“You said she’s here in Blackwater?” All of the color had drained from Ava’s face.

Colt looked from Jameson to Ava, remembering the times when their home had been in danger. “Yeah, and I know that means the ranch might not be safe. I had no idea until today, but I won’t blame you if you want us to leave until this is sorted out.”

Ava shook her head. “No, we’ve dealt with threats before. We’ll keep our eyes open.”

Colt hung his head. “Where are the kids?”

“With Stella and Vera at their place,” Ava said.

“I bet they were scared.”

Ava’s soft hand rested on his shoulder. “They were, but I’m sure Stella and Vera are keeping them occupied.”

Brett waved a roll in the air. “Tell me more about this dumpster fire.”