Page 68 of Something Tangled Something True (Rosa Ranch #1)

NOT AS IT SEEMS?

Just like every other morning, Lola’s asleep when I leave for work, her body curled around a pillow and the covers tucked beneath her chin.

I press a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, darlin’.”

“I luhf woo,” she whispers, her breathing still steady and slow, with no signs of her being awake. Every morning, I tell her I love her, and every morning, her unconscious mind registers it, telling me she loves me back.

Warmth spreads through my chest, and a satisfied smile tugs at the corners of my lips.

Nugget blinks up at me, and I lift him onto the bed to snuggle with Lola. He wags his little nub-tail and rubs his head against her back, twirling in place before he plops down.

“I love you too, Nugget,” I tell him, kissing the top of his head before gently closing the door behind me. I grab the two breakfast burritos I warmed from the counter and leave Lola a note so she knows there’s one in the fridge for her.

After I’ve made sure the windows are all locked, I head out, locking the door and double-checking the cameras.

Rhett waves at me from his seat in the small garden. “Mornin’, Ryder!” he hollers.

“Morning, Rhett,” I say, tossing the burrito at our new biker friend.

I’d thought what they’d offered to do for us was nothing more than an empty, drunken promise, but Sunday morning, we woke up to a call from Ezekiel.

Zeke was absolutely miffed about not knowing about Lola’s new security detail, demanding to run background checks on men he’s known for two years now.

“I’ll keep an eye on things ‘round here,” he assures me, unwrapping the burrito and taking a bite, returning to reading the book of the month.

“Thanks, Rhett. What y’all have been doin’ for us means more than I could express. Truly, let me know if you need anything,” I tell him, tipping my hat and climbing inside my truck.

I do my best to keep my mind clear, finishing the backend admin duties as quickly as possible before spending a few hours at the greenhouse.

If this takes off, I’ll need to start creating much larger batches, but I already have a plan for that. My hope was always to be able to sustain my community single-handedly if needed, which has come with a lot of preparation on my part. That doesn’t make it any less overwhelming though.

In between getting things done, I spend a hell of a lot of time answering calls from people in the community reporting suspicious activity from Lemmon.

Most of it seems to be false alarms, with everyone being abundantly cautious on our behalf.

Still, more than a few people mentioned seeing her driving out of town in a vehicle they didn’t recognize, driven by a man wearing a black hoodie over his face.

Then, Betsy mentioned his side profile reminded her of Zeke, and my mind ran wild.