Wild Trail (Clean Slate Ranch #1)(37)

“I’m sorry I scared you.” Wes said it to Sophie, but meant it for all of his friends. “Blizzard bolted and I couldn’t stop her.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re safe instead of warming the belly of a mountain lion,” Sophie replied. “I need my Best Person to keep planning my wedding.”

“Gee, thanks for that.”

Miles snickered. “I can’t believe your horse bolted,” he said. “I’d have died of fright.”

“It was terrifying, believe me.” Wes shook himself, then patted the side of Blizzard’s neck. “But I forgive you, girl. Especially since she found a ghost town.”

“She found a what now?” Sophie asked.

“An actual, real-life ghost town. There wasn’t much left except for a few buildings, but we also didn’t explore a whole lot. We had to get back to the group, plus I hurt my ankle.”

“That’s so cool. I wish we could go see it.”

Wes shook his head. “I doubt Mack or the owner would go for that. Apparently, it’s pretty close to a part of the ranch that no one goes out to. Lots of wild animals. I took some pictures, though. I’ll show you when we stop again.”

“Cool.”

“You discovered a ghost town, dude,” Conrad said. “That is wicked cool. Who gets to discover stuff like that, besides archeologists?”

“I know, right?” Wes said. He was super proud of the accidental discovery, and it had probably helped Mack be less pissed at Wes for the whole horse-running-away thing. Mack seemed intrigued by the town, too.

Somehow, Wes had to use the ghost town to help him get his man.





Chapter Ten

Mack spent the entire ride back to the ranch trying to forget the smoothness of Wes’s skin in his hand as he’d bandaged that ankle, and the scent of him sitting so close on that dilapidated porch. He tried, and he failed miserably. Wes had roped him in, that much was certain, and he’d done it by accident. Running away and getting hurt had pushed all of Mack’s protective buttons. He wanted to tuck Wes close so he didn’t hurt himself again, to keep him safe from the wide world—and Mack hadn’t felt that way about anyone since Geoff.

He was also in no mood to repeat that heartbreak.

Wes barely looked in his direction for the rest of the morning, too busy answering his friends’ questions about the ghost town. Even Liam and Miller seemed impressed that Wes had discovered it. Reyes listened with rapt attention. Mack answered any questions directed at him with short, terse answers that had everyone backing off.

The ghost town was a neat discovery from a historical standpoint, but a bunch of old boards wasn’t really anything to go gaga over.

Unless you’re an energetic actor who loves being the center of attention.

Their group reached the ranch a little after noon, which got them home right in time for lunch. No one got to run off, though, despite protests of hunger. Quentin and Bert came out to assist the guests in untacking and brushing down their horses, until all of the animals were back in their stalls.

With Tude put up, Mack glanced around the barn, but Wes was nowhere to be seen. Probably off at the guesthouse getting lunch. He ignored an odd pull of disappointment as he walked toward his office.

“You going to tell Arthur what you guys found?” Reyes asked, falling into line beside him.

“Definitely. I bet it’s something he’d love to ride out and see.”

“Ride out and see what?” Colt asked, appearing in the doorway of Mack’s office, with a platter of sandwiches in hand. “I come bearing gifts for the weary travelers.”

“Thanks, bro.” Mack grabbed a sandwich from the top of the pile, not even caring what was on it. His stomach gave a happy lurch at the idea of food. “One of the riders got a little lost inside of an old ghost town.”

“A what now?”

Mack described his morning fetching Wes. “I took some photos to show to Arthur. There isn’t a lot left, not even hints as to the road people used to get there.”

“That’s intensely cool,” Colt said. “I’d love to see it, too.”

“So would I,” Reyes added.

Reyes munched his own sandwich as the three of them settled in Mack’s small office. Mack in his desk chair, Colt on the corner of the desk, Reyes leaning against the wall. The “weary travelers” gag had become a tradition whenever Reyes and Mack led a camping trip. The first time Colt brought them food, he said he did it because “after being stuck coddling tourists for twenty-four hours straight, you probably want to avoid the kitchen for a few.”

The gesture had been unexpectedly sweet, and now it was a thing.

And Colt knew better than to bring them anything other than basic sandwiches. He’d put jalapeno peppers on one once, and Mack went nuclear after he bit into it. After he’d raced to the kitchen for a glass of milk to put out his mouth fire, he’d dumped Colt into a horse trough on a cold, autumn day.

Colt never tried that mess again.

“So other than the ghost town detour, the rest of the trip went okay?” Colt asked.

“Pretty standard,” Reyes replied. “Wes was the only major mishap this trip.”

“Interesting mishap.” Colt’s blue eyes danced with amusement. “So you and Wes got lost in the wilderness together, huh? You guys give the wildlife a show?”