Wilde Fire Read Free

tell the owner of my
    gym about you. I’m sure she’d love to put you on her payroll.”
    Jessie leaving town wasn’t something he was ready to face. His
    lil’ bro thought she was the woman who would be perfect for them.

    Wilde Fire
    15
    Phoenix so hoped he was correct.
    “I’d rather be on your payroll, angel.”
    “You’re only saying that because of the skewed ratio of women to
    men in Wilde.”
    “You noticed that?”
    She nodded.
    “Wilde is a bit different than the outside world.” His town
    continued to thrive and exist because of his family’s unconventional structure that had kept the silver mine undivided, and most locals
    knew and accepted the unique makeup. Hell, due to the remoteness of the mining town, some had taken up the practice of plural marriages themselves. “Surely, you’ll be in town for awhile longer.”
    “Depends. At least another week. It’s my understanding that your
    oldest brother is running the mine.”
    “Yes.”
    “My records show that there are three co-presidents. There’s a
    Daniel Wilde, Craig Wilde, and Dillon Wilde. Your dad and two
    uncles?”
    “Something like that.” Phoenix’s three dads and mom were the
    sole owners of Wilde Mine, which he and his brothers would inherit
    one day.
    “Well, if your brother won’t see me, perhaps your father will.”
    “They’re out of town. Austin is the top dog for now.” Phoenix’s
    oldest brother hadn’t been with Jessie like him and his other three brothers had been. Phoenix’s cousins were more right than they knew.
    If Austin had known that Phoenix and the others had slept with her
    after he’d given strict instructions to steer clear while her
    investigation was going on, he would’ve ripped all of them a new one.
    Luckily, Austin was in the dark. For now. “Why are you all business, angel? Don’t you ever take a day off? Or a night?”
    She took a sip of coffee. He spotted a little tremble in her hands, but her gaze never faltered. God, the woman amazed him.
    “Let’s cut the crap, cowboy. I’m not an idiot. Did Jackson tell you 16
    Chloe Lang
    to keep tabs on me?”
    “Not in so many words.” He liked her directness, and his dick
    lengthened to the impossible, making him uncomfortable in his jeans.
    “Jackson was needed in Colorado. We’ve got some land outside a
    town called Bliss. The family is working on building a retirement
    home there. Our parents think it’s time to expand our holdings.”
    “Why Jackson? Are you buying more livestock for the family
    ranch?”
    “He’s got the skills they need right now. No livestock, though.”
    His younger brother was full-blown cowboy, and Phoenix doubted
    that he’d told Jessie about what he really did for the family business.
    That was one thing Jackson liked to keep to himself, downplaying
    how smart he really was. He’d graduated from high school at sixteen, got his undergrad at nineteen, and his law degree three years ago at twenty-two. Jackson had been called away by the dads for some legal matter they required him to advise them on at the site in Colorado.
    “When will your brother be back?”
    “A couple of days.” Before Jackson had left, he’d called him with
    strict instructions to keep up the full court press with Jessie. His younger brother hated leaving, but he told him that it might be a
    chance for Phoenix to get to know her better.
    Before ending the call, Jackson had given him his marching
    orders. “Spend some quality time with her, bro. In no time, you’ll
    know that she is the one for all of us.”
    Jessie cleared her throat, pulling him back to the here and now.
    “You drifted off for a bit. What were you thinking about?”
    “How I was going to keep you out of trouble in Wilde. It’s going
    to be a challenge.”
    “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” She sipped her coffee, wetting her mouth with the dark liquid. As long as he got his cupful directly from her lips every day, he could actually see