Free Breath of the Feathered Serpent by Pelaam

be lost. Never able to get his fill of the young man. Adam swallowed hard. “Yes. Yes, you will.” That was a given.
    Adam led the way outside, followed by Madison, and then the twins. As he stepped off the veranda, a cowboy headed toward them. The newcomer was of similar height and build to Adam, and the stranger grinned as he looked past him.
    Twin cries of a name Adam didn’t catch came from behind him, and then Elijah and Ellen both dashed ahead of Adam and into the arms of the attractive cowboy. Adam was blindsided by the sharp shards of jealousy that cut deep. A low, animalistic growl rumbled in his chest.
    “Adam, calm down. Now!” Madison’s voice was soft but insistent in his ear.
    Adam stalked forward, shaking off Madison’s restraining hand. “Let’s get out of here.” His voice was little more than guttural noise, and he didn’t as much as glance back. The last thing he needed to see was Elijah smiling joyously in the arms of another man.
    He rode in silence, with Madison behind him, up a rocky outcrop that overlooked the ranch. Satisfied with his perch, Adam dismounted and pulled out his goggles from his saddlebag. He fixed them in place and adjusted the dials until he had a clear view of the Lazy E. The twins and the newcomer had disappeared, no doubt into the house.
    Adam sat down and continued to watch the ranch, flitting back to the house every few seconds.
    Madison sighed loudly. “What do you expect to see? Are you looking for some kind of irrefutable proof that Elijah and the new guy are more than just friends? Man, I’ve never seen you act this way.”
    “I don’t know what I’m looking for,” Adam said. He didn’t take his gaze from the ranch. “Look, I have a gut feeling. You go on to Abe’s ranch. I want to stay here a while and just watch what happens.”
    “Will you be joining me there?” Madison asked.
    “Yeah. I’ll be along shortly.”
    Madison snorted but didn’t argue. Adam listened to him ride away, but he never stopped staring at the ranch below.
    The number of men working around the ranch slowly diminished as they rode out in small groups. He gritted his teeth, and his hands clenched into fists as he watched the twins and the newcomer come out of the house. They walked into the stables and rode out, heading away from town and into open country.
    The ranch was quiet. Adam looked around but didn’t see anyone. Then movement caught his eye. A cowboy came around the side of the house and walked up the ramp. He glanced around and then entered the house via the veranda window.
    Adam sat forward, watching intently. The man was very familiar. The cowboy came out and headed for the corral where a couple of horses remained. He mounted one and rode over to the house, leading the other behind him. Adam tried to focus, get a closer look, but the view he had was the best the goggles could provide. Unfortunately, it was just a little too far to identify the cowboy by his features.
    The ranch door opened, and another stranger came out. Something glinted at the man’s thigh, but it wasn’t a gun. Tall, slim, and fast, he headed to the spare horse and mounted quickly. Then Adam remembered where he’d seen the men. They were the ones out at the Silver S ranch the previous day, hunting for the ring. Without any further preamble, they rode off in the direction of the mountains.

Chapter Thirteen
    As Adam adjusted his goggles for a closer view, the men’s quick departure caught him by surprise. He shoved the goggles out of the way and jumped to his feet. He scowled as he hurried to his horse. There was something about the newcomer’s gait that rang a bell with him. Despite a round of vehement cussing, the elusive memory refused to come to mind.
    He removed his goggles, mounted his horse, and headed after them, unsure why it was suddenly important to him to know who they were and what they were doing. He was glad there were lots of rocky hills and trees that ensured he could follow at