To Claim a Wilde (Wilde In Wyoming Book 6) by Kimberly Kaye Terry Page A

continue as we always have in how we conduct Wilde business.” His deep, normally cultured voice was infused with disdain. “In and out of the boardroom, oil field and wherever the hell else Wildes do our business. I trust that you informed him of that fact.” Tiber’s voice was curt and to the point. And reminded Canton of the way his brother was, once, long ago.
    If Canton’s attention hadn’t been so distracted, he’d call his brother out on his reaction.
    “No doubt about it,” Canton replied mildly, as a brow rose at his normally calm brother’s reaction. “In fact, I told the dumb jerk what he and Rolling Hills could do to the sunny side of my ass.
In fact
—” Canton stopped when his brother interrupted his faux tirade and barked a rusty-sounding laugh.
    “Okay. I get the point. I know you can handle any situation, including Cyrus and Rolling Hills, brother.”
    Canton glanced away from his perusal and sat back in his brother’s chair, and frowned.
    “Everything good on your end?” he asked, hiding his concern. As the oldest, less than two years separating the brothers, it had always fallen on his and Tiber’s shoulders, the well-being of the family on a personal and business level.
    Even though the “kids,” Brick and Riley, were getting older, not kids anymore, he and Tiber both had a bad habit of trying to do it all—taking care of the business and making sure the family was running efficiently.
    “I have faith in Brick. The trip he’s on will do him good. He’s too damn wild. It’ll mature him and make a man out of him,” he joked with his brother.
    “Like us,” Tiber replied, and with a melancholy smile, Canton remembered when both he and Tiber took over the reins of Wilde Oil Enterprises eight years ago.
    He laughed, lightly, low. “Yeah, brother. Like it did for us.”
    For the next several moments the brothers discussed business, until Tiber mentioned a meeting he needed to prepare for the next day.
    “Are you sitting in my new chair when I told you not to?”
    “Yes. I am in fact breaking your rule and sitting in your pretty little chair. Deal with it.” Canton laughed outright.
    It was a few seconds before his brother responded as Canton thought he would. He adjusted the volume down on his Bluetooth.
    “Take care of the kids.” The emotion in his voice again surprised Canton, but he didn’t say anything about it. Just let it go.
    “Always. You know that.” Again, curious at his brother’s choice of words and the emotion he clearly heard, Canton frowned.
    “Love you, Canton,” Tiber said quietly, and before Canton could reply, the phone went dead.
    The short delay in communication was another thing he normally held little patience for, as Tiber did. Although they had the best tower for their network, one for Wilde Oil Enterprises alone, the small delay was negligible on a normal day.
    On this particular one, it could kick rocks. What the hell was going on with Tiber? he wondered.
    He would have continued to try to puzzle it out, but at that moment his door opened and Ray entered.
    “Coast clear?”
    “Yeah, man, come on in,” he replied, his voice distracted. With a shake of his head, he put the subject of his brother on mental ice as he turned back to the monitor.
    Ray plopped down on the chair near Canton’s desk.
    “So what’s the verdict? You letting her know what’s up? That the Wildes have the tax lien?”
    “How the hell did you know about that?” Surprised, Canton’s glance flew to Ray. He’d been expecting anything but that to come from his friend’s mouth.
    “That the Wildes had the lien on the McBride place, or that you haven’t told Naomi McBride?” Ray asked and laughed, his voice booming out in the office.
    “Both.”
    “And how long have we been friends?” Ray shrugged a broad shoulder. “Educated guess,” Ray continued. “Man, for one, as soon as Dr. McBride rolled back into town, as fine as she is, you’d better