“That’s quite a career change.”
“Yeah. There were a lot of ghosts to exorcise when he returned home. I think Brooke coming into his life helped him a lot.”
“Some memories are hard to deal with,” she said, looking preoccupied with her own thoughts. He wondered again what secrets she was hiding. He hoped that one day she’d trust him enough to tell him.
“And sometimes we never get over them.” Her voice grew soft. “I worry about Ryan. He’s been occupied with school, but it’s only been a little over a month since he lost his mother.”
“You’re doing a wonderful job with him.”
“Thank you. I pray every day that I’m doing what’s best for him.”
When they reached the corral, Shelby dismounted and came over to take Ryan. Once the boy was secure in her arms, Cullen climbed off Danny. He turned back to Shelby and reached for the boy, but she resisted. “No, I’ll take him.”
“I can carry him to the cottage.”
Shelby gave in and let Cullen take the boy from her. In the transfer, they got close, very close. The memory of how she felt being in the man’s arms, her body pressed against him, caused her to shiver with awareness.
Cullen stepped back with Ryan. “If you’ll tie the horses to the railing, I’ll take care of them later. Then you can drive your car to the cottage.”
She did as he asked. She went to her compact, drove it across the compound and parked it in her spot in the driveway. She had just unlocked the front door when Cullen followed her inside.
Silently he carried the child down the hall to the bedroom. He laid him down on the bed, then turned and left the room.
Shelby covered Ryan with a blanket and walked out. She would give him an hour to nap, not wanting him to be up late tonight.
She went out into the main room and found it empty. Feeling a little relieved, but also disappointed to find that Cullen had gone, she locked the front door out of habit and walked back to her bedroom as she began to strip off her chef smock.
She had time to take a well-deserved soak in the tub. In the closet she reached for her robe on the hook, but found it on the floor. She retrieved it, then went to the dresser for some clean underwear. She opened the drawer and found her things moved around. She froze, feeling the hair on the back of her neck tingle. Had someone been in here?
She began to look for any other signs. Her heart raced as she checked the other dresser drawers, but found nothing out of place. Back in the closet, besides the robe, everything else seemed the same. Other than her robe and the one drawer, everything looked fine. Okay, she was an organizational nut. She always had been.
In the living room, she looked around to see if anything seemed different. She saw Ryan’s favorite picture book on the coffee table and smiled. She loved that he’d left the album home today.
She sat down on the sofa and opened the book. The first picture was of Ryan as a baby, and next was him with his mother. Georgia had just given birth. Shelby wished she’d been there to witness her nephew’s birth, but they hadn’t found each other yet.
There was one of Ryan’s father in his army uniform. Lieutenant Joshua Hughes was a handsome man. Now both Ryan’s parents were gone. She brushed a tear off her cheek. She missed her sister. With barely a year since they found each other, there hadn’t been enough time. As bad as Georgia’s death had been on her, how did a five-year-old deal with a life without his parents?
It was her job now to give him love and security. But how did she know if she was doing it right? Whom did she ask for advice? Loving the boy was easy. The other areas of raising a boy she wasn’t sure about. She thought about Cullen. Ryan was getting attached to him. What if he broke the child’s heart...? Or hers?
Chapter Nine
Sunday arrived and Shelby was as excited as Ryan, just not for the same reasons. She hadn’t seen Cullen in the past three days, not even to exchange a casual wave. The only contact had been a message he’d left on her phone that told her to invite Noah today for one o’clock.
As she and Ryan made their way out to the barn, Kase’s truck pulled up to the corral. He climbed out and helped Addy out of the backseat. Ryan took off running toward the girl, calling her name.
Shelby laughed as the two kids met. Addy immediately took Ryan’s hand. “Looks like they’re friends,” Kase said, then he turned to her. “Hi, Shelby.”
“Hi, Kase. Thank you for bringing Addy by today. I know Laurel is getting close to her due date.”
The handsome man’s eyebrows drew together in worry. “Yeah, she forced me to come today, said I was annoying her. I’m not allowed back for two hours, or unless she calls. Her mother is with her, so I’m not worried...much.”
Shelby laughed. “Sorry, I got the picture in my head of a very pregnant Laurel pushing you out of the house.”
“Hey, she bosses around two-thousand-pound stallions. You don’t want to mess with her.”
Cullen walked out of the barn, and the two youngsters ran to him. The sheriff accepted their hugs, then waved to Kase and Shelby.
“It’s good to see that guy happy again.” Kase waved at the group. “He’s had a pretty rough year.”
Shelby wasn’t going to ask, but she already knew it had something to do with his job in Denver. She quickly was distracted when Trent’s truck pulled in. “Looks like we have more kids coming today.”
The two children waved but were busy looking at the horses.
Trent walked over. “Hi, Shelby, Kase. I thought I might stop by to help you out. Brooke and Chris are on their way to your house to hang out with Laurel.”
Shelby found she was a little jealous of the sisters’ time together. “That’s good for her to have Brooke there.”
Kase jumped in, “Laurel told me to tell you she wants you, Ryan and Cullen to come by for supper tonight.” He smiled. “She hopes you’ll accept, because it’ll be a while since the twins will be here soon.”
“I’ll accept, but I want to contribute something to the meal.”
Kase shook his head. “No, my mother-in-law, Diane, has it all under control and Brooke’s there to help, too.”
“Then tell her, thank you. We’d love to come.”
Trent nodded toward his brother, Cullen. “Good, because I want to see more of this guy,” he said loudly.
Cullen walked over with the kids in tow. “You can come by to see me all you want, just don’t bring me any more horses.”
Both brothers laughed as a tan van came up the drive and parked beside the other vehicles. They all walked over to meet Noah Phelps’s mother. Shelby wasn’t surprised when the little boy joined Ryan and Addy, but Jeanie Phelps went inside the van and suddenly an automatic door opened, revealing another boy about ten seated in a wheelchair. Shelby was caught off guard, seeing the disabled child.
“Hi, Shelby,” the older woman called as she lowered the wheelchair to the ground. “I hope you don’t mind, I brought my older son, Luke, along. His father had to go out of town on business.”
Shelby hoped she was able to hide her shock.
“Of course not. I just didn’t know you had another child, or I would have suggested he come, too.” She looked at the boy. “Hi, Luke. Glad you could come today.”
Jeanie smiled. “Thank you.” The mother looked at the men. “Hi, Trent. Kase, I hope Laurel is at home resting.”
“She is, Jeanie. Those twins are getting more and more active. She’s on bed rest.”
“Good. She needs to get all the relaxation she can now.” She looked at Trent. “Hi, Trent. How is that little guy of yours?”
“Growing like a weed. Jeanie, this is my brother Cullen.”
Jeanie smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Sheriff.”
“Pleasure’s mine, Jeanie. I’m glad you could bring Noah b
y today.”
“He’s been so excited about his new friend.”
Cullen looked at the older boy in the wheelchair. “Hi, Luke. I’m glad you could come today, too.”
The boy waved his arms and made sounds, but no words.
The three other kids came running over. “Can we ride now?” Ryan asked.
“Okay,” Cullen said. “I got the horses saddled, but first we need to go over some rules.”
Even though Addy had ridden for the past two years, she listened intently to the instructions just as the boys did.
“Okay, let’s see. Noah, you go with Trent and he’ll put you on Dakota. Addy, you go with your dad and ride Sassy.”
“Yeah, I love Sassy.” She jumped up and down, causing her blond curls to bounce. “She’s so sweet.”
“And I’ll take Ryan on Cloud.”
Each child went with the assigned person, but this time, new helmets magically appeared with the horses. Shelby wholeheartedly approved of the added protection. Addy was already a natural on horseback, but the other two needed more instruction. Each child was on a horse, and an adult walked them around.
Shelby helped Jeanie bring her other son closer to the railing. It wasn’t easy on the gravel. She felt bad that Luke couldn’t also ride, but she wasn’t about to say anything, knowing it probably took a special saddle to keep him upright.
She stood next to Jeanie. “I probably should have told you about my son Luke,” Jeanie said. “I wasn’t planning to come with him, then when John got called out of town, I didn’t want to disappoint Noah.”
“Of course you should have brought him.”
Jeanie smiled at her. “I appreciate that. A lot of people feel awkward around a child with disabilities.”
“I just think a lot of people don’t know what to do, or say. Ryan has issues, too. His aren’t as severe as Luke’s, of course. His are social, and I’m happy that he became friends with Noah. That’s a big step for him.”
“Noah is a good brother to Luke, too. Sometimes he gives up so much because my attention has to be focused a lot on our other child. It’s not that I have favorites, it’s just the way it is when a child has special needs. This afternoon of horseback riding was to be just for Noah.”
Noah waved to his brother. “Look, Luke. I’m riding a horse.”
Luke raised his hand a little. Shelby smiled as she blinked back tears. Not because she was sad, but touched seeing the strong bond between the brothers.
Shelby looked at Ryan, seeing how happy he was sitting atop Cloud all by himself. He looked at her and waved, too. She pulled out her phone and began taking pictures as he walked the horse around the corral.
She focused on the handsome sheriff who turned in his badge for the day to spend time with some kids. He was one of the good guys, and she was falling for him. And there wasn’t any safety net.
* * *
TWO HOURS LATER, after the rides finished, the kids helped brush and feed the horses, then the adults put them in their stalls for the night. Jeanie, Noah and Luke went home with a promise to go riding again.
At the cottage, Shelby got Ryan bathed and in a clean pair of jeans and a shirt for their trip to the Landrys’ home. She hurried to get ready, too, then changed into black jeans and a royal blue sweater. After applying some makeup, she’d grabbed her purse when there was a knock on the door.
She heard the knock, then Ryan running down the hall.
Soon she heard Cullen’s voice, and her stomach tightened in excitement. No denying any longer that she was glad to be spending more time with the man. In the past she’d always been able to take or leave her relationships, then walk away when it had run its course. This time was different. The handsome sheriff made it difficult to keep her distance.
She walked out to find Cullen dressed in fresh jeans and a black Western shirt. He held his cowboy hat in his hand. Her heart fluttered when he gave her an admiring look.
“Are you ready?”
Oh, boy, was she. “Just a second.” She went into the kitchen and picked up the cake carrier and returned.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to bring anything.”
She smiled. “I made a cake for you, to thank you for today. I hope you like red velvet.”
He looked surprised and maybe a little embarrassed. “I don’t know if I’ve ever had any before. We should take it tonight.”
“Yay,” Ryan cheered. “It’s real good.”
Cullen ruffled the boy’s hair. “Then we’ll save you a big piece.”
With Ryan taking a few of his favorite things to show Addy, they walked out the door. After transferring the booster seat from Shelby’s car to Cullen’s truck, they drove to the Rawlins Horse Ranch.
Shelby felt a little nervous coming here with Cullen. This was his family, and even though she knew the others, this was the second time they’d come to a social function together. Would everyone consider her and Cullen a couple?
They walked up the steps just as Kase swung open the door. “Welcome, Cullen, Shelby and Ryan. Please come in.”
“Thank you.” Shelby guided Ryan in first, then followed inside the large entry with the dark hardwood floors and taupe-colored walls.
“Come on, everyone is in the back of the house.” Kase led them into the family room with a huge stone fireplace along with a large-screen television.
Stretched out on a camel-colored sectional sofa was Laurel. “Good, you made it,” she said. “Hello, Shelby and Ryan. Welcome to our home.”
Ryan was quickly distracted by Addy. The two children took off to go play.
Laurel motioned to an older couple. “Shelby, this is my mom and dad, Diane and Rory Quinn.”
Diane spoke up first. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I hear from Bess what a wonderful job you’re doing at the café.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Quinn. Bess took a chance on me. I’m glad everyone likes my cooking.”
Rory leaned closer and winked. “I’ve sampled some of your delicious French toast.”
“I’m glad you like it, Mr. Quinn.”
“Darlin’, you just stop with the Mister and Misses. We’re just plain Rory and Diane.” Rory glanced at her cake carrier. “You bring us some treats?”
“I baked a red velvet cake for Cullen, and he decided to bring it tonight.” She realized what she said and felt heat rise to her cheeks. She glanced across the room at Cullen. He was talking with Kase and Trent.
Diane motioned to her. “Come, let’s take the cake into the kitchen,” she suggested.
They walked across the large room with more gleaming hardwood floors and into a hall. Shelby caught a glimpse of the stairs with a carved banister that led to the second floor.
“Laurel and Kase have a beautiful home.”
Diane smiled. “Yes, they do. There’s been a recent addition for Kase’s father, Gus, and they also added a master suite after Kase and Laurel married. With the babies coming, it’s good to have the added room.”
“I bet you’re excited about the twins, Grandma.”
Diane beamed and stopped. “I’m beyond words. I adore Chris and Addy.” Her eyes got misty. “You see, Laurel isn’t my biological daughter, but I love her as if she were. Then when Brooke came looking for her sister a few years ago, I wasn’t exactly welcoming. But Brooke forgave me, and invited me to be Christopher’s grandma.”
Working for Bess, Shelby knew their touching story. “The babies are lucky, too. I know what my grandmother meant to me. I miss her.”
Diane took hold of her hand. “I heard about your sister, Georgia. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” Shelby said, her voice suddenly hoarse.
“If you or Ryan ever need anything, you have friends here.”
Sh
elby was touched by her kindness. “Thank you.”
They walked through the dining room and into a large state-of-the-art kitchen. “Wow! This is beautiful.” She glanced around, from the walls of cream-colored cabinets and granite counters to the stainless steel appliances. She also caught the aroma of a spicy chili coming from the two large slow cookers.
She set the cake on the counter, and an older man came in from a pantry. “It sure is. A person has room to get around in here.”
Diane did the introductions. “Gus Rawlins, this is Shelby Townsend. Shelby, this sweet man is one of the best horse trainers around.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Gus.”
The weathered-faced man crossed the room with a slight limp. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Shelby. Addy has been talking up a storm about that little guy of yours.”
“Yes, they’ve become good friends.”
Gus grinned. “I hear you’re out at the Robertsons’ place. Nice piece of property for horses.”
She laughed. “And it seems Cullen has been collecting a few.”
“I heard our new sheriff is doing double duty these days.”
She nodded. “Trent and Laurel talked him into taking in a few boarders. And yes, I think Cullen enjoys having the horses around.”
Diane went to the double-door refrigerator. “Would you like something to drink? There’s beer, wine, soft drinks...”
“I wouldn’t mind a beer.”
Diane smiled. “That does sound good with chili, doesn’t it?”
Laurel’s mother pulled out two longneck bottles, opened them and handed her one.
“Thank you.” Shelby took a drink as laughter erupted from the other room.
Diane smiled. “Come on, sounds like we’re missing all the fun.”
Shelby looked at Gus. “Do you want me to help with anything?”
Gus waved her off. “I know you’re a pretty fancy cook and all, but my chili is legendary.” He winked. “Best in the county.”
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