“Thank you,” Naomi said with unmistakable pride. “There are days I wonder how I’ll make it until bedtime, but truly they are good babies. So far, it’s doable to take them to the office with me, although I imagine that will change as soon as they’re walking.”
“I don’t know how you juggle it all.”
“Royce is amazing.” Naomi beamed with love as she looked at her husband for a moment before turning her attention back to Shana. “I heard the stakeout was a bust.”
As far as work, it was. Personally? It had netted pleasurable results.
“I haven’t given up on that lead. It just didn’t pan out this time. Surveillance operations require patience and persistence.”
“I’ve always been in awe of your career. You’re so daring.”
Daring? The adjective disarmed her. How had she given up that part of her identity? Shana couldn’t imagine not working. Giving up her job felt like an alien concept, like someone else’s decision. But she didn’t have the passage of time that had eased her into that decision.
“You’re a legal eagle.” Shana had dreamed of being a lawyer but there hadn’t been the money to attend law school. “That’s plenty impressive. And you manage it all while juggling twins.”
“Shana, hon, you may not remember me, but I know you well. You’ll manage the working mother routine with ease, if returning to your job again is the path you choose.”
She hoped so. Life felt so overwhelming, so much to process at once, like she was riding one of those bulls and had nothing familiar to hold on to.
A roar from the crowd cut her thoughts short as Marshall burst into the ring on the back of a bucking horse. The Steeles and Mikkelsons shot to their feet, whooping and whistling their support.
The vibration of her phone with an incoming message distracted her. The subject line kicked her heart rate up a notch. Familiar nodes of anticipation worked through her nervous system as she read.
A tip that Milla had been spotted coming and going from the hotel they’d staked out earlier.
Could this be another false lead? Or was this legit?
She should be focused on the job, and yet her first thought was elation over the possibility of a sexy repeat of her last stakeout with Chuck.
* * *
Alayna had been going to rodeos all her life.
Rodeos brimmed with heart-pounding moments, though Alayna had previously believed such moments were mostly reserved for the riders. But as she stood in her brand-new cowgirl boots, boot-cut jeans and a formfitting turquoise plaid shirt, she realized the fallibility of her previous assessment.
Because she was here with Aiden.
She couldn’t have dreamed up being ringside with Aiden Steele, down by the chutes where all the action happened.
But here she was anyway.
Aiden had invited her to come with him to help his older brother Marshall tack up his horse. Like the Steeles, she’d grown up around horses. But rodeo show life required a whole new set of rules, down to how the mane and tail were groomed and shined. Aiden had explained that the fancy polish that made the horse’s coat gleam was part of the theatrics of the whole thing.
It wasn’t enough to be good. Anyone could be good. Stars were made with these extra touches. Apparently, Marshall had been the best before injury forced him to take a slower pace.
Alayna toyed with a lock of her hair. “You know a lot about the rodeo circuit.”
Aiden adjusted his black Stetson, looking like a natural part of this landscape in his worn jeans and flannel. “We supported my brother. I’ve been going to these since I was in elementary school.”
“Did you ever think of trying your hand at it?” Just the thought of him in the arena in chaps sounded hot.
“Nah,” he said, nudging his Stetson back. “It’s my brother’s gig. In a family as big as mine, it’s tough to find a niche that hasn’t already been mastered by someone else.”
She understood about struggling to step out of the shadow of overachieving siblings. “That doesn’t mean you couldn’t be just as good, or even better.”
“Easy for you to say.” Aiden climbed on the second rung of the fence and leaned forward, looking wistfully at the current horse and rider. Exhaling hard, he hopped down. Leaning heavily against a beat-up barrel, he kicked dirt. “You’re a straight-A student with a natural seat on a horse.”
Heat rose in her cheeks, but she did her best to school her features into neutrality. The giddiness at his compliment still entered her voice, though. “You’ve watched me riding?”
He gave her that grin that sent her stomach turning barrel rolls. “We do live together.”
“But we’re not related,” she reminded him, and herself. “Not really.”
He snorted on a dry laugh. “Tell that to our parents. They’re really over the top with the whole blended family thing.”
“No kidding. I wish they would stop forcing the issue and just let us find our own pace.” But no one had asked for her opinion. Apparently, since she didn’t work for the corporation, she didn’t count. “My mom’s always been crazy big on family, though. She even put up with her sister giving her son away to us.”
“I forget sometimes that Trystan isn’t your biological brother, that he’s actually your cousin.”
“Aunt Willa and their brother—Uncle Lyle—had drug problems. Mom never gave up on them.” Alayna stared out at a horse that flat-out refused to do anything but a working trot, despite the desperation on the rider’s face. “I think if they showed up today, Mom would still throw them a banquet and start searching for rehab facilities.”
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“If they’re going to hurt my mom?” She shot upright, fired up. “Then yes, that’s a bad thing. And our cousin—second cousin—Sage Hammond is related to them, too. She’s been embarrassed and hurt enough by the grief they’ve brought on the family.”
His eyebrows raised as he looked at her in surprise. “You’re fiercer than I would have expected.”
“Right, I’m the family mouse,” she said with distaste.
“More like a kitten.” He lifted her hands, his thumb stroking along her fingers. “With surprise claws.”
His light caress sent shivers through her. She could hardly believe he was finally noticing her—touching her. “I’m glad you think so.”
She was already anticipating the feel of his hands on her again.
“I’m leaving here, you know. I’m not sticking around home forever.”
“Juneau isn’t the end of the earth. We’ll still see you.”
“Um, it’s not that simple.”
She stepped closer, near enough to catch the scent of soap on him.
“Kitten, this isn’t a good idea.”
His words nicked her, reopening a wound. She leaned against the fence, eyes fixed on the next barrel racer. She did her best to seem normal and steady as she turned to look at him, letting her hair pool over her shoulder.
“What isn’t a good idea?” she asked innocently. She wasn’t giving up, but she sure wasn’t going to look like an idiot, especially since they sat at the same dinner table every day.
A different kind of heart pounding took over her still-ragged chest. She turned away from Aiden, needing to collect herself, to look anywhere but at him. She scanned the crowd, trying to draw a full breath against the sting of disappointment.
Her eyes snagged on a face.
A face she remembered from somewhere.
Fear and adrenaline coursed through her as she forced air into her lungs. Had she really seen the profile of a person who had lied to her family?
There was no way to prove today that what she’d heard as a child was true. She wasn’t even completely sure of what she’d heard.
She just knew there were faces that still gave her nightmares.
One face she could swear was, against all odds, right here in this arena, right now.
Fear had her digging her kitten claws into Aiden’s steady arm. “You have to help me.”
* * *
Chuck hadn’t expected their rodeo date to end quite this way, but he had Shana alone and that was his top priority. They would end the night going to bed together. He needed to be patient.
She had received a tip that the man she was surveilling would be back at the same seedy motel tonight, an odd pattern that did bear checking out.
And Chuck certainly didn’t want her to be out here alone. His sharp eyes followed the people that passed by, entering and exiting the various rooms.
Shana shifted in the seat next to him, her camera and tablet in her lap. “Are you sure you want to stay, too? This isn’t a risky stakeout and it could go late.”
“I’m spending time with you.” He stroked her hair, testing the silky texture between his fingers. Even as he remained patient—for the moment—he still couldn’t deny the need to move faster with winning her over.
His mother’s visit had reminded him too well that anyone in his family could accidentally let something slip around Shana that would blow up his world.
“Yes, I am exactly where I want to be,” he said.
“You could work rather than simply watching me.”
He grinned. “I could.”
“But you’re not.” She passed him her tablet. “Here. I can make handwritten notes.”
“No thank you.” He passed the tablet back to her. He wasn’t taking his eyes off her or the motel until he had her safely home. Then he intended to have his hands all over her. “We’ve established I’m a workaholic.”
She tipped her head to the side, her arms crossed under her full breasts. “And I’m supposed to believe you’ve magically morphed into a footloose and fancy-free sort?”
God, he enjoyed her spunk. The urge to claim her, to move faster toward their reunion, nearly overwhelmed him.
“That would be overstating things. Let’s say I’m working on delegating when appropriate.” He lifted her hand. “And I know when it’s time for recreation.”
He pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, then angled up to her neck.
She sighed for an instant before easing away. “I’m a one-person shop. Delegating isn’t an option. Now stop distracting me, you tempting man.”
“I’m not going to argue with you.”
A deep-throated laugh accompanied a pop of berries into her mouth. Her tongue teased his fingertips ever so slightly.
Damn. This woman drove him up a wall. Awareness ramping up, he did his best to draw his attention back to the movement outside.
An elderly couple hobbled by. Not them.
But from the corner, he spotted a woman with a blond ponytail. Could this be Ms. Milla Jones at last? He felt the urge to run out and see the woman up close. To know for certain. But they’d made the mistake of thinking it might be Milla before.
Shana reached for the door handle. “I can’t get the angle I need with the camera.”
He clasped her elbow. “You’re not going alone.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Then be inconspicuous.”
“I’ll keep you close like any loving husband escorting his wife in for a tryst.” He ducked outside into the light shower of snow, walking around the front of the SUV to her side. “Wife—”
He slid his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. Her curves pressed to him even through their parkas. He ached for this stakeout to bear fruit so they could—
No sooner had he finished the thought than the couple at the door seemed to catch sight of them. The pair took off, picking their way through the icy parking lot at a fast clip.
Chuck gripped Shana’s shoulders. “I do not want you running on the ice. Period. It’s too risky. I’ve got this.”
She nodded tightly. “Go. Please.”
As he took off, her words, “Be careful,” carried on the snowy wind. Every footfall pushed him through the snow-covered lot, weaving between cars. He heard the chirp of a car door being unlocked remotely, lights flashing ahead. He made a beeline for the sedan, his boots gaining solid traction.
He reached the car just as the couple slid to a stop against the hood. The headlights illuminated their faces.
Their familiar, young faces.
Anger boiled to the surface, fast and furious.
“Aiden Steele, what the hell are you doing here with my sister?”
Nine
Shana bolted from the SUV at a sprint after Chuck.
She scrambled through the mix of snow and dirt that threatened to sidetrack her booted feet and upend her balance. Not fast enough for Chuck’s rage, it seemed.
His anger was unmistakable and unsettling. If he charged up to the teens in this frame of mind, no good could come of the confrontation.
She remembered too many arguments between her parents. Her mother’s suspicions, met with cold anger, then silence from Shana’s father. Conflict still made Shana’s chest go tight, but she couldn’t back down from this.
Something about Alayna reminded her of herself at that age.
There’d been no one to intervene in Shana’s life during those moments of vulnerability, though she certainly prayed for someone to come along. She’d wished on every evening star. But now, Shana could make a difference. A deep gulp of night air temporarily assuaged the thumping and squeezing sensation in her chest.
“Chuck,” she called out. “Chuck, wait. Think about your frame of mind.”
He didn’t so much as glance back at her over his shoulder. He strode toward the young couple under the Snowdrop Inn sign, the last two Ns flickering as the bulbs gasped their last breaths.
If Shana had been three steps faster, she could have caught up, but there was no stopping him.
Chuck’s arm shot out and he grabbed Aiden by the back of his jacket. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here with my sister?”
Alayna squeaked in surprise.
Aiden turned, his jaw jutting with defiance. “Trying to keep her out of trouble.”
“You have a funny way of showing it.” Chuck’s tone was less a statement, more of an accusing bark.
Shana touched her husband’s elbow, praying for restraint. “Careful, Chuck, he’s a kid.”
From across the parking lot, a beat-up SUV sputtered to life, cutting the stillness of the night. And somehow the lurching sound of the engine only heightened the bubbling tension between the Steele youth and the Mikkelson man.
For a moment, Shana averted her gaze, focused on the dull twinkle of the icicles on the roof of the Snowdrop Inn.
Aiden’s shoulders braced in defiance. “I’m nineteen.”
Great. Just what she needed. More testosterone in play. Shana held her calm. “Chuck, take a breath. Think.”
Chuck’s fist fell away from the teen’s jacket. “Talk, boy. And don’t try to BS me.”
Alayna stepped between them. “Stop. I’m the one who wanted to come here.” She held up a mittened hand. “Don’t explode. We’re not here for the reason you seem to think.”
Chuck rocked back on his boots, easing off, for the moment at least. “Explain then, please.”
Shana breathed a sigh of relief that they were talking, not fighting. She rubbed her arms to ward off a chill that had nothing to do with the icy wind.
“Let’s move to the SUV to talk. It’s crazy cold out here and there are people wandering in and out.”
If Milla Jones was here and saw Chuck, that could be catastrophic. All the more reason to get back in the vehicle ASAP.
Chuck nodded tightly, bracing Shana’s elbow as they walked along the slick lot on their way back to the vehicle. Cars slowly moved past, dim lights temporarily illuminating the
blacktop path back to the dark SUV. Shana opened the door, reveling in the lingering warmth inside.
Once they were all in the vehicle, Chuck started the engine, cranked the heat and turned to the teens in the back seat. “Okay, I’m listening.”
His sister chewed her chapped lip for a moment before launching in. “I saw someone at the arena that, well,” Alayna rambled softly, “it’s tough to explain. But someone I thought my imagination had made up. Seeing the person for real made me want to know for sure. Aiden didn’t want me to follow all on my own.”
Shana twisted to the side in her seat to get a better look at the nervous teens. Alayna tugged off her plaid scarf, toying with it. Shana could practically feel the girl’s nerves.
“You’re right,” Chuck said drily, pulling off his Stetson and resting it on his knee. “It does make a strange sort of sense. It’s so convoluted I actually believe you’re telling the truth. Who did you think you saw?”
Alayna exchanged glances with Aiden before continuing, “Someone who left Alaska a long time ago and has no reason to come back.” Dome light beaming overhead, Alayna’s blue eyes shone with confusion and a hint of wariness. “And I haven’t seen him in a long time, so I could be wrong. But it looked like Uncle Lyle.”
“Uncle Lyle?” Shana asked.
Chuck shifted toward her. “Mom’s loser brother. His showing up would be surprising, sure. He hasn’t been around in probably ten years or so. Alayna, why would you care?”
His sister hugged herself tighter, her body language shouting insecurity, as if she expected to be discounted. “Everyone’s so worried about what that woman Milla Jones said, and I wanted to do my part to help.”
Chuck sighed with exasperation. “What does that have to do with Uncle Lyle?”
“Um, well...” Alayna picked through the tassels on her scarf. “He disappeared not too long after that mysterious plane crash. It just seemed like Mom’s brother and sister were always wanting things, like money. And they really wanted the Steeles to fail so Mom and Dad would be more successful.”
The details sparked Shana’s sleuth mind with possibilities. Having amnesia gave her an objectivity she might not have had before, since she was less attached to these people. How strange to have an upside to losing her memory.
The Second Chance Page 11