by Cari Quinn
“You mean to tell me that I sent you out to California for an inheritance, and you’re bringing a man home with you instead?”
“Sort of—”
“So you’re not bringing home a strange man that Larry raised as his son? And that same man isn’t coming here to take half of our house?”
“That part is positively true.”
“And you didn’t think this was information I needed to know?”
Kendall shut her eyes and counted to five. She could do this and not incur the wrath of Lily Proctor. Her mother wasn’t exactly calm when it came to change. “I wanted to talk to you, to be able to—”
“No, what you wanted to do was manage me. This isn’t one of those times you can pat me on the top of my head and deal with it yourself.”
“I—”
Her mother cut her off again. “I let you think that you’re running the Heron single-handedly most of the time, Kendall, but I know about every bill, every loan, and every overdue notice we have in our name.”
Shocked, Kendall tried to assimilate that information. How many times had she tried to include her mother in the day-to-day operations of the business? Her mother always waved her away and said she’d take care of the kitchen and the front desk and let Kendall handle the rest.
“You honestly think that the only thing I do is find creative fish recipes and smile pretty at the front door?”
Her mother’s acerbic tone pushed down whatever arguments Kendall was about to bring up. “Of course not.”
“Yes, you do, but that’s all right. You might need to show the world that you can handle everything, but I have a few tricks of my own, Kendall Marie.”
“Obviously we need to have a little chat,” Kendall grumbled.
“I’m your mother, Kendall, not some helpless woman wringing her hands at home. Do you think you could do all those tours and trails if I didn’t have things handled at home?”
Kendall fisted her hands into her hair. Her mother always had such a bright smile on her face, never letting on that she knew just how bad things had gotten. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry.” Lily’s tone gentled. “I’m sorry it took Larry’s death to make that clear to you. Even sorrier that you thought you had to keep this from me. That you didn’t think I was strong enough to hear this.”
Kendall sat up and hugged her knees into her chest when her mother’s voice broke. “No, Mom. That’s not it.”
“It is. I thought I was doing what was best for you, but I was so far off.”
“You did the best you could.”
“I did. And Larry did what he could.”
“He didn’t do anything. You were the one who raised me, loved me.” Kendall’s voice was harsher than she intended, but her mom had nothing to answer for. Plenty of people had it far worse than she did.
“When you get home, we’ll talk about it. I just don’t want you to hold back the bad news anymore. I’m getting tired of playing Sherlock to find everything.”
Kendall laughed. “Did you really go through all our papers?”
“You’re frighteningly organized, sweetheart.”
When she had a bank account like theirs, she had no choice but to be organized. “I don’t know how it’s going to work when Shane and I get there. I’m so afraid he’ll want to sell.”
“We’ll do our best to convince him otherwise.”
“And you’re okay with this?” It had taken days for her to wrap her mind around the fact that she now had a stranger—well, a man who used to be a stranger—in her life and soon to be in her home. And that he legally had as much right to be there as she did. She wasn’t sure she had totally come to terms with it. It was such a nebulous future when they were so far away.
“Larry had a reason for doing this.”
“Yeah, a selfish reason. He screwed up his business, so all he had left was our house to give—” She clutched her knees harder. Forced herself to turn off the anger. When it came to Lawrence, there were only two emotions that made sense to her, and neither would help right now.
“Did you ever think it was a way to make sure his son wasn’t alone?”
“Why would I? He left us alone.”
“No, he didn’t. We had each other. We always had each other.”
Kendall pressed her forehead to her knees and felt a tear roll down her nose and then another. She’d never thought about that part. How could her mother continue to think in such generous terms about Lawrence? Even now?
But if Lawrence hadn’t written the will like he had, she’d never have known what it was like to…what? Be in love? Could it be love in such a short time? Or was it just that fairy dust working overtime with orgasm-blurred edges?
“Does that also mean he has to pay for half the repairs? Because that part would be really helpful. Especially now.”
Kendall couldn’t stop her snorting laugh. “You got the part that he’s coming to us without any money, right?”
Her mother blew out a breath. “Lawrence made everything so much more complicated than it ever needed to be. So now he’s given me two children to take care of.”
Kendall rolled her eyes. Leave it to her mother to slot Shane into a son status. She adopted nearly everyone who came into the B and B. Why should Shane be any different? “Shane’s thirty years old, Mom. I don’t think he’s coming back with me to get nurtured. He doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”
And that statement settled in her gut like a wet sandbag along the river mouth in flooding season. No matter what happened after they got home, Shane was there because he had no choice.
No matter how she painted it, no matter how she talked up the Heron, in the end he was there because he was trapped. Once he realized just how trapped, he’d be out of there so freaking fast.
God, she didn’t want him to go. Even without seeing him in her space, in her home—now their home—she knew she couldn’t stand to watch him walk away.
“When do you think you’ll be home?”
Kendall blinked back into the conversation. “I’m going to make sure we do everything we can to get in before Thanksgiving.”
“Good. Sully did what he could with the water heater, but it’s pretty well shot.”
“All right. I’ll think of something.” Kendall rubbed her forehead. She’d find the money somewhere; she always did.
“Just come home safe. We’ll figure out the rest of it when the time comes.”
“What if he wants to sell? Or for me to buy him out? I just don’t know if we could pull that off.”
“Don’t put the cart before the horse. Get him here first. Maybe he’ll fall in love with the place just like we did.”
“Maybe.”
A shadow loomed over her, and she peered up to see the man in question standing in front of her. How long had he been there? She shielded her eyes against the glare of the sun. Jeans—so faded and battered there were wear marks in the most amazingly interesting places—hugged whip-lean hips. A plaid shirt fluttered in the light breeze, and a skintight white tank undershirt molded his mouthwatering body.
His face was inscrutable.
Was it any wonder the man twisted her into knots?
“I’ll give you a call from the next town, Mom.”
“Is everything okay, Kendall? Your voice changed.”
Shane crouched in front of her and brushed a tear away with the pad of his thumb. He tucked a hank of her windblown hair around her ear, then kissed her forehead. The tears that had stopped now stung again. She met his gaze, her heart tumbling when the corner of his mouth kicked up into a sweet smile.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I love you.”
His eyes warmed, and his gaze dropped to her mouth before returning to give her that intent stare that always made her blood run hot and her skin tingle.
“Love you too, sweetie.”
Kendall tucked her phone into her hoodie. “Hey.”
“You all right?”
Sh
e nodded. “Just told my mom everything.”
“And?”
“She’s anxious, less pissed off than I thought she’d be, and has a honey-do list long enough to cross the lake. And guess what? It has your name on it.”
He cupped the back of her neck, drawing her out of her tight ball and into his arms. His mouth was gentle and fierce at the same time. She slid her fingers into his hair and used her other hand to grasp his open shirt.
He went down on his knees before her, pulling her flush to him, his fingers splayed across her back. She changed her grip to his shoulders and let herself fall into the sunshine kiss.
She was tired of doing everything alone. Was it so wrong to want someone to lean on? He tore his mouth away from hers and pressed her cheek against his chest. His heartbeat roared under her ear. His fingers tunneled through her hair, massaging her scalp, her name a murmur on the wind.
“I touch you, and I forget myself, woman.”
She grinned into the ribbed cotton over his warm chest. “I like that I make you crazy.”
“You would.”
She pulled away and met his gaze. That flicker of wild was still in his eyes, but it was banked. “I’m assuming you came out here for a reason.”
“I’m doing the final walk-through with Doyle in a few minutes. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”
“Yeah?” The bands around her chest that had felt so restrictive a little while ago loosened with pleasure. Tomorrow and New York were coming soon enough. For now she’d see just what he could do in a week.
“I pushed the crew hard last night, and we were able to finish up. I’m lucky the tires on my truck aren’t slashed.”
“You definitely earned your title this week.”
“You had to tell them that fucking nickname.”
“I’m sure they only said it behind your back.”
“Not bloody likely.”
She laughed. “Oh, no. Really?”
He lifted a brow. “Really.”
She cupped his face and smoothed her thumbs over his scruffy cheeks. He might have cleaned up the beard a little, but it was still there. “My Oscar.”
His brow gentled from the stern lines of dismay. So fierce, her Oscar. “Do you want to head out tonight?”
“Could we?”
He grasped her hand and pressed a quick kiss to her palm. “We’ll get moving before sunset.”
“Are you sure you won’t be too tired?”
“We’ll drive until I burn out.”
“Okay.”
He pushed back and got to his feet, dragging her up with him. “Let’s go get that bonus check. I damn well deserve it.”
He kept her hand in his as his long legs ate up the golden field. The old stables blurred by, and the mountain view remained her one constant. That and the man who was dragging her off on another adventure.
The new stables came into view. The A-line main structure with the Doyle Ranch brand above the iron and wood doors was impressive. Instead of going with a dark stain, William Doyle had decided to leave the white pine color naked save for a protective varnish. It made everything look softer and cleaner against the severe black wrought iron.
Will stood outside the door, his hat tipped back as he surveyed the building. Shane stopped beside him, the two men silent as they looked over the building. Shane’s shrewd eyes scanned the tidy gravel path. Will, however, had a huge smile on his face.
“I can’t believe you pulled it off. Better than I imagined too.”
“Justice delivers.” Shane’s voice was steady and calm.
Kendall felt a pang in her chest. Maybe this Justice delivered. He would be the first one in her experience.
“Well, let’s go inside and take a look, shall we?”
Shane nodded and waited for Doyle to pull the broad doors open. “There’s a keypad there that was installed this morning as we were finishing up. The steel pins bolt through the top and the bottom of the door to secure the barn. Especially here, with the expensive equipment for your vet.”
“Good, good.”
Doyle opened the door, and Kendall lost her breath. More of the white pine flowed out into a huge staging area for the on-site vet they were expecting to come in from Salt Lake. Stainless steel counters and glass cabinets could have felt sterile, but with the warm wood to frame them out, everything looked high-end and professional.
She followed them in as they discussed the equipment and specs of the building that must have been important. She let them talk as she smoothed her hand over the velvety wood. It had a chiseled log cabin vibe than wasn’t her particular taste, but she couldn’t deny the excellent craftsmanship.
Pieces of Shane were sprinkled all over the stable. As they moved down the wide walkway between stalls, they came across huge tack bins in rough-cut wood. She’d seen Shane work on those late into last night.
She and Shane had been so restless the last few days. As if they were bouncing around each other but not quite sure what to do or how to act.
The two men paused to talk as they ran out of real estate. The back door was open, and Evelyn and her crew had returned from the horse show and were unloading equipment for the horses that would be coming in a few days. She waved to Evelyn and left the men to their own devices.
“Hey.”
“Hey there.” Evelyn’s bright, warm smile eased the rest of the tension that had been following her around all day. “I couldn’t believe that they really finished it up. I had to come up and see for myself. Your Shane is a miracle worker.”
Kendall laughed. “More like a taskmaster. But he got it done. I’m glad to see you. We’re actually heading out tonight.”
“Oh, no. Really?”
“Yeah, I got an SOS call from my mother. No rest for the wicked when you own your own business.”
“Nothing terrible, I hope?”
“Nah, just an inconvenience that cost us two bookings. That part wasn’t good, but the fix is relatively simple.” Kendall shrugged. “Hot water tank.”
“Yuck.”
“Exactly.”
“Good thing Shane’s so handy.”
Kendall glanced at Shane. His arms were crossed, his hip cocked as Doyle spoke to him. In her head, she could see just how perfect he’d look in her home, in her bed, in her life. And that scared the shit out of her. Even worse, she was terrified she was going to find out just how life would feel without him.
Evelyn snapped her fingers in front of Kendall. “Earth to Kendall.”
“Sorry.”
Shoulder to shoulder, the women stood together. Evelyn hooked an arm around Kendall. “I can’t blame you on the distraction.”
If only it was just drooling. “I haven’t had much time with him lately.”
Evelyn frowned and moved to stand in front of her. She took both her hands. “I’m sensing a but.”
Kendall shrugged. “No buts. Just part of me is looking forward to going home, and part of me is dreading it.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“I will.”
“You know if you talk to him, you’ll probably find out that it’s not nearly as bad as you think.”
No, it was so much worse. Worries were multiplying like mosquitoes by the lake on a hot night. He pulled at her like no other man ever had, and yet he held so much of her life in his hands. Their balance was off. Maybe that was why she felt so out of sorts.
She just needed to assert some of her independence again, that was all. Get home to her routines and back on solid, familiar ground. Maybe then the ache in her gut would fade, and she could get back to normal.
Evelyn rubbed her arm. “I’m going to miss you, kiddo.”
Kendall shook off the crazy reel of what-ifs and focused on her friend. “I’m going to miss you too.”
“Never forget that job option is open to you. Bring your mom along too—maybe a fresh start would be best for everyone if that’s what happens.” The worry in Evelyn’s eyes oddly made Kendall feel
better.
“You’re good people, Evelyn.”
“Don’t let it get around, kid.”
She made a cross over her heart. “You got it.”
“IF YOU EVER need a reference, you’ve got one. This exceeded my expectations by miles, Shane.”
The pride he understood, but the aftershock of restlessness made his shoulders feel heavy and tight. He’d worked his ass off to finish this project. Hell, he’d poured more of himself into this one job than he had in years. But it wasn’t for Doyle. It wasn’t even for the pride of a job well done.
His gaze slid to Kendall and Evelyn in the shade of the stables at the end of the building, and his shoulders eased. It had been a good-bye, he realized. That was his future right there. That pocket of sunshine that was Kendall. Not another job like this, not another project that utilized years of knowledge and yet left him strangely unsatisfied.
It was the excitement of what he’d find with her.
He was anxious to start something new for the first time in years. The only thing he’d taken enjoyment in was his furniture making, but now he had a glimpse of more than sawdust and a cedar-soaked basement to find happiness in.
Maybe he had so much more to look forward to.
He turned to Doyle. “I appreciate that, but this is my last job.”
“It’s a waste of pure talent. You were born to lead men.” Doyle followed his gaze. “I can see why you’d want to change your life, but don’t forget that lust doesn’t put food on the table.”
Shane tucked his thumbs under his arms. No, it certainly didn’t. “I’m starting my own business.”
“But you just said you were hanging it up.”
Shane shrugged. “Not quite. You like the tack boxes and carvings?”
Startled, Doyle looked around at the extras Shane had added to the stables. “You did that?”
He’d made the additions on his own. “Yes.”
“Well, hell, boy. I thought those were bought by my first foreman.” Doyle smoothed his palm across the careful etching outside one of the stalls. Shane had framed in rosettes at the corners of the iron bars on the upper part of the stall windows. Again he’d used the torch to warm the cool white pine. Just a little something extra. Something that was just him.