Two-Week Texas Seduction

by Cat Schield

  “Your father was very hard on you and it certainly decreased your willingness to help around the ranch. You didn’t need to feel ganged up on.”

  From where he was sitting, he could see the informal family portrait taken when he’d been seventeen. His father stood with his arm around his beaming wife and looked happy, while Shane’s expression was slightly resentful. He’d always hated it because he was supposed to be on a hunting trip with friends the weekend the photo shoot had been scheduled. The photo seemed to sum up how he’d felt since he was ten.

  Mother and son chatted for over an hour after the caterer departed about Elyse’s upcoming trip to Boston for her brother Gavin’s surprise sixty-fifth birthday party. She and Gavin’s wife, Jennifer, were planning a tropical-themed bash because Gavin was also retiring at the end of the month and he and Jennifer were going to Belize to look at vacation properties.

  “I need to get going,” Elyse said, glancing at her watch. “I promised Jennifer I would call her to firm up the last few details for Gavin’s party.” She got to her feet and deposited a kiss on Shane’s cheek. “Thank you for helping me today.”

  “It was my pleasure.” And in fact, once he got over his initial reluctance, he’d enjoyed spending time with his mom, doing something she took great pride in. “Your party-planning skills are second to none and the centennial is going to be fantastic. Let me know what else I can do to help you.”

  His mother didn’t try to hide her surprise. “You mean that?”

  “I do. Send me a list. I’ll get it done.”

  “Thank you,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

  After his mom left, Shane remembered something else he’d been putting off. His keys jingled as he trotted down the steps to the driveway. He needed to pick up his stuff from Brandee’s. He’d been in such a hurry to leave that he hadn’t taken anything with him.

  He didn’t expect to see her truck in the driveway and it wasn’t. It was nearly seven o’clock. The sun was below the horizon and a soft glow from the living room lights filled the front windows. Shane got out of his truck and headed for the front door, remembering the first time he’d stepped onto her porch two weeks ago. So much had happened. So much had gone wrong.

  First he tried the doorbell, but when that went unanswered, he tried knocking. Was she avoiding him? Or had she come home, consumed more alcohol and passed out? Shane decided he needed to see for himself that she was okay and used the key she’d given him to unlock the door.

  As he stepped across her threshold, he half expected her to come tearing toward him, shrieking at him to get out. Of course, that wasn’t her style. Or he hadn’t thought it was until he’d witnessed her going after Cecelia, Simone and Naomi today.

  He needn’t have worried. The house had an unoccupied feel to it.

  A quick look around confirmed Brandee hadn’t come home. Shane headed to the guest suite and was surprised to find none of his things had been touched. Moving quickly, he packed up his toiletries and clothes. He kept his gaze away from the luxurious shower and the big, comfortable bed. Already a lump had formed in his throat that had no business being there. He swallowed hard and cursed.

  What the hell had he expected? That they would live happily-ever-after? Even before he found out she’d been keeping the truth from him about the ranch, that ending hadn’t been in the cards. All along Brandee had said she didn’t need anyone’s help. She’d never wanted a partner or a long-term lover. They might have enjoyed each other’s company for a while, but in the end both of them were too independent and afraid of intimacy for it to have worked.

  Eager to be gone, Shane strode toward the front door, but as he reached it, a familiar ringtone began playing from the direction of the kitchen. He stopped walking and, with a resigned sigh, turned toward the sound. Brandee had left her smartphone on the large concrete island.

  Though he knew he should just leave well enough alone, Shane headed to check out who might be calling. Brandee always made a point of being available to her ranch hands and with her not being home, they would have no way of knowing how to get in contact with her.

  Shane leaned over and peered at the screen. Sure enough, it was her ranch foreman. Now Shane had two choices. He could get ahold of Chelsea and see if Brandee was staying there, or he could find out what was up and then call Chelsea.

  “Hey, Jimmy,” Shane said, deciding to answer the call. “Brandee isn’t around at the moment. She left her phone behind. Is there something you need?”

  “Is she planning on coming back soon?”

  Shane recalled how she’d looked earlier. “I doubt it. She went into town and I think she might be staying the night at Chelsea’s. Is there something wrong?”

  “Not wrong, but we’ve got a half-dozen cows showing signs of calving and she said if we needed her to help out tonight to call. But it’s okay, we’ll make do.”

  As Jimmy was speaking, Shane’s gaze fell on something he hadn’t noticed before. A large poster was tacked on the wall near the door to the mudroom. It held pictures of all the teenagers and their dogs surrounding a big, glittery thank-you in the middle. It was a gaudy, glorious mess and Shane knew that Brandee loved it.

  He closed his eyes to block out the sight. Brandee didn’t have to give her time or energy to a bunch of troubled kids, but she did it because even small events like the one with the rescue dogs had the power to change lives. He’d seen firsthand how her program had impacted each of the teens in some way, and with her camp she was poised to do so much more.

  “Why don’t I stop down and give you a hand.” The last thing he wanted was to spend an endless, freezing night outside, but he knew it was the right thing to do.

  “That would be a big help.” Jimmy sounded relieved. “But are you sure? Between the cold and the number of cows ready to go, it’s going to be a long, miserable night.”

  “I’m sure. See you in ten.”

  The way Shane was feeling at the moment, he was going to be miserable regardless. And to his surprise, as he headed back to the guest suite to change into work clothes, his mood felt significantly lighter. Maybe there was something to this helping-others thing after all.

  Thirteen

  Brandee came awake with a jolt and groped for her cell phone. Jimmy was supposed to check in with her last night and let her know if he needed her help with the calving. Had she slept through his call? That had never happened before.

  Yet here she was, six short days after her reckoning with Shane, and already she was disengaging from her ranch. Had she really given up on her dream so easily? She couldn’t imagine her father being very proud of her for doing so. And yet what choice did she have? All her capital was tied up in the land and her livestock. With the land returned to Shane, she didn’t have a place for her cows and calves. It only made sense to sell them.

  When she didn’t find her phone on the nightstand, she realized why. This wasn’t her room. She’d spent the night at Chelsea’s after making a scene at the Texas Cattleman’s Club. Brandee buried her face in the pillow and groaned. She hadn’t been anywhere near drunk, but her blood had been up and she’d consumed one drink too many.

  Thank goodness she’d never have to set foot in the clubhouse again. Of course, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be running into members elsewhere. Maybe she could hide out for a month or so while she settled her business with the ranch stock and figured out what to do next.

  Should she move away from Royal? The thought triggered gut-wrenching loneliness and crippling anxiety. She couldn’t leave behind so many wonderful friends. Two weeks ago, she might have considered herself self-sufficient, but after living with Shane she realized she was way needier than she’d let herself believe.

  After sliding out of bed and feeling around the floor, Brandee broke down and turned on the bedside light. Her cell phone wasn’t beneath the bed
or lost among the sheets. Feeling a stir of panic, she considered all the places she might’ve left it.

  A quick glance at the clock told her it was six o’clock in the morning. Too early for Chelsea to be awake, and Brandee would not borrow her friend’s computer to check on her phone’s location without permission. She could, however, use Chelsea’s landline to call her foreman.

  He answered after the third ring. “Hey, boss.”

  “I can’t find my phone. I’m sorry I didn’t check in sooner. Is everything okay?”

  “It was a pretty crazy night, but me and the boys handled it.”

  “That’s great to hear. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you out.”

  “It’s okay. Shane said you were staying the night at Chelsea’s.”

  A jolt of adrenaline shot through her at Jimmy’s words. “How is it you spoke with Shane?” Annoyance flared. Was he already taking over her ranch?

  “He answered your phone when I called.”

  “Did he say how he’d gotten my phone?” Had she left it in the parking lot of the Texas Cattleman’s Club?

  “He said you left it at your house.” Jimmy’s voice held concern. “You okay?”

  For a long moment Brandee was so incensed she couldn’t speak. What the hell was Shane doing in her house? “I’m fine. I need to get my truck and then I’ll be by. Maybe an hour and a half, two hours tops.” Cooling her heels for an hour until it was reasonable to wake Chelsea was not going to improve her temper.

  “No rush. As I said, we have everything under control.”

  To keep herself busy, Brandee made coffee and foraged in Chelsea’s pantry for breakfast. She wasn’t accustomed to sitting still, and this brought home just how hard it was going to be to give up her ranch.

  As seven o’clock rolled around, she brought a cup of coffee to Chelsea’s bedside and gently woke her friend.

  “What time is it?”

  “Seven.” Brandee winced at Chelsea’s groan. “I made coffee,” she said in her most beguiling voice.

  “How long have you been up?”

  “An hour.” She bounced a little on the springy mattress.

  “And how much coffee have you had?”

  She extended the coffee so the aroma could rouse Chelsea. “This is the last cup.”

  “You drank an entire pot of coffee?”

  “I didn’t have anything else to do. I left my phone at home and didn’t want to use your computer. I think the boys had a rough night and need me back at the ranch.”

  Chelsea lifted herself into a sitting position and reached for the coffee. “Give me ten minutes to wake up and I’ll take you to your truck.”

  “Thank you.” She didn’t explain about how Jimmy had spoken with Shane or the anxiety that overwhelmed her at the thought of him giving orders to her hands.

  An hour later, Brandee had picked up her truck, driven home, changed clothes and was on the way to the ranch buildings. A familiar vehicle was parked beside the barn where they kept the cows and calves who needed special attention. Brandee pulled up alongside and shut off her engine. It ticked, cooling as she stared toward the barn.

  What was Shane doing here?

  Brandee slid from the truck and entered the barn. She found Shane standing in front of the large enclosure that housed the breeched calf they’d brought into the world. He stood with his arms on the top rail of the pen, his chin resting on his hands.

  “Hey,” she said softly, stepping up beside him and matching his posture. “What are you doing here?”

  “Jimmy said these two are ready to head to the pasture today.”

  “So you came to say goodbye?” The question didn’t come out light and unconcerned the way she’d intended. Anxiety and melancholy weighed down her voice.

  “Something like that.”

  Since Brandee didn’t know what to make of his mood, she held her tongue and waited him out. She had nothing new to say and reprising her apology wouldn’t win her any points. The silence stretched. She could ask him again why he’d come out to the ranch or she could demand to know why he’d entered her house without asking.

  He probably figured he was entitled to come and go anytime he wanted since the land beneath the house belonged to him. Frustration built up a head of steam and she took a deep breath, preparing to unleash it. But before she could utter a word, Shane pushed away from the fence.

  “I’d better go.” He looked into her eyes, tugged at the brim of his hat in a mock salute and turned away.

  Deflated, Brandee watched him go. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d missed an opportunity to say or do something that would span the gap between them. Which was ridiculous. Shane hated her. She’d tricked him into giving up all claim to his family’s land and he would never forgive her.

  Her throat closed around a lump and suddenly she couldn’t catch her breath. Tears collected and she wiped at the corners of her eyes before the moisture could spill down her cheeks. All at once she was twelve again and hearing the news that her dad was dead. Faced with an equally uncertain future, she’d gotten on her horse and rode off.

  She’d ridden all day, tracing the familiar paths that she’d traveled beside her dad. At first she’d been scared. Where would she go? Who would take her in? Her mother’s abandonment had hit her for the first time and she’d cried out all her loneliness and loss until she could barely breathe through the hysterical, hiccupping sobs. Once those had passed, she’d been an empty vessel, scrubbed clean and ready to be filled with determination and stubbornness.

  She felt a little like that now. Empty. Ready to be filled with something.

  Leaving the cow and calf, Brandee headed for the horse barn and greeted her ranch hands. They looked weary, but smiled when they saw her. Apparently the cows had kept them busy, but the night had passed without serious incident. Next she headed to the ranch office to look for Jimmy. Her foreman was staring blankly at the computer, a full mug of coffee untouched beside the keyboard.

  “You should head off,” she told him, sitting in the only other chair. “I can handle entering the information.”

  “Thanks. I’m more beat than I thought.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” she said again, pricked by guilt.

  “It’s okay. We had Shane’s help and everything worked out fine.”

  “Shane was here all night?” Brandee’s heart jumped.

  “He came right after answering your phone. About seven or so.”

  Shane had been helping out at her ranch for over twelve hours? Why hadn’t he said anything just now? Maybe he’d been waiting for her to thank him. If she’d known, she would have. Damn. No wonder he’d left so abruptly. She’d screwed up with him again.

  But this she could fix. She just needed to come up with a great way to show her appreciation.

  * * *

  Shane wasn’t exactly regretting that he’d promised his mother he’d help with Bullseye’s centennial party, but he was starting to dread her texts. This last one had summoned him back to the ranch on some vague request for his opinion.

  He parked his truck next to her Lexus and took the porch steps in one bound. Entering the house, he spied her in the living room and began, “Mother, couldn’t this have waited...” The rest of what he’d been about to say vanished from his mind as he noticed his mother wasn’t alone.

  “Oh good.” Elyse Delgado got to her feet. “You’re home.”

  Shane’s gaze locked on Brandee and his heart stopped as if jabbed by an icicle. “What is she doing here?”

  “Shane, that’s rude. I raised you better than that.” Elyse set her hands on her hips and glared at her son. “She came to see me about this disturbing business about her ranch belonging to our family.”

  “Let me get this straight,” Shane began, lev
eling his gaze on Brandee. “You called my mother to intervene on your behalf?”

  “She did no such thing.”

  “It was Gabe’s idea,” Brandee said, a touch defensive. “He said you’d listen to her.”

  It was all too much. First Gabe, now his mother. Shane crossed to the bar and poured himself a shot of scotch. As soon as he lifted it to his lips, he recognized his mistake and set it back down.

  “I don’t know what you want,” he said, dropping two ice cubes into a fresh glass and adding a splash of vodka.

  “I brought this as a thank-you for helping out at the ranch the other night.” While he’d had his back turned, she’d approached and set a bottle on the bar beside him.

  “I don’t want your thanks.” Mouth watering, he eyed the rare vintage. “Besides, you’ve ruined scotch for me.” He lifted his glass of vodka and took a sip. It took all his willpower not to wince at the taste.

  Her lips curved enticingly. “It’s a thirty-five-year-old Glengoyne. Only five hundred were released for sale.”

  “You can’t bribe me to like you.”

  At his aggressive tone, all the light went out of her eyes. Once again she became the pale version of herself, the disheartened woman hunched over an empty glass in the TCC clubhouse.

  “Shane Robert Delgado, you come with me this instant.” Elyse didn’t bother glancing over her shoulder to see if her son followed her toward the French doors leading out to the pool deck. She barely waited until the door had shut behind him before speaking. “How dare you speak to Brandee like that. She’s in love with you.”

  “She tried to cheat us out of our family’s land.” He tried for righteous anger but couldn’t summon the energy. The accusation had lost its impact.

  “I don’t care. We have more than enough wealth and Bullseye is one of the largest ranches around Royal. Besides, that land was unclaimed for over a hundred years and she paid for it fair and square. If anyone cheated us, it was the person who claimed the land without doing due diligence on the property’s heirs.”