“And you do this through all the seasons?”
“That’s right.”
A gleam appeared in her eyes as she continued to glance around. “What else do you teach people?”
“How to build traps to catch their food, what mushrooms and other greens they can eat that the forest will provide them. Things like that.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “Just wow.” She turned to him and smiled. “I like this about you.”
Shep returned the smile. His chest lightened under her pride.
Emma moved then around the shelter, touching the branches as if she were exploring this side of Shep’s life and appreciating it. When she stopped, glancing into the forest, Shep took the few steps he needed to see what had captured her attention. “You’re wondering what the fence is for?” he asked.
She glanced over her shoulder and frowned. “It’s so out of place.”
Shep wouldn’t argue with her there. “The fence was installed when I was a child to show the boundary line between our land and Clint Harrison’s land.”
Her head titled, and she gazed with focus. “Harrison, like Kinky Spurs’ owner, Megan Harrison?”
“That’s right,” Shep explained. “Her father owns nearly as much prime Colorado land as we do. They own Irish Creek Ranch, and they’ve been my father’s biggest competitor over the years. There has been tension between the two families for as long as I can remember—over land, over customers, over cattle.”
She moved closer to him, twigs snapping beneath her feet. “Is that how you know Megan, then?”
“I knew Megan because we grew up together at the same school, but I’m also four years older. Nash knew her better since they’re the same age.”
She stopped in front of him, crossing her arms. “But you all seem to get along with Megan?”
“That’s because I like her. She’s nothing like her father.”
“Oh,” Emma replied, obviously understanding that meant Megan’s father was less than friendly. She went quiet, thinking something over, staring at the shelter. Shep moved in behind her, wrapping his arms around her. “What’s on that mind of yours?”
She leaned back against him, raising her hands to hold onto his arms. “I’m thinking that you have a really cool business. I respect that. It’s amazing that you took what you love and made a business out of it.”
The heaviness in her voice told him that her mind was on her past in New York City, her job, clearly one she had loved, and all the things she’d left behind. “It wasn’t always this way, Emma,” he told her softly. “There was a time I was lost too.”
She spun in his arms, hugged him tight, and sniffed.
He did what she needed him to do: he didn’t let go.
* * *
Forty-five minutes later, Emma sat next to Shep in the passenger seat of his truck on the way back to her place. She regretted that their sexy adventure had to end, and that they couldn’t have played again this morning. Not that she didn’t love learning more about Shep, but sex had never been this exciting. Ever. Not even with Jake. Sure, Jake could be playful, but this, with Shep, was certainly different. A game changer, where regular sex could possibly seem boring in comparison.
That, of course, might be a problem. But she refused to get too far ahead of herself. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, even if it wasn’t truly, she was happy. Shep made her forget the pain, forget that her life in New York City ended. He made her forget Jake.
Again, she reminded herself that, for now, that was enough. Baby steps.
Shep turned the truck onto the driveway before coming to a stop by her porch steps. She grabbed the door handle, smiling at him. “Will I be seeing you tonight?” she asked.
“You can bet on it.” He grinned back, gesturing her forward with a flick of his chin. “Come here, give me something to think about while I’m gone.”
Warmth cascaded through her at the heat his gaze possessed, at the power. She’d thought that after last night she’d be drained of this uncontrollable lust, but the moment she leaned across the console and her lips sealed across his, the kiss he gave set her ablaze all over again, burning with all types of promise.
When she leaned away, he grabbed her chin and grinned. “Until later.”
“Bye.” She smiled, forcing herself to remember how to walk, and got out of the truck, shutting the door behind her.
Only then did she notice that the pretty sunrise had turned into a cloudy day. The rain was coming, the clouds thick in the morning sky, the thunder rumbling off in the distance. She stepped out of the way while Shep gave her a final smile then drove off. When the truck vanished down her driveway, she looked to the sand ring where Tadgh and Bentley should be but weren’t, since Shep had left them at his place. Apparently, Danny would bring them back on his way to the morning cattle drive, or so Shep had said on the drive home.
Emma drew in a long, deep breath, getting her thoughts all together. Last night still played on her mind. All the things he’d done to her. God, how hot it’d been. How naughty, even. She flushed just thinking about his seductive low voice brushing against her ear, his skillful hands stroking her flesh, his hard cock in her mouth . . . A loud bang coming from the barn reminded her she was about a half an hour late for morning feed, and she figured the goats weren’t going to forgive her.
Intent on getting her chores done, she pushed Shep from her mind, even though the warm wetness between her thighs told her that wasn’t so easily done. When she opened the barn’s double half doors, she was greeted by animals chastising her. Kicks against their stalls’ doors, loud vocal objections—obviously they were more pissed than she realized. “Oh, hush, all of you. I’m not that late. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.” Still, feeling slightly bad, she quickly moved to the feed, grabbing one rubber feed bucket and scooping out some food.
By the time she was done gathering the feed, every set of eyes was pinned on her, and the one goat, Pumpkin, jumped on Pebbles’s back to get a better look. Emma laughed, placing their feed in their stalls. “You two are so silly.”
From there, she didn’t waste time, hurrying along until everyone had their morning feed. She finished adding hay to their stalls then leaned against the whitewashed post, watching them enjoy breakfast. Animals had it easy, she thought. Eat, play outside, sleep. What a life that would be.
Slowly, Emma exhaled, realizing she kinda was living that life right now. Things were easy, uncomplicated. This was maybe the first time in a long time she’d taken a moment to breathe. First, she’d been so focused in high school to ensure her grades were high. Then she’d worked her ass off at college. After that, she had put in twelve-hour days to work her way up the corporate ladder.
She exhaled again. It felt nice to breathe.
The loud chewing around soon grew quiet as the animals began leaving their stalls through the open door at the back to enjoy the day. She glanced down at her boots and nice clothes, and there was no way in hell she’d muck stalls wearing good clothes. With the animals settled, she was moving toward the barn doors to get changed when she heard tires crunching the gravel outside. She hurried her steps, discovering a white Honda coming down her driveway. She smiled, knowing exactly who it was.
Once the car stopped, Harper quickly exited and grinned. “She’s alive.”
“Am I not supposed to be?” Emma laughed.
Harper was one of those girls who was pretty without even trying. Twenty-seven years old, the same age as Emma, Harper barely wore any makeup, and typically wore jeans and cute lacy tops. Her hazel eyes didn’t need anything but a little mascara to stand out, and her honey-colored blond hair was a stunning color women in New York City would pay big bucks to achieve. From what Emma had learned, Harper didn’t just work at Kinky Spurs—in fact, she’d finished culinary school in Denver recently, becoming a certified chef.
Harper greeted Emma with a warm hug, then said, “You are supposed to be alive, but a girl must be preoccupied wi
th a hot man if she forgets to answer her phone. I was getting worried.”
“Oh, shit,” Emma grumbled. Dammit, she hadn’t taken her phone with her last night. “I’m sorry, I stayed at Shep’s.”
Harper slowly began to grin. “Now this I have to hear, and since you made me worry, you should feel terrible, which means I deserve to hear every juicy detail.”
Emma laughed and turned toward the fence, giving the animals one last look. Everyone was settled, grazing in the field. “Come on, let’s go inside and make some coffee. This is going to take a while.”
Harper laced her arm with Emma’s. “I like the sound of this story already.”
Arm in arm they hurried into the house, and Emma set to brewing the coffee in the kitchen.
“Oh, before I forget because the hot shit you’re going to tell me is going to melt my brain.” Harper dropped into the chair at the kitchen table, crossing her legs. “Megan said you can take as long as you want off. She’s got you covered.”
“Actually, about that,” Emma said, turning on the faucet to fill up the coffee pot. “Tell her I’ll be there tonight.”
Harper frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to ride the sick leave train any longer?”
Emma shook her head. She was a worker, and while she liked her free time with Shep, she didn’t want to grow too used to that either. “I’m good.” Truth was, she had an ulterior motive for wanting to go back to work. She wanted to see Shep again in that element now. She craved to taste again what she’d felt on that stage with him. That intensity. And this time, she could let the fantasy build throughout the night and then sleep with him to a perfect satisfaction.
With the coffee brewed, Emma poured it into two mugs then fetched the sugar and milk, placing them all on the table. When she took her seat, Harper nearly bounced out of hers. “Tell me all the juice about Shep Blackshaw!”
“The juice is that Shep’s hot.” Emma laughed softly.
“That is not enough juice.” Harper’s eyes all but sparkled. “Tell me everything.”
Emma regarded her friend. She looked a little too interested. “Why do you want to know so bad?”
“Are you kidding me?” Harper leaned forward, face lit up. “To be with a Blackshaw brother makes you immediately the talk of Kinky Spurs.”
Emma sighed. “Which, of course, is exactly what I don’t want.” It was so far from what she wanted, in fact. “And what does being with one of them matter anyway?”
“Um, hello, have you seen them?”
Emma shrugged. “Actually, no, I’ve never met Chase and Nash.”
“Well, honey, let me tell you. The Blackshaw boys are like the hot fudge to an ice cream sundae. They are that sweet, hot, delicious thing that every girl wants.”
“Because they’re good looking?”
“That, and they know their way between the sheets.” Harper hesitated and shrugged. “Or at least that’s the word around the Spurs.”
A cold discomfort began to slide up Emma’s spine, the hair rising on her neck. Before she got ahead of herself and panicked where she didn’t need to panic, she reminded herself that this was nothing like what she’d had with Jake. She and Shep weren’t dating, and she certainly wasn’t falling for him because A, no one fell in love after a few days and B, her emotions were too messed up to love anyone else but herself right now.
Harper leaned forward, eyes bright. “So, lay it on me. Is Shep all that his reputation claims him to be?”
Emma couldn’t lie. “I don’t know what his reputation claims him to be, but I imagine he’s actually better than that.”
“Damn, I’m so jelly,” Harper quipped.
Emma laughed, sipped her coffee, then added, “To be honest, it’s more than the incredible sex. He just feels good to be around.”
Harper nodded like she totally understood. “He’s total alpha, and he’s got his shit together. A perfect combination.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.” Emma paused and considered. “I think the thing I find sexiest about him is that he pays so much attention to me. I’m not used to that.”
Harper gave a knowing look. “Girl, if you are the center of Shep Blackshaw’s attention, you are winning at life.”
Emma smiled. Winning at life sure felt better than losing.
* * *
With Emma back at home and Shep’s mind on the tasks ahead of him today, he decided to get coffee downtown at a place with only two options on the menu: caffeinated and decaf. Afterward, he parked on Main Street in the first available parking spot. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, preparing himself for the shitstorm he knew awaited him, then cut the ignition. Determined to get his responsibilities behind him so he could return to Emma, he stepped out into the gloomy day, thunder rumbling off in the distance. He hastily made it to the sidewalk, heading north down Main Street.
River Rock had once been considered small, but twenty years later, businesses in the community were booming. There was less of an old town feel, and now the city he loved was one of modern elegance. Vintage-looking streetlights lined the road with big, white, glass balls on top along the cobblestone sidewalks. Trees stood spattered throughout downtown, and the storefronts drew the customers’ eyes. Shep had never seen as many things sparkle and stink of wealth and extravagance.
He crossed at the next intersection, spotting Chase and Nash waiting beneath the Blackshaw Cattle signage. Nash caught sight of him first, gesturing with a flick of his chin that had Chase glancing over his shoulder. Chase, as always, looked put together in his cowboy hat, T-shirt, and jeans. Nash, with his messy hair, had clearly fallen out of bed ten minutes ago to make it there on time.
That was neither here nor there, and Shep had bigger problems than a brother who didn’t take the world seriously.
When he closed in, Nash grumbled, “I take it you wanted us to meet at this godawful hour because of something that happened yesterday with Schultz.”
Shep snorted and glanced at his watch. “It’s nine in the morning.”
“It’s before eleven, therefore it’s fucking early,” Nash complained, shoving his hands into the pockets of his worn blue jeans. “Why am I here?”
Shep normally would’ve laughed at Nash’s lack of ability to become a member of society who lived by typical rules, even if they all understood that Nash was hiding from life. “You’re here because Schultz dropped a bomb on me yesterday.”
Chase frowned, folding his arms across his chest. “What kind of bomb?”
Shep didn’t waste time or sugarcoat shit. “Schultz told me Blackshaw Cattle is on the verge of bankruptcy.”
Silence fell, and Shep understood. He’d probably had that same shell-shocked look his brothers had now when Schultz told him. They’d been led to believe his father was a multimillionaire. Shep wasn’t sure how to tell his mother they weren’t. Until he fixed this, he’d stay clear of her, not getting too close. His mother had a knack for sniffing out a lie.
“Is this a fucking joke?” Nash finally asked, more awake now.
“Sadly, no,” Shep reported. He hesitated while a couple of college-aged kids strode by them, then he addressed his brothers again, “I saw the numbers myself. Dad has lost five major contracts in the last year. The company is crumbling.”
Chase’s frown deepened. “If this is true, why didn’t Dad say anything to us about it?”
“That’s exactly why we’re here today.” Shep gestured to the shop. “Shall we go in and ask Colin ourselves?”
Nash gave a firm nod. “Yes, let’s do precisely that.”
Shep turned then, entering the shop, greeted by Doreen’s smile. She was cute, short, and had a habit of dyeing her white hair bright colors. Today, it was pink. She’d been a longtime employee who worked the cash register at the meat shop. In fact, there wasn’t a single employee that hadn’t worked for their family for years.
“What a surprise,” Doreen said from behind the counter. “It’s been so long since you boys have been in. Oh, my gosh
, how are you?”
“We’re all well, Doreen,” Shep said, now feeling a slight bite of anger toward his father that hadn’t been there before. Shep did not want to disappoint Doreen by having to let her go. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone. “How have things been for you?” He stopped at the counter.
She smiled warmly. “I’m onto grandchild number five. Life is truly spoiling me rotten.”
“Congratulations, Doreen,” Chase interjected, settling next to Shep. “That’s wonderful news. You’ll have to bring the new baby out to Mom sometime. I’m sure she’d love a visit.”
Before Doreen could reply, Nash, being his typical self, moved the conversation along. “We need to go up and see Colin. Is he in today?”
Doreen nodded. “He is. Go on up.”
“Thank you,” Shep said to her, then moved through the store. He trotted up the wrought iron stairs, his brothers on his heels. While it was Sunday, Colin had the same affliction as the boys’ father had. Colin worked every day. When he reached the landing, Shep headed straight for Colin’s corner office. The nicest office, in fact, with a killer view of the mountains. Around him, in the empty offices lining the hallway, was where the team that made Blackshaw Cattle usually worked. Even if the cowboys got their hands dirty and did the grunt work, without this team in headquarters, his father never would have achieved what he had. Shep couldn’t help but wonder what had gone wrong.
The second he entered Colin’s office, finding the man behind his cherry wood desk, Shep announced himself. “Colin.”
Colin’s head lifted, and he was out of his chair, quickly striding toward them. His warm trusting brown eyes were as steady as they’d always been. Colin was in his mid-forties, fit, and dressed the part of bigtime business. He wore the suits necessary to impress, suits that none of the Blackshaw men would ever wear. “Come in, guys. It’s good to see you.”
“Likewise.” Shep offered his hand, and once Colin returned the handshake, he got right to the point. “I had a chat with Lee Schultz yesterday.”
“Ah,” Colin said, and the awareness on his expression told Shep that Colin had known this day was coming. “Let’s head into the meeting room where we’ve got the space to talk.” Colin strode by them, calmly exiting his office, one hand tucked into his pocket.
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