Chapter Fourteen #3
hearing. “You haven’t known me long enough to chuck your job for me. How would
we even handle that financially?”
“I’ll get a job. Bay will work on commissions, and I’ll let
Stef know he’s off the leash when it comes to promoting Bay. Up until now he’s
wanted to stay out of the spotlight, but he’ll do what it takes to take care of
his family.”
It was overwhelming. Could she ask them to do this for her?
It didn’t make any sense.
Shane’s expression softened, and he stepped back into her
space. He lowered his lips and kissed her forehead. “Hey, calm down, baby. You
don’t have to do anything today. You need to take a deep breath, and when Bay
gets back, we’ll sit down and talk. Or better yet we’ll get naked and talk
because I think you’ll be more honest with me if my hands are on you.”
“It’s too soon,” she whispered. “But I can’t let this chance
go. Do you understand what I’m saying to you? It’s not fair, but I have to pick
myself this time.”
He seemed to consider her words. “Brooke, if you don’t want
us, it’s okay. I mean it’s not and my fucking heart will break, but I won’t
bother you anymore.”
This was her out.
And she should want it. She should keep them right where
they were. A good time. A couple of wild weeks.
But it hadn’t been. Sure, the sex was crazy, but most of the
moments she would remember had been sweet. Quiet and loving. She felt safe with
them. She didn’t honestly feel the wild anxiety she sometimes got when she
decided she was in love.
And yet she knew she was in love with them.
“I can’t be the reason you leave again,” she said quietly.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“That wasn’t an answer.”
“I don’t know that I can give you one.” She was overwhelmed.
Once again it felt like her life had flipped on a dime and she was left trying
to pick which way to go.
She wanted them, but she wasn’t sure she should.
Why?
Tears filled her eyes because she didn’t want to make this
decision. She wanted to float for a while, to be with them without having to
think about changing their lives along with her own.
“Hush, baby.” He kissed her again. “Calm down. I can see
your brain working, and it’s been too much. Do you want me to leave? I can give
you time, but I can’t let you walk away unless you tell me it’s over.”
“I don’t want it to be over.” She wrapped her arms around
him. “Maybe I don’t know what I want at all.”
But she did. She didn’t know if she should want it.
The fight with her brother weighed heavily on her. What Mark
had said. Was moving to LA the right thing? She loved it here. She missed
seeing Rachel and the kids, and she seemed so far from the brothers who had
raised her.
She could breathe when his arms were around her.
“Baby, let me take you home. We can help Nell and Henry with
the goats, and I’ll make us dinner and you and me and Bay will go to the
playroom and you’ll feel so good. We’ll go to dinner at your brothers’ place
this weekend and you’ll see that Rye didn’t mean shit. He loves you. He’s
scared, and the world is changing.”
“It’s too fast.” Tears pierced her eyes, but she held on to
him.
“I know, so we’re going to slow it all down and bring it
back to you and me and Bay. No decisions. Just being together,” he promised.
“We don’t have to talk about the future. We have some time before opening
night. We won’t talk about the future at all until then. If you don’t want me
to say it, I won’t. I won’t pressure you.”
She knew what he was offering. “I don’t want you to not say
it.”
“Good,” he whispered. “Because I love you and not saying it
doesn’t make that go away. I’m going to love you for the rest of my life. But
we don’t have to deal with that today. All we have to do today is breathe and
maybe deal with the dental health of goats.”
She laughed. He was so good at making her laugh, at making
her let go of all the bad shit because she was safe with him and Bay.
“Okay,” she said quietly. “Let’s go back. But we’ll have to
deal with it eventually.”
“And we will,” he vowed. “We’ll deal with it together.”
She took his hand and let him lead her away.
* * * *
Shane pulled the SUV into the drive as Trev was
hustling out of the big house, Bo running right behind him. There was a
definite harried look in Trev’s eyes. Bo had one of the kids’ bags over his
shoulder, and while he moved a bit more slowly than his partner, there was no
way to miss his tension.
“That doesn’t look good.” Brooke unhooked her seatbelt
before he got the car slowed down.
He noticed there were two young men standing on the porch.
They looked to be in their early twenties, and they were wearing standard
cowboy gear. Jeans, Western shirt. They had bolo ties on and belts neatly
wrapped around trim waists that let Shane know they were dressed to impress.
Trev paid them no mind, simply ran to his truck, but Bo
stopped.
“Hey, Shane,” Bo said and tipped his hat toward Brooke.
“Beth took the kids into town today after her consultation with Hale, and
Miranda fell off the monkey bars at the playground. Her arm might be broken. I
would ask Jamie to take over the interviews, but he took Hope into Alamosa to
shop for baby stuff, and Noah’s in the barn with Nell and Henry and Lucy.”
“Bo!” Trev yelled.
“He’s overstimulated.” Bo was cool under pressure. “Beth
already told us she’s going to be fine, but Trev can’t stand the thought of our
baby girl bumping her knee, much less breaking a limb. I happen to know our
boys are going to do a lot of that. Talk to the new guys for us, Shane. They
seem okay, but Trev is acting like he doesn’t trust them. He’s been standoffish
since they walked in, and we need some help, so figure out how much experience
they have.”
The truck honked and Bo stepped back.
“I’ll handle it,” Shane told him.
“Do you need help? Does Beth have the boys?” Brooke got out
and walked around as Bo got into the truck. “Is my sister-in-law here?”
Bo’s grin kicked up. “Your sister-in-law found out one of
her husbands was in jail and made a beeline for town. Apparently Rye’s asking
the sheriff to leave them alone in the cell for a half an hour.”
Shane could guess what would happen then. “You need one of
us to come help with the younger kiddos?”
Those boys could be a handful.
“Thanks, but we’ve got it,” Trev promised. “I’m sorry to
leave you with the new guys. And those dumbasses brought a girlfriend, though
she’s done nothing but sit in the living room and play around on her phone.”
Shane got out of the SUV. “We’ll be fine. Maybe Brooke can
make some cookies. Miranda loves her peanut butter cookies.”
“I’m sure she would love that. By the way, Max is bringing
Bay back,” Trev said, his eyes grim. “The guy declined to press charges. Nate’s
finishing up paperwork and then Bay will be back. We’re supposed to…”
“Move the herd. Clean out the back barn. Get the new fencing
ready for Friday. I’ll get it all done. Go.” Shane waved him off. It was
nothing he couldn’t handle. In the last couple of months he’d noticed Trev and
Bo and Jamie had started leaning more heavily on him. Not Bay. Him.
Because he was the organized one, the one who was deeply
competent when it came to keeping things running. He used to joke that he was
nothing but middle management with cows, but was that a joke? Managing any kind
of business or job had roughly the same principles.
Could he manage a set?
“I’ll make some supper later for all of us so Beth doesn’t
have to worry.” Brooke moved to his side.
He couldn’t lose this woman.
He reached for her hand as Trev sped away. “You need to get
some groceries?”
He honestly didn’t like the thought of her driving alone
right now. What was going on around town wasn’t some coincidence, and it was
all about him. The most important thing in the world to Shane Kent was Brooke
Harper, so he intended to keep an eye on her.
Her head shook. “I happen to know what Beth was going to
cook for supper. It’s an easy recipe. I’ll go check in with Lucy and see if
they need any help in the barn. I’ve got hours before I need to start cooking.
I think I’ll hang with the goats for a while. Unless you need backup with the
new guys.”
“I can handle it.” He glanced over where they stood. One of
the two had a cell phone to his ear. “Though I’ve learned if Trev gets a bad
feeling about people, he tends to follow his gut. I’ll see if I can figure out
what’s putting him off.”
She went on her toes and kissed him. “You’ll do great, babe.
I’ll text my brother and let him and Bay know I’m already out here.”
He’d talked to her about his wariness about the events that
were unfolding around them. It could be coincidence or it could be something
else. One way or another he wanted her on her guard. “Tomorrow, I’ll talk to
Nate about how we can figure it out. Hopefully it won’t take long to find out
if my old boss is searching for me.”
Her nose wrinkled. “We have ex-boss problems.”
“Yeah, maybe we should think about working for ourselves.”
It was as close as he intended to get to talking to her about work today. She
needed some time to see that they could make a great team and that he and Bay
were serious about her career. They could work anywhere.
It would be kind of fun to see parts of the world they
wouldn’t have. Including Los Angeles.
She nodded. “Maybe we should. I will think about that.” She
went on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
She walked away, and there was no way to miss the two
fuckers who watched those hips of hers sway as she made her way toward the
barn.
His girl. His and his brother’s, and that meant something
out here.
“Yes, I think we’re a go,” the taller of the two was saying
as Shane walked up. His eyes met Shane’s, and there was a startled look there.
Got caught being cocky when he shouldn’t. Well, it wouldn’t
be the first time a guy thought an interview was going way better than it