Chapter 29
Shylo lowered her gaze to the coffee growing cold in front of her.
Only a few minutes ago, she'd been trying to wrap her mind around everything Shane had offered—a place on the ranch, a chance to learn the family business, and, more importantly, the opportunity to become part of a family she'd never expected to have.
None of it had crossed her mind when she'd first driven into Hazard Falls. Instead, he'd shown her a future she hadn't known was possible.
Which made what she had to say next that much harder.
Troy had a way of poisoning everything he touched. He'd spent most of her life bullying, manipulating, and taking whatever he wanted from the people around him. Now, he'd followed her halfway across the country, and for a few precious minutes, she'd forgotten what he was capable of.
Shane needed to know about the threat Troy represented.
Gathering up courage, she looked across the table. “There's something I need to tell you.”
Concern crept into his expression. “What is it?”
“My half-brother is here. Well... my other half-brother. Troy.” She drew a slow breath. “He found the report the private investigator mailed after I'd already left West Virginia and followed me here. He showed up at my motel room Thursday morning.”
Shane's brow furrowed. “You mentioned something yesterday about him abusing you and your mom, right?”
She nodded.
“What does he want?”
“My inheritance.” She let out a humorless huff. “Or, more specifically, part of it. In his mind, if I inherit anything, he's entitled to a cut.”
Although his jaw clenched, he remained quiet, letting her continue.
“I told him no.” She stared into her coffee for a moment before looking back at him. “That he wouldn't get a dime. I wasn't even sure if I was getting anything.”
She wished that was the end of what she had to tell him.
“It made him angry.” The knot in her stomach tightened again as the memory replayed in her mind.
“He told me I had until the end of today to get a check from you. I tried explaining that inheritances don't work that way. That you wouldn’t hand me a check just because I asked for one.” She met Shane's eyes.
“He said if you didn't... he'd make you.”
Shane leaned forward and laid a hand over one of hers.
“What exactly did he say?”
“He threatened to hurt you, your family, or anyone who works on the ranch. He even knows about Seth. Troy saw him leaving my motel room the other morning.” She looked away, blinking hard. “You don’t know him, Shane. He’s mean, especially when he wants something. He said that accidents happen.”
His expression became unreadable. Warmth gave way to the calm, controlled focus of a man assessing a threat against the people he loved.
The moment Shylo uttered the words, “He said that accidents happen,” something inside Shane went still.
He'd spent years learning that anger solved very little. Panic solved even less. Threats, however, were different. Threats demanded a plan.
He reached for his phone and hit a speed-dial button.
Tucker answered before the second ring. “Hey. Everything okay?”
“Not exactly.” He glanced across the table at Shylo. She looked as though she'd been carrying the weight of the conversation alone for far too long. “Remember Shylo mentioning her other half-brother? Troy?”
“The asshole?”
“Yeah. He's in town.” The words tasted bitter. “He got hold of the report from the P.I. she hired and followed her here from West Virginia. Found her at the motel the other day. He demanded a cut of whatever she inherits, and when she refused, he threatened our family.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“Troy gave her until the end of today to get a check from me. If she didn't...” Shane's jaw clenched. “He said he'd make me—then threatened everyone at the ranch.”
A loud metallic clang erupted through the phone a second later. Shane didn’t know what his husband had punched or kicked, but whatever it was could be replaced. He understood the man's rage and didn't ask for details.
Finally, Tuck said, “Okay. What's the plan?”
“I want everybody carrying. Quietly.” Most of the men at the ranch wore sidearms daily, and everyone took a rifle with them while working the fields on horseback or ATVs.
Coyotes were a common threat to the cattle.
“Move a few of the hands closer to the house, but don't make a production out of it.
Keep an eye on Paige, Mya, and the kids without telling them why.
I don't want anybody worried until we know exactly what we're dealing with.”
“Got it. Text me a description of him and his vehicle. If Shylo has a picture, send that too.”
“I'll ask, but I doubt it. I'll have her text you the details while I drive. And, Tuck, don't go looking for him by yourself.”
An obnoxious snort sounded on the other end of the call. “Wasn't planning on it.”
“Sure you weren't.” He shook his head and would've laughed under different circumstances. “I'm bringing Shylo back with me. She's not safe until he's gone. I'll call Lane and the chief next and give them a heads-up.”
Chief Graham Hughes had been the head of the HFPD for over seventeen years and was best man at Peter and Helen's wedding almost forty years ago. Shane trusted him with his family's lives.
“’Kay. I'll... uh... I'll let Seth know.”
Shane glanced at Shylo, but her gaze remained downcast.
“Yeah, good idea.”
After ending the call, Shane set the phone on the table and studied Shylo.
She looked as though the weight she'd been carrying for days had finally become too much.
Her gaze lifted to meet his. “I'm sorry.”
The apology came so quietly that he almost missed it. “For what?”
“For bringing all of this here.” She shook her head. “If I hadn't come to Kansas, Troy wouldn't have followed me. None of this would've happened. Now you and Paige, the kids... everyone’s in danger because of me.”
“No.” Shane didn't hesitate. “Troy followed you because he wanted money. He threatened people because that's the kind of person he is. Those are his choices, Shylo. Not yours.”
She lowered her eyes, but he could see the guilt still clinging to her.
Reaching across the table, he gave her hand another reassuring squeeze. “From this point forward, we'll handle him.”
She looked back up. “I don't want him hurting anyone because of me.”
“He won't.” Shane withdrew his hand and reached for his wallet.
“Not if I have anything to say about it.
I'm not sure what things were like in your hometown, but in Hazard Falls, folks look out for one another.
And that includes you now. You're not staying at the motel anymore.
You're coming back to the ranch with me.
Between Tucker, the hands, and me, it's the safest place for you to be until we run Troy outta Kansas.”
She opened her mouth as if to protest, then seemed to think better of it.
He tucked a few bills beneath his coffee mug, more than enough to cover the drinks and the table they'd occupied without ordering lunch.
Standing, he reached out his hand. “C’mon, Shylo. Let’s go home.”