Chapter Eight
When Shayna arrived at the gym on Tuesday evening, Alexis came straight to her with a big smile on her face.
“Hi, sweetie. I’m glad you’re here early, I want a quick word.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes. Nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s good news – or it might be. It’ll depend on if you can get any time off this weekend.”
Shayna gave her a puzzled look. She’d been working on doing exactly that. She’d talked to Lily and Booker this morning, and they told her that she’d be fine to take the weekend off from the barn. Mary, the barn manager, had volunteered to go in early with Booker, even though he’d said he’d be okay by himself. She’d talked to her manager at the grocery store, and he’d said that he could roster her off for the weekend. She still needed to talk to Ben, who managed The Boathouse, but since he still had a few days to find someone else, and she was only helping out until he figured out his full staff for the summer season, she didn’t think he’d mind her not working this weekend. But how did Alexis know?
Alexis’s smile disappeared. “Of course, it doesn’t matter if you can’t.”
“Sorry.” Shayna realized that she’d just been staring at her. “Why? … What?”
Alexis grinned again. “Eli called me this morning. He was supposed to have a group coming to do a weekend seminar, but they called to cancel. He’s been struggling to find a time when he can fit you in for more than just a quick chat. With this cancellation, he can fit you in and take a bit of a break as well. If we can get you there, he said that he’d be happy to spend all of Saturday afternoon with you and then do a follow-up on Sunday lunchtime. What do you think? Might you be able to get the weekend off? I already looked at flights and a hotel, and if you say yes, I can get them booked with my points straight away.”
She held up her phone with a laugh. “I have everything on here, ready to pull the trigger. Of course, we’ll find you another hotel if you don’t like the look of the one I chose, but it’s in a convenient location – and safe. We can get you a rental car if you’re comfortable driving, but if you’re not, this hotel has a shuttle from the airport. It’s only a few blocks from Eli’s office. It’s a good area with restaurants on your doorstep, and it’s walkable to all the places you might want to see.”
Shayna just stared. Of course, she’d love to go and see Eli. It was something that she’d been looking forward to ever since Alexis had mentioned the possibility but …
“That’d be amazing!”
As much as she wanted to meet Ty, there was no way she could allow herself to get off track. She’d been working toward building a career for herself for years already. She might not have made much progress – it was slow going when you could only take a couple of classes at a time, but it was her whole purpose in life. No way would she pass up an opportunity like this for a guy. He might be an amazing guy, but …
Alexis was giving her a puzzled look. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Oh my gosh, don’t think that I’m not grateful – and excited! – I am. Honestly. I appreciate you doing this for me more than you know and …”
Alexis touched her arm. “This is me you’re talking to, remember. You can tell me anything.”
She relaxed. It was true. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but only so that you’ll understand my reaction. It just took me a minute to process it all. Before I say anything else – Yes! I would love to go and see Eli this weekend and thank you!”
“You’re welcome, you know that. Now, tell me what’s going on?”
“It’s just … you know I told you that I was talking to that guy online?”
Alexis pursed her lips. “Yes.”
Shayna laughed. “I know you were concerned about it, but I know more about him now. I already told you guys that he knows Chance and April, but he also knows Xander, and he served with him – he was a SEAL.”
Alexis frowned. “And do you know his full name?”
“I do.” Shayna made a face at her. “I’m not sure I like the idea of you doing some kind of supersecret background check on him, though.”
Alexis laughed, but Shayna suspected that she’d do it, and she didn’t deny it. “That wasn’t why I asked. You said that he lives in Montana, and he knows Xander, and that gave me an idea – what’s his name?”
“Tyler MacFarland.”
She relaxed when Alexis laughed. She laughed so hard that the other women who were gathering for the class, turned to look in their direction.
“What’s so funny?” Shayna asked.
“The fact that I’m no longer worried, and to the contrary am now rather hopeful about this budding romance of yours. But … what does it have to do with going to see Eli?”
“Ty said that he was going to see if he could make it down here to visit me this weekend.”
Alexis grinned. “Well, if that’s the case, this might work out even better.”
“How?”
“Think about it – it’ll be a lot easier for him to get to Salt Lake than it would be for him to get here.”
“Oh!” Shayna’s heart started to pound. It was one thing to think about Ty coming to the lake. She was on her home turf here and knew that she had people around. She really didn’t think she’d need backup of any kind. But … No, she didn’t think she’d need backup even if she were in a strange city with him – she hadn’t lied when she told him that she felt safe with him. It was more that she was already a little nervous about being in a strange city, if you threw in meeting a new guy on top of that … She smiled. It made the whole thing even more exciting!
Alexis was watching her closely.
“Why did hearing his name make it all okay? Do you know him?”
“No. I don’t. I do, however, know his older brother Cash, and Cash often talked about Tyler and his twin brother – Kolby, is it?”
“Oh! He’s talked about Cash. Did you … work with him?”
Alexis grinned. “I did. Several times over the years. Would you mind if I called him?”
“To talk about me and Ty?”
“Not in an intrusive way.” Her eyes twinkled when she smiled. “I’ll simply ask him if he’s comfortable with his younger brother dating my daughter.”
Shayna laughed. “It took me a second. You mean he knows that you’ll hold him responsible for anything Ty might do, and he won’t want to get in your bad books, right?”
“I do. I wouldn’t have put it quite so politely but yes. So, would you mind if I talk to him?”
“No.”
“And you’ll talk to Tyler and see if he wants to meet you in Salt Lake rather than here?”
“Yes.”
Alexis frowned. “I’m not telling you what to do, but if you choose to spend the night with him, I’d rather you brought him back to your hotel room than went somewhere else with him for the night.”
Shayna swallowed. She could feel her cheeks burning. “I … don’t plan on sleeping with him. I …” She rolled her eyes. “I like him, but … I take my time before I sleep with a guy. And … I don’t even know what he looks like yet. I told you we didn’t exchange photos? We decided that it didn’t matter but … It might, you know?”
Alexis laughed. “I know it’s a matter of personal taste, but I doubt that the question of attraction will be an issue. Cash is very good-looking, he and his cousin Maverick, who I also worked with, were always popular with the ladies – although Mav was happily married. I saw photos of their family, and they were a good-looking bunch.”
She looked more serious when she added, “And if you prefer to take your time, don’t let him pressure you, okay?”
Shayna nodded happily. “I really don’t think he would. He doesn’t seem like the type. And knowing that we have so many people in common makes it even less likely, don’t you think?”
“I do. But let’s get this class started. We can talk more about it later. I’ll wait for you to talk to Tyler to make sure that you want to go and then, we can get everything booked, all right?”
Shayna hesitated for a moment before throwing her arms around Alexis and hugging her tightly. “I want to go. I can’t make it about him. And … Thank you.” When Alexis squeezed her back, she added in a low voice, “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Shayna.” Alexis stood back and dabbed at her eyes. “Let’s go practice kicking ass, shall we?”
Shayna laughed. “Yes, let’s do that.”
~ ~ ~
Ty looked up when Ford came into the great room.
“Hey, Ty.”
“Hey. I left you some dinner in the oven; it should still be warm.”
“Thanks. Do you want me to bring you a beer?”
“I’m good.”
Ford returned a few minutes later and sat in one of the armchairs opposite where Ty was sitting on the sofa. He grabbed a cushion and balanced his plate on it before digging in.
Ty watched him eat for a few minutes before he finally looked up.
“Thanks for this. I was starving. It’s been a day.”
“Everything all right?”
“It is now. But I’m more interested in talking about what you’ve got going on than about the herd.”
“What do you mean?”
Ford smiled. “I saw Wade earlier. He said that you’re taking the weekend off to go see some girl.”
“Was he all right about it?” Wade had told Ty that he didn’t mind him taking the weekend off. Well, he didn’t work weekends, but if he wanted a couple of days with Shay, he’d need to travel out there on Friday and come back on Monday. He just hoped that Wade wasn’t going to have a problem getting someone to cover those days.
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal; he wasn’t worried.”
“Good.”
“So?” Ford cocked his head to the side.
“So, what?” Ty asked with a grin.
“Who is she? What’s the deal? Wade said that you met her online.”
“I did. She’s awesome. She lives in Summer Lake – you know, where Chance came from. And April Preston was the one who put us in touch and … I’ve been talking to her …” He ran his hand through his hair. “Shit. I don’t want to admit that I’ve only been talking to her since Friday. It seems like way longer than that. I feel like I know who she is already and … she’s awesome.”
Ford nodded. “Then I’m glad you’re going to go and meet her.”
“Because …? You think that meeting her in person might make me come to my senses and stop wasting my time?”
Ford laughed. “Damn, Ty! Put words in my mouth, why don’t you? I was going to say the opposite – that there’s no point wasting time hanging back if you think there might be something there between you. So, are you the one who thinks you might be wasting your time?”
“No! I’m not, but … What if I am?”
“Then it’s best to get it out of the way sooner rather than later. If there’s nothing there when you meet in person, you won’t have invested too much time in talking and getting to know each other online.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you get flights booked?”
“Not yet. I figured it all out. Although, I might call Chance tomorrow and ask how he gets there. The closest flights I can find still leave me with a three-hour drive from the airport.”
“I don’t know that Chance will be able to help you with that. Hope has her own plane remember – I know they fly straight into Summer Lake.”
“Shit. I forgot about that.”
Ford made a face. “Maybe you could talk to Cash. I heard that he might be coming soon – I bet he wouldn’t mind sending you in the jet if he’s around.”
Ty shook his head. “I wouldn’t ask him.” He met his brother’s gaze. “I never know when you’re being sarcastic about him.”
Ford shrugged. “Fair enough. I didn’t mean it that way this time, but I can see why you’d think it. Out of curiosity, why wouldn’t you ask him?”
“Because … I don’t know what Shayna would think about it.”
“Huh? I would have thought you’d want to impress her by saying that you flew in on your brother’s jet.”
“Nah, that’d be more likely to scare her off than impress her.”
“Now I’m intrigued. Tell me more about her?”
“She’s just real … down to earth. She’s working toward getting her degree online, so she works a bunch of part time jobs.” He smiled. “She’s awesome. She’s a real small-town girl. She’s not timid or anything, but … I dunno. I just think that talking about my brother’s jet might put her off.”
Ford nodded slowly.
“What?”
Ford laughed. “Don’t look so worried. I was thinking that I like the sound of her.”
“Good. I know it’s a bit different from Kolby with Callie, or even Wade with Sierra, but …” He shrugged.
“You don’t need to explain it to me. I get it. You’re not interested in her for what she has or how she’s seen in the world – you care about who she is on the inside.”
Ty gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah. That. Mind if I ask you something?”
“You can ask ...”
“… And you probably won’t answer, I know. Do you ever hear from Amelia?”
“No. You know she’s been doing some work with Cash and Mav?”
“Shit! You’re not letting that get in the way, are you? You’re not going to get involved with her because she’s working with Cash?”
“No. It’s not that. I … It’s just … what’s the point? She doesn’t live here; I have no intention of ever leaving here. So …”
Ty frowned.
“What?”
“I get it. I do. I’m thinking about Shay.”
“Do you think she’d ever move here? I’m asking that because I can’t see you leaving, any more than I would.”
Ty blew out a sigh. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just one more thing we’ll need to work out – if things get that far.” He chuckled. “It seems crazy to think about it, especially considering that I don’t even know what she looks like yet.”
Ford’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t? And yet you’re taking time off to go and see her?”
“Yeah. I like who she is, and I just have this feeling that she’s gorgeous.”
Ford shook his head. “It’s a big gamble – you might go all that way only to find out that you don’t like the way she looks. Even setting aside the possibility that she’s the homely kind, she might be gorgeous but just not do it for you.”
“I know. By all accounts she’s good-looking – Chance and Xander both told me she is. But …” He smiled. “I’m prepared to take the risk. And so’s she.”
Ford smiled. “Good for you. I hope it works out. When’s your flight? Do you want me to give you a ride to the airport?”
Ty grinned back at him. “Thanks, but I’m good. I’m going to drive myself and leave the truck at the airport. There’s no need to go out of your way, but I appreciate it.”
Ford shrugged. “Just don’t tell anyone that I offered.”
Ty laughed. “They probably wouldn’t believe me if I did.”
“Exactly. Let them all think I’m a miserable bastard.”
“No one thinks that.”
Ford got to his feet. “They do, and I’m fine with it. I’m going to go up. Thanks again for this.” He waved his now empty plate in the air. “I needed it.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll do some meal prep over the next couple of days and leave the freezer stocked so you won’t starve while I’m gone.”
“Thanks, squirt. Goodnight.”
“Night.”
Ty checked the time. He still had another twenty minutes to wait before Shayna called – if she wasn’t late. He picked up his phone and went to tidy the kitchen before he went upstairs. He wanted to be ready in case she called early.
Once he was settled in bed with his phone plugged in, he went back through all the messages he’d exchanged with her since the very first one that April had sent. She was awesome. He liked everything about her – everything that he knew so far. She was down to earth, a hard worker, she was honest, and she told him the truth even when she admitted that she was scared he might not like what she had to say.
The last girl he’d dated had fed him all kinds of bullshit in the beginning, everything from loving horses to enjoying beer. When they started spending time together, he’d discovered that she didn’t like horses – she was scared of them, and thought they were smelly! And he’d never once seen her drink a beer – not that it was a requirement, he didn’t care that she only drank fruity, girly drinks, wouldn’t have cared if she didn’t drink at all – it was the lying about it to make him like her that bothered him.
Shayna wasn’t like that. She knew who she was and what she wanted, and she was prepared to tell him – whether he liked it or not.
He grinned when his phone buzzed with a text. He opened his messages eagerly and let out a short laugh when he saw that it was Cash, not Shayna.
Cash: What’s the deal with this Shayna?
Ty frowned, wondering how he knew about her.
Ty: Why?
Cash: Shit. Sorry squirt. Not trying to be an asshole. I just had a message from Alma. Haven’t heard from her in years, and here she is asking about you and if I’m prepared to be held responsible for you when it comes to this Shayna.
Ty: What the hell does Alma have to do with anything??
Ty didn’t get it. He’d heard about Alma. She was like this legendary character in the stories that Cash and his buddies told about their missions back in the day. She was a spook, who they’d worked with on a few ops but …
Cash: She’s calling herself Shayna’s mom, but she must have adopted her or something.
Ty: That’s Alexis. Alexis and Davin are the people who took her in.
Cash: Right. That’s Alma’s real name – Alexis Marston. It got shortened to Alma because she used so many different aliases that we couldn’t keep track of her. We couldn’t call her by her real name, so Cal shortened it. But that’s not the point. What’s the deal with the girl?
Ty: I’ve been talking to her online and I said I’d go see her this weekend.
Cash: That’s a long way to go for what you could get at Chico.
Ty: Duh! So, think about it.
Cash: She’s got your head turned around? The one on your shoulders – you’re not thinking from your pants?
Ty: No. We both know I’d take care of it at Chico if I was.
Cash: So, you’re going to treat her right?
Ty: I am.
Cash: You’d better. Alma promised she’ll hunt me down if you don’t.
Ty: Damn! You – the mighty Cash – are scared of her?
Cash: Quaking in my fucking boots, squirt! And I don’t mind admitting it. If you go see the girl, my life is in your hands.
Ty had to laugh. Instead of sending another reply, he hit the call button and waited.
“No, I’m not joking,” Cash answered with a laugh.
“Damn! Shayna told me that she’s awesome and she made her sound like a bit of a badass, but …”
“She is awesome. Second best woman I ever worked with.”
“Only the second? Who …?” Ty bit his tongue. He knew who the first was, but Cash mentioned her so rarely that …
“Yeah. I’ll admit that I’m rattled,” said Cash. “Alma’s great. She’s also the only connection I had to you-know-who over the years.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Cash laughed. “Just promise me that you’ll be good to this Shayna.”
“I swear it. And not just for your sake.”
“Glad to hear it – and again, not just for my sake. I want to hear all about it. Give me a call when you get back from Salt Lake.”
“Salt Lake?”
“Yeah. Oh, you don’t know about that yet.”
“Fill me in?”
“Eli’s going to make some time to see your girl this weekend. So, Alexis decided that she might as well meet you there – save you going all the way to Summer Lake.”
“Okay.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah. It’s great. I’m not worried about where I meet her. I’m just a bit surprised.”
“Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut and let her tell you herself.”
“Nah. It’s not a problem.”
“Good. Hope it goes well.” Cash chuckled. “And if it goes to shit, call me and warn me so that I can flee the country before Alma finds out.”
Ty laughed. “Okay, I will if that happens, but I can’t see it.”
“Hope you’re right. Call me when you get back then.”
“Will do. Thanks, Cash.”
“Yep. See ya later, squirt.”
When the call ended, Ty sat there with a puzzled smile on his face. He’d told Shayna that it was a small world, but it seemed that they shared an even closer connection than he’d realized.