Chapter Fifteen
When they arrived at the airport the next morning, Shayna clung to Ty’s hand as they walked through the parking garage toward the terminal.
“I’ll still come if you want me there.”
She shook her head slowly. “I think it’s for the best if you go home. Don’t you?”
He still looked pissed, and she totally understood why. When they talked to Davin and Alexis last night, things hadn’t gone as she’d expected.
Of course, they were all about tracking down whoever the creep was and making him stop. She wasn’t as worried as she had been – they’d told her that when she got home, she could stay in the house with them. It made sense, she knew it did, but it also made less sense for Ty to go with her. There’d been a weird undercurrent during the whole conversation. All four of them had talked on speaker, and Davin and Alexis had thanked Ty, but they definitely seemed like they were trying to edge him out – telling him that he needed to get back home to his job and basically that the two of them could take care of her. She had no doubt that they could but …
She looked up at Ty when they reached the crosswalk.
“How do you feel about how this worked out – about you not coming with me?”
He pursed his lips.
“Are you mad?”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. “I’m not mad. I’m …” He shrugged. “That’s a lie. I am mad, but I’m mad at whoever this asshole is. I’m mad at the situation. Not at you.”
“Are you mad at Davin and Alexis?”
“Not really. I want to be, but I get it. I feel like I have to let them win this battle so that I can win the war.”
“What do you mean? You’re not at war with them – we’re all on the same side, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, but they don’t know that yet.”
“I still don’t get it.”
He held her gaze for a moment, and then hurried them across when the traffic finally stopped for them.
“What did you mean?” she asked when they reached the other side.
He blew out a sigh. “I can’t know for sure, but I got the impression that they suspect me.”
She was totally lost. “Suspect you of what?”
“Of being the guy who sent those messages.”
“No! Why would they …?” She frowned. “Why would you?”
“Just to be clear – I didn’t. But it’s what I’d suspect if I were them. The very same weekend that you meet me – a guy who lives in a different state, and who they know might want to whisk you away from them to live with him – some creep starts threatening you – making it seem like you might not be safe to stay there.”
She stared at him for a long moment. “That’d be pretty twisted. You mean, they think that you’d try to frighten me away from Summer Lake, so that I’d go to Montana with you?”
He blew out a sigh. “I know it sounds twisted, but yeah. I think they might suspect that – I know I would, if I were in their position. And that’s the only reason that I’m not coming with you. I know how much they mean to you, and I know that they can keep you safe. If they weren’t who they are, I’d be coming with you anyway but …”
Shayna covered her eyes with her hand. “I hate this.”
“I do, too, sweetheart.”
“Will you still come and see me next weekend?”
“I want to.”
“I want you to.”
“See how you feel and let me know.”
“I already did – I want you to come.”
“You might feel differently after you get home.”
Her eyes stung with tears, and she had to swallow around the lump in her throat. “Is this you backing out? I get it, this is more trouble than I’m worth.”
“No! I’m all in, Shay. That’s the reason I’m backing off. If I push now, I’ll antagonize Davin and Alexis, and that’ll put you in a difficult position. I don’t want that for you. I don’t want it for them – they care about you. And I …”
She held her breath. She was still afraid that all this drama was enough to make him change his mind. Even though they’d had an amazing weekend together, even though they had such an undeniable connection, he didn’t need all the hassle of …
He cupped her face between his hands and held her gaze. “I shouldn’t say it, but I’m going to. I know that they care about you but I … I’m already falling in love with you.”
She heard herself inhale sharply.
“Shit. I know it’s too soon to say it, but it happens, Shay. For some people it’s love at first sight – they just know, right from the beginning, and I know … I don’t want to scare you but …”
She gripped the lapels of his jacket and pulled him closer. “I’m not scared, Ty. I’m relieved. I feel the same way. I didn’t want to say it. I thought I’d freak you out, but I’m falling for you.” She gave him a small smile. “If I’m honest, I’ve already fallen.”
He lowered his head, and when their lips met, the whole world seemed to fade away. There was an urgency in that kiss. It felt like they were trying to tell each other just how deep their feelings had already grown, without having to put it into words.
When he finally lifted his head, he held her gaze for a long moment. “I feel like if I say those three words to you right now, it’ll be more pressure on you. I don’t want that. I want you to go home and think about it. If you want me, I’ll be there to see you next weekend. If you don’t, I’ll …” He gave her a pained look. “I’ll have to find a way to live with it. I want to talk to you at every chance you get. If you want me, I’ll be there as fast as I can get there.” He blew out a sigh. “And if you’re going to make your flight, we need to get you to security.”
She ran her fingers over his cheek. “I’m going to miss you, Tyler MacFarland.”
He smiled. “I’m going to miss you, Shayna Rose.”
She had to swallow around the lump in her throat. “But only until next weekend.”
He nodded and started walking her toward the security checkpoint.
~ ~ ~
Ty wasn’t into long goodbyes, but they stood off to the side for another ten minutes until he knew that she’d be cutting it close if she didn’t go through security. He’d already checked her gate number and talked her through how to get there. He’d flown through Salt Lake often enough that he knew exactly where she needed to go.
Her eyes shone with tears when he finally took her backpack off his shoulder and held it out to her.
“It’s time, sweetheart.”
She swallowed and nodded. “I’ll let you know when I land, and I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
She sniffed. “I’d better go before I dissolve into a puddle of tears.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Me too.”
He walked her to the point where only passengers could enter and gave her one last quick kiss.
“If I’m going to do this, I need to just walk through there and not look back.”
“Yeah, don’t look back, Shay. As soon as I let go of your hand, I’m out of here. I can’t stand and wave and all that shit.”
“Good. I hate that, too.” She let out a big shaky breath. “Tell me this isn’t goodbye, Ty.”
He crushed her against him one last time. “We’re not going to do goodbye, you and me, Shay. I’ll see ya later.”
She nodded and kissed her fingers before pressing them to his lips. “See ya later, Ty.”
He kept his word and turned and hurried away. He felt like he held his breath all the way back out to his truck. When he reached it, he climbed inside, folded his arms on the steering wheel, rested his forehead against them, and blew out a big sigh.
He had a long drive ahead of him, but he needed to pull himself together first. And he wasn’t going to start driving until he knew Shay was in the air – if she texted him, he wanted to be able to answer her.
He took his phone out.
Ty: You make it through security ok?
Shay: Yeah. I wish I was in your truck with you instead.
Ty: Me too, sweetheart.
Shay: Are you going to get straight on the road?
Ty: Not until you’re in the air.
Shay: Aw. I don’t want to go. I want to turn around and come back out to you.
Ty: I’ll see you next weekend.
Shay: I’ll see what shifts I can give up.
Ty: You don’t need to. I’ll go with you wherever I can.
Shay: I’m going to be OK. I don’t want you to worry.
Ty: I will. You be careful, OK?
Shay: I will.
Ty scowled at his phone when it rang. It was Cash – he’d have to wait.
Shay: I’m going straight to the bakery when I get back to the lake – to say thank you to April.
Ty: Tell her I said thanks, too. And if she wants anything from up here, I’ll bring her some. Anything she wants, she can have.
Shay: I wasn’t thrilled about her meddling at first, but I’m so grateful now.
Ty: Me too – forever grateful.
Ty watched the screen. Talking about forever might be too much, but he didn’t want to take it back. As the minutes ticked by, and she didn’t reply, he started to think that maybe it was too much. He let out a sigh of relief when she answered.
Shay: Sorry. They made us move to another gate. I wasn’t ignoring you, and I didn’t need time to think about what you said or anything like that. I’m going to be brave and say it – I hope we get forever.
He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
Ty: If you want me, I’m yours – forever.
Shay: I’m yours forever, too, Ty.
Shay: Crap! They’re starting boarding now. I don’t want to keep you. You need to get on the road if you’re going to get home before dark. So … I’ll see ya later. I’ll let you know when I land, but don’t worry about answering if you’re driving. I can wait.”
Ty: I can pull over.
Shay: Ok.
Ty: See ya later.
He tapped out another three words and stared at them. They were true, he knew it in his heart, even if his head wanted a little more time to process it. But he didn’t want to say it for the first time in a text. Instead, he sent a heart emoji, thinking as he did about all the shit his brothers would give him if they could see.
But they couldn’t see, and it dawned on him that he didn’t care what anyone had to say about it. He leaned back in his seat when he realized that Tanner was probably the one who’d tease him. The rest of them would understand how he felt.
He grinned when another text came in.
Shay: I have to switch off now. Drive safe.
And then she sent another with just a heart, and he hoped like hell that it meant the same three words that he’d meant.
As soon as he was far enough north that he was clear of the congestion around the city, he told his phone to Call Cash.
“What took you so long? Did she get off all right?”
“She did. How did you … Alma?”
“Yeah. She called me first thing this morning.”
“Did she seriously think that I might be the one sending those messages – that I might be trying to scare Shay into leaving Summer Lake?”
“No. She told me that you’d probably think that.”
“Why was she so dead set against me going with Shay then?”
“Because they want to bring her into the house with them. If you were with her, that wouldn’t be comfortable for any of you, would it?”
“It’s not like I’d expect to share her room or anything.”
“I know, but they want to figure out what the deal is for themselves. If you and Shayna were more established, it’d be different. But you’re still an unknown quantity to them – you have to respect that.”
“I do, I wouldn’t be on my way home if I didn’t. If they were anyone else …”
Cash laughed. “I’m with you. If they were anyone else, I’d be encouraging you to bring Shayna back to the ranch with you. But Alma’s not going to let anything happen to her. I don’t know Davin, but I’ve heard about him and his buddy Adam – they were Delta operators. And there’s a whole bunch of team guys, and Marines in Summer Lake. I doubt that Alma would need any backup – but she’ll ask for it if she does, and she’s got plenty of good men to choose from.”
Ty blew out a sigh. “I know.”
“But you want to be the one to save Shayna?”
“I … fuck it, I’m going to say it, Cash. I just want to be with her. Yeah, I hate the idea of some crazy guy stalking her. And of course I want to be the one to make sure she’s safe, but even without any of that going on, I wish I was headed to the lake with her, instead of headed back to the ranch without her.”
“Alma said you were talking about going next weekend.”
“I am.”
“That works. Give them some time to track this jackass down and deal with him, then you can get back on track.” Cash chuckled. “I’m guessing that the plan is to bring her home to the ranch with you just as soon as you can – and keep her?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a plan. I’ll bring her for a visit as soon as we can swing it. But keeping her there? I dunno, Cash. Her whole life’s in Summer Lake. You might know more than I do by now about Alma and Davin and their deal with being a little family. All I can tell you is that it means a whole lot to Shay, and I’m not sure she’ll want to give it up. Plus, she works a whole bunch of different jobs and …”
“They’re all jobs that she could do on the ranch.”
Ty frowned. “I …”
“Think about it, squirt. She works behind a bar – there’s the bar in the lodge. Wade’s always trying to find someone who’d be a good fit long term. She cleans stalls – you telling me Tanner would turn her down?”
“I’m telling you I’ll punch his lights out if he goes anywhere near her.”
Cash laughed. “You know what I mean; he wouldn’t turn down another set of hands with the horses. She teaches fitness classes – Wade’s been talking about offering more things like that for the guests, and if it came to it, she could always go up to one of the gyms in town. My point is that her jobs are replaceable.”
“Yeah, but her family isn’t.”
“Neither is yours, squirt. Yes, I’m being selfish, but if she doesn’t come to you, you’re going to go to her and … I don’t want that.”
Ty could feel a big smile spread across his face. “I don’t either, but it’s not as though you’re ever there, is it?”
Cash was quiet for a long few moments. “I’ve been thinking that I’d like to be around more.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. So, you’d better get to work on getting your Shayna up to visit, and when she comes, we’ll all pitch in to help her see that life could be good for her in the valley.”
“Thanks, Cash.”
“Not a problem. I wasn’t a hundred percent convinced, but Eli called me this morning. He was impressed with her.”
“He was?”
“Very, and Eli’s not someone who’s easily impressed.”
Ty’s smile grew even bigger. “She’s awesome.”
Cash laughed. “I’ve never heard you like this over a girl.”
“Because I’ve never felt this way.”
“Don’t fuck it up, then, huh? What’s the plan? When are you going to see her?”
“Not sure yet. First, I need to get home and convince Wade that he can live without me for another Friday and Monday.”
“Or you wait for me to get there. That way you can work your usual day on Friday and take the jet after you finish.”
“You’re coming home this weekend?”
“Yep. Travis wants to look at some land. He’s making noises about moving back to the valley and I think he’s got us all wondering if it might be time to come home.”
“Wow!”
Cash laughed. “Don’t hold your breath on that one. It might take me a while. I said I wouldn’t come home till the old man was dead and buried.”
“So did Laney – and she came back.”
“Yeah but … Anyway, back on track. Do you want to do that – take the jet Friday? If you come back early Monday morning, you can still get to work on time, and Wade won’t have to find someone to cover for you. Travis and I can leave after you get back.”
“That’d be great. Thanks, Cash.”
“My pleasure.”
“Is it just you and Travis coming?”
“Who knows? Mav will do whatever he’s going to do. Same with Blane. Travis has taken to calling them the Sunshine Twins. I’m going with Grumpy and Grumpier.”
Ty laughed out loud at that. “That suits them. Do you have any plans for Friday night?”
“I dunno, why?”
“I was just wondering if you might want to fly down there with me – maybe catch up with your old friend, Alma, and her man.”
“Well, shit! I could. I was thinking that I’d send you and Bear, and the jet could wait there till Monday, but … I don’t know, let’s play it by ear.”
“Okay. One more question.”
“What’s that?”
“Is Amelia still working with you guys?”
“She is. Why? You want me to put her onto this asshole who’s annoying your Shayna?”
“If there’s any digging she can do, then absolutely. But I was thinking …”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
Cash blew out a sigh. “For what it’s worth, I invite her along every time we come home, Ty. Despite what Ford thinks, I don’t … I’m … you know what I mean. I saw the sparks between him and Amelia. I think … but, yeah. I’ll do anything in my power for each and every one of you. Even Ford. If I figure out how to do some matchmaking there, I’ll do it.”
“Okay.” Ty didn’t know what else to say. Cash had surprised him by speaking so openly. His strained relationship with Ford was the only real source of friction in the family.
“I’ll ask her again, just in case. Anyway, are we done – did we cover everything?”
“Everything and more. Thanks.”
“Any time. I’m looking forward to meeting your girl.”
“I think you’ll love her.”
Cash chuckled. “But not as much as you do, right?”
“Right.”
“See ya later, squirt.”
“See ya.”