Chapter Nine
When Trip pulled into the parking lot of the Riverside on Wednesday evening, Shelley turned to him with a smile. "Thanks so much for bringing me."
He nodded. "Of course. It's my pleasure." He glanced through the windshield and nodded toward where Ace's truck had just pulled in. "You know I enjoy getting to hang out with the guys while you ladies are out together."
Shelley nodded. "I do, but it feels different this time."
He reached across and took her hand. "I'd like to think that's because it is different this time. Isn't it?"
She squeezed his hand. "Yeah, it is."
Trip was happy with the situation. It wasn't the first time that he'd given her a ride to wherever the girls were having their night out and hung out with the guys while they waited to pick them up again afterward. But in the past, he and Shelley had only been friends. Now... Now, they were more than friends. He didn't know how else to describe it.
"What's on your mind?" he asked when he noticed the way she tucked her hair behind her ear. He'd come to recognize that as one of her tells. It didn't necessarily mean that she was uncomfortable, but she had something on her mind.
She squeezed his hand again. "How much are you comfortable with me telling them?"
He shrugged. "Whatever you like."
"You don't have a problem?"
"No, it's all good. I'm sure they'll interrogate me afterward, so the more you tell them the better, as far as I'm concerned. And besides, they're your friends, you should be able to talk to them about whatever you want."
"Thanks, Trip. Although I should warn you that when I told Ari I was at your place on Friday night, she said that I could expect a full interrogation."
He laughed. "That doesn't surprise me in the least, and honestly, I'm not worried." He cupped her cheek in his hand. "I'm happy that we're together. I don't mind them knowing about it."
She glanced over his shoulder and smiled. He turned to follow her gaze and saw Ace and Ari had gotten out of Ace's truck and were standing there waiting for them. Ari had her hands on her hips and an expectant look on her face.
"Do you want me to jump out so that you can escape?" Shelley asked.
"No. I'll come with you. I'm not a coward." By the time they were out of the truck and had joined Ace and Ari, both Travis and Deacon had arrived, bringing Retta and Candy. Ace shot Trip an apologetic look when Ari came forward and linked her arm through Shelley's and said, "You can go now, Doctor Harvey."
Before he had the chance to reply, Travis and Retta joined them, and Travis slung his arm around Trip's shoulders as he said, "If I were you, I'd do as she says. We can probably get you out of here before they all start questioning you."
Trip caught Shelley's gaze, and she nodded. It was a strange feeling to Trip. Strange, but he liked knowing that she could hold her own and she was doing her best to save him from having to face a barrage of questions. He needed to stop comparing her to Katrina. But in this instance, he couldn't help remembering the way his ex used to look to him to be there for her all the time. That wouldn't have been so bad in itself. The trouble was the ways he tried to be there for her left him drained and they never suited her anyway. So he ended up exhausted and getting blamed for either not doing enough or doing it wrong.
They all turned when Libby appeared in the doorway to the restaurant and called, "Come on, ladies. I've got us a table."
Trip's heart beat a little faster when Shelley pressed a quick kiss to his lips before turning to follow the other women.
Travis spoke beside him as they watched the women go into the restaurant. "You might have gotten off easy with the women, but you're going to have to face an inquisition when we get to Deacon's place."
Trip looked around at his friends. "Do we really need to talk about it? Isn't it obvious?"
Deacon shrugged. "I've seen all I need to."
Ace nodded his agreement. "We all know that Ari will be asking enough questions for the both of us. I'll hear it all from her."
Travis met Trip's gaze and held it. "I may need to do some digging, but I can wait. And what do you think? Should we all ride in one truck?"
"Yeah, I'll drive," said Deacon.
When they got back to Deacon's place, Travis claimed a spot on the end of the sofa and smiled when Deacon's cat, Clawson, greeted him with his trademark scratchy sounding meow. He stalked across the living room toward him, looking kind of grumpy, but then he jumped up onto Trip's lap and started to purr as he settled down.
"Yellow jackets for everyone?" asked Deacon.
They all nodded. It had become a tradition for them to hang out and have a beer here at Deacon's place while the women enjoyed their night out. They only had one beer a piece, though. They were each the designated driver for their respective women—and the woman didn’t show the same restraint. They were usually tipsy—or worse—by the time they were ready to go home.
When they were all settled with their beers, Trip asked, "So what's going on with everyone?"
Travis chuckled. "Are you asking first so that we don't get to ask what's going on with you?"
He shrugged. "Like I said earlier, I think it's obvious, isn't it?"
Travis tapped his bottle against Trip's. "Yeah, I think it is. You know me. I'm just excited. I'm hoping this is going to work out for you."
Looking around at his friends, Trip could tell that Ace and Deacon were both thinking the same thing and were happy to let Travis speak for them all. He smiled. "To be honest, I'm hoping it will too, but I don't know yet. You know, she's supposed to be leaving at the end of the month when the lease on her house is up. We've said that we'll play it by ear until then."
"Makes sense to me," said Deacon.
"So, what's new with you guys?" Trip asked. "I'll answer any questions if you have them, but to be honest, I've done so much thinking about what might happen with Shelley, and we've done so much talking about it between the two of us, that it’d be nice to give it a rest for tonight and hear what's going on with the rest of you."
They all looked at each other, as if waiting to see who wanted to go first. "I don't have too much to report," said Travis. "Me and Retta are doing great. I think I've talked her into starting to make wedding plans. Apart from that, everything's moving along well on the property. Zeke’s settled in well. I asked him if he wanted to come tonight, but he's having dinner with Everly and Tanner and little Ashton."
"And Eli?" asked Ace. "When's he supposed to arrive?"
"Early next week," said Travis. "So, yeah, I don't have much to report, but everything's ticking along just fine." He looked at Deacon. "How about you, chief?"
"We're starting to make wedding plans, too." Trip loved seeing the big smile on his friend's face. They used to tease Deacon about being grumpy, but he was a whole lot happier since he'd met Candy.
"That's great," said Ace.
"What about you?" Deacon asked. "Are you and Ari making plans yet?"
"Not yet. We know it's something we want to do, but it hasn't made it to the top of the priority list yet. Although if Nessa keeps up her nagging, we might speed things along just to appease her."
That made Trip smile. Ari's daughter, Nessa, had come to see Ace as her dad. And considering that Ace had always wanted kids and not been able to have them, he loved being in that role. Trip loved seeing his friend happy.
"What about you, Trip?" Deacon asked. "I mean, apart from you and Shelley. Anything else going on in your world?"
"It's just business as usual for me," said Trip. "The clinic's running smoothly now, thanks to Shelley."
"What about the ranch?" asked Ace.
"Everything's great there, thanks to Brody."
"I heard he's not working behind the bar at Chico anymore," said Deacon.
"Yeah, he took me by surprise with that one, but I can kind of understand it. I think it was as much a part of his social life as it was a job. Now that Tanner and some of the others aren't working there anymore, it's not the same."
"Hey," said Ace, "talking about Tanner. Did I hear right that old man MacFarland took a turn for the worst the other night?"
"Yeah," said Trip. "I was there until the early hours trying to get him stabilized."
Deacon scowled, but didn't comment. He didn't need to. Trip knew exactly what he was thinking.
Of course, Travis was the one to voice it. "I don't think there's a one of them who would thank you for keeping him alive, you know."
Trip shrugged. "Of course I know. We all know that. But..."
Connor MacFarland had been resident in the hospital for years. Trip had never known a person to hang in there for as long as he had.
"Did you talk to Cash about him?" asked Ace.
"I did," said Trip. "I keep him updated."
"Did he say anything more about coming home?" asked Deacon.
"We didn't get around to it. I updated him about Connor, but he was busy on a job. He said he'll come visit as soon as he can."
"I think he's more than ready to come home," said Travis. "He's just waiting to see if Mav will come too."
They all stared at each other. Trip knew that every single one of them would love to have their two friends back in the valley. And over the last year or so, it had started to look as though they might come. He looked at Ace. He was the closest to Mav since he managed Mav's ranch. But Ace just shrugged. If he knew any more than the rest of them, he wasn't telling.
Travis chuckled. "I have hopes, but I'm not saying anything and I'm not holding my breath."
~ ~ ~
When they were all seated, Shelley was glad that the server was right there to take their drinks order. She'd expected the interrogation to begin as soon as they sat down.
After the server left, Ari, who was seated across the table from her, gave her an evil grin.
"I think we all know the first order of business tonight, don't we?"
The others laughed, and Shelley tucked her hair behind her ear. "Go on, then. Let's get it over with."
Retta, who was sitting beside her, touched her arm. "You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to."
Libby laughed. "You don't have to. But..."
"I don't mind sharing, but there's not much to tell," said Shelley.
Libby met her gaze and held it. "I think there is. Trip looked more relaxed just now than I've seen him in a long time. You're good for him. I've thought that from the beginning, but I didn't know if either of you would ever get around to admitting how you feel about each other."
Candy nodded. "I’m the same. I've been keeping my fingers crossed, but I was starting to think that it wasn't going to happen. I know at first you weren't planning to stay very long, but as time's gone on, it seemed like you'd settled into just a working relationship with him, a friendship."
"And you are going to stay now, aren't you?" asked Retta.
Shelley drummed her fingers on the table. "I don't know." She laughed at the range of expressions around the table. Retta and Libby looked sad. Candy looked disappointed. And Ari narrowed her eyes at her.
"What?" she asked with a laugh.
"You know damn well what," said Ari. "We all want you to stay. You're one of us now. We want you here because we don't want to lose our friend. And more than that, we want to see you happy. Trip's a good guy. You're not going to find one better somewhere else."
Shelley blew out a sigh. "I know that, but I wasn't even looking for a man. I've been there, done that, thrown away the T-shirt. It's not for me."
No one spoke while the server returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. He gave them a few more minutes and Shelley felt bad while everyone studied their menus. Of course, she knew what a good guy Trip was. And of course, she knew that all the girls loved him. He was a good friend to all their men, and she could understand why they wanted to see him settled and happy too. But...
Libby looked up from her menu. "I'm not going to try to talk you into anything you don't want to do. But there is something I need to say."
"Go ahead and say it then."
"I'm not trying to give you a hard time. It's just that I've known Trip since we were kids. I grew up with those guys. Trip's one of the best of them. Has he told you much about his marriage?"
Shelley shook her head slowly. "He's told me a little about Katrina. It sounds like his life with her wasn't easy."
Libby let out a short laugh. "You can say that again. I never liked that woman. She and Willa —" she shook her head. "Let's just say that they weren't my kind of people. I don't want to say anything bad about them, but I will say that I could never understand why Deacon and Trip married them."
Candy nodded. "From what I've heard about Willa—and I've heard more about her from Cadence than from Deacon himself—I don't understand how she and Deacon ever got together."
"Yeah, like I said, I'm not going to start calling them names. What I will say is that I'm so much happier for them and for myself that they've met you." Libby glanced at Ari and Retta. "And that Ace and Trav are now with you ladies." She turned back to Shelley. "What I need to say is that if you don't plan to stick around, please let him down gently. Like I said, he's happy with you. You're good for him. I'd hate to see him get hurt."
"I'd never want to hurt him," said Shelley. "I know what a great guy he is. And I really do like him." She looked around at the other women. "I'll just come out and say it. You all must have had to figure out something similar when you got together with your guys. I kept saying—and kept thinking—that I need to leave soon. That it's time for me to move on, just because it's what I do. At least it's what I've done for the last few years. I needed to feel free. I spent so many years locked into my career and my marriage that when I escaped it, I felt like I needed to keep on the move. To never get bogged down again."
No one spoke while the server came back to take their order. When he'd gone, Libby asked, "And you feel like staying here would be getting bogged down?"
"No. I don't. I love it here." She smiled around at them. "I love having you ladies as friends. I've never had a group of girlfriends like this before."
The others smiled. "I know I can speak for all of us when I say neither have we," said Candy.
"Even if things don't work out between you and Trip, you could stay here just because you like it here," said Retta.
Shelley pressed her lips together as she mulled that one over. It was true. Of course it was. It was just so blatantly obvious that she hadn't even considered the prospect before.
Ari smiled at her. "Have you had enough of us sticking our noses in yet?"
"Yeah, I think I have."
"Okay, let's move this along then," said Libby. "And I hope I didn't piss you off with what I said."
"No! I get it. I understand. And more than that, I'm glad he has you to look out for him. I don't know where this is going between us. Neither of us do, but I promise you, I don't want to hurt him. And if I figure out that it's not what I want, I promise you I'll tell him as soon as I know that."
"Okay," said Libby. She looked around at the other women. "What else is going on, ladies?"
"I'm just glad to be down from that damn mountain," said Ari. "I'm getting cabin fever stuck up there."
Candy laughed. "I've told you before. You should move down to one of the cabins by the river. So that you can come and go more easily."
Shelley loved the way Ari smiled as she said, "I know that would be the logical solution, but I do love it up on the mountain." She looked at Retta. "What about you? How are things going on the property?"
Retta nodded happily. "Everything's moving along nicely. I only have a few cabins still left to decorate now."
"What are you going to do with yourself when that project's over?" asked Candy.
"Well, if you asked Travis that question, he'd tell you that it's time to start wedding planning."
That made Shelley smile. She had a soft spot for Retta. She was a little quieter, less outgoing than the others, and she’d been the first one Shelley had gotten to know when she moved here.
"Are you excited about that?" she asked.
"I am," said Retta. "I never thought I'd want to get married again, but now..."
Ari laughed. "Look at you, all starry-eyed. It's wonderful to see. You and Travis are such a good match."
Shelley sipped her wine as she watched and listened to the conversation bounce around the table. She'd meant what she said when she told them she'd never had a group of girlfriends like them before. Of course she had Harper. They'd been friends since college. She was looking forward to bringing Harper out with them when she came to visit.
As the evening wore on, the wine and conversation flowed freely. The women got louder and more raucous, and Shelley enjoyed every minute of it. She may have had a little too much to drink, but she'd worry about that tomorrow morning. She didn't need to worry about it tonight because Trip was giving her a ride home. She glanced across the table at Libby. They were taking her back up to town, too.
She lived in an apartment not far from Shelley's house. But they didn't always ride together when they came for a night out. Libby had lived in the valley all her life and seemed to know absolutely everyone, so sometimes she had a friend take her home. Shelley was glad that she'd agreed to ride with her and Trip tonight. None of the guys were happy when a man gave her a ride. Sometimes it would be a friend, sometimes a neighbor. But all the guys were close friends with Libby's ex, Mav, and it seemed that none of them wanted to see her move on with someone else.
Libby turned and caught her gaze. "You're looking mighty serious. Do you need another glass of wine?"
Shelley covered her glass with her hand. "I don't. I was thinking that I've had enough, if not a little too much already."
Retta brought her hand up to her mouth to cover a yawn. "I know. I've had more than enough. I hate to be a party pooper, but I think I'm ready to go."
Candy nodded her agreement. "I should have called it a night an hour ago."
"Yeah, but you don't have to be at the bakery as early as usual tomorrow. Do you?" asked Ari.
"No. Rocket's going in early to get everything started for me."
"He and Spider are such good boys," said Retta.
Ari drained the last of her wine from her glass and set it down. "Looks like it's time to send the texts then, ladies."
Shelley smiled to herself as she watched them take their phones out and start tapping out texts. Libby was the only one not texting and when she gave Shelley an inquiring look, it took her a moment to remember that she needed to do the same thing.
Shelley: Hey. I'm sure you've gotten the idea by now with everyone's phones going off—we're done. Ready whenever you are.
Trip: On the way. You'd laugh if you could see these guys. As soon as the texts start coming in, they're on their feet and typing out replies as they head out the door on a mission to get their women.
Shelley stared at his reply for a moment, pressing her lips together as she wondered if she should ask the question that came to mind. The wine decided for her that she should.
Shelley: How do you feel about being one of them?
She watched the screen and waited, wondering if he'd reply.
Trip: Honestly? I love it. But only because you're the woman I'm on a mission to get.
A rush of warmth filled her chest when she read that. He'd been open with her since their chat on Friday afternoon, and she wasn't sure that she'd been as open with him in return. She smiled as she answered.
Shelley: I love it too. I had a good time tonight, but I can't wait to see you.