Chance laughed. “Did you hear that, Tanner?”
Tanner gave me a wide smile that showcased his dimples and made him the spitting image of his older brothers. “I heard it.”
“Heard what?” I asked, glancing back at Chance, and then at Tanner.
Pulling out onto the two-lane highway, Tanner didn’t say another word. Both men sat quietly in the truck cab, leaving me alone with my own thoughts and wondering what they’d meant.
The knock on my office door made me glance up. Shit. I’d forgotten to lock the office when I got here.
It was Friday, and normally my day off, but I’d needed something to keep my mind off knowing Brock was home. I had somehow, by some small miracle, avoided seeing him the last four days. That didn’t mean he wasn’t on my mind nearly every moment of the day. Work was the only way I could keep him out of my head. What better way to do that than dig myself in to Julia’s underwater remodel?
I gave a polite smile when I saw who had knocked, even though I was surprised to see him.
Nathan and I had gone to dinner on Monday night as planned. He had spent most of the night comparing himself to one Brock Shaw. His house was bigger than Brock’s. His bank account impressive for not being a local celebrity, like Brock. Compared his charity work to Brock’s.
It felt like the entire dinner was a case he was building for me to like him better than Brock. Julia must have let him know I had been dating him. As short lived as it was.
I’d wanted to set the poor man straight that night. He’d never hold a candle to Brock. Ever.
And, on Wednesday, when he’d slid into my booth and invited himself to have lunch with me, I was pretty sure the waitress had slipped him her number.
Clearly, Nathan and I were not a match—not that I had been looking for anything other than friendship. Even if I had wanted it to be something more, it wouldn’t have worked. I knew it the moment he’d picked me up for dinner, and I had wished he was Brock.
“Nathan,” I said, standing and smoothing my pencil skirt as I made my way around my desk, “what brings you here?”
“Hello, Lin.”
I gritted my teeth. I had corrected Nathan at least a dozen times on my name. “You refuse to call me Lincoln. Why?” The rough edge to my voice was evident. I was knee deep in whales and schools of fish for Julia’s kitchen, and I wasn’t in the mood for this crap.
“It’s just such a boy’s name.”
My mouth opened slightly in surprise. “Well, I’m not even sure what to say to that, Nathan, other than I’m busy, and I can’t chat right now.” I spun on my black high heels and started to walk back to my desk.
Nathan reached out for my arm, turning me back to him. He stepped closer, totally invading my space. Just like he had on Monday night, when he’d dropped me off at home and walked me to my door.
Of course, had he seen Tanner, Chance, and Ty all down at my corral, I hardly think he would have moved in and tried for that kiss. I’d quickly shut him down when I raised my hand and said no. I got the feeling that Nathan didn’t like being told no. Once the guy had gotten into his BMW and driven off, the group of men had laughed their asses off. “I’d have lost respect for you, Lincoln, had you let him kiss you!” Tanner had shouted.
Now, glancing down to Nathan’s grip on my arm, I cleared my throat.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I’m kidding. Lincoln is an adorable name.”
I forced a smile. This was why I didn’t date—and why I’d told Nathan, again, at lunch on Wednesday, that I didn’t see this going anywhere past friendship, which I didn’t.
A part of me was still hanging on to the hope that Brock would walk through my door any day now. I hadn’t returned his call yet, so I guessed the ball was in my court.
“Listen, I wanted to see if you wanted to go to the rodeo with me tonight.”
My head jerked back. “Huh?”
He sighed. “Go out with me tonight? Rodeo? Let me show you off on my arm.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I started to talk but noticed Nathan’s eyes were on my breasts. “Excuse me—my eyes are up here. I believe I already told you: I’m not interested in dating you.”
He gave me a look of pity. “Still holding out hope for that lost cause Shaw, huh?”
Dropping my arms to my sides, I balled my fists. “You don’t know a damn thing about Brock. He’s ten times the man you are and fifty times more of a gentleman. Now, if you’ll please excuse me, Nate, I have work to do. I’m pretty sure that young waitress at the café will be getting off work soon, so take her.”
Nathan smirked. “Okay, well, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
I rolled my eyes. I swore I had a built-in magnet that attracted douchebags. It must have been broken when Brock had walked into that barn.
When my office door shut, I let out a long groan. This was stupid. I had feelings for Brock, and I knew he had feelings for me. I was being childish by not returning his call.
I quickly walked over to my desk, pulled up his number, and hit it.
“Hello?”
My breath caught in my throat when a woman answered Brock’s phone. I pulled it away from my face and looked at it. The name Brock Shaw was on my screen.
“I’m . . . I’m sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number.”
“No! Lincoln! Wait!”
I froze. How does she know my name?
“How do . . . how do you know my name?”
She chuckled. “Brock has you programmed into his phone. I know he’s been waiting—well, hoping—you’d call.”
Who is this girl?
I couldn’t speak for a moment. My thoughts were running a million different ways.
“I’m sorry, but who is this?”
The girl laughed. “I’m so sorry! You’re probably freaking out about now. This is Lynn, Dirk’s younger sister.”
My eyes widened. “I didn’t know Dirk had a sister.”
Another laugh. “Well, I go to boarding school in Billings, and I’m home for the summer. I was helping the boys with their gear for tonight’s rodeo. Brock is with one of the stock contractors and the bulls. He gave me his phone, and boy howdy, will he be glad to know you called! Are you coming to the rodeo tonight?”
I paused, letting it soak in that my first thought on who the girl on the phone was had been so wrong. “Um, yes. I plan on going.”
“Oh, yay!” I could hear her clap, her voice muffled from probably tucking the phone against her chin. “I can’t wait to tell him! Be sure to sit with his mama and daddy.”
“Um, okay.” I had planned on sitting with them, since they were the only people in town I really knew.
“I can’t wait to meet you, Lincoln!”
A smile moved over my face. It was the first real smile I’d had in the last three weeks. “I can’t wait to meet you, Lynn.”
The phone went dead, and I sat down in my chair. I was suddenly scared to death to face Brock tonight . . . but also excited at the possibility of being near him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
LINCOLN
I’d called Stella and arranged to ride to the rodeo with her and Blayze. To say he was excited to see me was an understatement. I could hear him running around the house, singing, when I was speaking to Stella on the phone. A sting of guilt ripped through me, because I’d distanced myself from Blayze and hadn’t meant to. Well, I had intended to the week when Brock had come back into town, but I’d figured Blayze would be happy to see his dad after not seeing him for two weeks.
Ty Senior was with Brock, and Ty was driving with Tanner and Chance.
When we got to the rodeo, Ty took Blayze to go see all the horses and bulls and to wish Brock good luck. For a moment, I’d almost asked to go too. I enjoyed the excitement of being behind the scenes. The only difference at the rodeo was, there were no TV cameras anywhere.
When I scanned the area, I saw Lucy Mae. She was dressed in jean shorts that made her ass
stick out. Even though it was the end of May, it still felt too chilly to wear shorts. My jeans and black T-shirt that read #TeamBrockShaw in bright pink were perfectly fine for me, thank you very much. Of course, when Stella had seen the shirt, she’d grinned. I guessed she’d forgotten she had sent it over to the house earlier this afternoon with a card that said, Please wear this. The rest of the family will be wearing the same, and Blayze will love it.
I should have known Stella was up to no good. Currently, I was the only person wearing the T-shirt. And said T-shirt earned me a dirty look from Lucy Mae.
Ty brought Blayze back to us as we headed to our seats. It didn’t take but two minutes for Blayze to ask to leave again. “Grams, can I get a chili dog?” Blayze asked as we took our seats.
Stella sighed. “Blayze Shaw, we just sat down.”
“I can get it. I don’t mind,” I said as I winked at Blayze. He looked so much like his father it made my chest ache.
If Brock and I had kids, what would they look like?
Stilling, I tried to figure out where in the world that thought had come from. I hadn’t even talked to Brock in three weeks, and here I was having thoughts like that.
“You don’t mind?” Stella asked, looking flustered as she tried to settle a very rowdy Blayze.
“Nope. Just a chili dog?” I asked the little boy.
“And some onion rings!”
I pulled in my brows. “I don’t think they have those, buddy.”
His shoulders dropped. “Well, dang it. I had me a hankerin’ for some.”
Pressing my lips tightly together, I tried not to laugh.
“Chips will be fine,” he added.
Stella mumbled under her breath, “Like father, like son. Apples don’t fall far from the trees in this family.”
That time, I did laugh. I made my way down the stands and behind the bleachers.
I was stopped by Tanner. “Hey, I need you to follow me.”
“Oh. Well, I was going to get Blayze a chili dog and chips.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t want any. I told him to say that. I figured you’d offer to get it. Mama doesn’t like leaving her seat once she’s settled.”
I stared at Tanner as he pulled me along. “You used Blayze to get me down here?”
“Hell yeah. The little shit comes in handy sometimes.”
“Tanner Shaw!” I gasped.
He simply laughed.
“Where are we going?”
“Brock wants to talk to you.”
My heart started to beat rapidly in my chest. “Right now?”
“Yep. Said he can’t ride until he talks to you.”
“Now?” I asked again, feeling the nerves flutter in my stomach.
My anger over what had happened had cooled, and I was now in the lovesick stage again. I wanted to see Brock, but at the same time, I was okay with waiting. At least, I thought I was.
The moment I saw him standing there, talking to a group of older cowboys, I lost my breath. He had on jeans, blue chaps that had Blayze on one leg and his favorite Bible verse on the other, a dark-blue long-sleeved shirt that I knew would make his eyes stand out, and a black cowboy hat. He didn’t even have to turn to look at me, and I was already captivated by him.
I pulled Tanner to a stop and whispered, “I can’t do this.”
He frowned. “Do you not want to try to work things out? He feels something awful about what he did, Lincoln. He misses you, and when you called him today, he thought that maybe you wanted to talk.”
“I do! I do want to talk, but I’m feeling really emotional for some reason, and I . . . I feel sick to my stomach.”
Brock turned then, and our eyes met. He smiled—and my insides melted.
Every doubt I’d had about us, about Brock’s feelings toward me, vanished with that smile. I could see it in his eyes. The torture he’d put himself through. The guilt that had plagued him.
“Brock,” I whispered.
“I take it you’ve changed your mind about seeing him?” Tanner asked with a slight chuckle.
Without saying a word, I rushed to him. He took a few long strides, and I threw myself into his arms. His mouth crashed to mine, and I didn’t care who saw us or what they thought.
I loved this man, and I wasn’t going to let him go. I’d made him a promise that I wouldn’t run, and I wasn’t going to.
We kissed until we were breathless. When our mouths parted, we both mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
Laughing, we kissed again. Brock’s hands went to my hair, grabbing it and pulling my forehead to his. “I’m so sorry I freaked out and left you. I didn’t mean to say what I said. I didn’t mean it at all. I’ve got so much shit going on in my head that I—”
I pressed my fingers to his lips. “Not now. It’s okay. I pushed us somewhere you weren’t ready to go, and I’m sorry. I’ve missed you so much, Brock.”
He closed his eyes. My name was like a soft breath on his lips. Then, the next words out of his mouth left me stunned.
“Lincoln . . . I love you. It took me messing up things with you to realize that all of this stuff—the fame, the money, the spotlight on me every weekend—it could never be enough if you weren’t there with me. You’ve shown me that there’s another dream inside my heart that I never knew was there. I need you with me to start it.”
I stared up into his blue eyes. Tears pooled, and my heart was beating hard in my chest. I didn’t have to think twice. I had known the moment he walked into my barn that he was mine. He’d always be mine.
“I love you, too, Brock. And I told you, I’m not a runner.”
A wide smile moved over his face. His dimples were out in full force, and I felt heat pool in my lower stomach.
“Brock! We need to get to the chutes,” someone called out.
Sighing, Brock shook his head and said, “I’m sorry. I’ll see you after my ride, and I’ll explain why I left you like I did.”
I nodded. “It’s okay.”
He went to leave, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him to me. Lifting up on my toes, I cupped his face with my hands and kissed him, pouring as much as I could into the kiss. “Be safe.”
He winked. “Always, sweetheart.”
After grabbing the chili dog and chips, I rushed back to my seat. The bull riding was about to begin, and Dirk and Brock were pretty far down on the list. They were saving the best for last.
Blayze devoured the chili dog and his chips. I couldn’t help but chuckle. He had a hearty appetite, that was for sure.
“How are Brock’s ribs?” I asked.
Stella was keeping stats on a clipboard and looked up at the chutes. “He says he’s fine, but he also said that when he rode in the world championship with a broken hand.”
I gasped. “Was it his riding hand?”
“No, but still, these cowboys ride with some serious injuries. The fact that Brock didn’t take any time off after Billings worried me. Ty said he was moving around fine, but Ty Senior gave me a different report last week. Said he saw him flinch when he was picking up the hay bales.”
I shook my head. My heartbeat slowly increased as each rider went. I didn’t want Brock or his family to think I was going to be someone who would make him give all this up. I would love it if he didn’t have such a dangerous job, but I would stand by him, 100 percent supporting him.
“Stella, Tanner said you handled all the booking and travel arrangements for both him and Brock.”
She nodded, not looking up from writing down the last rider’s stats. “Yes, it’s a handful.”
I wrung my hands in my lap, not wanting to overstep. “Well, I’m sure you love doing it, but I was going to say, I could take care of Brock’s travel arrangements. I mean, if you’d be okay with that.”
She stilled, and then slowly looked my way.
Oh fiddlesticks, I’ve overstepped.
A huge grin broke out over her face. “Okay with it? I’d be over the moon if you took that on! Are you sure? I’ve been doing
it since day one, and to have Brock’s schedule off my list would lighten my load.”
I wanted to ask her why Kaci never did it, but I let it go. “Honestly, I’d love to do it. That way, if I decide to travel with him some weekends, I can easily book us together on flights.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she reached for my hand. “Thank you. Not for taking that on, but for supporting my son and being a part of something that means a lot to him. I know you talked to him before you got Blayze’s food. That little boy is a terrible secret keeper and spilled the beans as soon as you left.”
I chuckled, glancing over to Blayze, who was sitting on Lynn’s lap. Lynn was indeed a young woman, seventeen at the most, and it was obvious she had a heart of gold. She clearly loved her family and adored Blayze. She had done nothing but shower him with attention since she saw him.
My hand covered my mouth, and I nearly started to cry. This was not like me to be so emotional. “Oh, Stella! I have to tell someone or I’m going to burst. I tried calling Kaylee to tell her the news, but she didn’t answer.”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
Another rider came out, and Stella held up her finger. We watched him ride the full eight. She wrote it down on the day sheet next to the rider’s name.
Then she focused back on me. “Go . . . before another rider comes out!”
Chewing on my lip, I blurted out, “Brock said he loved me.”
Her eyes widened, and I heard someone gasp from behind me.
Damn it. I’d said that really loud. I didn’t even want to know who was sitting back there and had overheard.
“Oh. My. Stars. What did you say?”
I grinned. “That I loved him. I mean, we have to talk about everything, but I’ve known from the moment Brock stepped into my barn that he was going to change my entire world.”
Stella wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. I did the same.
“Why you two huggin’? Can I have a hug?” Blayze asked, pushing the two of us apart.
I reached down, pulled him onto my lap, and hugged him.
“I wove you, Miss Lincoln.”
And there went my heart. The last piece given to a five-year-old little boy with blue eyes like his daddy’s. “Blayze, I love you too.”
Never Enough Page 22
