Mason (Remington Ranch Book 1) (Contemporary Western Romance)

by S. J. McCoy

  Mason rolled his eyes. “She is, and if it were up to me, it would be off the market by now.”

  Beau gave him an inquiring look. “But?”

  “But she wants to take care of it herself.” He shrugged. “I guess it's just a matter of time while she figures things out, but I'm not a patient man.”

  Beau laughed at that. “Sounds like you're going to have to be on this one. You can't force her hand.”

  “I know, but we already lost ten years. I don't want to lose anymore. I just want to get on with making up for it. I want to hurry up and start living the life we've missed out on.”

  “You will, but don't let your impatience screw things up, okay?”

  Mason nodded reluctantly. “I'm trying. Anyway, enough about me. What's going on with you?”

  Beau shrugged. “Same old, same old. The market's picking up and with spring around the corner I'm expecting we'll get busy with new listings and out-of-staters starting to look for vacation homes.” Beau had sat for his realtor's license as soon as he came back from college. He'd done very well for himself and owned his own real estate brokerage. Unlike most of the realtors in the area, he worked the whole market. He sold multi-million dollar estates on the river, and he sold condos and tiny cottages in town. Everyone had thought he'd made a big mistake a few years back when he'd bought an entire section of land just outside the city limits. His plan was to build a new subdivision, but market conditions had never been right. Mason didn't know much about real estate, but he did know that Beau would make a huge profit on that investment someday. Where he was impatient and occasionally impetuous, Beau was patient and shrewd.

  “Well do me a favor and don't go showing the Delaney place to anyone, would you? If Gina does have to sell, I plan on buying it myself.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded. He did. No matter what Gina had to say about it.

  ~ ~ ~

  Gina let herself back into Cassidy's kitchen. They'd had a great morning baking together. She was glad she'd persuaded Cassidy to come to Monique's birthday party. She didn't seem to know many people yet and, although she insisted that she liked it that way, Gina wanted her to show her face in the community. She knew her dad would love Cassidy, and she also had the ulterior motive of getting her in the same room as Shane again. She wanted the two of them to talk about ways they could market to Shane's dude ranch guests. More than that, she wanted to see how long Cassidy would be able to resist Shane's charms—or whether Shane would be able to summon said charms or would go all tongue-tied around Cassidy again. Gina was fairly sure sparks would fly between the two of them at some point, she just wanted to hurry the process along.

  Cassidy was pulling two huge pies from the fridge. “I'll take these in my car, shall I?”

  “Oh, aren't you riding with me?”

  “No, thank you very much. I'm not stupid, Gina. I know what you're up to, and I want my trusty car at the ready so I can make a quick getaway whenever I want to.”

  Gina feigned innocence. “What do you think I'm up to? I'm just trying to introduce you to your neighbors and maybe make some connections that will be useful to us. Why would you need a getaway?”

  Cassidy scowled at her. “You're hoping that if you leave me alone with Shane, I'll start to see why you love him so much. Sorry, but it's not happening. I already told you. I came here to get away from man messes, not to make another one.”

  Gina shrugged. “Okay, I'll admit I'm hopeful, but you don't need to bring your car. I promise I'll bring you back whenever you're ready to leave.”

  “Thanks, but I'd sooner drive myself.”

  “Okay, do you want to follow me over to pick my dad up, then?”

  “Yep, just let me load these up and I'll be right behind you.”

  The party was in full swing by the time they got there. Crowds of people milled around in front of the main house. Carter was working the grill out on the porch and waved when he saw Gina. She waved back and turned to look for her dad and Cassidy. To her amusement, her dad had announced he was going to ride with Cassidy and get to know her on the way over. She saw them, arm in arm making their way down the long line of parked cars. Cassidy said something that made him laugh and Gina had to laugh herself as she watched them. It was so good to see her dad looking happy and sprightlier than he had in years. She was hoping that her working with Cassidy would give him a new lease on life, too.

  He grinned at her. “I'm going to say happy birthday to Monique and leave you girls to it. Cassidy here doesn't trust me to carry nothing.” He squeezed Cassidy's arm before he let go of it. “She's a smart one, this new partner of yours.”

  “It's not that I don't trust you, Al. I just think you should get to the party as quickly as you can. It looks like your friends are up on the porch and I can only see two empty seats. I thought you might want to go claim one.”

  Al squinted up at the front porch, then turned back to Cassidy with a scowl on his face. “All I see up on that porch is a bunch of old farts. What are you trying to say?”

  Cassidy didn't miss a beat, she pointed out past the garage to where a group of youngsters was standing around. “That I don't think you'd have too much fun with them, even if your hip could take it, so you’ll probably want to go grab a seat with the old farts, while you can.”

  Gina loved the way her dad laughed at that. Cassidy wasn't going to take any of his crap, and it seemed the two of them were already forming a bond of their own. It looked as though everything was coming together. She had a new friend in Cassidy and was getting her old friends back. Her dad was happier than she'd seen him in years. She and Mason were back together even though they had yet to figure out what their future would hold. She didn't want him trying to solve her financial problems for her. It was important that she do that herself, both for the sake of her own pride and for the sake of the kind of relationship she wanted to build with him. She'd almost reconciled herself to accepting Cassidy's offer to help her out until they started making good money. As she had said, that wasn't charity, it was simply business sense.

  “He's an absolute sweetheart!” said Cassidy as they watched Al make his way up onto the porch.

  Gina laughed “He's an old grouch, but I think he's taken a shine to you.”

  “I've taken a shine to him, too.”

  “And here comes another one who's taken a shine to you.” Gina saw Shane's face light up when he spotted her and Cassidy.

  “Uh oh. Hadn't we better get these pies and cakes to whoever is in charge of the kitchen?”

  Before Gina could reply, Cassidy was heading back to her car to collect the goodies they'd brought. She was tickled that Cassidy's usual confidence and composure seemed to evaporate as she stuck her head in the trunk at Shane's approach.

  He hugged Gina and then addressed himself to Cassidy's butt. “Hey, it's good to see you again.”

  Gina had to stifle a giggle as Cassidy straightened up and bumped her head. She whirled around. “I wish I could say the same.”

  “Then why don't you?”

  She scowled. “Because I'm not a liar.”

  Gina was surprised to see the disappointment that flashed in Shane's eyes for a moment. Normally everything was a joke to him. If he got the brush-off, he didn't care. He moved on. He certainly didn't stick around for more. It seemed he was a glutton for punishment where Cassidy was concerned.

  Cassidy straightened up and glared at Shane. “I don't know how many times or how many ways I need to tell you before it sinks in. I'm not interested, Shane.”

  Shane recovered quickly and grinned. “That's only because you don't know me yet. I'm trying to rectify that situation. So, how about we let Gina take that stuff inside and you come let me get you a drink?”

  “No, thank you.” She looked at Gina. “Shall we?”

  Gina gave Shane a sympathetic shrug. “I guess we'll see you later.”

  Shane shot Cassidy a rueful smile. “Not if you see me first, right?”

  The
re was the tiniest hint of a smile on her face when she replied. “You got that right.”

  Gina led the way up to the kitchen. “You're not even going to give him a chance?” She had a feeling Cassidy's resolve might be fading a little.

  “I doubt it. I figure if I brush him off a few more times he'll get bored and target someone else.”

  Gina would normally have agreed, but she hadn't seen Shane like this before. “And if he doesn't?”

  Cassidy almost smiled as she replied. “If he doesn't, then we'll see about that, won't we?”

  “Hey, babe.”

  Gina didn't have time to consider Cassidy's answer before Mason was taking the cake tins from her and planting a kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. It felt right and familiar, yet new and exciting all at the same time. Mason wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “Hey. It looks like a good turnout. Is everything going okay?”

  Mason nodded. “Everything's great. Most importantly, Mom’s having a wonderful time. She's holding court in the kitchen right now. You should probably go say hi, she’s been asking about you.”

  “We were on our way there.”

  Mason looked up. “Oh, hi Cassidy. Sorry.”

  Cassidy laughed. “That's okay. Why would you notice me when you've got Gina?”

  Mason shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry. I'll let you both go and do the women's stuff.” He landed another kiss on Gina's lips. “I'll be with Carter on the grill when you get done.”

  Gina watched him walk away, hoping that she'd be able to get him to herself for a while later. He was looking absolutely breathtaking, and they had a lot of making up to do.

  “Do all the Remington boys look like sex on a stick?” Cassidy asked as she, too, watched Mason's muscular frame make his way through the crowd.

  Gina laughed as she turned to her friend. “Let's go say hi to Monique and then we'll find Carter and Beau so you can judge for yourself. I have a feeling you'll still like Shane the best.”

  “Who said I like Shane?”

  Gina shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe it's that little smile you get on your face every time you talk to him, no matter how mean you're being to him.”

  “I am not mean! I'm just honest, that's all.”

  “Whatever you say. Come on. Let's go see Monique.”

  When they finally escaped the ladies in the kitchen, Gina dipped them each a glass of punch and led Cassidy out back to a quiet spot behind the garage.

  “Phew! I think I'm ready to escape,” said Cassidy. “That was a lot of ladies with a lot of questions.”

  “Yes, but they all loved you. Hopefully now that they've met you, you've dispelled some of the mystery.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Don't be surprised if they start coming in the gallery now. And don't be surprised if they start buying. Newcomers are an object of mystery for a while and then they're either accepted or rejected. I think you've just been accepted.”

  Cassidy nodded. “I thought I'd been rejected from the outset. It seemed that none of the locals ever came in.”

  “That's because they didn't know you and what you were about. Now they do.”

  Cassidy laughed. “Now they know everything about me, and more. That was an inquisition, for sure.”

  “Ha. You got off lightly. You're good at deflecting, plus they were more focused on me and Mason. We've been a source of gossip and conjecture for years. You should think yourself lucky.”

  Cassidy shuddered. “Ugh. If this is lucky, I'd hate to be unlucky. Can we go find that hot cowboy of yours and get a burger? I didn't eat this morning and this punch is going to go right to my head.”

  Gina was only too happy to go find Mason. He was right where he'd said he'd be, with Carter.

  When Mason introduced them, Cassidy shook Carter's hand warmly. Gina noticed that Carter wouldn't meet her eye. She still wished that he could meet a good woman. He hadn't been the same since Trisha. Gina had never liked her. She hated the way Carter had changed. He'd always been the quietest of the Remington brothers, but he used to be so warm and funny, too. These days he was much more reserved. From what she'd seen and heard of him since she'd been back, he didn't have much of a social life unless you counted the gym.

  “So you're the Remington Nurseries brother?” Cassidy asked him.

  Carter nodded. “That'd be me.”

  “Oh good. I've been meaning to give you a call. I want to get some work done at my place, but I have no clue what I'm doing in this climate.”

  “What kind of work?”

  “Planting…landscaping. The way the wind blows all the time at my place, I was wondering about planting trees.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Down by the river at the bottom of Mill Lane.”

  Carter's eyes widened. “You bought the Allen house?”

  Cassidy nodded. “You know it?”

  “Know it? I used to work with old Mr. Allen before he passed on. There was so much he wanted to do, but after he got sick, his kids didn't want him spending money out there. They wanted to move him down to Colorado to be closer to them. I have so many ideas for that place. There's so much you could do down there.” He stopped himself. “Sorry. As you can tell, I love what I do. Give me a call when you're ready and we can talk about what you want to do.”

  Gina smiled at Cassidy's reply. “Please don't apologize. I only work with people who love what they do. I drive normal people nuts. I'd love to hear your ideas. Give me a call tomorrow?” She handed Carter her card, just as Shane came to join them.

  He shot a look at Carter. “I've been trying to get her number for weeks.”

  Cassidy pursed her lips and turned back to Carter. “So call me? I have to be leaving now, but I can't wait to see you again.”

  Gina exchanged a grin with Mason at the expression on Shane's face as he watched Cassidy leave.

  “What the...?”

  Carter grinned at Shane and lifted a shoulder. He saw what was going on and was happy to play along. “What can I say, bro? You win some, you lose some. I guess she prefers the strong silent type.”

  They were all surprised at Shane's angry response. “Thanks, Carter. Thanks a bunch.” He turned on his heel and left them staring after him.

  “Oops,” said Carter. “I didn't realize it was a big deal to him. I guess I fucked up again, huh?”

  Mason put a hand on his shoulder. “No, you didn't. I think the problem is that Shane didn't realize it was a big deal to him either, and now he’s realizing he doesn't know what to do with it.”

  Gina nodded at his assessment. “Don't worry about it, Carter.” She gave him a hug. “Shane will be fine.”

  Carter nodded. “I know. She likes him. I can tell.”

  Mason laughed. “Jesus! Are Shane and I the only ones who don't pick up on what women mean?”

  Gina slapped his arm. “You're certainly not the only ones, but you might want to take some lessons from Carter. He could probably help you both out.” She loved building Carter up and had done so instinctively since they were all kids. The other three brothers could and would toot their own horns at any opportunity. Carter was less confident and more caring.

  “I don't think my track record qualifies me to be giving anyone lessons.” He gave them a sad smile. “But you know I'm here if anyone needs me.”

  Gina hugged him again.

  “Okay, enough with the mushy stuff.” Even as he said it, Mason slapped Carter's back. They all knew the subject was better changed, but it seemed none of them knew how.

  “Sorry,” said Gina. “I'm going to leave you to it and go see how Shane's doing.”

  She pecked Mason's lips then made her way through the crowd in the direction Shane had gone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gina smiled at people and waved as she made her way through the crowd. She figured Shane had probably gone out to his office. It wasn't like him to be snappy or to walk away. She wanted to talk to him.


  “Hello, Gina.”

  The voice stopped her in her tracks. She'd heard it so many times in her dreams over the years. Heard him asking Mason about getting back with April. She felt the shiver run down her spine as she turned to face him.

  “Guy.”

  He let his eyes wander over her, making her shiver again. She wanted nothing more than to walk away from him and not look back. However, she did at least want to tell him that he would not be coming out to view the ranch. Hearing his voice had confirmed that she would never sell to him, and it made her decision. She couldn't sell at all. She'd accept Cassidy's offer of a loan to keep her going.

  “You're looking good, Gina. Good enough to...I bet you're quite something between the sheets.”

  God, he was disgusting. “Well, you'll never know, will you?”

  He grinned at that. “Actually, I thought we should find out. I hear you've been seeing Mason since you came back, but we both know how that ended for you last time.”

  How dare he. She wasn't going to let him come between them again. “Mason and I are just fine thank you very much, and it's really none of your business.”

  The sneer on his face made her stomach turn. “I'd say it is kind of my business since I've been raising his kid all this time.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath and felt her heart stop. What the hell was he talking about?

  “I thought you came to your senses back then, figured out what he was like and got away from him. Poor April wasn't as smart as you. She let him knock her up and I picked up the pieces. I've raised the boy as my own, but...” His grin was sickening. “Don't tell me he hasn't told you? I thought that was why you walked out on him at Pine Creek the other night.”

  Gina's mind was racing. When she'd watched Mason talking to April, it had looked like a lot more than a Hello, how are you. Mason had even said he still felt responsible for her. Was that why? She shook her head. No, it couldn't be. After everything they'd talked through these last few days, everything they'd promised each other about being open and keeping no more secrets, there was no way he would have omitted to tell her that he had a child—with April no less.