“Anyway,” Alexis said and thanked Ella when her brownie arrived, “will you help me get this started? I’d be so grateful.”
Shelby thought about it and realized that even if her time in Royal was short, she had to keep busy. Otherwise, she would torture herself with wishing things could be different with Caleb.
“I’d be happy to.”
“Great!” Alexis pulled a pen out of her purse and looked at Shelby in expectation. “So. Where do we start?”
Shelby laughed and proceeded to do what she did best.
* * *
“Time we talked.”
Caleb glanced over his shoulder and watched his younger brother walk into the shadowy barn. “Not now.”
“Yeah,” Mitch countered, still walking toward him in a determined stride. “You’ve been saying that for four years now.”
“Then I probably mean it.” Caleb turned back to the stall door and stroked the nose of the mare poking her pretty head out for some attention. Just last night, she’d had her foal and done it all on her own, with no supervision from the local vet.
He had a million things to do and not one of them included talking to his brother about ancient history. Caleb took a deep breath, letting the familiar scents—straw, horses, leather and wood—soothe him. But that didn’t last because it seemed his brother was determined to finally have his say.
“Damn it, Caleb,” Mitch said, stopping right beside him. “What the hell did you expect Meg and me to do?”
“You don’t want to do this, Mitch. Just let it lie.”
“You mean let’s just go on like we have been?” Mitch asked, throwing his hands high then letting them slap back down against his thighs. “With you acting like you’ve still got a knife in your back?”
Caleb shot him a hard look and turned away, headed for the wide double doors. Mitch stayed with him, finally reaching out and grabbing his brother’s arm to stop him in his tracks.
“Nobody wanted to hurt you,” Mitch said quietly.
“Didn’t stop you, though, did it?”
Mitch yanked his hat off and rubbed his hand back and forth over his nearly shaved head. “No. It didn’t. Nothing would have stopped me from having Meg.”
Caleb winced. That’s how he’d felt about having Shelby. Instantly, images from the night before filled his mind and his body went tight and hard. The woman had touched something inside him that he hadn’t even known was there. But as much as he wanted her, as much as being inside her burned him to a cinder, how could he trust her? How could he trust any woman enough again to risk the kind of humiliation he’d already lived through once?
Mitch drew his head back and stared at him. “You’re not still in love with Meg, are you?”
“What?” Caleb exclaimed. “No.”
Just the thought of it shocked him. He hadn’t been bothered by Mitch and Meg being happy together on the ranch. Not jealous or even bitter about what they’d found together. It was the betrayal that had hit him harder than anything else. And wasn’t that enlightening? If he’d really loved Meg in the first place, it would have driven him crazy watching his brother with her.
What did that say? Hell, looking back now, he wasn’t even sure he’d loved her then. He’d wanted to be married. To have a family. And Meg was the one he’d chosen to fulfill the role of wife and mother. God, had he been that big an ass?
“That’s good to know. I always admired you, Caleb. You know that. But Meg.” Mitch shook his head and gave a wistful smile. “Hell, we’d all known each other for years and then that summer it was like I was seeing Meg for the first time. Love just slammed into us both. Neither of us was expecting it or looking for it. It was just there. And when you find something like that, you can’t just turn from it.”
He could see that now, with four years of clarity behind him. And, maybe, Shelby dropping into his life gave Caleb a little more insight into how it must have been for his brother. Still... “Running away the night before the wedding wasn’t the way to handle it.”
“Yeah, I know that. And you should know, Meg didn’t want to do it. I talked her into making a run for it. Cowardly? Okay, yeah it was.” Mitch nodded thoughtfully. “But damn it, Caleb, you were always so damn self-righteous. So sure of yourself and how the world ought to run. If we had come to you, would you have listened?”
He hated to admit it, but the answer was most likely no. He’d had his plan and he wouldn’t have listened to anything that would disrupt that plan.
“Maybe not,” he allowed.
Mitch blew out a breath. “Thanks for that. And you should know we’re both damn sorry for what we put you through. Hell, Caleb. I’m sorry.”
Caleb nodded and looked at his brother. It had been four years since they’d really had a conversation that didn’t revolve around the ranch. And it felt good to get this out in the open. To hopefully get past it.
“You and Meg are good together,” he said finally and watched his younger brother’s smile broaden.
“I love her like crazy,” Mitch said. “More even than when I married her.”
“Yeah. I can see that.” Caleb slapped one hand against Mitch’s shoulder and took a step that would end the enmity between them. “I guess things worked out just how they should in the end.”
“You mean that?”
“Yeah,” Caleb said, a little surprised himself, “I do.”
“Good. That’s good.” Mitch nodded and blew out a breath again. “You know, you’re gonna be an uncle again.”
“Is that right?” Caleb grinned at the thought and realized that the hurt of four years ago was well and truly gone now. He could enjoy his brother. And his sister-in-law. He could put the past where it belonged and reclaim his family.
So, a voice in his mind whispered, does that mean you can put what Shelby did aside and take a leap of faith?
He shook his head to dislodge that thought, because he just didn’t have an answer for it. Caleb could understand what Meg and Mitch had done, but the bottom line was, Shelby was a different matter altogether. How could he trust her to stay when she’d run out on Jared? She hadn’t done it for love. She’d simply bolted when she couldn’t handle the thought of going through with the wedding. If he took a chance with her, would she run again when things didn’t go her way?
Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside for now. He had no answers anyway. So he looked at his brother and said, “Let’s go up to the big house and have a beer. We should talk about the new ranch land we’re buying and the oil leases are coming due again in six months. We need to decide if we want to renew or start drilling ourselves.”
Mitch settled his hat on his head and grinned. “Sounds good to me.”
As they walked, Caleb was glad to finally be more at ease with his brother. But thoughts of Shelby made sure he wasn’t at ease with anything else.
* * *
Cam had left a big bowl of pasta salad in the fridge and roast beef sandwiches on a covered plate for their dinner. After a long hot day, it sounded perfect. But for right now, Shelby sat at the kitchen table, making a list of things for Alexis to look into for the auction.
First, of course, had to be advertising. If they really wanted to make the most of this auction, then they needed as many single women as possible to take part.
“Houston papers as well as Royal,” she murmured, making notes as she talked. “A website would be good, too. Maybe they could have a link on Royal’s town site, but one of its own would be even better.”
“Talking to yourself?” Caleb asked as he came into the room.
She looked up and smiled. Memories flooded her mind, how he’d been last night, how they’d been, together. Maybe she should have been embarrassed but instead all she could think was that she wanted to do it all again. And again.
Squirming a little on the bench seat as her body
warmed, she forced cheer into her voice. “No, I actually told Alexis Slade I’d help her with the bachelor auction.”
Caleb went to the fridge for a bottle of beer. Once he had it open, he took a long drink and shook his head. “Can’t believe they’re going to do it.”
“Are you going to be one of the bachelors?”
“Oh, that’s a big hell no,” Caleb said, firmly shaking his head for emphasis.
Foolishly, relief washed over Shelby. Heck, she might not even be in Royal when the auction happened, but she was glad to hear he wouldn’t be bought by some woman who wasn’t her.
“I think it sounds fun,” she said, deliberately making herself smile. “We’re thinking of a Christmas theme.”
“Christmas? It’s August,” Caleb pointed out.
“Well, it’s not going to be held tomorrow. The auction is set for November, so a Christmas theme will really work. There’s a lot to be done in not very much time.” She looked back to her list and started a new column for decorations. “Plenty of mistletoe, and wreaths and ribbon. Probably a hundred yards or so of ribbon, since Alexis says they’re holding the auction at the TCC in the gazebo. To make it look like a winter wonderland it will take a few miles of pine garland and red ribbon—”
“Ribbon.”
“And snow.” She looked up at him. “Does it snow in Texas? Heck, does it ever cool off in Texas?”
He grinned. “It doesn’t usually get cold enough to snow.”
“Fake snow, then. It could be mounded in corners with little signs pointing the way to the dessert tables and the bar and the auction itself... Ooh, write that down. We should have lots of different desserts. I bet Jillian at Miss Mac’s Pie Shack would do the desserts for us and—” She paused and narrowed her eyes on him. “What’re you smiling at?”
He shook his head. “Just that I’m sort of getting used to your monologues.”
“Well,” she said, “I talk to myself because I always understand me.”
“Uh-huh.” He walked to the kitchen island, hitched one hip against it and asked, “How do you know Jillian Navarro at Miss Mac’s Pie Shack?”
“I was in town and hello. Pie. I stopped in to try some and got to talking with her, and her daughter is just adorable and her desserts are amazing.”
“Right. So you’re helping Alexis with the auction. Making friends all over town. Does that mean you’ve decided to stay in Royal after you get your money back?”
Shelby sighed. She’d been thinking a lot about just that. Stay or go. The truth was, she had nothing in Chicago to go back to. A few friends, some loyal clients, but nothing else. Here in Royal, she could start over. Build a new business. Make new friends. But even she didn’t believe those reasons were the only ones she was considering staying for.
She’d like a chance with Caleb. But there was no guarantee that would happen and if she stayed and couldn’t have him, would she be able to live with it?
“Honestly, I don’t know,” she said, looking up at him. “Until I get the money, I don’t have to make that decision so I guess I’m putting it off.”
He simply stared at her for a long minute or two and once again, Shelby was left wishing she could read what he was thinking. The whole quiet cowboy thing was irritating in the extreme when you wanted answers and got nothing but more questions.
Then his manner shifted. He straightened up, set his beer down on the counter and pointed at the window behind her. “Looks like we’ve got company.”
Shelby turned in her seat in time to see Brooke Goodman get out of her car. Darkness was lowering over the ranch, but the porch light was bright enough to see that Brooke’s light blond hair was lifting in the ever-present wind. She wore skinny black jeans, a dark red shirt with long sleeves and a pair of black sandals. She took a long look at the house, then turned back to her flashy red convertible and reached into the backseat.
When she lifted out one of Shelby’s suitcases, Shelby gave a whoop of excitement. “She’s brought my stuff!”
Jared’s sister was the only one of the Goodman family that Shelby had actually liked. Brooke had been her one and only bridesmaid at the wedding that hadn’t happened. And if she was here now, with her suitcase, maybe she was also going to deliver the money that was Shelby’s.
She scooted out of the bench seat and headed for the door. “I’ll go talk to her.”
“Yeah,” Caleb said, walking right behind her. “We should.”
Shelby rolled her eyes. Whether he wanted her or not, the man couldn’t seem to stop trying to protect her. But with Brooke, no protection was necessary.
She opened the door just as Jared’s sister was lifting one hand to knock. Instead, she slapped that hand to her chest and gave a short laugh.
“Wow. You scared me.”
“Sorry,” Shelby said and reached out to hug her. “I’m so glad to see you, Brooke.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get your things back to you,” she said, as Caleb took the suitcase from her and pulled it inside. “There’s another one in the backseat.”
“I’ll get it.”
Meanwhile, Shelby steered Brooke into the great room and took just a second for a little self-congratulatory smile. She really had made a huge difference in this house. The room was open, welcoming. The ranch was now looking exactly like what it was, a luxury ranch house with eclectic details. She waved Brooke onto the couch and sat down beside her.
Brooke was petite and pretty and so nice it made up for the fact that she seemed nearly perfect. She was also a talented artist, though neither of her parents were supportive of her goals.
“Thank you for bringing my things,” Shelby said.
“Don’t thank me.” Brooke took a breath and let it out in a rush. “I couldn’t get your money. The family is still furious and it was all I could do to sneak your suitcases out.”
Shelby felt a wave of disappointment rise up, then dissipate. She would get her money, it was just a matter of when. “It’s okay. Really.” She forced a smile. “This is all my fault, anyway. I should have called the whole thing off long before the wedding day.”
Brooke shook her head. “Don’t ruin it for me. You’re actually my hero in all of this. You stood up to the Goodman family and that’s something I’ve never been able to do.”
Shelby knew that Brooke’s dream was to go to Europe to study painting, view the old masters in person. But her parents had control over Brooke’s inheritance and they refused to give her what her grandmother had left her.
“Brooke,” Shelby said, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze, “just do it. Don’t wait for your parents to agree. Just go.”
The other woman sighed a little. “I can’t touch my money unless my parents give permission or I’m married.”
“Wow.” Shelby sat back. “Couldn’t you go anyway? Work to support yourself while you’re there?”
“It sounds wonderful, but I’m not trained to do anything,” Brooke said. “Unless someone wants me to arrange a sit-down dinner for thirty. I can do that.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Shelby said. “You’re so talented. You have to do something with your art.”
Brooke instantly brightened. “Actually, Alexis Slade asked me to do some painting at the TCC. I’m doing a mural at the day care and more in the public garden areas. It’s not Europe, but it’s exciting.”
Shelby grinned. “What did your parents say?”
Brooke laughed. “They don’t know.”
Caleb walked back into the room and took a seat near the two women. “I put your things in your room, Shelby.”
“Thanks. Brooke was just telling me—”
“What the hell?” Caleb cut her off, looking through the wide front windows at a long, black sedan hurtling down the drive and coming to a hard stop behind Brooke’s car.
Both
women turned to look and Brooke groaned. “Oh, God. That’s my father. What’s he doing here?”
“He probably knows you brought my things over,” Shelby said, standing up. “I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to get in trouble over me.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Brooke said. She stood up, too, and all three of them watched as Simon Goodman stomped toward the front door.
He didn’t bother to knock, just came inside and slammed the door behind him. “Brooke! Where the hell are you?”
She gave Shelby a sad smile. “Right here, Father.”
Caleb took a step forward, automatically putting himself between Simon and the rest of the room. He stood there, Shelby told herself, like a soldier. Back straight, legs braced wide apart, arms crossed over his chest. He was a solid wall of protection and she felt a rush of warmth for him. He would always stand for someone he felt needed defending.
Simon Goodman marched into the room like a man on a mission. His features were thunderous, his dark eyes burning as he swept the room before landing on his daughter. “The minute I saw that woman’s suitcases gone from the hall, I knew you were behind it.”
“Father,” Brooke said with calm, “these are Shelby’s things. She deserves to have them.”
“She deserves nothing from us,” he countered and shifted his gaze to Shelby. “You’ve dragged my son’s name through the dirt. And for what?”
Caleb speared him with a hot look. “You’re going to want to watch what you say, Simon.”
“It’s all right, Caleb. I can handle this,” she said, then looked at the older man vibrating with fury. “Mr. Goodman, I didn’t mean to—”
“You didn’t mean,” Simon said with a harsh sneer. “Is that supposed to make this all go away? People are gossiping about my son and here you are, living with a rancher, no better than you should be.”
Caleb took a step closer to him. “That’s enough, Simon.”
The older man glared at him. He wore a suit and tie, but his hair was disheveled as if he’d been electrocuted recently and his eyes fired with indignation.
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