by Cindy Kirk
“May I join you?”
Shannon looked up, startled, when a man’s hand closed over the empty seat at her table.
* * *
Brodie Fortune Hayes may have asked Shannon the question, but he’d decided to join her regardless of the answer.
This morning, when Brodie had called his brother and asked Oliver if he wanted to check out how the Cowboy Country theme park was coming along, Oliver had nearly bitten his head off.
Something was clearly troubling his older sibling. When Brodie saw Nanny Shannon sitting alone, so far from home and without her little charge, he decided to do some investigating. While Brodie hadn’t been able to get anything out of his closemouthed brother, he believed he’d have better luck with the woman.
Shannon covered the phone with her hand. “Sorry. Not in the mood for company this morning.”
Ignoring her, he sat and motioned to the waiter for some coffee.
She shot him a venomous glance. He responded with a bland smile, pulling out his phone to check the stock reports. Oliver wasn’t the only Fortune Hayes with a healthy portfolio.
“Jerry torpedoed me,” Shannon muttered into the phone.
Brodie kept his gaze focused on his mobile unit, sensing she’d watch her words more carefully if she knew he was listening.
“It had to be that, Rachel. He’s the reason I didn’t get the job.” Shannon breathed in and out, and Brodie watched in fascination as she fought for control. “If he thinks I’m going to let him get away with doing this to me, he’s got a surprise coming. I—”
Shannon turned her back to Brodie and listened for several seconds.
“I don’t think he’d physically harm me. I’ll be fine, Rach. You told me to stop being a doormat...okay, maybe you didn’t use those exact words, but that’s what you meant. I’m just telling you. He’s not getting away with this. Okay, bye.”
Shannon set the phone down on the table and fixed her gaze on Brodie.
“Are you worried someone might do you physical harm?” Brodie demanded. “Is Oliver aware you might be in danger?”
“I’m not in danger.” Her tone was as flat as her eyes. “Even if I were, I can take care of myself.”
“Does Oliver know?”
“There’s nothing to know. Besides, your brother and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment.”
“Oh?” Brodie lifted a brow and feigned surprise. “What happened?”
She hesitated for so long he wondered if he needed to ask again. But just as he opened his mouth to press a little more, she began to speak.
“You want to know? Well, I’ll tell you. Oliver used some ridiculous teasing bet I made with Rachel as an excuse to get rid of me. He couldn’t even listen to my explanation. You know why?” Obviously the question was rhetorical because she plowed ahead, not waiting for his response. “Because I don’t matter to him. He knows me. He knows my heart. But he doesn’t care and he just wanted me gone.”
Shannon jerked to her feet. “Thanks for breakfast, Brodie.” She gestured to the waiter, who’d arrived to take the man’s order. “He’ll take my check, too.”
Without a backward glance, she strode off.
Strange, Brodie thought, yet very interesting. He pulled out his phone to call his brother.
Chapter Eighteen
He had behaved abysmally.
For a man who prided himself on his integrity, it was hard for Oliver to admit that what his father had done—what he’d given the man the power to do—had caused him to overreact and treat the woman he loved in such a despicable manner. Shannon had seen through him. Her accusations had been spot-on.
He’d used the “bet” as an excuse to push her away, even though he knew in his heart she wasn’t capable of such duplicity. It had been the move of a coward.
What he and Shannon shared didn’t have anything to do with a wager. Even if their physical relationship had started that way—which he didn’t believe it had—what was between the two of them, the closeness they shared, was one hundred percent genuine.
Oliver now faced the task of righting a very large wrong.
But he firmly believed the words he’d said to his sister; that if a man wanted something badly enough, he could make it happen. He would win Shannon back. He would show her he could be the man she deserved.
He was on his way to the Triple S when Brodie called and relayed the puzzling conversation he’d overheard. Oliver pulled over to the side of the road. His mind raced as he put the pieces together.
“Daddy, cookie,” Ollie called from his car seat.
“In a second, son,” Oliver said, despite knowing he hadn’t packed any biscuits. Even as he ordered Amelia’s number to be dialed, he decided the tiger Diane’s parents had given Ollie would have to do in place of a biscuit. He leaned over the seat and tossed the well-loved soft toy to him.
The boy squealed with delight and hugged the tiger to his chest.
Oliver stared thoughtfully at his son, at the toy given in love, then shifted his focus as the ringing stopped and Amelia answered. As he’d hoped, she had Rachel’s mobile number. Another call confirmed his greatest fear. According to her friend, Shannon was already on her way to Lubbock to confront her former boss. And she’d gone alone.
Oliver dropped off Ollie at his sister’s house, then attempted to ring Shannon again. She didn’t pick up. He hadn’t really expected her to and was once again on the highway headed to Lubbock.
His hands clenched the steering wheel in a death grip. If that sod touched one hair on Shannon’s head, Oliver Fortune Hayes would make him sorry he was ever born.
The rental vehicle’s GPS led him directly to a large office building of steel and glass in the downtown business district. The lack of parking in the area was of no concern to a Fortune. Oliver simply pulled the Mercedes sedan into a loading zone in front of the building and hopped out.
He barreled through the front door...and straight into Shannon.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her so tight, she squeaked.
“Oliver, let go, you’re crushing me.”
Loosening his hold, he stepped back, studying her from head to toe. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“Who?”
“Your former boss. The one you came to see.”
“I told him what I was going to do and I did it.” For a moment, a smile of smug satisfaction lifted her lips. “I went to human resources and filed a sexual harassment complaint against him. Apparently the company takes such charges very seriously.”
For a moment, it was as if yesterday had never happened. The connection, the warmth was still there. Had yesterday been a bad dream? Perhaps they would simply move forward, relegating his bad behavior to the past.
“You’re a strong and brave woman.” Oliver gave a little laugh. “Although, you may have taken several years off my life during the drive here.”
For a second she returned his smile, then seemed to remember how things were between them. She took several very deliberate steps back.
It appeared forgiveness wasn’t going to come so easily.
When Shannon turned abruptly on her heel and started walking, he followed.
She whirled and narrowed her gaze. “What is it you want, Oliver? Why are you even here?”
The coolness in her gaze sent a chill down his spine.
“I should think it’d be fairly obvious.” He moved to adjust his cuffs, then realized he’d left the house in such a hurry he’d grabbed the nearest item of clothing. He looked down and saw he’d pulled on an old gray sweatshirt that Shannon had borrowed from her father the other night.
Though he tried to ignore the fact he was dressed like a country bumpkin, his confidence was shaken. “My brother called. I spoke with Rachel. I feared for
your well-being.”
She offered a tight smile, one that didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “As you can see for yourself, I’m quite fine.”
“Well, I’m not quite fine. I haven’t been since you left.”
“You mean since you ordered me from your home? Since you fired me without even listening to me? When you didn’t even give me a chance to say a proper goodbye to Ollie?”
That had been a mistake. His son had been distraught. All Oliver could think of to placate the boy was to tell him Shannon’s mum needed her for a few days.
Oliver raked his hand through his hair. “We need to talk.”
She opened her mouth, then shut it and considered. “There’s a park just around the corner. I guess there are a few things I need to say to you.”
Her tone wasn’t promising, but he consoled himself that at least she was willing to hear him out. But when they reached the small green oasis and took a seat on an ornate metal bench beside an evergreen that had been cut to resemble a dragon, she lifted a hand when he started to speak.
“You had your say yesterday. It’s my turn.” Shannon lifted her chin, her brown eyes flat and cool. “You were completely out of line. You overheard only part of a conversation, yet you ran with it. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time thinking why a logical man such as yourself would do something so illogical.”
She jerked to her feet and began to pace. “I concluded you were scared of what had been building between us. You were looking for a way to run. That bit of conversation you overheard gave you the out you were seeking.”
Oliver opened his mouth to respond but shut it when she glared and continued. “That may have made you feel all justified and righteous, but it was devastating to me. To have the man I loved think so little of me. Worse, I just took the abuse and slunk away. Well, no more. Shannon Singleton is no one’s doormat. Not anymore. Not ever again.”
Though her voice was steady, she was visibly trembling.
He stood and would have stepped closer, but once again she held up a hand. The coolness in her eyes was like a knife to the heart. And the worst of it was, he had only himself to blame for the distance between them.
Oliver cleared his throat. “First I want to say, I’m proud of you, Shannon.”
“Well, doesn’t that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
The sarcasm had him raising his brows. “I mean it. I know what it took for you to come down here. You’re right about my behavior. I was out of line last night. Please come home with me. And Ollie. It’s where you belong.”
“News bulletin. I don’t belong anyplace where someone can order me out of the house when they get angry or scared or whatever.” Shannon leaned over and picked up her bag, which she’d set by the bench, then straightened. “That’s not a home, that’s a job.”
“Shannon,” he called out when she headed to the ornate entrance gate.
After a slight hesitation, she stopped and turned.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She paused for the briefest of seconds, as if waiting for him to say more. After a long moment she gave a little laugh that somehow managed to sound incredibly sad. “Yeah, well, I’m sorry, too.”
* * *
Before Oliver climbed the porch steps of the Singleton house, he cleaned off the bottom of his shoes. Who knew a walk through a corral could be so...unsavory?
Though it wasn’t even ten in the morning, he’d already managed to cross two items off his agenda, as evidenced by the conciliatory email winging its way across the Atlantic to Diane’s parents and his visit to the corral to speak with Shep.
His future father-in-law had been shocked when Oliver had shown up to ask for Shannon’s hand in marriage. Actually, he thought, the man seemed vastly amused that Oliver wanted to marry a woman who wasn’t even speaking to him at the present time.
Still, Shep had laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, telling him to “go for it.” Oliver took that to mean he had the man’s blessing.
Now came the hard part. After taking several deep breaths, he rang the bell.
Through the screen door, he watched Lilian approach. This time there was no broad welcoming smile, only a slightly wary one. Oliver didn’t blame her. Shannon was her daughter and he was, well, the cad who’d hurt her.
“Hello, Oliver.” Lilian glanced nervously over her shoulder. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Mrs. Singleton,” he said, reverting back to the more formal address. “I was wondering if you could fetch Shannon for me. I’d like to speak with her.”
“Who is it, Mom?”
A second after he heard her voice, Shannon stood beside her mother and close enough to touch.
Oliver’s heart slammed against his chest. She was breathtakingly beautiful in blue jeans, a simple white shirt and bare feet.
Her eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”
Oliver met her confused gaze with a slightly unsteady one of his own. “I’m here to listen.”
* * *
Shannon blinked. Her initial instinct had been to order him off the property. Until he said he’d come to listen. After she’d left the park, she’d thought of several other things she wanted to say to him.
In fact, she’d planned to call him today. She considered. For what she had to say, face-to-face would definitely be better.
“Okay, we’ll talk.” Shannon glanced at her mother. “Give us a few minutes.”
Her mother’s eyes softened. “Take as long as you need, dear.”
Shannon stepped out onto the porch and, after a momentary hesitation, moved to the swing.
Oliver followed, taking a seat on the far end then swiveling to face her.
She had to admit he looked quite dashing in his dark suit, crisp white shirt and red Hermes tie. Once, when she told him wearing her favorite cowboy boots made her feel more confident, he’d sheepishly confessed he felt that same way about a suit and tie.
Her heart softened slightly. “You said you came here to listen.”
He nodded.
“Well, then, I’d like to see Ollie.” Shannon folded her hands in her lap, hoping he didn’t notice the slight tremor. “I think it’s important he understands I didn’t leave because of anything he’d done.”
“You can see him anytime you want,” Oliver said. “Ollie has missed you. We both miss you.”
The last was said so quietly, but with such emotion, that for a second Shannon found it difficult to speak. She took a moment to clear her throat. “I—I left a few things behind, too. Let me know when would be a good time to stop by.”
“You’re welcome anytime.”
Tears stung the backs of her lids, but Shannon blinked rapidly and kept them at bay. “Okay, fine. Thanks.”
He reached out as if he intended to take her hand but let it fall when she sat back.
“Is there anything else you want to say to me?” he asked.
Shannon thought for a moment, a task that was becoming increasingly difficult. His nearness appeared to have turned her brain to mush. Of course, five minutes after he left she’d likely recall a dozen things she wanted to say. “No. No. That was all.”
“In that case, would you mind listening to me for a second?” When she opened her mouth, he lifted a hand. “If at any time you want me to leave or to stop talking, just say the word.”
“Are you saying if I ask you to leave and never come back, you’ll do it?” Though her insides shook like jelly, her voice came out steady.
“I can’t promise I’ll never come back.” Oliver shifted in his seat. “You’re too important to me to make such a promise.”
“What do you want to say, Oliver?”
“You were absolutely right.”
“About?”
; “Deep down, I was fearful of allowing you to see how much you mattered to me. My father told me numerous times anyone who loves or shows emotion is a fool.”
“You were married, Oliver. You’d taken that leap once before.” Shannon’s chuckle held no humor. “I’d have thought love would come easier to you the second time around.”
“I was never able to give my heart totally to Diane.” A red flush rose up his neck. “Since coming to Texas, I’ve come to believe my heart was waiting for you.”
Shannon gaped. Never had she thought she’d hear such flowery prose come from Oliver’s mouth. Yet he seemed sincere...if slightly embarrassed.
“I’m not proud of my behavior.” His eyes closed for a second and she watched as he clenched and unclenched one hand. “When you walked out the door and drove off, I realized I’d been a berk.”
“A what?”
“A—a fool.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “You have my heart, you know. You will always have it.” He reached over and took her hands in his. “Believe me. I love you. I trust you. Completely. Totally. Without reservation.”
Tears welled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.
Oliver wiped them away with the pads of his fingers. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“I love you, too.” The emotion squeezing her heart made her voice husky.
“You realize Ollie and I are a package deal.”
“I love Ollie.” This time it was her fingers swiping at the tears that seemed determined to fall. “Your little guy stole my heart within seconds of meeting him.”
“If we were to be together permanently, what is it you’d want, Shannon? Tell me what it is and it’s yours.”
Puzzled, she pulled her brows together. “What do you mean?”
“If we were married, where would you like to live?”
Married? Her breath caught. If they were married?
Shannon thought of how she’d insisted to Rachel she wouldn’t wed any man unless he agreed to settle in Horseback Hollow. “What if I said I wanted to live in Horseback Hollow?”
“Then that’s where we’ll live,” he said without hesitation. “I want you to be happy. If being here makes you happy, this is where we’ll live.”
