I made my way back to the barn where I kept Yankee, and Luke and Wade along with a few ranch hands were laughing. I handed off Yankee and then asked what the big joke was. “Last time I checked, boys, you were still on the clock.”
“Cool your jets, boss man. Everything is done. Wade was just telling us about the ghost we now have here in the barn.”
“Ghost? What are you fools talking about?” I said as I hung up my saddle.
“Wade thinks we have a ghost here in the barn.”
“Oh yeah? And what makes you think that?”
“Okay, laugh all you want, but the last three nights I have been awakened by some noise out here, and every time I come out to look around, it suddenly stops. I check all the horses and make sure everything is secure before closing the doors. I swear it’s just a feeling, but it’s like someone is watching me when I’m in here.”
“Okay, fun time is over,” I said as I made my guys go back to work.
“I’m telling you, boss, something is not right.”
“Goodbye, Wade. Get down to the cabins and make sure the checklist is complete. We have campers arriving soon, and I want everything to be perfect.”
“You got it,” he said, leaving me in the barn alone.
“Ghosts! They’re nuts,” I said aloud to myself.
“Talking to yourself again?” I heard her say behind me. It was Shelby.
“Hey, baby, where did you come from?”
“The main house. I just dropped off a pie for Connie and Brock.”
“That was thoughtful of you, I’m sure they appreciate it.”
“I hope so. This making amends thing is hard.”
“Baby, you never have to worry about that. Everyone here loves you, but no more than me.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. So, I thought you were working with your dad today? Where is he?”
“I don’t know. We got into it, and then I got pissed and did what I do best.”
“You took off?” she almost winced as she said the words.
“More like cooling off on my horse.”
“Feel better?”
“No, but I’ll get over it.”
“Shane, are you about done for today?”
“Yeah, just about. I have some paperwork to do, but that can wait until tomorrow. The crew is down at the cabins making sure everything is set for next week.”
“Great. I love when we get guests. Keeps us busy around here, that’s for sure.”
“Hey, Shelby, do you still want to be in charge of the reservations? I know you’ve enjoyed it in the past, but I didn’t want to presume anything until I asked you first.”
“Yes, of course, I want to help. I was actually down there myself this morning after you left for work. The cabins look great. The new supplies we ordered were delivered, and cabins one through six are now stocked up with everything the guests requested and then some. I’m on top of it.”
“Wow! You never cease to surprise me. Thank you for that.”
“It’s what I signed up for, and I have to say I missed it. I even cleaned my office.”
“As if it was a mess in the first place.”
“No, just cobwebs from my absence. I swear to you, Shane, I’m okay and ready to work beside you again and do my part.”
“That’s music to my ears. I love you.”
“I love you too. How about we go christen one of the new beds?”
“Don’t even think about it.”
“Okay, the wall then. Let’s go.”
I swooped in and put Shelby on my shoulder as she laughed and giggled all the way to the truck.
The following week, we had our much-anticipated appointment with our doctor. We were both so nervous and waited patiently while he read over our file. Our hands were linked together, and I think we were both holding our breath.
He closed the file and sadly smiled back at us. I knew at that moment whatever he was about to tell us would not be good.
“Okay, this is what we know,” Dr. Tillman began to explain as Shelby covered my hand with hers. “Shelby, Shane, I’m sorry, but none of your eggs are viable.”
“Did we wait too long?” asked Shelby.
“Yes. The longer the process is delayed, the chances of the embryo taking significantly decreases. At best, we were looking at a 2 to 12% success rate.”
“What kind of odds is that? You had over 20 eggs, and not one was viable? What the fuck!” I shouted back at Dr. Tillman, who allowed me the room to vent my frustrations.
“Shane, please sit back down.” My wife tried to calm me, but I couldn’t look at her because of the immediate guilt I felt. I pushed her to do this, and now I felt as if I was breaking her heart all over again. She felt it, she always did. She got up and joined me over by the window, placing her arms around my waist. “Shane, I’m okay. I knew the chances and should have prepared you better, but you were so happy that I couldn’t take your smiles away from you.”
I turned around and held her face in my hands so she could look up at me. Her eyes always showed me what I needed to see. “And what about your smiles? This is just not about me. I feel another part of us has died, and our hopes of ever becoming parents are just fading away right before us.”
“Shane, Shelby, hope is not lost. You could use a donor egg along with a surrogate. Your dream is not over, not by a long shot. Why don’t you take some of this literature I have here and read up on it? Then when you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be here.”
Shelby took the papers, and then I apologized for my outburst.
“Not necessary, but thank you,” Dr. Tillman responded.
“How are you feeling right now?” I asked Shelby as we drove away from Dr. Tillman’s office.
“A little numb, but it will pass.”
“Shelby, I didn’t know this would happen. I never believed it was even a possibility. I shouldn’t have gotten our hopes up.”
“You didn’t. How can I explain this without sounding as if I don’t feel the same way you are right now? It’s disappointing, yes, but nowhere near what we’ve already gone through. For seven months, I carried a baby inside of my body. I felt him move and watched my body change as he continued to grow, and then one day, he was gone and a huge piece of my heart died along with him. Making the decision to extract my eggs was almost a knee-jerk decision that I was pressured into doing because of my family’s history. I told my mother that I wasn’t ready for something like that, and then I found myself telling you that it was a good idea to do it, and then it was done. You just went along and supported that decision and never questioned me about it. I thought, wow, he’s so wonderful to go along with this.”
“What would you have had me say? Tell you no? Because I wouldn’t have done that. I listened to your mom and you go on and on about the positive reasons why it was a good idea, and I saw it on your face. You were sure, so I was sure. In my wildest dreams, I never believed we would use those eggs because…”
“Finish that sentence, please.”
“I never worried, because we got pregnant. I didn’t want to worry about cancer that you may never get in your lifetime.”
“Okay, that’s honest. So, where do we go from here?”
“We keep moving forward and love each other. I can’t live without you, Shelby, and as long as I have you, then the rest of it doesn’t matter.”
“Are you sure that I’m enough? We are enough?”
“I’ve never been surer. You and me, just us two.”
That night my sleep was restless, probably a combination of the bad news from the doctor as well as the anxiety of the guests arriving the next day.
“Hey, taking off already? It’s barely five,” she called out the next morning.
“Don’t remind me, but it’s ranch life, and it’s not going to run by itself.”
“Can I make you some breakfast before you leave?”
“I’m going to run down to the cabins and do a final inspection before our guests arrive, check-in with the
crew, and then I’ll be back.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be here waiting for you.”
I was almost skipping down to my truck, knowing how true that was. I had just finished checking all six cabins that were booked and was about to head home when I noticed something off with one of the vacant ones.
The door was open just enough for me to notice. I grabbed my shotgun from the truck, not knowing what would be waiting for me behind the door. This was Wyoming, and it wouldn’t be the first time I came up against a bear. I slowly opened the door, and everything looked in order until I heard a noise coming from the bedroom. I cocked my gun and was ready for anything. I flew open the door only to find the window open and whoever had been here was now gone.
After I was finished looking around, all I found was food missing from the cupboards, and the extra comforter that was kept in the wardrobe was missing. I stowed my gun back into the truck and then called Wade and Luke to meet me down here.
“Hey, boss man, what’s up?”
“Yeah, I think I found your ghost,” I said.
“No shit! Where are you?”
“I’m down at cabin twelve.”
“Okay, we’re on our way.”
Shelby
“How about we get some lunch? I’m over inventory,” Tenley said and then plopped down on the couch.
“Come on, girl. I promised Shane I would have this done by today, and the clock is ticking.”
“You know I have a law degree, right? Inventory is below my pay grade.” She smiled as she kicked her feet up on my desk.
“You snob!” I laughed. “And I have a business degree and an overgrown bear of a husband that will skin me alive if I don’t get this done.”
“Maybe that’s what you want.”
“Slut!”
“Right back at you! You sound happy, Shelby.”
“I am, we both are. After everything we’ve been through and then surviving our disastrous appointment with Dr. Tillman, we’re still standing and in a very good place. Getting back to work is definitely keeping my mind busy and Shane’s.”
“You make a good team. You always did.”
“Yeah, I think you and I both did pretty well in the husband department.”
“Speaking of which, Jagger is waiting for me.”
“Tenley, can you wait a sec?” I asked her.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I just want to say thank you for your friendship. I don’t know what I would have done without you and Jagger. I pushed you away more times than I’m ashamed to admit, and you pushed back and stayed. I’m not sure if ‘thank you’ is even the right word, but it’s how I feel. I’m just thankful for you both.”
“We love you, Shelby. You are part of our family, no matter what.”
“I miss my godson. Do you think we can have a day soon?”
“Absolutely, and he misses you too. We just didn’t want…”
“I know, but I promise I’m fine and will continue to be fine.”
After Tenley left, Shane arrived. “Hey, baby, are you ready?”
“Yes, I am, thank goodness, but…”
“But what?” he furrowed his brow.
“Are the guys breaking in here at night? I understand cowboys and their big appetites, but this is getting ridiculous. I didn’t want to say anything, but when I did inventory, I noticed the quantity coming up short, and now it’s happened again. I thought it was me at first, so I checked and re-checked my ordering, but it’s right, Shane. So, if the ranch hands are not feasting at night, then we have a serious theft problem here.”
“Okay, don’t freak out, but we have a squatter on the property. I discovered it today while I was checking the cabins. I thought it might be a wild animal that got in, but clearly, someone has been sneaking in and using cabin twelve for shelter and knows where we store our supplies. I checked all the surveillance footage and came up with nothing. I don’t know who it is, but I’m going to catch him and make sure he never comes onto this ranch again.”
“Shane, how on earth can someone just bypass all our security and waltz onto our property like no one’s business?”
“He must be pretty smart, that’s for sure, but he has stolen from us for the last time, because I’m going to catch him.”
“Have you told Brock or Jagger?”
“No, only Luke and Wade know so far. At least the ghost theory can stop now. Let’s go home. My dad is waiting for us, and then I will deal with the squatter issue later.”
Back at home and a few hours later, my father-in-law patted his stomach, making me feel proud that I could do something nice for him.
“That dinner was delicious.”
“Why, thank you, Kip, always happy to have you over to our home.”
“How is my son? He didn’t say much to me tonight.”
“You two are so alike, it’s scary. He loves you, Kip, and respects you so much.”
“I know he does. It’s just sometimes I don’t always know the right words to say to him without Shane blowing up at me.”
“And for that, I’m sorry,” Shane said from behind me.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were standing there. I best be going. Thanks, darling, for supper.”
“Anytime, Kip. Please give my best to Kathleen.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Shane said.
I watched two very stubborn cowboys embrace and then walk out, laughing over something Kip had said. Man, I loved them very much and felt so lucky to have them both in my life. A few hours later, Shane was filling his pack with supplies.
“Are you going to be okay out there alone?” I asked.
“I’ll be fine, sweetheart. You don’t have to worry about me. Thank you for inviting my dad over here tonight. You’re right, as usual.”
“You just needed a push. He loves you, Shane, and would move heaven and earth for you if he could. He’s a good man.”
“Yes, he is, and I’m damn proud to be his son. All I ever wanted was to emulate him in every way possible. He’s my hero and has never disappointed me, not ever. Everything I am is because of him, and I so wanted to pass those values down to our kids. Please tell me that dream is not over for us. We can adopt. I don’t care if we have to travel the world to find him or her, but please just tell me that we both still have hope. It’s all I need.”
Shane’s eyes were hypnotizing to the point that I was high and all on Shane Rhodes. I loved him so much at this moment that I just couldn’t articulate the right words I wanted to say, so I just kissed him as passionately as I could manage. His hand caressed my back until he grabbed my ass, and before I knew it, my legs were wrapped around his waist.
“Please, babe, I need to see you,” he whispered.
“Yes, Shane, take me right here.”
I was wearing a skirt, which gave Shane easy access to tug once on my panties and successfully rip them. Before I could blink, he was buried deep in my wet folds, pounding his hard cock deep into my body. My walls clenched around him until I was screaming his name. We were both so close to losing our minds, and then Shane picked up the pace and continued to slam into me until he came so hard he barely remained on his feet.
“God, I fucking love you,” he breathily said while kissing me all over my face.
“I love you too, cowboy, so much”
“Let me carry you upstairs.”
“Shane, you’re still in me. How are you going to do that?”
“Oh, baby, you wound me. Let’s just say you bring out the wild animal in me.” And with that encouragement, Shane made love to me again. I don’t know where he gets his energy from considering the hours he works on the ranch. I asked him right before I literally passed out from exhaustion. He smiled and pulled me closer to his chest to hold me. My eyes were just about to close when he began to speak.
“I’m making up for lost time with you. You are my world, Shelby Rhodes, and I’m going to love you to the end of time.”
I tightened my arms around his wais
t and kissed his chest. He’s right, we did lose so much time when we were grieving and struggling through our pain, but that’s over now. He never gave up even though he probably should have. Shane being here and loving me the way he does is just one more reason I will do everything and anything in my power to make him happy.
I knew he had to leave to search for the squatter, but I just wanted a few more minutes with him. I asked Shane if he could wait until I fell asleep. He smiled and said he would knowing it would take but a minute or so. I knew once my eyes closed I would be fast asleep. I didn’t feel the bed move when he left but that’s okay. I knew he would be home soon and here with me.
Shane
Damn, it was cold tonight. The weather shifted the last few days, and the nights here were getting increasingly colder, which meant snow was coming and it was going to be brutal. I was happy to get a head start on the winterizing of all the cabins. Reservations were booked out for the entire season.
I guess I understood why certain foods had gone missing along with the blankets. The person in question hiding out here on the ranch had to be homeless and probably in need of help, which I would have no problem providing.
I parked my truck out of the way and hiked on foot back to the cabins. I set up the cameras on each of the four trees that surrounded the area of the cabins, and then I climbed up high and positioned myself on the huge tree limb I hoped would hold me. It had been a while since I tree climbed, and it was always with Jagger and Jamie. I had to admit this was kind of boring just being here by myself.
About two hours in, I was about to call it for the night when I saw from my phone some movement on the cam near cabin twelve, the very same that was broken into. All our equipment was state of the art, but our mystery guest was not what I expected at all. The figure was small—ridiculously small—which puzzled me even more than I was when I began this crazy night. I climbed down the tall oak and made my way over to the cabin, trying carefully not to make a sound.
I knew the doors were locked, because I secured them all this afternoon, but I purposely left the window unlocked since this was his choice of entry. I slowly raised the window and climbed inside. This cabin was geared for a family size of at least four to six members, which made it bigger than the other units. Judging by the room décor, I was in the third bedroom of the cabin. I checked the closet, and it was empty. This was one level, so once I made my way out of this room, I would come face-to-face with the intruder. I had my gun ready just in case.
Shane Page 8
