Cowboy Take Me Away

Chapter 6


At two minutes till seven, Shannon sat with Russell in his Lexus, which was parked at the curb in front of her parents’ house. He had the visor pulled down and was looking at himself in the mirror. He fluffed his sandy-brown hair with his fingers, then turned his head left and right. What he was checking for, she didn’t know, because nothing about Russell was ever out of place. He was impeccably dressed as always, wearing a sport coat that was probably cashmere and slacks with creases sharp enough to cut steel.

He’d been raised in a wealthy family—his father a heart surgeon and his mother a high-powered real estate agent—so Shannon knew he was comfortable with money. Why he’d chosen to open a dental practice in Rainbow Valley, she still didn’t know. His explanation of I was passing through once, liked it, and stayed, didn’t make sense to her. Small town life didn’t seem quite right for him, and he didn’t appear to be much of an animal lover. So what was left to like?

He flipped the visor back up again and reached into the backseat to grab the bottle of wine he’d brought. “I hope this pairs well with what your mother is cooking.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“This is the first time I’ve been to your parents’ house. I want to make a good impression.”

He took a deep, calming breath, as if there was actually something to worry about. The moment Shannon told her mother she was dating the new dentist in town, she’d been beside herself with delight.

“You don’t have to be uptight about this,” Shannon said. “It’s just dinner.”

“Dinner with your mother. Don’t take this wrong, Shannon. But she’s a little…discerning.”

“Don’t you mean ‘demanding’?” And demoralizing. And depressing. And—

“She was in the office a week ago for a cleaning. Velma had to go over her teeth twice before she thought they were clean enough. Plus, I’ve heard things.”

Shannon didn’t have to ask to know what “things” he was talking about. One Christmas her mother had insisted that Mary in the nativity scene in the town square be repainted so her smile would look more realistic. She said Mary wouldn’t have looked quite so happy after the rigors of childbirth, even if it did result in the baby Jesus.

They got out of the car and started up the walk. “Beautiful house,” Russell said.

Shannon agreed. She had always loved her parents’ house, from the stately wraparound front porch to the second-story stained glass windows to the turn-of-the-century millwork that accented the peak of every roof.

“It’s the original homestead of the Danforth estate,” Shannon said. “My parents bought it thirty years ago when Mildred Danforth moved to an assisted living facility in Austin. The homeless animals she was taking care of at the time were the first residents of the shelter. Actually, she once owned all the land that eventually became Rainbow Valley.”

“I heard she died fairly recently.”

“That’s right. Just before I moved back here.”

They went to the door and Shannon rang the bell. Several seconds later her mother opened the door. She wore a pair of gray slacks and a silk blouse, accompanied by just enough jewelry to make a statement without being ostentatious. Her hair was swept into a perfect chignon highlighted by a silver comb, evidence that she’d spent a few hours that day at Tasha’s Hair Boutique.

Astrid was tucked under her arm looking newly coiffed herself, wearing her usual pink bow and sweet doggy smile. She was an engaging little Pomeranian Loucinda treated like a third child, a perfectly behaved third child who did as she was told, barked only when spoken to, and was quite content to spend most of her days just lounging around looking beautiful. Neither of Loucinda’s daughters, for their own reasons, had ever been the lap dog she’d so desperately wanted.

“Dr. Morgensen,” Loucinda said, reaching out a perfectly manicured hand. “I’m so glad you could come this evening.”

Russell took her hand. “Please. It’s Russell.”

“Russell,” she said with an ingratiating smile. “Do come in.”

She closed the door behind them, and Russell held out the wine. “This is for you.”

Setting Astrid down, Loucinda took the wine, admiring the vintage and the label. Shannon’s father, Jerome, came into the entry and shook Russell’s hand, but Loucinda cut that short by shoving the wine at him and escorting Russell into the living room herself.

When they entered the room, Shannon saw Eve sprawled on the plush Bridgewater sofa, poking away at her iPhone. Her hair, brassy red this week, hung in thick waves across her shoulders. She wore a tie-dyed skirt she’d gotten at a craft fair in Austin, flip-flops, and a skintight lime green shirt that left very little to the imagination from the waist up. It was as if a Woodstock hippie had traveled through time and landed in an Ethan Allen showroom.

“Hey, you guys.” She tucked her phone into her pocket and scooted over, making space for the two of them on the sofa. “I just sold a vintage brooch to a guy on eBay. I was finalizing the deal. If only I hadn’t caved in and sold it to him for twenty-five percent off, I might have actually made money on it.”

“So what sob story did you buy into this time?” Shannon asked.

“Hey, it wasn’t a sob story!” Eve said, then twisted her mouth with irritation. “Okay, so it was a sob story. He wants to give it to his wife to wear to their daughter’s wedding.”

Sucker, Shannon thought, even though it was nice that Eve at least had a heart. In her profession, it meant she’d probably be broke forever, but to Eve, the story was way more important than the money.

They sat down on the sofa, and Astrid promptly leaped up and plopped down next to Russell.

“Oh, look at that!” Loucinda said, beaming. “Astrid likes you!”

But Shannon wasn’t entirely sure Russell was returning the love. Astrid was very sweet, but she had no radar when it came to snuggling up next to a receptive ear scratcher. Russell patted her head, then pulled his hand back to his lap and shifted uncomfortably. The slacks, his body language said. Move away from the slacks.

Jerome sat down on his throne—a La-Z-Boy recliner in cranberry leather with power recline and Shiatsu massage. Ever since he’d retired from his law practice, he’d divided his time between that chair and Majestic Golf and Country Club, an exclusive property halfway between Rainbow Valley and Austin where the rich folks gathered for golf, gossip, and gastronomics.

“You have a lovely home,” Russell said.

“Why, thank you,” Loucinda said. “But it wasn’t always that way, you know. It was an absolute horror when we bought it. It hadn’t been updated since the 1930s, and there was so much to do. We recently went through another round of renovations to bring it into the twenty-first century.”

“That was fun,” Jerome muttered.

“That was necessary,” Loucinda said.

Jerome looked at Russell. “‘Necessary’ meant we had to paint all the walls exactly one shade darker. I’m still trying to figure that one out.”

From the look on Russell’s face, he didn’t know which person to side with. In the end, he just said nothing.

They made small talk for a few minutes about the weather and the economy, and then Loucinda announced it was time for dinner. They gathered in the dining room, where she’d set the table with one of her three china patterns and the most ornate silver she owned. Classical music filled the air, wafting out of the sound system she’d insisted on installing during their last renovation.

“So how’s business?” Shannon asked Eve as they sat down. “Aside from giving brooches away.”

“Great. I have two new estate sales booked. Lots of good stuff.” She turned to Loucinda. “Oh, Mom! I found something just for you.”

“And what’s that?”

“A Mickey Mouse wall clock. It would look très chic over your fireplace. A hundred and twenty-five bucks. Want me to reserve it for you?”

Loucinda gave Eve a long-suffering look, then turned to Russell. “I’m afraid Eve has a very odd sense of humor.”

Eve shook her head sadly. “I try to save the good stuff for family members, but do they appreciate it? No, they do not.”

“We already have something over our fireplace,” Loucinda said, then turned to Russell. “It’s a portrait of Emmaline North, Jerome’s mother. She died fifteen years ago.”

Russell glanced over the fireplace, and Shannon saw his face crinkle ever so slightly. No wonder. The portrait of Grandma North was a frightening thing. Shannon had always thought she looked like Cruella de Vil minus the two-tone hair and the full-length fur coat.

“It’s…lovely,” Russell said.

“It was painted by Frederick Durand,” Loucinda said. “He was one of the premier portrait artists of the mid-twentieth century. It cost Emmaline thousands to commission his work.”

If he was so damned good, Shannon thought, why couldn’t he make her smile?

But no matter what that portrait looked like, Loucinda would hang it over their fireplace until the world turned to dust. If she didn’t, she knew for a fact that Grandma North would crawl back from the grave, tell her how ungrateful she was, and make life hell for her for the rest of eternity.

They filled their plates and began to eat. Russell took a bite of Loucinda’s Monterrey Chicken and told her it was excellent. As Loucinda thanked him with the proper humility, Eve leaned over and whispered to Shannon under her breath. “He gets ten points for complimenting Mom’s cooking. If he reaches a hundred, he gets to marry you.”

Shannon glared at her sister. Will you knock it off?

“So, Russell,” Jerome said, “you haven’t been in town long, but I hear your business is booming.”

“It keeps me busy,” Russell said. “But I don’t mind hard work. That’s what it takes to build a successful practice.”

“Ten more points,” Eve whispered.

“Your clinic is very attractive,” Loucinda said. “You have lovely taste.”

“I hope it’s not too masculine,” Russell said. “It probably needs a woman’s touch.”

“Twenty points,” Eve whispered.

Shannon kicked her sister under the table.

“So why did you become a dentist instead of a heart surgeon like your father?” Jerome asked.

“I considered cardiology,” Russell said. “But I decided I didn’t want to be on call for the rest of my life.” He smiled at Shannon. “I’m more suited to being a family man.”

When Loucinda looked delightfully impressed, Eve whispered, “He gets a hundred points for that alone. Can you hear the wedding bells?”

Shannon would have loved to have given her sister another swift kick, but it was all so close to the truth she had a hard time mustering one up.

“Shannon told me you and Jerome just got back from a cruise,” Russell said.

“Yes,” Loucinda said. “The weather was perfect, and the tours were spectacular. Of course, there was always the chance of pirates.”

“Mom, you were in the Mediterranean,” Eve said. “Not off the coast of Somalia.”

“You never know these days,” Loucinda said. “The world is a dangerous place.”

Russell and her parents expanded their vacation talk, soon discovering they’d both stayed at the same exclusive boutique hotel in Miami and had dinner at the same five-star restaurant. Shannon felt strangely disconnected from all of it. In spite of the fact that she’d done her share of high-class traveling with her family as a child, she’d never felt particularly in tune with that kind of lifestyle. She took a big swig of wine, then scooped up her last bite of chicken, wishing the evening was closer to being over.

“Hey, Shannon,” Eve said. “Heard you hired Luke Dawson to be the new caretaker at the sanctuary.”

Shannon froze, her fork hovering over her plate. It took about five seconds for her to thaw enough to look at her mother, whose eyes were wide with shock and whose fork was similarly stuck midair. Russell looked back and forth between them, clearly wondering what might be causing the floating flatware. Eve, of course, was still eating with the zeal of a lumberjack. The only thing that stopped Shannon from killing her sister right then and there was the overabundance of witnesses to the crime.

“Excuse me?” Loucinda said. “You hired Luke Dawson?”

“Yeah,” Shannon said, trying to sound as unconcerned as she could. “It’s only temporary. For three months or so.”

Loucinda’s face slowly took on a red tinge, and for a moment, Shannon seriously thought she might have choked on something.

“I heard he was in town for his father’s funeral a week or two ago,” Loucinda said, “but I thought he was long gone by now.”

“He came back.” Shannon stuck the bite of chicken in her mouth and swallowed, nearly choking herself.

“But I don’t understand,” Loucinda said in that tone of voice that suggested she’d rather be shouting than speaking rationally. “Why in the world would you hire Luke Dawson?”

“Who’s Luke Dawson?” Russell asked.

“He used to live here,” Eve said. “He raised holy hell in high school. Most people thought he was the devil himself.”

Russell blinked. “You hired the devil himself?”

“He’s not the devil,” Shannon said. “And he’s not a kid anymore.”

“I’ll say he’s not,” Eve said. “I saw him walking into the real estate office downtown the day of his father’s funeral. Wow. Just…wow.”

Shannon pursed her lips and gave her sister the Evil Eye. But Eve just smiled and kept on eating. Russell turned to Shannon, his brow furrowed. “So how old is this guy?”

“He and Shannon were in the same class at Rainbow Valley High,” Eve said. “So he’s probably twenty-nine.”

Twenty-nine years old…devil himself…double wow…

And that furrow in Russell’s brow grew deeper still.

Loucinda slowly lowered her fork to her plate, still gripping it so tightly her fingers whitened. “Luke is just an employee,” she said to Russell. “Performing manual labor at the shelter. That’s all.” So he’s no competition for you. None at all. Feel free to date my daughter.

Shannon stood up, grabbing her plate. “Come on, Eve. Help me get dessert.”

“No,” Loucinda said. “You girls stay here. I’ll do it.”

“Nonsense,” Shannon said, grabbing her mother’s plate. “You probably spent all afternoon in the kitchen.”

Eve picked up her plate and Russell’s and followed Shannon into the kitchen.

“Wow,” Eve said, as the kitchen door swung closed behind them. “I’m thinking Mom didn’t know about Luke yet.”

“Yeah?” Shannon said, glaring at her sister. “What was your first clue?”

“The vein popping out on her forehead.”

“How did you even know?”

“Well, it has been over two hours since you hired him. Freddie Jo told Rosie, who told Tasha, who told me.”

Forget Facebook and Twitter. The speed of the Rainbow Valley grapevine made social media look like the Pony Express.

“Did you have to drop that bomb right in the middle of dinner?” Shannon said, setting the plates beside the sink.

Eve shrugged. “She was going to find out soon enough. Might as well rip off the Band-Aid.”

Actually, it was probably the best place for her mother to get the news. With Russell around, she was forced to be on her best behavior.

“But Mom was the least of your worries,” Eve said. “I thought Grandma North was going to pop out of that painting and go for your throat.”

Shannon had been a little afraid of that herself. Grandma North’s hypercritical nature had been legendary. If Loucinda had scrambled her whole married life to be good enough for Jerome, how would Grandma North feel about Shannon even speaking to Luke Dawson?

“So why Luke?” Eve said.

Shannon pulled a coconut cream pie from the refrigerator as she explained the situation. Unfortunately, the longer she talked, the weaker her logic sounded.

“So not only did you hire a man with a terrible reputation,” Eve said, “he can’t even walk?”

“He can walk,” Shannon said. “He just can’t do…you know…oh, hell. I couldn’t get anybody else to take the job. He was willing to do it, so there you go.”

“Sure you don’t still have a thing for him?” Eve said, retrieving plates from the cabinet.

Shannon’s heart skipped. “I never had a thing for Luke.”

“Then you were the only girl who didn’t.”

Russell came into the kitchen, and Shannon tossed her sister a sidelong glare. Nothing more about that subject. Absolutely nothing. Do I make myself clear?

Russell sidled up next to Shannon, looking mildly distressed. “Your mother hated the wine, didn’t she?”

“No. She liked it just fine.”

“It was sixty bucks a bottle.”

“All the more reason for her to love it.”

“She made a face when she drank it.”

“Lighten up,” Eve said. “She liked it. After all, you’re a doctor. You could have brought her a bottle of Drano and she’d have poured it into the Waterford and choked it down.”

“Not doctor,” Russell said. “Dentist.”

“That’s fine. As long as she can eventually say, ‘Meet my son-in-law, Dr. Morgensen,’ she’s happy.”

Shannon gave her sister a deadpan look, then turned to Russell. “Sorry. Eve has no filter.”

“Oops,” Eve said. “Here comes Mom.”

Loucinda swept through the door, her heels tapping. “Now, Russell. Guests aren’t allowed to help. Why don’t you go back to the dining room and keep Jerome company while we girls get dessert?”

Russell obediently scooted out of the kitchen.

“You two have this under control,” Eve said, handing Shannon the knife. “I think Dad needs more company.”

Thanks a million, sis.

As Eve slipped out the door, Loucinda said, “Now, about Luke Dawson—”

“I needed a caretaker. He wanted the job. Supply, demand. That’s all there was to it.”

“No. That Dawson boy has no business back in this town, much less anywhere near my daughter.”

“Mom, your daughter is nearly thirty years old. I’ve been making my own decisions for quite some time now.”

“I just don’t understand why you would jeopardize your relationship with Dr. Morgensen by fraternizing with the likes of that man.”

“There’s nothing to jeopardize,” Shannon said, cutting a slice of pie and depositing it on a plate. “We’ve dated only a few times.”

“Well, it’s pretty clear to me Dr. Morgensen is looking for a wife.”

Shannon wanted to beat her head against the counter. “A wife? Aren’t you jumping the gun just a little?”

“Deny it if you want to, dear, but your suitability for each other is obvious to everyone in Rainbow Valley.”

Shannon couldn’t deny that. That was the way it was in Rainbow Valley. People were paired up as if they lived on Sesame Street. Which of these things look the same? That’s right, boys and girls! Shannon and Russell! They’re both pretty people with professional degrees. They belong together!

“Stop the speculation, Mom,” Shannon said, scooting more pie onto plates. “Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean a wedding is right around the corner.”

“Men like Russell don’t come to Rainbow Valley every day,” Loucinda said. “He’s interested in you, so you’d do well to pay attention. He comes from a good family. His father is a heart surgeon, you know.”

Good Lord. If Shannon heard that one more time…

“Luke Dawson is a distraction you don’t need. Have you forgotten what his father was like?”

“He’s not like his father,” Shannon said.

Loucinda’s mouth settled into a grim line of disapproval. She swept two of the plates of pie off the counter. “It’s a mistake,” she said on her way out the door. “That’s all I can tell you. Hiring that man is a mistake.”

The door swung closed. Shannon took a deep breath and counted to ten before grabbing a couple of plates and following her mother into the dining room. Russell was carrying on an animated discussion with her father about the merits of one golf putter over another while Eve poked away at her iPhone.

They finished dessert, and a short time later, Shannon and Russell rose to leave. He made all the appropriate noises of delight at being invited to dinner and complimented Loucinda once again on her cooking. By the time they walked out of the house, Shannon knew her mother was going to have to restrain herself from getting a subscription to Modern Bride.

“While you were in the kitchen,” Russell said as he drove, “I was talking to your father. He asked me to play golf.”

Shannon froze. “You’re playing golf with my father?”

“This Sunday. And he’s going to introduce me to the general manager at Majestic and sponsor my membership application.”

“You’re joining the club?”

“My application should be approved by next week. Your father said it would be no problem.”

No, no, no! No country club!

She could not date a man who expected her to play golf and rub elbows with the rich folk. She’d had enough of that kind of thing when she entertained clients in Houston, and the last thing she wanted was to start in again.

“I didn’t even know you played golf,” Shannon said.

“Of course I play golf. What man doesn’t like golf?”

She pictured her father wearing his plaid golf pants, green shirt, and ugly golf shoes. In thirty years, that was Russell.

No. Take it easy. Golf is not evil. The devil does not wear golf shoes.

At least she didn’t think he did.

“That’s nice,” she said. “I’m glad you two are getting along.”

When they got to her apartment building, Russell walked her inside. When they reached her door, she said, “Have you given any more thought to sponsoring the petting zoo at the festival?”

By the look on his face, he’d given it several thoughts, and he didn’t appear to like any of them.

“This is my first festival,” he said. “Tell me again what my sponsorship would involve.”

“Well, we’d create a really big sign that would say, ‘Rainbow Valley Animal Shelter Petting Zoo, sponsored by Russell Morgensen, D.D.S.’ in big letters. Your name would be in all the special literature we put out during the event. And you’d be a featured judge for the animal costume contest on Wednesday afternoon.”

He nodded. “How much was it, again?”

“A thousand dollars.”

When Russell still looked unsure, Shannon imagined the word no coming out of his mouth and jumped back in again.

“I have an idea,” she said. “Why don’t you come out to the shelter and see the signs we used for the sponsor last year? I’ll show you all the literature, too. That’ll help you make a decision. We have everything in a storage room out in the barn.”

“Sure,” he said. “I can drop by sometime.”

Sometime. When exactly was sometime?

Shannon couldn’t bring herself to pin him down any more than that. If she did, it looked a little too much like she was continuing to date him in order to get the sponsorship. Not a good thing.

Russell gave her a quick good night kiss, then leaned in again for a more substantial one. He was a decent kisser. Actually, better than decent. So why was she having such a hard time warming up to him?

He pulled away, giving her a congenial smile. “Good night, Shannon.”

As she went inside her apartment, she felt a little guilty. If she were to make a list of pros and cons, Russell’s pros would clearly win. Maybe she instinctively shied away from him because her mother thought he was so wonderful. Should she really hold that against him?

Then she thought about how her mother felt about Luke.

Her entire life, Shannon had walked the straight and narrow. Eve may have colored outside the lines every chance she got, but Shannon? Never.

Until Luke.

For the first time in her life, she’d directly defied her mother. Stay away from that Dawson boy, her mother had told her repeatedly when she was a teenager. But the more her mother told her to steer clear, the more she was drawn to him.

For a long time, Shannon’s interaction with Luke had been filled with nothing but sarcasm-laced animosity. His bad attitude colored every word he spoke, and her comebacks had been equally caustic.

Then things started to change.

They occasionally joined forces. Helped each other with tasks. Soon they’d left the sharp words behind, finding a new understanding Shannon had never anticipated. Before she knew it, Luke had found his way into every waking thought she had and edged his way into her dreams. The long hours they spent together only intensified her feelings for him, and soon she was sharing things with him she never would have told anyone else. And when he kissed her for the first time, something she thought would stay in her dreams forever finally became reality.

Then came the evening that changed everything.

Shannon sat down on her sofa, her mind tumbling backward through time. It had been a hot August day, just like this one. She’d finished up with the horses and was getting ready to leave the barn, when she realized she wasn’t wearing the diamond necklace her parents had given her. Even though she always tucked it beneath her shirt when she worked, somehow it had come loose, and she panicked. If her mother ever found out she’d worn the necklace to the shelter, much less lost it, she’d be furious.

Shannon retraced her steps. Searched everywhere she could think of. Finally the only place she hadn’t looked was the hayloft. She climbed the ladder, then stepped off it and dropped to her hands and knees. She shoved stalks of hay aside, desperate to see the glint of diamonds in the dim light. She’d just about given up when she heard a noise behind her. Spinning around, she saw Luke at the top of the ladder.

“Looking for this?”

When he held up her necklace, relief flooded through her. “Oh, thank God! You found it!”

He climbed off the ladder onto the floor of the loft. She turned around and leaned against a hay bale, and he sat down next to her.

“I found it next to the stock tank,” he said, holding it up. “It’s pretty. Where did you get it?”

“My parents. They gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday.”

“Pretty good haul for one birthday. Diamonds and all. What do you suppose it’s worth?”

Shannon shrugged. “I don’t know. A lot, knowing my mother.”

“Hmm. Finders keepers,” he said, swinging it gently back and forth, the gems sparkling in the dim light of the hayloft. “I could pawn it for a bundle.”

“No way. If I come home without that necklace, I’m in big trouble with my mother.”

She held out her hand, and he let the necklace puddle into it.

“She’d be that pissed?” Luke asked. “Even if it was just an accident that you lost it?”

“Oh, yeah. With my mother, there’s no such thing as an accident. It means I wasn’t careful. Or I didn’t plan ahead. Or I’m not responsible.”

Luke made a scoffing noise. “Nobody’s more responsible than you are. Tell your mother to f*ck off.”

“Right. Like I could actually do that.”

“I would.”

“Sure, you would.” She sighed. “I wish I had the guts.”

“Just do it. Nothing’s stopping you.”

Nothing was stopping her? Was he serious?

Suddenly the ability to stand up to somebody like her mother seemed like the most amazing talent in the world to Shannon, one she couldn’t imagine ever having herself.

“What does it feel like?” she asked. “To not care what anybody else thinks?”

He shrugged offhandedly. “It doesn’t feel one way or the other. I just ignore all of it.”

“But how?”

He shrugged again, but this time he didn’t look at her. “What people think about me is pretty bad. If I cared, I wouldn’t be able to think about anything else.”

In that moment, she knew he’d lied. It did feel a certain way. It felt like hell. The kind of hell he avoided any way he could.

“I still wish I could be more like you,” Shannon said.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t want to be like me.”

“Why not?”

He looked at her with disbelief. “I know you’re not dumb, so you must just be f*cking with me.”

Shannon turned away. “Sometimes it’s not so great being me, either.”

“Yeah. Big house. All that money. Must be hell on earth.”

“Things aren’t always what they seem.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “Sometimes they’re worse.”

His words hung in the air for what seemed like ages. She had some sense of what he went through with his father, but he’d never really talked about it.

“How much worse?” she said.

He swallowed hard. “You don’t want to know.”

She looked down to see Luke’s fingers tighten against his thighs as he spoke, turning white with the pressure. She slid her arm through his, then lay her head against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

For the next several minutes, she silently consoled him, knowing there were things she still didn’t understand, things she knew he didn’t want to talk about. She only knew that the boy she’d always thought was so tough and indifferent was hurting inside, and she wanted to take the pain away.

Soon she realized the sun had set, and she could see the moon rising out the small window in the hayloft. She didn’t want to leave him, but she had no choice.

“It’s getting late,” she said, reluctantly pulling away from him. “I should go.” Then she realized she was still holding the necklace in her other hand. “I’d better not put it back on. The clasp must be broken.”

“Here. Let me take a look at it.”

She handed it to him, and he looked closely at the clasp.

“No. Not broken. Just a little bent.” He fiddled with it for a moment, then handed it back to her. “There. It’ll stay now.”

She looked at it and nodded. “Can you put it back on me?”

She’d turned her back to him, pulled her hair to one side, and held the necklace up. When several seconds passed and he didn’t move, she wondered what was going on.

Then she felt his lips against her neck.

She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling. Then he slid his hand around her waist, resting his palm just beneath her breasts. It was a shockingly sweet and tender gesture that shot shivers right down her spine.

She turned around, and there it was in his eyes. Desire like nothing she’d ever seen before. And she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. The wild, swooping sensation in her stomach told her she might even be in love with him. She wasn’t completely certain she knew what love felt like because she’d never experienced it before, but wasn’t it supposed to be about feeling good around a guy? Trusting him? Wanting him? Even now, Shannon remembered every look, every touch, every breathtaking moment that came next.

But she remembered even more vividly how everything had fallen apart.

In one painful blow, all the excitement and exhilaration had been wiped out by anger, regret, and guilt. So it was no wonder that when she looked up at Rosie’s that day and saw Luke standing there, the myriad of emotions she felt had practically knocked her to her knees.

As the years passed, she’d tried to shove her feelings for him to the back of her mind, to that place where unfulfilled promises and might-have-beens went to die. Then the day of his father’s funeral, all it had taken was one glance at him to bring it all back to life, to make her fall right back into that sea of desire all over again.

But there was nothing between her and Luke anymore. He was a rodeo rider, a drifter who went from town to town and probably had a woman in every one of them, so getting tangled up with him again was a fool’s game. If she were ever to forget that, she could only imagine how badly things might end between them now.