Summer Nights (Fool's Gold #8)

“I mean it,” he told them. “This has got to stop. Don’t make me get a more complicated gate and lock. I will if I have to.”


They stared at him with shared amusement. Shane sighed.

“Back in Tennessee all I had to worry about was fifty or so racehorses,” he told them. “That was easy. You guys are hard.”

He lowered the watermelons to the ground, then took out one of the apples and used his pocketknife to slice it and feed it to Reno. While he did that, Priscilla delicately picked up the watermelon and chopped it.

“That’s quite a collection you have there.”

Shane turned toward the voice and saw Lewis approaching. At the sight of Annabelle’s ex, he felt his hackles rise and wished they were keeping something more aggressive than a small pony and a few goats on the grounds. Idly, he wondered if Priscilla was in the mood to charge.

Reno ate the last of the apple. Shane gave him a quick pat, then let himself out and secured the gate.

“Annabelle’s not here,” he told Lewis, leading the way back to the house.

“I know. I saw her earlier. At her place.” Lewis adjusted his sunglasses. “I’m going back to North Carolina.”

“Because the divorce is final?”

Lewis turned away. “Yes. Because the divorce is final.”

Shane could almost feel sorry for the guy. He’d obviously had second thoughts about losing Annabelle. He’d shown up, hoping to win her back. Although from his point of view, Lewis hadn’t done all that much to make himself the good guy in all this. A woman like Annabelle had to be wooed. Made to feel special.

“She wanted me to stay,” Lewis said, glancing back at him.

Shane couldn’t see the other man’s eyes. His sunglasses were in the way. But he would bet a considerable amount of money they were shifting all over the place, proof of the lie.

“Did she?” Shane asked.

“Thought we should get back together. She said she’d regretted the divorce. I considered the offer. I mean, who wouldn’t? She’s an amazing woman. But fool me once and all that. She’s really not…” He looked away again. “I’m done with her. In case you were wondering.”

He wanted to point out Annabelle hadn’t seemed like she was regretting anything except having Lewis show up in the first place, but where was the win in that? Kicking a man who was already down wasn’t his idea of sport.

“She gets under your skin,” Lewis said quietly. “Once she’s there, she’s hard to get rid of.” He cleared his throat. “I won’t say I wasn’t tempted, but this is for the best. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

“I appreciate the information.”

Lewis gave a brief wave and walked to his car.

Shane watched him go. He wasn’t sure why Lewis had stopped by. It wasn’t to gloat. After all, he hadn’t gotten what he’d come for. Maybe the other man didn’t have any friends and he’d needed to share the loss with someone. Even if the information had been cloaked in lies.

Heidi came out of the back of the house. “Was that Lewis?”

“Yes. He’s heading back to North Carolina.”

“Good,” his future sister-in-law said. “Annabelle wasn’t happy to have him show up. You know that, right?”

“I figured it out.”

“I’m glad he’s gone.”

“Me, too.”

* * *

ANNABELLE SIPPED HER latte. “How many?” she asked.

Nevada rolled her eyes. “Five. Can you believe it? Five puppies. If I didn’t love my sister, I would so be killing her. Do you know how many times a night Tucker and I have to get up to feed them?”

“How old are they?”

“Six weeks. Thank goodness. The first week was the worst. They were so tiny then. Only three weeks old. Now they’re bigger and Cameron—” She paused to sip her iced Frappuccino. “Cameron says we can start transitioning them to regular food this week. I’m checking their teeth. Making sure there are enough for them to handle the kibble. Which I’m soaking in hot water.”

“They must be adorable.”

“They are,” Nevada admitted. “Come see them.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Afraid you’ll want one?”

“More than a little.”

“Tell me about it,” Nevada said with a grin. “Tucker and I are doing our best not to keep any of them. That’s the danger of fostering an animal. You get attached. Plus, they’re puppies. How am I supposed to resist? I tell myself it’s good practice for when we have a baby. At least now I know what it’s like to get up several times a night for feeding.”

The puppies’ mother had developed a fatal infection and died. Montana had roped her sister into caring for the litter until they were old enough for “forever” homes.

“I think a couple of my guys are thinking about adopting them,” Nevada told her. “I’ve been taking them to work with me, which is great. I get help with the feeding and there are plenty of volunteers to play with them. These are incredibly socialized puppies.”