Summer Nights (Fool's Gold #8)

Shane wasn’t sure why he’d bothered tagging along. Getting away from the ranch had seemed like a good idea, but now that he was standing alone in the big open office space, he realized he could still hear himself thinking. He needed more of a distraction.

“Would you take it as is?” Shane asked, checking out a small alcove that was obviously a break room. There was a refrigerator, microwave, table and chairs, cupboards and plenty of counter space. Nothing fancy, but workable.

“Yes. I don’t want to put any money into remodeling. It’s only for a few months. We can make do.”

Shane walked back into the main room. “There aren’t any private offices.”

Rafe grinned. “Dante is going to love this place.”

“Why do you want to torture your business partner?”

“For sport,” Rafe admitted. “Yup, this is it. We can get all the desks in here. Half the staff will be staying in San Francisco until the new building is ready, so there’s plenty of room.”

He made a few notes on a tablet, then clipped the laser tape measure onto his belt. “Let’s go talk to the owner about a short-term lease. I want everything signed before Heidi and I leave for Paris in a few weeks.”

Shane followed him out. When they reached the sidewalk, Rafe paused.

“You don’t have to go with me,” he said. “If you have somewhere else you’d rather be.”

“Like where?”

“The library. Don’t you want to see Annabelle?”

They were standing by the stairs that led to the second-floor businesses. A couple of young girls—maybe ten or eleven—walked by and started up the stairs. Shane shifted to the left to give them room.

“You’re still pissed,” Rafe said when the girls were out of earshot.

“No.”

“You are. I can tell. You’re being an idiot.”

“You didn’t see what happened,” Shane told him, feeling his temper rise.

“I heard about it. Clay agreed to be Annabelle’s sacrifice for her dance and they hugged.”

Shane kept telling himself that was all there was to it. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of being played for a fool. Something he’d felt too often with his ex.

“If it was more—” he began.

Rafe cut him off with a shake of his head. “Isn’t the bookmobile important to Annabelle?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that why she came to see you in the first place? To learn to ride and do the horse dance?”

Shane shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded.

“Didn’t she tell you about the program and ask you to be the sacrifice? Didn’t you refuse?”

“Stop being logical. This isn’t about that.”

“No. It’s about you being stupid. You’re making this more than it is. The worst part is deep inside, you know that, too. You’re so busy worrying about Annabelle being like your ex-wife, that you’re pushing her away when she’s done nothing wrong. But you’ll never be free from your past until you learn to let go.”

Rafe stared at him. Shane turned away. “Don’t you think I know that?”

“Apparently not, based on how you’re acting. Clay offered to help your girl. Your girl. You think he doesn’t respect your relationship with Annabelle? You think he’d want to get in the way of that?” Rafe paused as two more girls hurried toward the stairs and ran up to the second floor.

Rafe lowered his voice. “You’re crazy about her and you’re blowing it. Do you think you can do better?”

“I don’t want to do better. I want to be sure.”

“Sometimes caring about someone requires taking a leap of faith. This is that time. Go talk to her. Let her know you’re going to need a little help getting through this. But you can, if you have a little faith in her. And maybe yourself.”

Shane thought about punching his brother, but knew Rafe wouldn’t take it as well as Clay had. Plus, there was a chance Rafe might be right. About all of it.

“Marriage suits you.”

Rafe grinned. “Heidi suits me. You’ve been given a second chance, bro. Don’t blow it.”

* * *

ANNABELLE LET KHATAR pick his way over the open ground. She’d come to the ranch earlier, planning on sitting down with Shane and telling him about her pregnancy. But when she arrived, May told her that Shane had gone into Fool’s Gold with Rafe to look at temporary locations for Rafe’s business. Rather than spend her time pacing and getting more upset, she’d decided to go for a ride.

Over the past couple of weeks, she and Shane had been taking long rides together. They worked on the dance steps with Khatar then headed out past the fence lines and toward Shane’s property.

Now she urged Khatar in that direction. He went easily, remembering the route.

They walked by a grove of trees, then circled around to the edge of Shane’s property. From there it was a ten-minute canter to the construction site.