“Because it’s a family,” Reese murmured, catching her gaze.
“Yes. We in the military are a funny lot in some ways. We’re trained together as a unit. We’re taught that the team, which in reality is our new family, is who we belong to now. It’s our identity. Everything is done together, not apart or alone. We’re taught to be responsible for the other person, to be there for them, to be part of a greater whole.”
“Garret sees your ranch, this place, as his family now.”
She pondered his words and held his green gaze. “I know.”
“Is this what you’d planned? Or did you want us to leave the ranch at a certain time?”
“I didn’t have a plan for that,” she admitted, smiling a little. “I know each vet is different. And so much depends upon the individual and his or her dealing with their PTSD. For Garret, I think he needed continuity in his day and that helped him deal with the worst of his symptoms. They’re not gone, but he’s learned how to cope with them and normalize his life to a great extent.”
“And he’s willing to continue to give fifteen percent of his paycheck back to the ranch?”
“Yes. He feels it’s more than a fair trade-off.” She sighed and felt her heart turn with such love for all the vets at the ranch. “He asked me if I wanted him to leave, and I told him no. That we need good wranglers. There’s so much to do around here, to get this ranch functioning financially again.”
“He’s a good man.”
Shay held his gaze. “So are you, Reese.” How badly she wanted to reach over, slide her hand along his recently shaven jaw, and kiss him. She was coming to realize that fear had Reese captured, and it was up to her to break through it. She wasn’t necessarily the aggressor when it came to letting a man know she was interested in him, but Shay was going to have to rethink the whole dynamic. And maybe after a good night’s sleep, she would try to come up with a way to do it.
“I was a good man, Shay,” he told her gently.
“You still are. You never lost those qualities within yourself, Reese. You never will. Look how you orchestrated the last two days. Everyone loves you, respects, and admires you. I saw time and again that if a team leader had a question, they’d go to you first. Not Steve. Not me. But you. That says something about your leadership abilities, Reese, whether you want to admit it or not. You’re a good, quality person and people instinctively know it.” She reached out, patting his forearm, giving him a tender look. “In time, you’ll see that.” Because one way or another, Shay was going to trap Reese, hold his heart in her hands, kiss this man senseless until he could forget his past and anchor himself firmly into the present. With her.
*
Shay sat with Diana Adson at Kassie’s Café for lunch a week later. She’d asked Diana to meet her because she was in a quandary. They sat in a booth at the windows, watching the tourists along the main plaza.
“So,” Diana said, “I get the feeling we’re here for a reason. Want to spill the goods, Shay?” She took a bite of her juicy Reuben sandwich.
“Busted,” Shay said, holding up her hands, grinning. She picked up her grilled tuna melt sandwich. “You’re my good friend and I need some advice.”
“Okay,” Diana said, a sparkle in her eyes. She picked up a French fry. “Fire away.”
“It’s Reese. Well, actually, it’s about us,” Shay said in a low voice, not wanting to be overheard. “I really like him.”
“Does he like you? Judging from the way I’d sometimes catch him looking at you the weekend we raised the arena roof, I’d say he’s like a lovesick puppy over you.”
“Really?”
“Love,” Diana pronounced. “Very clear. You’ve fallen in love with him, haven’t you?”
Grimacing, Shay nodded. “Busted again. Does everyone know except the two of us?”
Chuckling, Diana shrugged. “Maud has been predicting when Reese will ask you to marry him.”
Groaning, Shay rolled her eyes. “No!”
“Hey, she’s a wily player. Knows people. Can see right through them.” Diana’s smile increased. “Heck, she took one look at Chuck and me and started in on us. Neither of us realized how drawn we were to one another at first. But Maud sure saw the signs between us.”
“She’s something else,” Shay admitted, shaking her head. “Scary.”
“Only in the best of ways,” Diana said, laughing.
“I hope she doesn’t tell Reese this. He’s jumpy enough.”
“No, she wouldn’t do that. This particular conversation is just between us in the immediate family. You know we get together with the Whitcombs for Sunday dinner? That’s when we find out stuff like this.”
“Phew,” Shay whispered. “I can just see Maud catching Reese at Charlie Becker’s store and telling him.”
“Well,” Diana said, giving her a wily look, “that might not be a bad idea. So, what’s bothering you about Reese?”
“It’s him. I can see it in his eyes that he wants a relationship with me, but he’s afraid to move ahead on it.”