Page 14 of Don't Burn Bridges
“Yes, it is. And I can ride a horse with my hands tied behind my back, but I mostly only help with the cattle during branding or vaccination days. I have no desire to walk through fields of cow patties every day.”
“Cow patties? Is that what I think it is?”
“Probably,” he said with a chuckle. It was the polite way to say cow shit. “Okay, that was seven questions, darlin’. You have some catching up to do?”
“You’re seriously keeping track?”
“That’s eight. And yes, I am. My turn. When you left West Virginia, what were your plans? Heading somewhere specific?”
“That’s two—I’m keeping track now, too, since it’s only fair.”
She raised her wine glass to her lips, and he was mesmerized watching her sip the straw-colored liquid. When she set the glass back down on the bar, it was empty, and he signaled for Alyssa to refill it and put it on his tab.
“Thank you,” Shylo said. “And to answer your questions, I don’t really have concrete plans of where I’m going. With my mom gone, I couldn’t stay in Brimley Flats anymore. Like I said, I hated that town and the people in it. I would’ve left long ago if I could’ve convinced Mom to go with me. But she wanted to stay. So now, I guess I’m doing what you did at eighteen—roaming around, looking for where I belong.”
“So, maybe you’ll stay in Hazard for a while? It might be a small town, but most of the people here are pretty nice.” He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Just stay away from Bridget Kline and her mean-girl crowd.”
“Kline? Any relation to the mayor? I met him and his wife last night—they were here for dinner with another couple.”
He snorted and sat up again. “Yup. Richard the dork and Alice the pearl-clutcher—I’m surprised they were here. Bar None is a little too casual for the likes of them. And Bridget is their daughter. She gave Paige a lot of crap when she first moved here. After Shane and Tuck’s first wife passed away, Bridget wanted them for herself. Well, actually, I think she just wanted Shane, since the Triple-R is technically his and is worth a lot of money. But he and Tucker were a package deal and had no interest in her.”
“The Triple-R is a big ranch?”
“Yeah—twenty-seven-hundred acres and over fifteen hundred head of cattle.”
“Wow. I know nothing about ranches—I’ve never even been on one—but that sounds huge.”
He nodded. “It’s the largest cattle ranch within a sixty-mile radius, but it’s far from the largest in the state, which is about eight hundred thousand acres.”
“Holy cow!”
“Right? Even though the Triple-R is smaller than those mega ranches, it’s still profitable. It’s been in Shane’s family for five generations, and it’ll get passed on to his kids. Although I think Arianna wants to go to school to be a veterinarian. When she was younger, every other week she wanted to be something else when she grew up. But for the past year, she says being a vet is what she wants. She even volunteers at the local animal shelter for a few hours on Saturdays.”
Shylo smiled softly at him. “It sounds like you’re proud of her.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Does it? Yeah, I guess I am. While we’re not blood-related, I think of her as my niece. Same goes for Ashley and whatever they’re going to name the boy when he’s born. Pretty much everyone who works at the Triple-R considers each other family. The Wilsons are good people.” An idea popped into his head. “Listen, we’re having a barbecue at the ranch on Sunday. Why don’t you join us? I’ll show you around.”
“Oh, I couldn’t intrude like that.”
“It’s not intruding if you’re invited. They have barbecues once a month for their employees when the weather is nice, and families and dates are allowed, so you can be my date.” He gave her a smile that usually got him laid. Although for some reason that was no longer his primary goal with Shylo. Oh, he definitely craved to get her into his bed, but he realized he liked her a lot already and wanted to get to know her better. “C’mon. Whatta say?”
She bit her lip. “Um... if you’re sure it’s okay...”
“It is.”
“Then, all right—I’d love to go.”
Chapter 7
For the next two and a half days, Shylo wavered between second-guessing her decision to go to the Triple-R’s barbecue with Seth and actually looking forward to it. She had two reasons for the latter—sexy Seth would be her date, and she would learn more about Shane and the family ranch.
After she finished her second glass of wine the other night, she decided it was time to leave, even though she enjoyed Seth’s company. He was the complete package—handsome, yes, but also thoughtful, intelligent, and effortlessly funny. He was flirtatious as well. No doubt about it. But damn, he did it like a gentleman, which was even more dangerous.
He’d escorted her to her truck, took her hand, and brushed his lips across her knuckles. Most men made her feel like she owed them something simply because they’d noticed her. Seth didn’t. There was something in his eyes, though, a kind of softness that said, “I want you”—but only if she wanted him back. She was almost disappointed he didn’t try to kiss her on the mouth because she yearned to know what he tasted like.
Her thoughts went back to the warning Lane Myers had given her. Long-term relationships weren’t Seth’s thing, but Shylo wasn’t a love ’em and leave ’em kind of woman. Hell, she never had a one-night stand in her entire life. But if he offered her only a single night in his bed, she had a feeling she might say yes. Her attraction to him was off the charts. Too bad she wasn’t staying in Hazard for long.
During their conversation at the bar, she skewed the truth a few times, as she’d done before, but tried to keep her answers vague or as close to the facts as possible. She told him just enough—any more, and she’d risk forgetting what version he knew. Thankfully, the conversation veered toward topics that weren’t too personal, like what their favorite movies, books, and foods were, and some of the history of Hazard Falls.
