Too Hot to Handle, page 24
She was so completely drawn into the excitement of planning that she didn’t notice the vehicle ahead of her until she was almost at the pullout for Providence.
Frowning, she took her foot off the gas and let the car slow. Why was there a big white SUV parked just at the edge of the trees ahead? Was it someone from the trust? Or should she be worried for her safety? Then the logo on the side of the truck became visible. And the low light rack across the top of the cab.
A sheriff’s truck.
“Oh, no,” she breathed, worried even before she drew even with the place where she always parked and saw that Shane’s truck was there. “Oh, no.”
She parked her car in the middle of the road and jumped out, eyes flying between Shane’s truck and the sheriff’s SUV a hundred yards farther away.
Shane’s door opened, and Merry lurched toward him. “Shane!”
Her relief at seeing him was immediately quelled by the exhaustion on his face. His gaze met hers with weary sadness as he rubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. “Hey, Merry.”
“What are you doing here? What’s going on? There’s a cop car and…the lawsuit…”
“I found my dad,” he said quietly.
She froze in the act of reaching out to touch his arm. “What?”
“I came out here to think, and I wanted to… I’d spotted something that day I took you up to the cabin, and I wanted to check it out.”
“I don’t understand. What does that have to do with your dad?”
“He bought a camping trailer the day he disappeared. He was with his girlfriend, so everyone assumed they hit the road. But I think maybe…I think he was taking the trailer up to the cabin.”
She shook her head, still completely lost.
“I found his truck and the trailer below one of those washed out areas of the road. Either the road collapsed beneath him or he didn’t see the gap until it was too late. I don’t know. But…he’s been here the whole time, Merry. He never left.”
She didn’t know much of the story, just what he’d revealed in his letter, but she could see enough of it on his face. The stunned sorrow, the years of pain and so much regret. “Shane, I’m so sorry.” She let her hand reach toward him again and touched his arm. “Have you been here all night? Is the sheriff’s office…” She didn’t know how to say it. How did you speak to someone about his father’s body?
He shook his head, his eyes on the arm she was touching. “Last night they couldn’t do much more than cordon off the scene. They found two partial skeletons in the grass, but it was too dark to start the recovery. They told me to come back at dawn, but I couldn’t leave. I just thought…Jesus, it’s stupid. It’s been twenty-five years, but I didn’t want to leave him alone for the night. Knowing he’s been here this whole time, and…”
“That’s not stupid. It’s not. You should have called me. I would’ve stayed with you.”
A bitter smile flashed over his face. “Yeah, somehow I didn’t think you’d be sympathetic.”
“Shane Harcourt!” She shoved him hard enough to make him step back. “You’re an idiot!”
“I know.”
Guilt shot through her like a bullet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”
“You have a right to.”
“I don’t, but I’ve been looking for you all night, and I’m so confused. Shane…what did you do?”
He watched her for a long moment without answering, his dark, weary eyes getting sadder as the seconds passed. “I did the right thing,” he finally said. “I’m sorry it took so long.”
“No! It’s your land and your family! I understand now why you fought it. Providence shouldn’t be built out of spite. It shouldn’t be brought back to life as a way of hurting you. That’s so wrong, Shane! Gideon Bishop did something terrible to you, and I don’t want to be a part of that.”
“You’re not, Merry. You’re the opposite of that. I’ve spent the past year so damn angry. Hell, more than the last year. When my dad left, it broke us. My whole family. My brother was angry from the age of nine on, and I was sucked into denial and delusion by my mom. She always believed he was out there somewhere. Always believed he was coming back. She made me believe it for a long time, too. When I finally woke up, I think I was angrier than my brother ever was.”
“Of course you were. You had every reason to be.”
“Apparently not.” He glanced up toward the hills.
“Did you decide to drop the lawsuit when you found him?” She was relieved at that. It’d had nothing to do with her.
But Shane shook his head. “No. I did that for you, Merry.”
“Shane, I—”
He cut off her alarmed words by taking her hand and tugging her a little closer. “You showed me what life could be like if I was willing to let go of the anger. To accept the past and live like I at least wanted to be happy.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You haven’t had a perfect life, but you don’t walk around angry and scared.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” she murmured, remembering the way she’d lashed out at Crystal. She’d also thrown a few choice words at Shane.
He smiled. “I know you get angry. You’re a woman, not a saint. But you see the possibility in things, Merry. You see it in every day. You see it in this pile of run-down buildings and spiderwebs. You even see it in me. And all I could see was a challenge to try to get back a little of what was taken from me. As if that would change anything.”
“But the money. It should be yours.”
“Why? Because I had the good grace to be born? I didn’t give my grandfather the time of day for over a decade. I didn’t even want his name. I told myself I wanted nothing from him then I happily took his land and demanded his money, too. Like a selfish damn child.”
“He was the one who was selfish!”
“And I was so much better?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Come on. Look what I did to you.”
She couldn’t argue with that. He’d used her and betrayed her. No matter what he was going through or how he’d tried to make it up to her, she couldn’t deny that.
His gaze fell. He turned her hand over in his and traced the lines of her palm with his thumb. “I’m so sorry, Merry. You made my life sweeter. You let me see things I needed to see. And all I did was hurt you.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered.
“Everything else I tainted with a lie.”
She curled her fingers and captured his. “That’s true. But you’ve taken that back now with an awfully grand gesture. I think we might be able to find a way to be friends again.”
“Friends,” he repeated.
Despite the way the word ached inside her, she nodded. “I don’t want you to be alone out here like this. It’s not right.”
He nodded, but then his forehead creased in a tortured frown. “I don’t want to be friends.”
“Oh.” She tried to tug her hand back. Right. Just because he’d given up the money didn’t mean he was happy about it.
But he didn’t let her go. “I’ve spent my whole life telling myself I’d never be good at this. That the men in my family were nothing but philanderers and escape artists and people who could never be counted on. Hell, all the way back to Providence, even. But I don’t have to be that. I can’t use that as an excuse just because love scares the hell out of me.”
Merry blinked. “Love?” she croaked.
“Yeah, I know. You might not even like me right now. You certainly don’t trust me. But that’s fine. That won’t stop me from loving who you are, Merry Kade. That won’t stop me from loving your smile and your laugh and the stupid jokes you crack when you’re nervous.”
“Oh.” She shook her head in shock.
“Or the way you can’t stop talking about this damn town that shouldn’t mean anything to you. Or how you get shy and turned on all at the same time in a way that makes me crazy to touch you even as I tell myself I should go slow.”
Her heart thumped faster in her chest. Her cheeks burned. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. She refused to believe it, because it scared the shit out of her.
“Shane, I don’t know. I hardly know you, and what you did… That hurt. What if I can’t get past it?”
“I understand. We haven’t known each other long and I’ve been holding back, not just from you, but from myself. I’m not asking you to love me. Heck, I’m not even saying we should be together. I’m just asking if you can forgive me. Maybe not today, but sometime. And if you can, I’d like a chance. Just a chance. I love who you are, Merry, and I think it could be way more than that, but all I need right now is to know if you’ll consider it. If you’ll just…consider me.”
She didn’t let herself answer right away. This was a serious question and she couldn’t take it lightly. Could she forgive him? Could she ever trust him? Could she give it a chance? He’d hurt her, badly. He’d lied. He’d embarrassed her. And he’d tried to take something from her that meant so much.
But could she hold on to that forever in the face of what he’d given up? Of what he’d realized?
He’d been hurt, too, after all. Badly, and by so many.
Despite her hesitation, she knew in her heart she could at least try. But before she could answer, another truck approached down the dirt road and pulled up next to them. She recognized Nate Hendricks in the passenger seat. The driver tipped his hat. “Shane,” the deputy said. “The sheriff wants to set up base just up the road… We’ll cut over to the creek just past Providence.”
“Sure,” Shane said.
“Forensics should be here within the hour.”
He nodded and the truck drove on. As they watched it go, Merry reached for Shane’s hand and squeezed it. “I’ll stay here with you,” she said softly.
He looked down at their entwined fingers, then back up with a question in his eyes.
“You’re worth the chance, Shane. We’re both worth the chance.”
He moved forward, just slightly. Just a fraction of an inch, his gaze falling to her mouth as if he meant to kiss her. But he stopped then, and cleared his throat as he squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled at him and closed the space he’d meant to, to press a slow, sweet kiss to his mouth. Some of the tiredness was gone from his eyes when she pulled back. “That was for Providence.”
“Yeah?” He finally managed a genuine smile. “I give you a ghost town and I get one kiss? You drive a hard bargain, lady.”
“Don’t ever forget it.”
“I won’t. And I’d say it was a fair trade. I’d do it again for you, if I could.”
“Aw, what kind of girl would need two ghost towns?”
“A very, very odd one,” he said, then muttered, “Aw, screw it,” and pulled her into his arms. “Almost as odd as you, Merry. But not nearly as beautiful.”
When he kissed her, an honest kiss with none of those lies between them, Merry knew she’d lied. He wasn’t worth just a chance. He was worth every terrifying feeling welling up inside her heart, everything she was afraid to give. She’d give him that. She would.
EPILOGUE
SHANE LEANED AGAINST the post of the saloon porch, watching as that big pain-in-the-ass Walker pulled Merry out into the center of Providence’s road to dance. Fiddle music wound through the buildings as strings of tiny white lights swayed in the breeze. There hadn’t been this many people in the old town in almost a century, he’d wager.
The members of the board huddled in a loose circle at the edge of the porch, talking up every city or county official who got near. This party was a bit of an open house for important members of the community. The saloon was nearly fully restored and they’d started work on the church, but it was mid-September already, and things would shut down soon. Merry was already fretting about it, but Shane would be happy to see her again. The twelve-hour days she’d been working were leaving him lonely.
Open house or not, Shane felt like this party was more of a celebration of Merry’s work than anything, and her face glowed with happiness. He couldn’t even resent the wide smile she aimed up at Walker as the man spun her around. She was coming home with Shane tonight, and that was all that mattered to him. She could dance Walker into the ground for all he cared.
“Hey there, handsome,” Rayleen said, walking over to offer him a beer. “If Christmas is neglecting you, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”
He clinked his bottle against hers. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yep.” She took a swig and looked him up and down. “You ever heard of the prostate gland?”
The beer he’d just tipped into his mouth nearly sprayed out on his choked gasp. Instead he managed to swallow half of it. The other half nearly drowned him. He coughed like a madman, causing heads to turn, but at least he hadn’t sprayed the backs of Jeanine and Kristen Bishop.
“Good Christ,” Rayleen said, slamming a palm against his back. “You young men really need to get out more often. You’re sheltered as schoolgirls.”
Refusing to let his mind consider the picture she’d tried to paint, Shane shook his head. “Everything’s great with Christmas. I mean, Merry.”
“Good. She seems like a good girl. A little flighty.”
He quickly changed the subject. “You look nice tonight.”
Rayleen shifted and patted a hand to her hair. Then she shrugged and looked out over the dispersing crowd. She did look nice. In fact, she’d worn a pretty blue calico dress, though she still wore old shit-kickers on her feet. “Look at these two,” she muttered, tilting her chin toward his two stepgrandmothers.
The women had squared off in furious conversation just a few feet away.
Kristen pointed a finger at Jeanine. “You’re the one who never supported his interest in history and culture. All you cared about were those horses!”
“Me?” Jeanine screeched. “Are you kidding? Gideon told me you demanded a heater in the stables because you just had to have that Arabian.”
Kristen gasped and Shane watched the color fall from her cheeks.
“Oh, yes,” Jeanine pushed. “He called to complain about you all the time. Said he needed a trusted ear, someone to talk to. That was me, Kristen.”
Rayleen let out a long sigh. “Oh, boy. Women.”
“You may have been younger,” Jeanine snarled. “Maybe even more beautiful, but he never had any use for prissy little—”
“Jesus Christ and cheese and crackers!” Rayleen barked.
Both women jumped and spun around. Shane held up his hands and stepped a few inches back. There was no way he was getting involved in this.
“Rayleen Kisler,” Jeanine gasped. “Are you eavesdropping?”
“Eavesdropping?” she scoffed. “The goddamn mountain lions are eavesdropping. We can’t help but hear you.”
“Well, I never,” Kristen said.
“I never, either,” Rayleen agreed. “Because it seems to me that you two are arguing over a dead man. A dead man! Hell, if one of you really wants him, I’d hope I was the other, because there’s no point hanging on to a corpse.”
“He was a special man!” Kristen Bishop insisted.
“Well, he’s dead now, woman!” Rayleen yelled.
Both of the Bishop women looked around to be sure no one had heard. When they found themselves alone, they aimed eerily similar looks of disgust at Rayleen.
She laughed. “Well, look at that. Go on, then. Hang on to your self-righteousness. Hope it keeps you warm at night. But in case you hadn’t noticed, there are a whole lot of ancient cowboys around these parts, and whatever their flaws, they’re a hell of a lot warmer than a dead man, ladies.”
They both glared.
“Suit yourself,” Rayleen said. “More cowboys for me.”
The Bishop widows looked at each other. Then back at Rayleen. “Why?” Jeanine ventured. “Where do you meet these men?”
“Sweetheart, I work in a bar. I’m tripping over them.” She laughed, but the women just stared at her.
Rayleen glanced at Shane. He looked away as if he weren’t listening. “Fine!” she barked. “There’s a bridge club over at the recreation center, and they have singles parties the first Saturday of every month at the senior center. If you want some old man pickins, those are your best bet.”
As if on cue, Easy appeared in his worn-out jeans and bolo tie with a crisply ironed shirt.
Jeanine gave Rayleen one last glare, but then Kristen nudged her and tipped her head toward Easy. They both cast gentle smiles in his direction as he crossed the road toward them.
Rayleen growled. “And if I catch you making eyes at Easy, I’ll snatch them out of your head and feed them to the crows.”
The women gasped, looking both outraged and defiant, but Shane noticed that they moved away and didn’t look in Easy’s direction again.
“Rayleen,” Shane murmured under his breath, “you finally staking a claim on that old cowboy?”
“I’m considering it,” she snapped. “If he don’t piss me off first.”
He decided to drop the subject. She didn’t seem to have much patience or good humor when it came to Easy, not even with the man himself. Shane edged away, but not before he noticed the way she scowled when Easy asked her to dance. Still, she said yes. Good Lord, that woman and her niece weren’t very different.
And neither was anything like Merry who was laughing as Walker swung her out of the group of dancers and over to the refreshment table. That was Shane’s cue to cut in.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured in her ear then watched her shiver a little at the feel of his breath on her skin.
