Shane (Remington Ranch Book 2) Page 2

  “Hey, Shane. Is everything okay?”

  Shane laughed. “Why do you always answer the phone that way? Anyone would think I only call you when I have a problem.”

  “I dunno. I just worry, that’s all…sorry.”

  “Hell, I wasn’t complaining. It’s sweet!” Shane felt bad. Carter was the one who cared, the one who took care of family.

  Carter laughed. “Thanks, little brother. I always aspired to be sweet!”

  “Well, that’s your problem, isn’t it? You’re too sweet, too caring. You need to let loose a little and have yourself a good time. That’s what I was calling for.”

  “You want to show me a good time?”

  “I do. Get your ass on down here. There’s a whole group of hot little fillies amongst this week’s guests. You should come pick yourself one.”

  “Yeah, thanks, but no thanks.”

  “Aww come on. I didn’t want to admit it, but I need you. The one I have my eye on hangs with her best friend all the time. I need you to distract the friend so I can move in for the kill.” He waited. It wasn’t true, but he knew if anything would motivate Carter to come out it would be a plea for help.

  “Okay. Just for you. But you owe me, okay?”

  “Okay! Thanks. Come straight out to the lodge. I’ll be getting them warmed up. See you soon.”

  “Sure. I’ll head out now.”

  Shane hung up and pulled his boots on. He had a crazy urge to call Carter back and tell him not to bother. He didn’t really want to go flirting with ranch guests at all. What he wanted to do was head up the valley to Mill Lane. He wanted to go calling on Cassidy. He shook his head. That really was crazy. She’d probably have him arrested for trespassing. He’d do better to put her out of his head and go find himself a woman who would appreciate him for the night.

  ~ ~ ~

  Cassidy stood in front of the big window by the fireplace to watch the sky turn from blue to pink to gold as the sun sank behind the mountain. It was so beautiful here. She loved this place. She especially loved this house. It was big—way too big—but it was perfect for her. It was a huge log built home—far too grand to call a cabin—with walls of windows looking out over the valley. The Yellowstone River wound its way through the property. Eagles and deer were daily visitors. She’d been warned that she’d have fishermen and rafters floating through daily in the height of the summer season, too, but that would be a small price to pay.

  This was a long way from her native South Carolina. It couldn’t be more different, but she loved it just as much. The beaches and the salt marsh had a quiet beauty that slowly crept in and became a part of you; once they had a hold on your heart they never let go. The mountains were different. Theirs was an in-your-face stark, harsh beauty. She could see how it was love or hate at first sight for most people. She felt lucky that for her it had been love.

  She started at the sound of a buzzer. She still could not get used to that thing. Whenever a car entered the driveway it sounded. It was a good idea really, but it still freaked her out a little. If she wanted she could go to the control panel and watch her visitors approach on camera. She rarely did though. She usually knew who was coming. It wasn’t as though she got that many visitors. She frowned. It wasn’t as though she knew that many people here, and she couldn’t for the life of her think who might be visiting this evening. She went out into the hallway and checked the screen.

  She smiled when she saw a green pickup truck sending up a dust trail on its way down the long driveway. Carter Remington! Now that guy really was a sweetheart. She pulled on a sweatshirt and headed out front to greet him.

  She had to smile at the way he tipped his hat when he climbed down from the truck. Bashful. That was the word for him. He was a good-looking guy. She’d heard—and could see—that he spent most of his time either working or at the gym. Work was his landscaping business. Ah, that must be why he was here.

  He confirmed it as he came around to shake her hand. “Evening, Miss Cassidy. Pardon me stopping by unannounced, I just wanted to drop these with you.” He held out a couple of large files.

  “Hi, Carter. It’s wonderful to see you. Thank you. Is this the work you’d already done for this place before I bought it?”

  “Sure is.”

  “Great. Do you want to come in? Have you got time for a drink? I haven’t eaten yet, if you’d like to join me?”

  He shook his head and smiled. “It’s kind of you, but I’m afraid I can’t be stopping. I’m on my way down the valley to see Shane. Just wanted to give you these while I was passing.”

  “Oh, okay.” Why did he have to mention his brother? Just when she thought she’d got him out of her head for the day.

  “Are you all right? I can stay a while if you need anything.”

  Cassidy smiled. If Shane had said that, it would have been a loaded question, full of innuendo. Coming from Carter it was full of genuine concern. Strange how two brothers could be so different. “I’m fine thanks, Carter, you get on. Thanks for these. I can pick your brain about them another time.”

  He smiled. “You sure can. Just give me a call whenever you’re ready to go over them.” He tipped his hat again and climbed back into his truck.

  Cassidy watched the trail of dust follow him back up the driveway. She waved when he honked his horn before disappearing around the corner and out of sight.

  ~ ~ ~

  Shane rested his arm around the girl’s shoulders and smiled down at her. She’d done everything but straight out beg for it since she’d arrived on Saturday. He tried to steer clear of ranch guests; there were enough women passing through the resort up at Chico to keep him busy. He tried—but it wasn’t exactly a rule or anything. Maybe he could make another exception for this one. She had short brown hair and bright blue eyes. A great figure, with a perky little set and the kind of rounded ass he loved. She smiled up at him.

  “Is tonight the night you’re going to show me what happens out in the barn?” She kept her voice low so her friends wouldn’t hear.

  Maybe it was. Shane looked up to watch Carter’s truck approach. He smiled, maybe it was Carter’s night to get lucky, too. Most of the guests in this group tended to head in early. He was pretty sure he could convince this one and her friend to hang out by the fire a while longer. “You’ll have to wait and see sweetheart, won’t you. For now, you get to meet my brother.” He didn’t miss the way her eyes lit up when she saw Carter get out of the truck. He had to hand it to him. Carter was quite a specimen. Shorter than Shane himself, though only by a couple of inches, and he was like a solid wall of muscle. He spent so much time in the gym that he had the physique of a bodybuilder. Shane just didn’t understand why he didn’t put it to better use with the ladies. “Over here, bro.”

  Carter came to join them with that shy smile of his. Watching his companion’s reaction, Shane wondered whether he couldn’t learn a thing or two from his quietest brother.

  “Hi, I’m Lena.” The girl ducked out from under Shane’s arm, hand extended to greet Carter.

  “Pleasure to meet you.” Shane chuckled to himself. Carter looked about ready to run.

  “Lena, why don’t you go get Kylie to join us?” he asked.

  Carter met his eye as she walked away. “Sorry it took me a while to get down here.”

  Shane shrugged. “You’re here now. I was starting to think you weren’t coming. What took you so long?’

  “I stopped…”

  “Kylie, this is Carter. Carter, Kylie.” Lena announced as she pushed her friend toward him.

  Shane resisted the urge to laugh at the way Carter backed up three steps before holding his hand out to shake with the pretty brunette. She was half his height, but Shane would put money on her wrestling Carter to the ground, if the look on her face was anything to go by. Why the hell were women like that these days? When they wanted a man, they went after him and made no bones about it. He shook his head. And why did he suddenly have a problem with it? It saved him from havi
ng to do any hard work, after all.

  Kylie confirmed his initial impression as she took Carter’s hand and pulled him in to turn the shake into a hug—the kind of hug where she pressed her breasts into his chest, or at least as far up his abs as they would reach.

  He did laugh when he saw the panic in Carter’s eyes. “Tell you what ladies, let us go get you a drink. We’ll be right back.”

  Carter extricated himself from Kylie’s clutches and trotted behind Shane like a grateful puppy. “Yeah, I think I’m going to beat it.”

  “Aw, don’t go.”

  “You can handle those two by yourself. They scare me shitless, Shane. I don’t want any of that.”

  “Okay, maybe those two are a bit over the top, but you need to start having some fun, Big C.”

  “I’m fine the way I am, thanks. Between work and the gym, I have all the fun I can handle.”

  Shane shook his head. “How can trees and shrubs and flower gardens be any fun? I just don’t get it.”

  “You never did get it, and that’s okay. I love what I do, I love planting things, seeing things grow. I love designing a beautiful space that people can enjoy.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know.” Shane grasped his brother’s shoulder. “You love it, and that’s great. But you need to interact with other humans occasionally, you know. Especially the female of the species.”

  Carter grinned. “It was human interaction with a female that made me late getting here if you must know. A female I’m going to be doing some work for, and one who not only understands, but truly appreciates my love for my work. If it weren’t for you I’d still be interacting with her now.”

  Shane cocked his head to one side. “Who’s that then? One of the little old ladies up in town?”

  Carter shook his head vehemently. “None other than the beautiful Cassidy Lane.”

  Shane’s heart dropped into his stomach. Carter and Cassidy? No! That couldn’t be right. It wouldn’t happen. It couldn’t happen. For once he had no words. He just stared at his brother. If Carter liked her though…Damn, Carter hadn’t shown any interest in a woman in over ten years! Why the hell did he have to start with Cassidy? With the one woman that Shane himself…what? That he what? He shook his head to clear it.

  Carter gave him an odd smile. “I’m only saying that Cassidy is a woman worth spending time with.” He jerked his head back to the two girls. “That may be your idea of fun, but it sure as hell isn’t mine. I appreciate the looks, but someone like Cassidy has a mind, a heart and a spirit to back the looks up.”

  Jesus! Hearing Carter talk like that shook Shane to the core. He was spelling out what Shane already knew, but hadn’t yet faced. Worse than that though, it sounded as though Carter had not only figured it out sooner, but was deciding to act on it. What the fuck?

  “Are you all right?”

  Shane nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I was only messing around with you. I thought it was time for you to have some fun. It sounds as though you’ve got more serious stuff on your mind.” He shrugged. “You know I can’t help you there. I don’t do serious. Maybe you should talk to Mason.”

  Carter laughed. “I don’t need to talk to anyone. Maybe you should talk to Mason.”

  “I don’t think he can help me.” Shane didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. What he wanted was to go saddle up Cookie and ride out into the moonlight. Spend some time in the foothills and try to get his head straight. All he’d ever done with Cassidy was flirt—and fail spectacularly! There was nothing between them, and she’d made it very clear that, as far as she was concerned, there never would be. Yet he felt as though he’d been kicked in the gut. His brother was moving in on his girl. Except she wasn’t his girl, never had been.

  “Are you all right?” Carter asked again.

  Shane met his gaze. Maybe he should tell him? Hell no! He squished that thought as soon as it popped up. He could have any woman he wanted—as many women as he wanted. He would just have to live with the discovery that Cassidy was the woman he wanted more than any other. If anyone deserved to be happy it was Carter, and if he thought Cassidy might make him happy, then so be it. Shane wasn’t going to mess with his chances.

  Chapter Three

  The next morning Shane closed up his office and crammed his hat down on his head. The guests were all out on their daily activities. Most were on a picnic ride down to Dailey Lake, a few had taken the minibus down to the park, and the rest were hanging around the ranch relaxing. He was heading up into town again. He was only going because he needed to get to the post office. That was all. He was going to stop into the Moonstone Gallery while he was up there. But that was just so he could keep his word to Gina and Cassidy. He’d promised them a while back that he would put them in touch with some of his former guests. He really did want to do whatever he could to help them sell their new line of art. He was hoping he could provide them with a steady stream of clients. If he happened to discover anything about how Cassidy felt about Carter while he was there, well that would just be coincidental, wouldn’t it?

  He second-guessed himself all the way up the valley. He shouldn’t go anywhere near her if Carter was interested. But he needed to know if it was mutual. That would help him do the right thing—back the hell off. He should stay away, but he had promised to help with marketing leads. He should stay away, but he wanted to see her. He needed to see if the effect she always had on him would still be as strong. Would his attraction for her wither and die once the thrill of the chase was removed from the equation? How could he still be thrilled by chasing a woman his brother was interested in? He took his hat off and threw it onto the passenger seat. What the hell was he doing? He should just turn around and head back to the ranch, put Cassidy out of his head and go console himself with Lena. He put the accelerator to the floor as he turned north—toward town.

  ~ ~ ~

  Cassidy stepped back to observe the canvas. She was pleased. She loved working on this new line with Gina. They hadn’t been working together for very long, but they understood each other so well. Gina’s photographs captured the landscape and the wildlife so vividly, while Cassidy’s paintings reflected the feel, the colors, and the contrasts in a much more impressionistic way. She knew between the two of them they would appeal to a very broad range of buyers. She looked up as Gina came in.

  “That, my friend, is beautiful!”

  “Why, thank you. I was just thinking the same thing,” she said with a laugh.

  “”Modest, aren’t we?”

  Cassidy shrugged. “Honest is what I prefer to call it. I’m good. I know it. I have the millions to prove it.”

  “And I envy you,” said Gina. “Not the millions, though of course I wouldn’t mind joining you. I mean your confidence. No, that’s not right. Your…what is it?”

  “Self-acceptance?” asked Cassidy. “I know I come off as fairly egotistical to most people, but that’s their problem not mine. For some reason we’re all encouraged to hide our light, how does that go? Under a bushel? Whatever a bushel might be. I don’t see the point in that. I don’t see why we shouldn’t all stand up and own our accomplishments. I know I piss people off, but I really don’t care. I love what I do, I happen to be talented at it, and that gives me great pleasure. People are either jealous, or too bogged down in social conventions in the belief that we shouldn’t toot our own horns for the fear of offending someone else. I’m not going to curb my own enjoyment of my life and my talents. I’m not going to smallen myself just to live down to someone else’s expectations. Sorry, not sorry.”

  Gina laughed. “Smallen? Is that even a word?”

  Cassidy smirked. “If it isn’t, it should be! So many people, especially women, smallen themselves in order to keep other people happy. In order not to threaten the little egos of the men around them.”

  Gina raised an eyebrow. “This sounds as though we’re heading into interesting territory. Want to tell me more?”

  Cassidy shook her head. “Not until we have a whol
e evening and that good wine we were talking about.”

  “Okay. I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again. You name the day, and I’ll bring the wine.”

  “How about tonight?”

  “Nope. I can’t do tonight, I’m going over to see my dad. And tomorrow’s no good either. We’re meeting Carter at the Mint. He said he’d come out for dinner, and that’s a minor miracle in itself. You could join us? It’ll be more likely beer and a burger than good wine, but we’ll have a laugh, and we usually have a game of pool when we go there, too. Do you play?”

  Cassidy grinned. “That sounds like fun. I need to talk to Carter about his landscaping ideas for my place anyway. And as for pool—do I play?” She chuckled. “Hell yes, I play. I used to be quite the hustler in my day. Just don’t tell the guys, we can play doubles and kick their asses. How does that sound?”

  “Like a lot of fun,” said Gina.

  “Okay then. I’m in.”

  She looked up at the sound of the buzzer when the gallery door opened. All the little hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she saw him, sending goose bumps chasing each other down her spine. She pressed her lips into a thin line to ensure that they didn’t respond in kind to the infuriatingly gorgeous smile on his face.

  “Good day, ladies.”

  “It was, until about a minute ago. What do you want now?” she asked.

  Gina shot her a why-do-you-have-to-be-so-mean? look. “Hi Shane. How are you doing?”

  “You already know what I want, sweet Cassidy. I thought I made that clear yesterday.”

  She took a deep breath, remembering the feel of his tongue on the sensitive skin of her wrist—oh, he’d made it very plain indeed!

  He gave her a knowing smile before turning to Gina. “I’m doing great, thanks, G. I wanted to talk to you both about hooking you up with the ranch guests to sell your pictures.”

  Cassidy rolled her eyes. She’d heard about Shane hooking up with the ranch guests himself. “I understand you get quite close to your guests.” She could have kicked herself for saying it out loud.