“Your father was very hard on you and it certainly decreased your willingness to help around the ranch. You didn’t need to feel ganged up on.”
From where he was sitting, he could see the informal family portrait taken when he’d been seventeen. His father stood with his arm around his beaming wife and looked happy, while Shane’s expression was slightly resentful. He’d always hated it because he was supposed to be on a hunting trip with friends the weekend the photo shoot had been scheduled. The photo seemed to sum up how he’d felt since he was ten.
Mother and son chatted for over an hour after the caterer departed about Elyse’s upcoming trip to Boston for her brother Gavin’s surprise sixty-fifth birthday party. She and Gavin’s wife, Jennifer, were planning a tropical-themed bash because Gavin was also retiring at the end of the month and he and Jennifer were going to Belize to look at vacation properties.
“I need to get going,” Elyse said, glancing at her watch. “I promised Jennifer I would call her to firm up the last few details for Gavin’s party.” She got to her feet and deposited a kiss on Shane’s cheek. “Thank you for helping me today.”
“It was my pleasure.” And in fact, once he got over his initial reluctance, he’d enjoyed spending time with his mom, doing something she took great pride in. “Your party-planning skills are second to none and the centennial is going to be fantastic. Let me know what else I can do to help you.”
His mother didn’t try to hide her surprise. “You mean that?”
“I do. Send me a list. I’ll get it done.”
“Thank you,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.
After his mom left, Shane remembered something else he’d been putting off. His keys jingled as he trotted down the steps to the driveway. He needed to pick up his stuff from Brandee’s. He’d been in such a hurry to leave that he hadn’t taken anything with him.
He didn’t expect to see her truck in the driveway and it wasn’t. It was nearly seven o’clock. The sun was below the horizon and a soft glow from the living room lights filled the front windows. Shane got out of his truck and headed for the front door, remembering the first time he’d stepped onto her porch two weeks ago. So much had happened. So much had gone wrong.
First he tried the doorbell, but when that went unanswered, he tried knocking. Was she avoiding him? Or had she come home, consumed more alcohol and passed out? Shane decided he needed to see for himself that she was okay and used the key she’d given him to unlock the door.
As he stepped across her threshold, he half expected her to come tearing toward him, shrieking at him to get out. Of course, that wasn’t her style. Or he hadn’t thought it was until he’d witnessed her going after Cecelia, Simone and Naomi today.
He needn’t have worried. The house had an unoccupied feel to it.
A quick look around confirmed Brandee hadn’t come home. Shane headed to the guest suite and was surprised to find none of his things had been touched. Moving quickly, he packed up his toiletries and clothes. He kept his gaze away from the luxurious shower and the big, comfortable bed. Already a lump had formed in his throat that had no business being there. He swallowed hard and cursed.
What the hell had he expected? That they would live happily-ever-after? Even before he found out she’d been keeping the truth from him about the ranch, that ending hadn’t been in the cards. All along Brandee had said she didn’t need anyone’s help. She’d never wanted a partner or a long-term lover. They might have enjoyed each other’s company for a while, but in the end both of them were too independent and afraid of intimacy for it to have worked.
Eager to be gone, Shane strode toward the front door, but as he reached it, a familiar ringtone began playing from the direction of the kitchen. He stopped walking and, with a resigned sigh, turned toward the sound. Brandee had left her smartphone on the large concrete island.
Though he knew he should just leave well enough alone, Shane headed to check out who might be calling. Brandee always made a point of being available to her ranch hands and with her not being home, they would have no way of knowing how to get in contact with her.
Shane leaned over and peered at the screen. Sure enough, it was her ranch foreman. Now Shane had two choices. He could get ahold of Chelsea and see if Brandee was staying there, or he could find out what was up and then call Chelsea.
“Hey, Jimmy,” Shane said, deciding to answer the call. “Brandee isn’t around at the moment. She left her phone behind. Is there something you need?”
“Is she planning on coming back soon?”
Shane recalled how she’d looked earlier. “I doubt it. She went into town and I think she might be staying the night at Chelsea’s. Is there something wrong?”
“Not wrong, but we’ve got a half-dozen cows showing signs of calving and she said if we needed her to help out tonight to call. But it’s okay, we’ll make do.”
As Jimmy was speaking, Shane’s gaze fell on something he hadn’t noticed before. A large poster was tacked on the wall near the door to the mudroom. It held pictures of all the teenagers and their dogs surrounding a big, glittery thank-you in the middle. It was a gaudy, glorious mess and Shane knew that Brandee loved it.
He closed his eyes to block out the sight. Brandee didn’t have to give her time or energy to a bunch of troubled kids, but she did it because even small events like the one with the rescue dogs had the power to change lives. He’d seen firsthand how her program had impacted each of the teens in some way, and with her camp she was poised to do so much more.
“Why don’t I stop down and give you a hand.” The last thing he wanted was to spend an endless, freezing night outside, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
“That would be a big help.” Jimmy sounded relieved. “But are you sure? Between the cold and the number of cows ready to go, it’s going to be a long, miserable night.”
“I’m sure. See you in ten.”
The way Shane was feeling at the moment, he was going to be miserable regardless. And to his surprise, as he headed back to the guest suite to change into work clothes, his mood felt significantly lighter. Maybe there was something to this helping-others thing after all.
Thirteen
Brandee came awake with a jolt and groped for her cell phone. Jimmy was supposed to check in with her last night and let her know if he needed her help with the calving. Had she slept through his call? That had never happened before.