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I huff, kicking at a stray piece of rock. “Just don’t.”
Shane closes his eyes for a second, and I recognize the gesture. His momma used to do that. Both of them do it when they’re annoyed, like they’re searching for the patience to deal with me. It didn’t make me feel great when she did it, either.
Ellen and Mark Emerson might be the only reason that Landon and I are alive, but neither one of us is their actual, God-given son. Shane’s the only one with that title and the money that came with it after their deaths. Sometimes I wonder if he likes us at all anymore, or if he’s just trying to stick to their memories when it comes to Landon and me.
“Well, then you’re about to be doing a lot more of this shit on your own, especially if the Fosters sign that contract.”
“They’d be stupid to sign it.”
“Or desperate,” Shane adds. “And I’m inclined to think that might be where they are.”
I grunt, but don’t respond.
“Landon likes her,” he mentions casually.
Like I didn’t see that coming. “I bet he does.”
“I do, too.”
I turn to look at him. “Is that so?”
Shane Emerson has expressed romantic interest in another human exactly four times in his life. One of them was Susan Wilkers in fourth grade, who danced with him in the square-dancing unit in gym class, then moved to Reno the next year.
The other three? They didn’t end so cleanly.
He gives me a nod, and I give another little grunt, turning away to see if the farrier texted me.
“Don’t you think there’s something… there?”
I frown, thinking back to the interaction from the day before.
“She’s brave; I’ll give her that.” Storm is a hell of a stallion. Running him down to try to scare him off took guts. Guts that ended up spooking my horse, but guts, nonetheless.
“Brave, and she graduated from a good school with a business degree.”
Ah, that’s why Shane is interested. “You think she can actually get it together to save the ranch?”
“I don’t know. But I’m pretty interested in seeing her try.” He smiles. “What did you think, besides brave?”
“Stupid, to run down a stallion with no one else around. She could have gotten herself hurt. Badly, too,” I say, my lips tucking into a frown.
I’m definitely not going to admit to him that I thought she was beautiful, or that those blue eyes still make me a little hard when I think about them. Because if Shane and Landon are interested… Well. There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell she’ll go for a guy like me.
“You don’t want to put your hat in the ring?”
Nope. “No. It’s going to get messy when we buy her ranch.”
“If we buy it,” Shane says, his eyebrows raising.
“Not if. When. Have fun with your chase. Best of luck to the both of you,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder. “May the best man win.”
He chuckles. “That I will, man.”
“I never said it was you, brother.”
“No, but it’s all right. I won’t tell Landon.”
I roll my eyes, but the farrier’s truck is in the driveway, so the conversation cuts short. I head down to meet him, even as blue eyes and brown hair seem to haunt me as I do.
