Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“My mom has another family. I found her last year. I guess I was curious.” A light rain started, gently tapping on the windows and the top of the cab. The good news was he’d put a rain poncho in Bay’s pack this morning. “She’s in Nebraska. She married a grocery store manager and has two kids. I suppose they’re my half siblings. She’s got some socials. In her bio she calls herself happy wife and mother of two. Like I never existed. Like I was a mistake she left behind.”
Max took a long breath and huffed it out. “So you found your way here. Shane, this can’t work if you don’t value yourself.”
He was surprised at the words. “I thought you didn’t want it to work.”
“I want my sister happy, and the truth is I’m learning the older I get the more I feel for young men like you. You come by your assholery honestly. I would probably be more freaked out if you weren’t on the assholish side. I don’t think going back to New York will make Brooke happy.”
“You think she should stay here?”
“I think she needs a change. I was always worried about her living in New York. Not because of the city. Because of the industry. She’s not ruthless. She’s going to be taken advantage of, and quite frankly, she will never like being told what to do. She needs to pick her projects. That’s what I want for her. I want to have given her an education and training that makes it possible for her to not get stuck. I love working for us. Really working for my family in a way that maybe one day they’ll want to join me. I like building something for us. In our name. Brooke needs to do the same.”
“I think she’s kind of happy with the job at the theater. I know it doesn’t pay much.”
“She doesn’t have to make much. She doesn’t need to be high powered,” Max explained. “She’s got it in her head that she needs to make something of herself to pay back me and Rye. We only want her happy and fulfilled. Honestly, right now I would just take her talking to us. I was thinking about having all three of you out to dinner.”
He wasn’t sure he could handle it. “Maybe she could bring Bay. I’m not real good with kids.”
“I suspect you’re excellent with them,” Max countered. “Tell me what’s happening. Up until real recently you and Bay wouldn’t take a crap alone.”
“Of course we… Look, I think Bay is giving this art show thing a go, and when he does, I don’t have a place there. Especially…”
“Especially what?”
“He doesn’t believe me about why we left our last job. He thinks I made it all up.”
“Is this the Kale Kingman stuff?”
He shouldn’t be surprised that Max knew. He was sure everyone knew and thought he was a lying asshole. “Yeah.”
“You think he was going to take you and your brother out because you caught him doing something criminal?” Max asked.
“I know it sounds…” Shane began.
“It sounds like that fucker finally might get caught. I would believe anything about that man. Why don’t you tell me what happened.”
Max believed him? There was suspicion in the back of his mind, but he was trying to be more open. Not everyone was out to get him. But Kale Kingman sure as hell was.
Before he could start, there was a knock on the cab. He glanced over and Nate Wright stood there.
Max rolled down the window. “Now, Nate, I know what I said sounds bad…”
“Max, we have trouble,” the sheriff said. He eyed Shane. “And I would like to have a talk with that one.”
His day had definitely taken a nose dive.
Chapter Twelve
Bay nodded to Trev as he closed the door to the cab. “Thanks for the ride. I wanted to make sure Brooke could get to the theater on time. They’re starting dress rehearsals in a couple of days, and that means Brooke’s got to work a lot. I don’t know what happened with Shane. I’m surprised he hasn’t called.”
“Yeah, I’m worried, too,” his boss admitted. “Beth said she saw him but didn’t know he was leaving the ranch. He’ll turn up. He seemed upset this morning. Anything happen?”
Bay was at a loss. Shane had been cold and distant. Was he that upset that Rachel was staying with them?
A voice in Bay’s head told him it was definitely his fault. He’d called his brother out in front of Brooke, and worse in front of Max and Rye and Rachel. “I might have mentioned I thought that Shane might have fibbed about why we left our last job. I don’t think he took it well. I didn’t mean to insult him. I left when he wanted to.”