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“I think I’d like to ”
“You’d have to come over very early”
“I guess I’d better get used to waking up early if I’oats”
“You should probably spend the night, just to make it easy on yourself”
She found herself getting lost in his dark eyes This was the Shane she likedto lean in and feel his uy who made her heart beat faster
Nearby, someone cleared his throat Annabelle saw that Marcus had returned She took a quick step back and sipped her coffee
Shane didn’t look the least bit chagrined “We were discussing the digital temperatures in the shower”
“Ah, I see You should look at this one It changes color as the tees”
Shane grabbed her hand and drew her along after Marcus “It changes color I like that Maybe we can find one that makes the water different colors, too”
“YOU DID REALLY WELL,” Annabelle said four hours later as they drove back to Fool’s Gold “We got everything you needed from the store It will be shipped to the job site and make your contractor very happy”
“Good Because she has serious attitude if she’s not happy”
Annabelle didn’t want to think about how le afternoon All those fixtures added up, especially since he tended to choose high-end rate the fact that he wasn’t just a guy orked with horses He was a successful breeder and racehorse owner She had a feeling he paid more in taxes than she made
“With the ht, construction can continue,” she said
“Yeah I’ll get a two-day break and then she’ll be onfixtures”
“The electrician is going to need to knohat goes where”
He turned off the hway for the road to the ranch “Want to pick them for me?”
“No, but I’ll go with you”
“Thanks”
Their eyes met for a second and she felt the faht Better than good
As he made another turn, they passed a flatbed truck with the naroaned
“What did she buy now?”
“At least it’s not an ani to see a clue “They always come in enclosed trailers”
“Unless it was in a cage or so Like a lion”
“Your mother wouldn’t buy a lion”
“You sure about that?”
Annabelle thought about May’s eclectic erie “Um, no Not really”
They drove onto the ranch only to see a shiny new red truck parked by the house It was big, with massive tires and an extended bed
Shane slowed his truck and stared “Because the Cadillac wasn’t enough?” he muttered
“Cadillac?” She stared at the truck “You think Clay bought it?”
“No one else would want anything that flashy That has my little brother written all over it”
“When does he arrive?”
Shane caine “Earlier this afternoon”
She glanced toward the truck and saw aon the porch He was obviously a Stryker brother—with dark hair and eyes The sas But he was also different
He wasn’t just good-looking He was handsoue, his features just a little more perfect than everyone else’s And his appeal didn’t stop there The ht jeans and a for T-shirt
“You can close your rumbled
Annabelle tore her gaze away from Clay “My mouth wasn’t open”
“It kind of was Don’t worry We’re used to it Clay has always been the pretty one in the fas aard”
He was joking Sort of She looked at Shane and thought of howabout him Then she undid her seat belt and leaned toward him
“You’re very concerned about my reaction to your brother I think the person you really have to worry about is your bathing lady”
As she spoke, she put her hand on the back of his head and drew hih, she leaned in and kissed hih and how she looked forward to spending tiht about all the ways he a, so to speak
When she finally drew back he smiled “Nice”
She raised her eyebrows
“I got the e,” he added
“Good Remember that”
As she got out, she wondered if Shane’s reaction to her looking at Clay had been about her or if this was another exa with his ex Had she been a little too interested in Shane’s brother? Because if she had been, this was more proof of Annabelle’s uphill journey to prove she was someone Shane could trust That she would never betray him or trick him or hurt him
Easy enough to say, she thought But much, much harder to prove
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“I’M SO HAPPY,” MAY said, checking the roast she’d put in the oven, then closing the door and straightening “All my boys are home with me”
Shane collected plates and flatware to set the table, as instructed “Were you this excited when I
“Of course,” his mother assured him
“Only Clay’s a little more special,” Rafe called from the sideboard by the table He pulled the cork from the bottle of wine May had insisted they would have with dinner
“He’s rarely here,” May told them both “That makes it special”
“Face it,” Rafe said, returning to the kitchen to get the wineglasses “He’s her favorite”
May put her hands on her hips “I love all my boys the same You two know it, too”
Rafe paused to kiss her cheek “We do, Mom But sometimes it’s fun to mess with you”
It was just the four of theone into town to leave the Strykers to enjoy their reunion in private
Clay strolled into the kitchen and walked up to his mother “You’re evenher close and hugging her When he released her, he turned to Rafe “Hey, there’s so about that?”
Rafe narrowed his gaze “You didn’t touch it, did you?”
“No” Clay held up both his hands “I just looked” He winked “Marriage, huh? What does she see in you?”