both of you might be equally foolish. Know what I mean, Shea?”
He scowled at his friend and finished his beer, his thoughts running as fast and deep as the water in the creek. He’d never thought to deviate from the course he’d planned. The lights and action of the city had called to him. Shake off the small-town atmosphere and trade his cowboy boots for Gucci loafers.
Now, instead of the sweetness of freedom he’d always dreamed of, Shea tasted the bitterness of loss. His father always said to follow his dreams, no matter what anyone else’s dreams might be. And Shea now knew, with the wisdom and clarity of time tempering his grief, that while his father had given him his blessing to leave, his real wish had been for Shea to stay. That was his father’s dream. It hadn’t been Shea’s. Until now.
Until Jake.
Today had been a day like no other, the hold the land had on him never making itself more evident than after spending his day with Jake’s little girl. Walking away from Forget Me Not, selling the ranch, and starting a new life now seemed like foolishness, and Shea no longer recalled why he’d been so desperate to leave and find himself when he was already here.
A squeal broke into his thoughts. “Oh, my God, Jake, isn’t she the most precious thing. Look at her.” Bonnie was scrolling through Jake’s phone, looking at all the pictures of Stacey. “She’s a living doll. And looks like she loves bein’ at the ranch. Aww, see her with that pony?” She handed Jake his phone. “You must be sad you’re leaving.”
Jeremiah drained his bottle of beer. “I know Shea is.”
“ ’Course I am. You don’t need to say it. Ain’t no secret.”
“As I see it, once Shea sells the ranch, y’all can hook up again in New York City. ’Course we’re gonna miss him, but ain’t nothin’ we don’t already know.”
Jake remained silent.
Shea scowled. “I think me ’n Jake are gonna go get a table. We got some stuff to talk about.” He stood. “See y’all later.”
Shea found a booth tucked in the corner, and Jake scrambled to follow him after making his good-byes. “Why’d you cut them off like that?” Jake asked, sliding into a seat across from him.
“Forget about them.” Shea gazed down at the beer bottle in his hands. “Tell me about the offer to buy the ranch.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jake could see something was weighing heavily on Shea’s mind, but having spent enough time with him, he knew when the time was right, he would open up and talk.
“I want to buy the ranch and have children with and without special needs come and spend time with the animals. I think they can be emotional support for them like they’ve been for Stacey. You said some of the horses were already used in equine therapy, so that can continue, and I can get the others trained. You saw how Stacey responded to the horses, donkeys, and rabbits. There’s something special about the place, Shea. I felt it right away. I can’t stand the thought of it being sold after everything that’s happened there. Stacey regaining her confidence and trust to talk again”—he reached across the table to grab Shea’s hand and prevent him from continuing to shred the beer bottle label—“and us.”
Shea met his gaze. “What about us?”
There was so much to admire about Shea Montgomery. Physical beauty had been the initial attraction for Jake, but as the days passed and he learned more about the makeup of the man, Jake saw beyond the broad shoulders and chiseled abs. He looked into those piercing blue eyes and found kindness toward a hurt child, the sweet smile of a caring son, and the blazing heat of an incredible lover.
“Are you really asking me that?”
“Howdy, Shea.”
Silky dark hair draped over Toby’s forehead, and though Shea had insisted their relationship had been one of convenience, from how Toby’s eyes devoured Shea, Jake could see Toby hadn’t yet let go of the hope that one day Shea might be his.
“Toby.”
“Howdy. I see you’re back. Y’all been staying at the ranch, I heard.” His gaze focused on their joined hands across the table.
Jake put on a smile, wishing the man gone. “Yes, tonight’s our last night, so Shea and I were talking some things out.” Could he be any clearer without being rude that he wanted Toby to leave? He noticed Shea’s lips twitching.