Once Burned (29 page)

“Go ahead and say it,” Shannon said. “I can take it from you.”

“Say what?”

“That this kind of crap is what comes with even the tiniest bit of fame.”

Celeste shook her head and several strands of her lustrous dark hair tumbled loose from her sloppy ponytail. “That’s not at all what I was going to say. We’ve been friends for what, seven years now, since we were first paired up in that ridiculously tiny dorm room, which means I know you pretty well, right?”

“Better than anyone outside of my immediate family.”

“Why did you even audition for that first play?”

“It was an incredible opportunity, and I enjoy theater.”

“Maybe on a small scale, when you can maintain a certain level of anonymity. You remember what you told me your friend Ty used to call you?”

“Shy Eyes.”

“Exactly.”

She took the plate and silverware Celeste handed her and sat on the window bench with her feet tucked under her. Her roommate sat in the armchair a few feet away.

“All right. I get it.” Shannon gestured at the tabloid lying beside her on the bench. “If that is what I’ll have to endure if my acting career continues in this direction, maybe it isn’t the career for me. But you forget that I didn’t exactly like teaching, either.”

“I remember that you liked the teaching well enough, and that you were good at it, like your dad, but you were in a large school with too many students and a miniscule budget and the expectation that you could work miracles.”

Shannon growled. “What’s your point? That I should trade a career I usually enjoy and that pays pretty damned well for one that frustrates me and doesn’t pay squat?”

“I’m saying that maybe you should take a step back and let yourself have a good-old-fashioned mid-twenties identity crisis.”

“Just because of one tabloid article.”

“An article that ended a three-year relationship with the decisiveness of a guillotine. And don’t tell me you aren’t thinking about taking a break. I heard the longing in your voice when you told Pat you wanted to visit for Christmas.”

“I can’t just drop everything and run away to Montana.”

“Says who? You have enough money saved to take at least a six-month sabbatical, and if you’re worried about the movie deal, the producer is a good friend who I’m sure will give you numerous other chances.” Celeste wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe you could make nice with that cowboy friend of yours while you’re there.”

Shannon rolled her eyes. “I really can’t just up and leave, Celeste.”

“When was the last time you took a break? You’ve been going balls to the wall since you graduated from high school, missy, so maybe it’s time for a little vacation. Listen to your heart, before your mind has time to override it. What is it telling you?”

With a sigh, Shannon replied, “That a trip to Northstar right now sounds absolutely splendid.”

* * *

“I hear Shannon O’Neil is coming for a visit,” Heather remarked as Ty loped past where she sat on the top rail of the corral.

He spared her only a glance, afraid anything more would reveal how much the news intrigued him. She’d spoken rather loudly, certainly loud enough to be heard over the rhythmic thuds of his mount’s hooves, so he sincerely doubted she would think he hadn’t caught what she’d said. He really liked Heather. She was very attractive with long, rich brown hair, confident blue eyes, a fine-featured face, and a lithe, athletic body. More than her physical beauty, Ty appreciated her quick wit and how she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. At twenty—five years his junior—she had a surprising poise and self-assuredness. And yet… the mere mention of Pat O’Neil’s little sister had his heart tripping in his chest. Heather couldn’t make it do that.

“She’s supposed to be here tonight,” Heather added on his next pass.

Shannon in Northstar again
, Ty thought.
Looks like Christmas is coming early this year.

Though he talked to her every few weeks, he hadn’t seen her in almost two years, since he’d given in to impulse and kissed her under the mistletoe. He’d started a fire with that kiss and had not yet found a way to put it out. Neither of them had spoken of it after he’d apologized to her boyfriend for his trespass, and though he was fairly certain she’d felt the spark, time and distance made him doubt. She had been out only once since, to spend a long weekend with her brother and his family last summer, but Ty had been in Bozeman at a competition, so he hadn’t yet had an opportunity to see if the kiss was a fluke or if there was something more between them. The blue ribbon he’d won hadn’t come close to making up for missing her visit, but his family and their small ranch had benefited from the substantial boost his fledgling horse-training business had received as a result. If Shannon really were coming to Northstar….

“She might be here already.”

Ty frowned, and with his hands resting lightly on his thighs, lifted his left leg away from his horse’s barrel while pressing his right closer. The piebald mare pivoted to the left. She stopped immediately and walked toward Heather when he squeezed gently with both legs. He was genuinely impressed with her, all the more because the man he’d bought her from had claimed she was “untrainable”. Quite the opposite, Ty thought, because she was one of the most eager and willing horses he’d ever had the pleasure to work with.

“Whoa,” he murmured, further pleased when she stopped before the command died on his lips. He leaned forward over her neck. He stroked his hands over her thick winter coat and scratched vigorously along her mane. “Good girl, Holly.”

“You never cease to amaze me, Ty. She really loves this.”

Ty nodded. “What’s on your mind, Heather? You aren’t usually so cryptic.”

“Cryptic? How am I being—”

“I know there’s a reason you mentioned Shannon.”

Heather brushed her fingertips over Holly’s velvety nose for a moment before she answered. “I think it’s time we call it quits. I mean, dating. I know you want to start settling down, maybe think about starting a family, and… I’m just not ready for that yet.”

Ty ducked his gaze for a moment, though he wasn’t surprised. “What brought this on?”

“Mostly the way you’ve been acting around your sister and her brood. And then I heard that Shannon was on her way. I know you love her, Ty, and I may regret this in a few years, because you’re a great guy, but you may have a chance to start something with her, and I don’t want to be the one to screw that up.”

Unable to meet the confidence in her eyes, Ty turned his gaze east toward the tall granite peaks of the Northstar Mountains. They were blocked from his view by the forested ridge sheltering the bowl in which the corrals and barns sat, and he wished he could see them. This late in the afternoon, with the cool shadows lengthening, they would be bathed in sharp golden light.

“Shannon has a boyfriend,” he said.

“You’re not going to try to talk me out of this?”

It almost—
almost
—sounded like she wanted him to. “Is there really any point in trying?”

“No,” she answered. “And I think Shannon
had
a boyfriend.”

“What makes you think that’s changed? They’ve been dating for three years.” He returned his attention to her.

“Oh, please, Ty. She’s never come out here without at least a month’s notice. I heard Aelissm say this morning that she just up and decided to visit only two days ago. Right as her acting career is taking off. Does that sound like everything is still all sunshine and rainbows to you?”

Ty didn’t dare hope Heather was right. Though Shannon had complained more than once that Chris seemed to be taking his sweet time in moving their relationship in a more lasting direction, the man would have to be dense to let go of a woman like Shannon. Hell, Ty was probably a fool for letting Heather slip away without a fight, but she—like Shannon—was much like the horses he trained; the best results always came when they
wanted
to work with him. Unlike horses, however, women were not nearly so easily won over. It had taken little more than sugary treats, some sweet-talking, and patience to get Holly to follow him around like a faithful shadow.

“Are you okay?” Heather asked.

“I…. Yeah. I guess so. I mean, we aren’t—weren’t—all that serious, anyhow.”

“Right. Barely more than friends with benefits. Although, there is one benefit I still want.”

“And that is?”

“I still want you to teach me how you train horses. That is, if it wouldn’t be too awkward….”

Ty smiled. “I can’t make any promises about the awkward part, but I’m actually really glad you want to keep learning. I might be looking for some extra help before too much longer, and so far, you’re my best hope.”

“Ah gee, thanks, Ty. Need me to help with anything else tonight?”

“No, I think I can manage.”

“All right. Hey. Thanks for not making a big deal about this.”

All he could do was nod and watch her saunter away. Ty nudged Holly over to the corral gate and leaned down to slip the rope loop off the post. He pushed the gate open with his foot, then guided his horse through with the lightest squeeze of his legs. Damn, she was a great horse. He had a thought to enter her in a competition he was sure her former owner was sure to attend just to shove it in the prick’s face that he’d sold a gem.

“Stubborn, stupid, and worthless mare my ass,” Ty said, fondly patting her shoulder. “Intelligent, loyal, and champion mare fit you much better, don’t they, Holly?”

She flicked her ears, listening intently to his every word. He curled his fingers around a fistful of her black mane and tightened his legs a little more. She moved effortlessly into a ground-eating lope up the trail to the ridge top, her hooves churning the powdery snow into glittering blue-white plumes. The brisk November air stung his exposed face, but he reveled in it, thrilled by the freedom of riding bareback without a bridle—truly in tune with his horse—through the wintry landscape, and elated by the hope that Shannon would soon be in Northstar.

When they reached the crest of the ridge, he relaxed his legs, cuing Holly to slow to a walk and finally to a stop just as the mountains came into view through the trees. The sight of the Northstar Mountains alight with the late afternoon sunlight was nothing short of breathtaking. The forests of lodgepole pine and Douglas fir that blanketed the shoulders of the peaks were still heavily dusted with the snow that had fallen last night and the contrast between the white mountains, white hayfields, and the dark green of the pines and firs was muted. Even the leafless, red-brown branches of the scrub willows gathered along the many creeks of the valley wore thick coats of white.

Ty had lived here his entire life—born right here on the Bar E Ranch in the middle of a snowstorm—and the beauty of this place never failed to leave him awestruck. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, and he wondered what it would take to convince Shannon to stay here in Northstar. With him. He knew she liked it here, and he had hoped since meeting her—and especially since kissing her—that she would realize this could be her home like it was now her brother’s.

With a sigh, Ty again patted Holly’s neck. He noted a restlessness settling over him and would love to keep riding, but he’d already put Holly through a pretty good workout this afternoon. Besides, it was getting on toward dinnertime. As he rode back to the ranch compound at a leisurely trot, he pondered his lack of concern over Heather’s decision to end their relationship. Was he really okay with it, or was the promise of seeing Shannon again just that powerful? Both, he decided. He and Heather had been dating less than a month, and if he were honest with himself, he hadn’t moved very far beyond seeing her as only his friend. The term lover, though accurate enough, didn’t fit right. Shannon, on the other hand, had captivated him from the moment Aelissm had introduced him to her new husband’s sister at her and Pat’s wedding. Over the years, he had been content to keep Shannon as a friend, despite wanting more, because he wanted her in his life and he hadn’t cared how.

Memories he’d collected of her occupied his mind as he groomed and fed Holly and finished the rest of his evening chores. When he reached his cabin, he stoked the fire in his woodstove and walked into the kitchen. He stood there for a few minutes, aware that he was hungry, but not feeling much like cooking. Instead of starting dinner, he grabbed his truck keys. He didn’t think about where he was going or why, trusting his heart to figure it out. He wasn’t in the least surprised when he pulled up in front of the squat A-frame with dark brown siding and crisp white trim that was the restaurant of the Bedspread Inn, which Pat and Aelissm O’Neil operated. The big windows and glass doors of the front wall brightly reflected the scene behind him, and he stared over his shoulder at the mountains for a moment before climbing out of his truck. The light was now rosy and reminded him vividly of that evening two years ago.

He started toward the stairs up to the inn’s restaurant, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed the SUV he’d parked beside. It had Washington plates. His heart did that skittery thing again, and he took the steps two at a time.

Ty stepped into the dining room, glanced as he always did at the beam with his family’s brand emblazoned in bright teal. Heat radiated from the roaring fire in the stone hearth that dominated the center of the room. At first, the restaurant appeared to be empty, but he heard voices. Then Pat’s striking blonde wife peeked around the fireplace, saw him, and grinned.

“I believe there’s someone here to see you, Shannon,” Aelissm remarked.

If he had worried her recent successes in the spotlight had changed her somehow, he’d been wrong. She was just how he remembered, from the gentle waves of dark auburn hair that cascaded over her shoulders to the dancing, innocent hazel eyes smiling at him from that softly beautiful face. She was every bit as alluring as he recalled, slender with feminine curves, and dressed in a slim-fitting maroon sweater and jeans, more shyly comfortable than brazenly sexy. Shannon O’Neil was the classic girl-next-door and exactly what Ty wanted in a woman.