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“Good. Sully did what he could with the water heater, but
it’s pretty well shot.”

“All right. I’ll think of something.” Kendall rubbed her
forehead. She’d find the money somewhere; she always did.

“Just come home safe. We’ll figure out the rest of it when
the time comes.”

“What if he wants to sell? Or for me to buy him out? I just
don’t know if we could pull that off.”

“Don’t put the cart before the horse. Get him here first.
Maybe he’ll fall in love with the place just like we did.”

“Maybe.”

A shadow loomed over her, and she peered up to see the man
in question standing in front of her. How long had he been there? She shielded
her eyes against the glare of the sun. Jeans—so faded and battered there were
wear marks in the most amazingly interesting places—hugged whip-lean hips. A
plaid shirt fluttered in the light breeze, and a skintight white tank
undershirt molded his mouthwatering body.

His face was inscrutable.

Was it any wonder the man twisted her into knots?

“I’ll give you a call from the next town, Mom.”

“Is everything okay, Kendall? Your voice changed.”

Shane crouched in front of her and brushed a tear away with
the pad of his thumb. He tucked a hank of her windblown hair around her ear,
then kissed her forehead. The tears that had stopped now stung again. She met
his gaze, her heart tumbling when the corner of his mouth kicked up into a
sweet smile.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I love you.”

His eyes warmed, and his gaze dropped to her mouth before
returning to give her that intent stare that always made her blood run hot and
her skin tingle.

“Love you too, sweetie.”

Kendall tucked her phone into her hoodie. “Hey.”

“You all right?”

She nodded. “Just told my mom everything.”

“And?”

“She’s anxious, less pissed off than I thought she’d be, and
has a honey-do list long enough to cross the lake. And guess what? It has your
name on it.”

He cupped the back of her neck, drawing her out of her tight
ball and into his arms. His mouth was gentle and fierce at the same time. She
slid her fingers into his hair and used her other hand to grasp his open shirt.

He went down on his knees before her, pulling her flush to
him, his fingers splayed across her back. She changed her grip to his shoulders
and let herself fall into the sunshine kiss.

She was tired of doing everything alone. Was it so wrong to
want someone to lean on? He tore his mouth away from hers and pressed her cheek
against his chest. His heartbeat roared under her ear. His fingers tunneled
through her hair, massaging her scalp, her name a murmur on the wind.

“I touch you, and I forget myself, woman.”

She grinned into the ribbed cotton over his warm chest. “I
like that I make you crazy.”

“You would.”

She pulled away and met his gaze. That flicker of wild was
still in his eyes, but it was banked. “I’m assuming you came out here for a
reason.”

“I’m doing the final walk-through with Doyle in a few
minutes. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”

“Yeah?” The bands around her chest that had felt so
restrictive a little while ago loosened with pleasure. Tomorrow and New York
were coming soon enough. For now she’d see just what he could do in a week.

“I pushed the crew hard last night, and we were able to
finish up. I’m lucky the tires on my truck aren’t slashed.”

“You definitely earned your title this week.”

“You had to tell them that fucking nickname.”

“I’m sure they only said it behind your back.”

“Not bloody likely.”

She laughed. “Oh, no. Really?”

He lifted a brow. “Really.”

She cupped his face and smoothed her thumbs over his scruffy
cheeks. He might have cleaned up the beard a little, but it was still there.
“My Oscar.”

His brow gentled from the stern lines of dismay. So fierce,
her Oscar. “Do you want to head out tonight?”

“Could we?”

He grasped her hand and pressed a quick kiss to her palm.
“We’ll get moving before sunset.”

“Are you sure you won’t be too tired?”

“We’ll drive until I burn out.”

“Okay.”

He pushed back and got to his feet, dragging her up with
him. “Let’s go get that bonus check. I damn well deserve it.”

He kept her hand in his as his long legs ate up the golden
field. The old stables blurred by, and the mountain view remained her one constant.
That and the man who was dragging her off on another adventure.

The new stables came into view. The A-line main structure
with the Doyle Ranch brand above the iron and wood doors was impressive.
Instead of going with a dark stain, William Doyle had decided to leave the
white pine color naked save for a protective varnish. It made everything look
softer and cleaner against the severe black wrought iron.

Will stood outside the door, his hat tipped back as he
surveyed the building. Shane stopped beside him, the two men silent as they
looked over the building. Shane’s shrewd eyes scanned the tidy gravel path.
Will, however, had a huge smile on his face.

“I can’t believe you pulled it off. Better than I imagined
too.”

“Justice delivers.” Shane’s voice was steady and calm.

Kendall felt a pang in her chest. Maybe this Justice
delivered. He would be the first one in her experience.

“Well, let’s go inside and take a look, shall we?”

Shane nodded and waited for Doyle to pull the broad doors
open. “There’s a keypad there that was installed this morning as we were
finishing up. The steel pins bolt through the top and the bottom of the door to
secure the barn. Especially here, with the expensive equipment for your vet.”

“Good, good.”

Doyle opened the door, and Kendall lost her breath. More of
the white pine flowed out into a huge staging area for the on-site vet they
were expecting to come in from Salt Lake. Stainless steel counters and glass
cabinets could have felt sterile, but with the warm wood to frame them out,
everything looked high-end and professional.

She followed them in as they discussed the equipment and
specs of the building that must have been important. She let them talk as she
smoothed her hand over the velvety wood. It had a chiseled log cabin vibe than
wasn’t her particular taste, but she couldn’t deny the excellent craftsmanship.

Pieces of Shane were sprinkled all over the stable. As they
moved down the wide walkway between stalls, they came across huge tack bins in
rough-cut wood. She’d seen Shane work on those late into last night.

She and Shane had been so restless the last few days. As if
they were bouncing around each other but not quite sure what to do or how to
act.

The two men paused to talk as they ran out of real estate.
The back door was open, and Evelyn and her crew had returned from the horse
show and were unloading equipment for the horses that would be coming in a few
days. She waved to Evelyn and left the men to their own devices.

“Hey.”

“Hey there.” Evelyn’s bright, warm smile eased the rest of
the tension that had been following her around all day. “I couldn’t believe
that they really finished it up. I had to come up and see for myself. Your
Shane is a miracle worker.”

Kendall laughed. “More like a taskmaster. But he got it
done. I’m glad to see you. We’re actually heading out tonight.”

“Oh, no. Really?”

“Yeah, I got an SOS call from my mother. No rest for the
wicked when you own your own business.”

“Nothing terrible, I hope?”

“Nah, just an inconvenience that cost us two bookings. That
part wasn’t good, but the fix is relatively simple.” Kendall shrugged. “Hot
water tank.”

“Yuck.”

“Exactly.”

“Good thing Shane’s so handy.”

Kendall glanced at Shane. His arms were crossed, his hip
cocked as Doyle spoke to him. In her head, she could see just how perfect he’d
look in her home, in her bed, in her life. And that scared the shit out of her.
Even worse, she was terrified she was going to find out just how life would
feel without him.

Evelyn snapped her fingers in front of Kendall. “Earth to Kendall.”

“Sorry.”

Shoulder to shoulder, the women stood together. Evelyn
hooked an arm around Kendall. “I can’t blame you on the distraction.”

If only it was just drooling. “I haven’t had much time with
him lately.”

Evelyn frowned and moved to stand in front of her. She took
both her hands. “I’m sensing a
but
.”

Kendall shrugged. “No buts. Just part of me is looking
forward to going home, and part of me is dreading it.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“I will.”

“You know if you talk to him, you’ll probably find out that
it’s not nearly as bad as you think.”

No, it was so much worse. Worries were multiplying like
mosquitoes by the lake on a hot night. He pulled at her like no other man ever
had, and yet he held so much of her life in his hands. Their balance was off.
Maybe that was why she felt so out of sorts.

She just needed to assert some of her independence again,
that was all. Get home to her routines and back on solid, familiar ground.
Maybe then the ache in her gut would fade, and she could get back to normal.

Evelyn rubbed her arm. “I’m going to miss you, kiddo.”

Kendall shook off the crazy reel of what-ifs and focused on
her friend. “I’m going to miss you too.”

“Never forget that job option is open to you. Bring your mom
along too—maybe a fresh start would be best for everyone if that’s what
happens.” The worry in Evelyn’s eyes oddly made Kendall feel better.

“You’re good people, Evelyn.”

“Don’t let it get around, kid.”

She made a cross over her heart. “You got it.”

“IF YOU EVER need a reference, you’ve got one. This exceeded
my expectations by miles, Shane.”

The pride he understood, but the aftershock of restlessness
made his shoulders feel heavy and tight. He’d worked his ass off to finish this
project. Hell, he’d poured more of himself into this one job than he had in
years. But it wasn’t for Doyle. It wasn’t even for the pride of a job well
done.

His gaze slid to Kendall and Evelyn in the shade of the
stables at the end of the building, and his shoulders eased. It had been a
good-bye, he realized. That was his future right there. That pocket of sunshine
that was Kendall. Not another job like this, not another project that utilized
years of knowledge and yet left him strangely unsatisfied.

It was the excitement of what he’d find with her.

He was anxious to start something new for the first time in
years. The only thing he’d taken enjoyment in was his furniture making, but now
he had a glimpse of more than sawdust and a cedar-soaked basement to find
happiness in.

Maybe he had so much more to look forward to.

He turned to Doyle. “I appreciate that, but this is my last
job.”

“It’s a waste of pure talent. You were born to lead men.”
Doyle followed his gaze. “I can see why you’d want to change your life, but
don’t forget that lust doesn’t put food on the table.”

Shane tucked his thumbs under his arms. No, it certainly
didn’t. “I’m starting my own business.”

“But you just said you were hanging it up.”

Shane shrugged. “Not quite. You like the tack boxes and
carvings?”

Startled, Doyle looked around at the extras Shane had added
to the stables. “You did that?”

He’d made the additions on his own. “Yes.”

“Well, hell, boy. I thought those were bought by my first
foreman.” Doyle smoothed his palm across the careful etching outside one of the
stalls. Shane had framed in rosettes at the corners of the iron bars on the
upper part of the stall windows. Again he’d used the torch to warm the cool
white pine. Just a little something extra. Something that was just him.

Doyle wandered to the tack boxes he’d built out of leftover
pine and materials. He’d built ten to be shared between the twenty stalls.

It felt like his stamp was finally on something lasting.
He’d crafted buildings for use. Office buildings and houses were built to someone
else’s specifications. He’d made them look exactly like what the blueprints had
called for. Nothing of him remained besides a solid structure.

And for a long time that was enough. But he wanted more. He
wanted to leave a mark. Had it taken losing Larry to realize that? He’d been
adopted into his name, into his business, into his family, but Shane had never
really made anything that was just him. Not until he’d toyed with his furniture
business on the side.

Not until now, when he’d had the urge to leave something of
himself behind. Ever since he’d started this job, things had felt just a little
bit off. He and Kendall were out of sync, and he wasn’t quite sure how to get
them back on track. And if he was going to have a sleepless night, at least it would
include something that soothed him. Woodworking had always soothed him. Now he
had Kendall to add to that list.

The fact that it was a painfully short list was starting to
bother him.

Doyle returned to stand in front of him. “You can be sure
that I’ll be the envy of every horseman in the area. I have you to thank for
that.”

“You had the perfect setup. All I did was finalize the
work.”

“You did much more than that, but we won’t get all mushy
about it.” Doyle handed him an envelope.

Shane tucked it into his back pocket without looking at the
amount. He held out his hand. “It’s been a pleasure.”

Doyle shook it. “If you ever need anything, you have but to
ask.”

Shane smiled. “I’ll remember that, sir.”

“Are you sure you won’t stay for dinner before you get on
the road?”

Shane looked back at Kendall one last time. “We need to get
to New York. She’s been gone too long.” And he was anxious to get on with
living and finding something permanent.