Lewis raised his eyebrows. “She doesn’t live here?”
“No. She has a place in town.” He was about to say she worked at the library, but decided he wasn’t going to give the other man any more information.
“Interesting. I thought…” Lewis gave him a quick, meaningless smile. “Thank you.” He turned his attention to Khatar. “Amazing animal.”
“He is. Do you ride?”
“Me? No. Never been one for outdoor sports.”
“Annabelle does.”
Lewis blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
“Annabelle rides Khatar.”
“You must be mistaken.”
Khatar chose that moment to lunge for Lewis. When Shane held him back, he rose on his back hooves, front legs pawing toward the other man.
Lewis scuttled back for safety. “That horse would kill her. How can you allow it?”
“It wasn’t my decision.”
Shane hadn’t been pleased to see Lewis, but he suddenly found himself enjoying the conversation. Still, he didn’t want Khatar to hurt himself, so he led the horse over to the closest corral and secured him behind the gate.
“I’ll be back,” he told the horse in a low voice. “Then you’ll have your afternoon of running around.”
Khatar ignored him and glared at Lewis.
Shane walked back toward the man hiding behind his car.
“I can’t imagine what she enjoys about being here,” Lewis said with a sniff. “She’s not the outdoor type.”
“How long were you married?”
“Two years.” Lewis paused. “Closer to four now, what with us still being married.”
“How did you find out the divorce wasn’t final?”
“My lawyer bought into another practice. In the process of moving, he went through his files and realized we’d never received the final paperwork from the clerk.”
“So you came to see her rather than let her know by phone?”
Lewis smiled. “I knew that by now Annabelle had to be regretting the divorce. She doesn’t belong in a place like this. Fool’s Gold.” His lip curled in a sneer. “What a ridiculous name. Have you seen the town? Like something out of a 1960s TV show.”
“I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t around then.”
Lewis bristled. “I’m simply pointing out that it’s hardly a regular sort of place. Not anywhere Annabelle would be happy.”
“You two lived in North Carolina?”
“Yes. Raleigh. I have a lovely house. Very quiet and spacious with good light. I’m a writer.”
“You mentioned that.”
Shane studied the other man. He was probably in his early forties. He dressed like he had money and he’d paid plenty for the car. Shane wondered if Annabelle had been impressed by either. He would have said she was more interested in character, but he’d been wrong before.
“Divorce is tough,” Shane said. “Mine was ugly.”
Lewis seemed to relax. “Ours was very civilized, but unnecessary. I see that now. Perhaps I could have been more attentive, although it’s difficult when I’m working. Writing demands everything. Annabelle was always there for me. Taking care of things. She handled my schedule, kept up the house. When she was gone, there was no one.”
Like when the staff quits, Shane thought, but didn’t say.
Lewis stared past him, as if seeing something Shane couldn’t. “She’s so beautiful. I’d forgotten that part. I have pictures, of course, but they don’t capture the life in her. I always admired that about her.”
“She’s a librarian here,” Shane told him.
“Yes, Annabelle did always want to keep her little job. This time, I’ll make her understand her work gets in the way.”
“You’re expecting her to come back to you?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m here. We’re still married. Her place is with me.”
He wanted to point out that Annabelle had ties to the town, that she was eager to raise money for her bookmobile. But what if he was wrong? What if she was having second thoughts about her marriage?
Lewis glanced around. “If she’s not here, then I won’t take up any more of your time.”
“No problem.”
He wanted to say more, to announce that there was no way that Annabelle was going anywhere with that guy, but he wasn’t sure. And not knowing left a gnawing sensation in his gut.
He waited until the other man had left, then walked Khatar over to the fenced acre and let him loose. Then Shane got in his truck and drove to town. He had a few questions of his own and he knew the best place to get them answered.
* * *
“HAVEN’T SEEN YOU AROUND for a while.”
Annabelle looked up from her computer to find Shane standing in the doorway of her small office. As always, the sight of him in worn jeans and a long-sleeved shirt set her heart racing.
She motioned to the chair on the other side of her desk and saved her work. “I’ve been dealing with a few personal issues,” she said. “You might have heard. My ex-husband isn’t as much an ex as I would like.”
“I have heard.” He stayed where he was, as if waiting for something. Obviously whatever it was had to be more than an invitation to take a seat.
She drew in a breath. “At the risk of falling into the ‘too much information’ column, I would like to state for the record that I thought the divorce was final, I wanted it to be final then and I still want it to be final. Lewis was a mistake and I’m glad our sad marriage is behind me.”
For a second, nothing happened. Then Shane gave her a slow, sexy smile. “I was wondering,” he admitted as he walked into the room and took the chair she had offered.
She smiled back, trying not to sigh with relief. “His arrival was a shock and not a welcome one. I like things to go according to plan. Sign divorce papers, get divorced. Surprises are highly overrated. I’ve talked to an attorney here,” she continued. “The last of the paperwork has been filed with the courts. The divorce will be final in a matter of days.”
“Lewis will be disappointed.”
“How do you know?”
“He came to the ranch this morning. Looking for you.”She groaned. “Tell me you’re lying.”
“Sorry. The car is nice.”
“If you’re into cars.”
“You’re not.”
She managed a smile. “You’ve seen what I drive. Not exactly fancy. Some of it is my budget, but most of it is I’ve never been much of a car person.”
“I’m a truck guy, myself.”
“I noticed. It’s the horse thing. Not that Khatar wouldn’t look great in a BMW.”
“It would have to be a convertible,” he said with a wink.
She laughed. “I can see him now, flirting with all the ladies.” She leaned forward, resting her hands on her desk. “Lewis really came by?”
“Yup. He thought you were out at the ranch.”
“He doesn’t know about the horseback riding lessons.”
“He thought you lived there. He seemed surprised when I mentioned you were riding Khatar. Said you weren’t one for the outdoors.”
“I have my moments. The horseback riding is fun.” She hesitated, not sure how to delicately ask the obvious. “How obnoxious was he?”
“Not too bad. He’s, ah, confident.”
“That’s one way of putting it.” She thought about the man she’d been married to. “I was younger, obviously, when we met. Less sure of myself. Just out of college. My parents weren’t exactly warm and fuzzy and I never felt as if I belonged anywhere. When I met Lewis…” She paused, not sure how to explain.
“Older guy?” Shane offered. “Charming? He paid attention.”
She wasn’t sure if she should be pleased or horrified that he’d figured it out so quickly.
“Pretty much. He was giving a guest lecture at the college. I went to hear him and thought he was smart and funny. I’d been invited to the reception that followed and was introduced to him. He asked me out to coffee. It was flattering.”
More than flattering. At the time she’d half expected him not to show up or to call and say he’d been joking. But he’d come and he’d been more interesting than anyone she’d met.
“He’d traveled so many places and he wrote books.” She smiled. “I was a library science major, so meeting an author was pretty thrilling. He asked me out and it sort of went on from there.”
“Sounds normal,” Shane said.
“It was. I fell in love with him.” She considered her statement. “No. I fell in love with what I thought he was. With the man I wanted him to be. In truth, Lewis never saw me as a person. I was as much an object to him as the rare books he collected. He wanted a wife who was attractive and smart. More than that, he wanted someone he could control, who would take care of him.”
She ducked her head. “It wasn’t all him. I have some responsibility in why the marriage failed. I didn’t tell him what I wanted. I didn’t stand up for myself. By the time I was able to say I wanted a partnership, it was too late. He expected me to be his secretary, housekeeper and sexual party girl and I expected something else. We couldn’t come to an agreement, so I left.”
“Good for you.”
“It’s hardly action worthy of praise.”
“You left a comfortable situation to go out on your own.”
“I wasn’t in the marriage for the money.”
“Some people would have stayed because of it.”
“I don’t know about that. Besides, I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. By the time we’d worked out the details of our divorce, I knew I’d mistaken gratitude for love. It made it easier to leave.”
She didn’t go into details about the split. There was no point in mentioning that Lewis hadn’t wanted her to go. That he’d fought her, resisting even getting a lawyer. Finally economics had won out. When she’d said she wouldn’t ask for anything, he’d signed the papers.
“Seeing him again,” she continued, “has reaffirmed my decision. No regrets. Well, my lawyer not doing his job is one, but that’s all.”
Shane studied her for a few seconds. “I know you’re busy. I just wanted to say hi.”
She stood, as well. “Thanks for stopping by.”
They stared at each other. For a second she thought he was going to kiss her. She would have liked that. His arms around her, his mouth on hers. Being with Shane always felt good. Right.
But he only smiled before leaving.
“Typical man,” she muttered, then laughed. Ironically not being kissed by Shane was still more exciting than any kiss by Lewis.
* * *
CHARLIE SAT IN THE SHADE, under the big tree in Dakota’s backyard. She held baby Jordan Taylor in her arms. The afternoon was warm, the breeze light. If the best part of life was made up of perfect moments, she was living one right now.
Dakota sat across from her on the big, tattered blanket they’d spread out on the grass. Hannah leaned against her mother, her toddler fingers clutching a big, chunky puzzle piece. She tried fitting it in several spots before finding where it went. When the piece slid into place, she looked at her mother and laughed with delight.
“You are such a smart girl,” Dakota told her, then kissed the top of her head. “Look at that! You’re doing the puzzle all by yourself.”
“You’re good with her,” Charlie said, enjoying the exchange while fighting a stab of envy.
“Thanks. I will say, for the record, that despite the fact that I have a degree in child psychology, not one of my classes prepared me for what it’s really like to be a parent. I’ve been thinking of sending the university a letter and asking for a refund.”
Charlie chuckled. “I’m sure they’ll get a check right out to you.”
“I hope they will. I’ll put it toward the kids’ college funds.” Dakota glanced at her over Hannah’s head. “But that’s not why you came by, is it?”
“No.” Charlie had called a few days before to set up the meeting with Dakota. She hadn’t explained what she wanted to talk about. Now she wished she’d said something so she wouldn’t have to figure out how to deal with it now.
“Just blurt it out,” Dakota said gently. “I doubt you can shock me.”
“I used to be a man,” Charlie told her.
Dakota laughed. “I don’t believe you.”
“Okay, that’s not it, but I was hoping for a better reaction.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
She glanced down at the baby in her arms, then looked back at Dakota. “I’m thinking of adopting and I wanted to talk to you about that.”
Dakota touched her daughter’s shoulder. “Okay, that’s surprising, but in a good way. I think adoption can be wonderful, but I’m biased.” She tilted her head and tucked her shoulder-length blond hair behind her ears. “Have you been thinking about adopting for a while?”
“A few weeks. For a long time I didn’t think I wanted a family. Kids, I mean. I thought I was one of those people who just never had any desire to be a mom. But lately, I’m feeling different about the subject.” She wanted to belong. To be important to someone, to be there, no matter what. She wanted the connection, the responsibility, the joy.
“Not to get too personal, but there are more traditional ways to have a baby. I assume you know where they come from.”