Page 35 of Max

“He and Viktor Kincaid go way back. They were in the Marines together. Max finding love is not going to get him fired. He and Viktor are too close for him to fire him over it.”

“You think?”

“I know so.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Girlfriend, don’t screw this up. I need a sister, and you’re the perfect candidate.”

Shay smiled. “I love you too, Desi.”

“What can I say, I’m just too lovable for my own good.” Her laughter echoed through the phone, and Shay wondered if Des got that sense of love and laughter from her brother. “Seriously, though, Shayna, you know I love you, right?”

“I do.”

“Good. I was getting ready to jump on a plane to come whoop your ass if you kept up that moroseness.”

“Whoop?”

“I’m from Texas, redneck country, remember?”

“I do, I just rarely hear you use words like that.”

“Talking to Max always brings out my Texas roots. He reminds me I’m just a small-town kind of girl who got too big for her britches.”

“Austin is hardly a small town.”

“I grew up about thirty minutes outside the city in a small town. We did a lot of the chores on the ranch ourselves. I learned to rope and ride just like a cowboy by the age of ten. Dad’s had to hire more help since Max and I left home, though.”

“You sound like you miss him. Maybe think about going home for a visit? I can’t tell you how much I’m regretting not coming home more to see Daddy right now.”

“Oh, hon, don’t worry. Your dad’s going to be fine, like a new man once he gets through this surgery tomorrow.”

“I know, but I’m still terrified.”

“It’s going to be fine, I promise.”

“Thanks, Des.”

“Why don’t you take a bath and try to get some sleep?”

Shay laughed. “That’s exactly what your brother said to me.”

“He knows how to treat a woman. I taught him well.”

Shay laughed again and told her friend goodbye before hanging up. The Sheridans were right. Maybe a bath and sleep were the best things for her. Setting her plate of half-eaten spaghetti on the nightstand, she got up and went to fill the tub. A bath was just what the doctor ordered.

Max threw the blankets back and sat up, the nightmare still wrapped around him like a heavy fog. It was one he had every night. His mother calling out for him, but he couldn’t find her. Then when she went quiet, he saw her lying there in the hospital bed, her eyes glassy and unseeing. He hadn’t been there with her when she died. He’d taken Desi home and left her alone. Their father had needed to handle something at the ranch, so his mother had died alone. That fact haunted him even now, years later. It always would.

Being at the hospital today brought all those old memories up. Normally, he could shove them down and not think, but with Mr. Moore looking frail lying there, there was no shoving them down. He was a constant reminder of his mother. Not that he’d say anything to Shay, though. She deserved to be with her father, and if he could facilitate that so she wouldn’t have the same regrets he did, he’d move mountains to do it.

He went to the bathroom then wandered downstairs, unable to stomach the idea of going back to sleep and reliving his nightmare. Cole was sitting on the couch, the lights off.

“Hey, man.”

Cole didn’t outwardly react, just threw up a hand in greeting. Max headed over to the kitchen, enjoying the whole open concept of the house. Shay must have had it renovated when she bought it. These old farmhouses didn’t come with that type of floorplan. Turning on the light over the island, he looked through the fridge for lack of anything else to do. He found a six-pack of Sam Adams and got one. It was Cole’s favorite, so he knew who must have picked it up.

“Want a beer?”

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