Page 20 of The Cowboy's Redemption
“Thanks go to Simone Parker. That girl is a genius.” Wren smoothed her freshly cut hair. “What are you doing in town?”Without calling me, her eyebrows added.
“Ranch business.”
That sounded cagey, but while he loved his mother and his sisters to bits, there wasn’t one of them who could keep information about Otto dying to themselves. They would have Grand’s church groups and book clubs marshalled within minutes and Otto would find himself the recipient of every casserole known to mankind by the end of the day.
“We’re headed to the Wayside Café for coffee,” his sister chimed in. “Why don’t you join us? Your treat, of course.”
“Of course.”
In truth, he’d love nothing more than to treat his mom and sister to coffee. Since he had forty-five minutes to kill, why not spend them with two of his top favorite women?
Gloria had her phone out and was texting while they walked, leaving Levi to chat with their mother.
The Wayside was moderately busy midmornings. It catered to the downtown office crowd, and people often conducted casual meetings or took their breaks here. The Harringtons were in luck and found a recently vacated wooden table on the patio overlooking the water. Sun-sparkled eddies swirled languidly underneath them as the river went about its own business, boat traffic thicker than the cars and trucks on Yellowstone Drive.
The women took seats under a striped sun umbrella while Levi went inside to place their orders. He then carried a tray loaded down with coffee and enormous muffins to their table, along with a chocolate croissant in a paper bag for Dana. He didn’t know when she’d last eaten or if Otto had food in his house.
It didn’t take long to find out that not much had changed in the Harrington household in the few weeks since he’d been home. Two of his brothers weren’t speaking. Nothing new there. Drama queens. Both of them. Their mom had lost patience and was expounding on her plans to smack sense into them when a fourth party arrived.
The newcomer juggled a pink wallet, an extra-large to-go paper cup, and an expectant smile that gave Levi a chill. Suddenly, he knew who his sister had been texting. And why.
“Shauna!” Gloria bounced from her seat, so Levi stood too. “Mom, Levi, Shauna Walsh is a friend of mine. She’s the new lawyer atGrand Cooper and Nash, just moved here from New York City.”
Gloria wore a smug, satisfied smile while Levi and Shauna shook hands. His mom was smiling now, too. Obviously, she’d also caught on.
“Why don’t you join us?” his mom said to Shauna.
“As long as you don’t mind.” She glanced at Levi, a question in her direct hazel eyes, leaving him no choice but to pull out a chair for her so that she could sit.
“Levi studied at Columbia University, too,” Gloria said. “He has a master’s degree in animal genetics,” she added, with enough pride in her tone to make Levi’s face overheat.
“Really?” Shauna’s eyes warmed as they settled on him. She took a sip from her paper cup. “Ever check out the dive bars around Frederick Douglass?”
“Maybe a little too often,” he confessed, which led to a lively discussion surrounding the night life in New York, which in turn led to a good-natured mom scolding.
“Why Grand?” he finally asked.
Shauna had graduated from Columbia. She could have gone anywhere.
“I could ask you the same question and get the same answer. Family. Plus, I specialize in real estate law, and look around you.” Shauna swept a hand at the landscape, which from this viewpoint only captured the river, the odd boat drifting past, and a bit of the far bank, but he got her point. “Angus McKillop is my grandfather.” She took another sip from her cup and waited, as if curious as to what his reaction might be.
Angus McKillop owned a good three-quarters of the business real estate property in Grand, so he could see why she’d chosen that field—no pun intended. It also made her Dan McKillop’s cousin, connecting her to the Endeavour Ranch.
Interesting.
Overall, he had to appreciate Gloria’s excellent taste in women. She’d once tried to fix him up with Hannah Brand, now Dallas’s wife, and Hannah was gorgeous. Shauna was, too—but where Hannah could be classed as wholesome and sweet, Shauna was more polished, in a geared-toward-professional-success kind of way. Everything about her—from the sweep of brown hair streaked with artful highlights to the lightweight business jacket, matching skirt, and white blouse, as well as the discreet makeup—spoke of ambition. She was smart too. His sister had really nailed what he liked.
But there was something missing between them, the same way there had been with Hannah. Shauna didn’t spark any interest in him beyond the typical male response to an attractive woman. He’d tested the waters with women like her while in New York, and although he’d learned a few things from them, and about women in general—things that he liked—he’d also learned what he valued.
His sister and mother were wasting Shauna’s time, and she seemed too nice to lead on with false expectations. Since he’d satisfied the Harrington women as far as pleasantries went, he let them pick up the conversational ball while he checked the time on his phone under the table.
Ten more minutes until he could pick up the prescription and return to Dana.
Otto.Return toOtto.
Dammit.
He kicked back his chair and rose abruptly, picking up the bag with the croissant. He kissed his mom on the cheek. “I’ve got to get back to work. It was nice to meet you,” he said to Shauna, and he meant it. She was intriguing, no doubt about that.
