Page 51 of The Cowboy's Downfall
Except he didn’t know what her goals were. They’d talked about everything else, but they’d steered clear of that topic.
Maybe he should take her mother’s advice and find out.
*
Shauna
“I like yourmother,” Nix said.
It was Friday night, and they were curled up on the sofa in front of the television at Shauna’s. Taryn was spending the night at the hotel with her parents, and they had the house to themselves.
Shauna snuggled deeper under his arm. “She grows on you.”
She wanted to ask what he and her mother had talked about—she already knew it was about her—but he had something on his mind, no doubt in relation to it, and he’d get to it in his own time.
“She thinks Taryn dyed her hair and talked Remi into looking like a moron because Taryn wanted her to like me,” he said.
Shauna thought about it. “That’s as good an explanation as any, because for the life of me, I can’t think why else she would do it. Other than for the shock value, of course.”
“Your mother doesn’t seem like the type of woman who’s easily shocked.”
“She isn’t,” Shauna said. “That ship sailed right after Taryn turned twelve.” She wondered where he was going with this.
“Do you think it worked?” Nix asked. “I mean, Taryn making her like me?”
“I think Taryn wasted her money buying hair dye, because our mother was going to like you no matter what,” Shauna said. “She likes younger men.” She threw that last bit in to tease him.
He didn’t bite. “Even though I’m divorced, I lost all my money, and I work on a ranch?”
“She could only know about two of those things if you told her. And I’m sure she prefers you be divorced as opposed to married, considering you’re sleeping with her daughter.” Shauna sat up. He was too serious. This wasn’t like him. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
She tried to bring things back on track. “If you’re thinking about making a play for my mother, I have objections.”
Nix bent his head and snagged her lips in a kiss. “I’m not making a play for your mother. I’m not done playing with you.”
He wasn’t done playing with her. That was one worry gone.
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say she asked you what your intentions are toward me,” she said.
“No. She thanked me for taking you off her hands.”
If her mother had done something to scare or offend him, she and Shauna were going to have words.
“That sounds like something she’d say,” she said cautiously.
“Do you want me to take you off her hands?”
So that was what he was uptight about. “Relax, Nix. I didn’t give her any reason to think we’re headed toward marriage. No commitments other than office parties and family dinners, remember?”
“I remember. But for my part, only because I’m not in a place yet where I can make that kind of commitment.”
Shauna’s heart beat a little bit faster. He was being honest with her. That was worth something. She’d meet him halfway. “I understand. We’ve got a good thing going between us right now and there’s no need to ruin it.”
“You’re okay with that?” he asked.
“Of course I’m okay with it.”
