Page 77 of Brooke's Bliss
Trev’s expression went serious.“What does he think he saw?”
He shouldn’t have said a word, but Trev was starting to be aman he looked up to, and he could use some advice.“He saw some metal when hewas unloading something and thought it might be guns.”
“We all have guns on a ranch.They’re necessary,” Trevpointed out.
“Not like rifles or even pistols.I think Shane got it inhis head that maybe Kingman was running guns.”He waved the thought off.“Ishouldn’t have said anything but last night I mentioned I thought he made upthe story to get us out of there.He wasn’t happy on that ranch.I wasn’teither, but I can ride things out in a way Shane can’t.”
When timesgottough, he sank intohis work.It was why he drew so much when he was out at the Kingman Ranch.
Trev’s head shook.“Shane has ridden out things in a waymost people can’t.He chooses not to now that he’s an adult and he can decidewhat he will and won’t put up with.”
“I didn’t realize you knew that much about our childhood.”It made Bay a bit antsy.
“I don’t bring men into my home who I don’t vet.Well,Ididn’t vet you at all.My partners use a firm in Dallas.I’m sorry if it makesyou uncomfortable, but I have a file on you both.My process is to interviewpotential employees and then have McKay-Taggart run a trace on them.You didwhat you could for your brother, you know.”
Sometimes he didn’t.Sometimes he remembered all the timeshe sat at the dinner table while Shane was stuck in their room.He’d done hisbest to steal and hide food to supplement what his mother would give Shane, butthere were nights his brother went to sleep hungry.Damn it.It didn’t matterwhether or not he lied.He owed it to Shane to leave when he wanted to.
And if Shane wanted to let Brooke go?What the hell would hedo?
“Did I?Sometimes I wonder.”He needed to man up and talk tohis brother about what went down the night before.He needed to figure out ifhe was pissed at him for calling him a liar or if he was worried about what Bayhad said about how he felt for Brooke.
He’d been so damn sure they were on the same page.
“You were a kid and she was your mom.You did what youcould.You need to let that go, but what you shouldn’t underestimate is whatKale Kingman is capable of.You don’t get that much money and power withoutbeing willing to play dirty.”
Trev was being hypocritical.“I don’t think you would saythe same of Stef Talbot.”
Trev’s head shook.“Stef inherited that money.He didn’tmake it himself.And I would bet he would tell you his father was prettyruthless when he was younger.Also, it’s not the same.Kale Kingman runs a goodportion of Wyoming.He’s not happy simply having his ranch.He wants power, andto get that he needs way more money than a ranch can provide.I’ve alwayswondered where he got it.”
Well, that was a reaction he hadn’t expected.“I don’t wantyou to think we know anything for certain, Trev.We know Shane thinks he sawsomething and then he overheard the foreman and one of the veteran guys talkingabout taking care of the newbies.”
“There have been several accidents on Kingman Ranch,” Trevmused.“And I happen to know Kingman likes to hire people without ties tofamily.That would make them easier to handle if he needed to.”
“I don’t know exactly what they said.”Because he hadn’treally listened to his brother that night and then they’d come to Bliss and putit behind them, but one way or another it looked like it was coming back tobite them in the ass.“I find it hard to believe they were going to kill us.”
Trev held up a hand.“Well, it seems I have more of animagination than you do.I think I’d like to talk to Shane.”
Maybe Trev taking him seriously would help.Though it stillmight be a problem.“If he’ll talk.I said some things last night that he’s madabout.”
“You mentioned that,” Trev allowed.“He told you he wasupset?”
“He’s not talking, and that’s the problem.I can’t tell ifhe’s mad about that or mad because Rachel is staying with us or mad because Ibasically told the Harper brothers last night that we’re going to marry theirsister.”
Trev snorted at the thought.“It’s the first one.Shanewouldn’t be angry about Rachel needing a break.He’s a damn sweet kid.He’ll doeverything he can to make her comfortable.And he obviously wants to marryBrooke, though I worry he doesn’t think he’s worthy.He’s absolutely pissedthat you made him look like a liar.”
“I didn’t mean to.”But there was something soothing aboutTrev’s certainty.He could handle apologizing to his brother.He didn’t knowwhat he would do if Shane didn’t feel the same way about Brooke.
She was the one.He would have told anyone in the world whoasked that he didn’t believe inthe one, until he laid eyes on her.Hewas struggling to think about her leaving, to think about what she might needthat he couldn’t give.
“I’m sure you didn’t, but I can bet he feels embarrassed.Especially if he wasn’t fudging the truth and he honestly believes he sawsomething.”Trev seemed to think for a moment.“Has anything odd happened toyou lately?Any new people coming around asking questions?”
“No,” Bay admitted.“The only people I talk to are the otherhands, and now we talk to the cast and crew at the theater.They ask a lot ofquestions, but nothing too weird.”
Mostly about ranch life, though a couple had figured out hewas an artist and asked about his work.Honestly, they talked to Shane morebecause he walked in and started helping fix things.His brother had learned alot of skills along the way.He’d fixed some of the lights and rewired thesound board.He’d repaired the wooden stairs that led to the stage.
Shane was comfortable in this world.
Bay didn’t want to screw it up for him.
