Stay With Me: BWWM Interracial Cowboy/Western Romance (Westbury Ranch Book 2) (6 page)

Shayne gazed at Juston, her eyebrows raised.

“We could have some dessert,” Juston agreed.

“I’ll bring the menu, sir.”

Shayne wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to extend the date, but the truth was she was really having a good time. She’d been expecting some sparks and some nice conversation, but she hadn’t expected it to happen at this level. With Juston, she felt comfortable because when she said things, he understood. She felt as if he was on the same page as her, something that never happened with a man before.

They ordered a moist chocolate cake and coffee.

Shayne smiled at him. “When we were growing up, my mother often complained about not finding a place where she could go to have good desserts and coffee. I think that’s why she learned to cook. She figured if she couldn’t get it, she would make it at home.”

“Your father must have been happy about it.”

The memories flashed through her mind and brought a smile to her face. “My father had no appreciation for good food. He could eat a burger with as much gusto as lobster. You can well imagine my mother’s frustration when he didn’t understand the amount of effort and trouble she took to cook an elaborate meal.”

“So, they used to have fights about it?”

Picking up her cup, she took a sip of coffee. It tasted just as delicious as the cake they shared. “Actually, they never fought. They had respectful disagreements and sometimes a little bit of frosty behavior but otherwise, their marriage was quite good. It’s what I aspired for.” Aghast at what she said, Shayne picked up her cup and took another sip. She hoped he would ignore her admission.

“And you didn’t have that?”

She should’ve known he wasn’t going to let it pass. She knew shouldn’t talk about this. Her past, but for some strange reason, she felt compelled to. “No, actually our marriage was civilized. We never shouted or threw things at each other, but I’m not sure if that was out of respect or because—there wasn’t enough passion.”

He opened his mouth to say something but then his gaze strayed to the side and he frowned.

She wanted to turn around and see what he focused on, but she waited to find out.

Juston signaled to the waiter. “Could we have the check now?”

Shayne finished her coffee with a few hurried sips, wondering what made him so antsy. She took out her wallet.

He shook his head. “It’s a date. I’m paying.”

“But—?”

“No buts, please. You’re welcome to invite me out for dinner and then I wouldn’t mind if you paid. I’m all for female empowerment, but I still believe when a man invites a woman, he needs to pick up the check.”

She didn’t have an answer to that. When she got up, Shayne turned and spotted Max. She’d met him once before when he was dating her sister and now, she sensed the simmering hostility between him and Juston. Ignoring him, she headed outside. “You and Max don’t share a friendly relationship?”

“Far from it,” he replied in a tight voice.

She’d never seen this side of Juston. There was more to this situation than an employee-employer animosity. Would he tell her the story? Shayne wanted to ask, but she also didn’t want to cross the boundary of their relationship. There were many things she wasn’t prepared to tell, so she didn’t expect him to reveal his life story in one go. “Thank you. I had a lovely time,” she said as they sat in the car.

“You’re welcome.”

She could tell he was trying hard to act normal. As they drove out, she gazed around. “There hasn’t been a lot of change in this place, but I’m glad that there’s been some. When we were young, the nearest restaurant was a six-hour drive away.”

“I like small towns. They have their own charm. I know that you don’t get all the new advanced technologies and comforts—at least, not like big cities like New York, but you have a comfort level. Everyone knows everyone, and you can ask for help and get it. It’s easy to walk into a supermarket, write down your credit and pick up whatever you want.”

“That has its own benefits,” she agreed.

“Do you have plans to move to a city at some point?”

“I don’t know.” She ran a hand over the window. “Really, I don’t know what I want anymore. I suppose it makes me sound like an awfully confused woman, and perhaps I am.”

“It’s okay to feel that way and to accept it. A lot of us go through these things. It’s a rite of passage, I suppose. Some of us go through it at an early age and others later. I was always sure what I wanted, but after I got my degree at my father’s insistence and began to get those offers form reputable organizations, I got a bit derailed.” He shrugged. “The money was good and the work was easy. I accepted a job and stayed in an office for six weeks, but then came back to my senses.” He shook his head. “It just wasn’t my thing.”

She felt grateful that he could relate to her. It’d been difficult to talk about these things to her mother and sister. They were so sure and confident about their place in life that she found it hard to talk about such things. But with Juston there was an ease of conversation. Shayne didn’t know where this thing between them would go, but she sure as hell hoped that they could remain friends. She needed him in her life—and this was a truth she couldn’t deny anymore.

Chapter Six

I
t was a wonderful date. Juston knew he would have a good time with her, but there seemed to be a slight bit of hesitation and apprehension. All that vanished when they sat across the table and exchanged news and information. She was like him in some ways and totally opposite in others. The combination was exhilarating, intriguing.

He stopped the car outside the farmhouse, stepped out, and opened the passenger door. As she came out, he got a whiff of her perfume…sweet and flowery. The scent was enough to make him shudder. Desire became a hot fire in his belly when he looked at her. She was gorgeous of course, but more than that, she was smart and charming. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman.

“Thank you,” Shayne said.

“I hope we can do this again,” he stated.

A strange look appeared in her eyes.

He couldn’t tell what it was. Desire? Confusion? It disappeared before he could make sense of it.

“Of course, yes.”

“How about a movie on Tuesday?”

She cocked her head. “That would be great.”

Juston almost felt scared to make the move, but also became desperate to do so. His hand tugged her to him before he even processed the thought in his head. When she stepped forward and melted into his arms, he glimpsed into her eyes. The ocean of yearning that stormed in their depths reassured him that he wasn’t the only one who felt like this. His lips claimed hers, and the kiss was hot, hungry. He wanted to devour her, possess her. Passion and heat coiled in his stomach and made him wish he could take her to his house and make wild love to her.

But not just yet…it was neither the time nor place.

Reluctantly, he stepped away. It pleased him to notice that her eyes were a little glazed.
Great.
He wasn’t the only victim of this desire. “Until Tuesday then.”

“Yeah, sure.”

On legs that didn’t seem quite steady, she climbed the steps and opened the door.

He waited until she had stepped inside and locked it behind her. Juston drove the car home. Even though sleep was the last thing on his mind, he managed to get some.

The next day, he did his chores as usual. They took the cattle for a long day. While he fixed the fences with Blade, Juston mulled over the decisions he needed to make.

“What’s on your mind, boy? I’ve never seen you look so distracted,” Blade stated when Juston nearly missed hitting a nail with the hammer.

“It’s nothing.”

“So, the date wasn’t good?”

“It has nothing to do with the date, but yes, if you really must know, I had a good time.”

“I like all the sisters and have seen them grow up in front of me. Seeing as their daddy isn’t here, I have to tell you that if you do anything to hurt Shayne, I will come after you with a saw.”

Juston raised his eyebrow at the unexpected, heated words. He gazed at Blade and saw that the man looked serious. “I don’t have any intention of hurting her, but I’ll take note of your threat.”

“It ain't no empty threat,” he countered.

Juston actually felt touched that the old man had such concern for the family. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They worked on the fence some more. “This trouble isn’t going to come to an end until someone does something about it,” Blade grumbled. “Max wants his greedy little hands on this ranch and we have to stop him.”

“He’s a man of little character.” Juston stood straight and inspected his work. “This is done. Now, we can go ahead and move the cattle elsewhere.”

“I bet that when we come back, this thing will be broken again,” Blade muttered. “They’re doing it deliberately.”

“Cullen knows that. When she decides to do something, we’ll do it with and for her.”

They sauntered toward their horses. Juston ran a hand over his animal’s mane. He hoped that Cullen would do something to deal with Max soon. His scheming ways were getting out of hand; but until she made a decision, Juston didn’t want to take matters in his own hands. Max was a snake, and Juston didn’t trust him. He hoped Cullen chose to act sooner than later.

He and Blade rode back to the cattle and then marched them back to the farm by the time the sun went down. Once he made sure all the cattle were locked in, he went over to the barn and inspected the new building being built for the sheep.

Much to his delight, Shayne was standing there.

She seemed to be staring at the building with a faraway look in her eyes.

“What are you thinking about?”

She nearly jumped. “You startled me.”

“Sorry.” She sure was a sight for sore eyes. Juston wanted to draw her into his arms and kiss her, but he suspected that even though he couldn’t see another person, someone was bound to be around. Besides, he was sweaty and dirty. His gaze lingered over her three inch heels. “You wore those to the farm?”

“Forgot to change before I came out.”

“You wore them inside the farmhouse?”

His expression and tone made her grin. “I love heels and am extremely comfortable in them.”

He couldn’t imagine how a person could spend hours in those shoes, but then it wasn’t any of his business. “How was your day?”

“Wonderful, actually. I needed to take some pictures of this barn, but I think I’m going to wait until it’s finished. I’m designing a new website and am going to put all the pictures in the gallery, and then have a Facebook page that is connected. Once we start the organic production of milk and meat, we’ll need to remain in touch with our clients and a Facebook page will help do that.”

He was enthralled to see such an enthusiastic look on her face. She was totally into this thing. Good. That meant she would stay. His biggest fear right now was that she would get bored and move away before he had a chance to really get to know her. If that happened, he would be devastated. Sure, all they had was one date but he was already wrapped around her little finger. Juston knew he should’ve been concerned about feeling so deeply about a woman he barely knew, but somehow it made perfect sense.

She was special, and there was just no denying it.

“If you want, I could take some pictures of the land when we take the cattle out tomorrow,” he offered. “Those would look good on the website.”

Her eyes brightened. “That’s a great idea. I should have thought of it.”

He chuckled. “What can I say? I’m a genius.”

Her laughter lightened his heart.

“You sure are. Now, I should go back and get to work.” When she took a step forward, her heel got stuck in a hole in the ground and she swayed.

He gripped her arm and steadied her.

“Thanks.”

The brief contact was enough to make his skin tingle. He wanted to pull her into his arms and feel her melt against him. He couldn’t wait any longer, and yet Juston let her go. “See you on Tuesday.”

For the rest of the day, he still had quite a lot to get done. Juston dutifully filled another report about the broken fence and hoped Cullen would take notice of it. The next day, he took the cattle and as he’d promised, he borrowed a camera from Jackie and took pictures. When he came back, he sent Blade in to give the camera over to Shayne. Since he didn’t have much time to waste, he took a quick shower and changed his clothes. When he went to pick her up, she was dressed in a pair of black jeans that hugged every inch of her legs and a sleeveless moss green shirt. Seeing her, his heart slammed in his chest.

“How was your day?” she asked.

“Good and yours?”

“Productive.” She beamed. “Thanks for the pictures. They look great. I might put up quite a few of them on the website. I’ve never seen some of the places that you captured.”

“That can’t be. Perhaps you have forgotten. I took some from the hill that marks the border of this farm.”

“It’s been a while since I climbed that.”

He gazed at her feet that were still encased in heels. If anything, they were taller and sharper than the ones she wore the day before. “Do you like to hike?” Juston assisted her into the passenger seat.

“I’ve been known to hike.”

He jogged around to the driver’s side and got in. He turned to her when he was settled in. “Maybe we could go for a picnic on the hill.” He switched on the engine. “We’ll ride there and then climb up. The sunset is beautiful.”

“That would be great.”

He noticed the caution in her voice, but she didn’t turn him down. He drove the car out of the farm. Maybe she was feeling a little more confident about their relationship. He hoped so, because he was more than ready to pick up pace. When he parked the car in parking lot of the movie theatre, they both got out.

“I used to come here when I was a kid,” she mused.

“I don’t think anything has changed much.”

“The seats are vinyl red?”

“No, green.”

“Ah! So something did change.”

Juston got the tickets and then headed for the food corner. It was way past dinner time. “Would you like something to eat?”

“I had an early dinner, thanks, but I wouldn’t mind a big bag of popcorn.”

He bought the goodies and handed her the popcorn and a soda. He then got two hotdogs for himself.

“You didn’t have dinner?” she stared at his meal.

“Didn’t get the time. There was a sick cow in the lot, and it took us more time than usual to get back. Then the vet came and I was with them until he left.”

“You should’ve told me. We could’ve postponed the date to another day.”

“And miss this chance to watch a movie with you? Never.”

An odd glimmer reflected in her eyes.

Had he said too much? To hell with it! He was tired of guarding his words. Juston didn’t mind letting her know that she was important in his life. If she had a problem with it, then now was the time to say it. But much to his surprise, she didn’t add anything to the discussion and instead, they walked over to take a seat. The movie was a new Adam Sandler comedy.

“I love his movies,” Shayne admitted with a giggle. “The guy can make people laugh, but not only that, I love that he’s always the underdog and manages to come out at the top.”

“He’s also a geek, but I have to admit it’s not easy to make people laugh. One of my cousins is a line producer in Hollywood and when we meet for family get-togethers, he tells us some funny stories about the stars.”

“It can’t be an easy life. They’re always in the limelight and every mistake they make is a hundred times magnified. I would hate it. When my marriage failed, I hated to talk about it. Can you imagine if I had to do it on a public platform? That would’ve been devastating.”

She didn’t talk about her ex too much. Not that he cared about her past, but Juston was aware that she still wasn’t over the hurt the broken marriage caused. “Do you keep in touch with him?”

“Over emails, mostly to discuss any lingering issues over assets,” she said. “We stay out of each other’s way.”

The movie started and they stopped talking. Juston had to admit it was nice to share such a mundane activity with her. He could see she was really into the movie. They shared the popcorn after he was done with the hotdogs, and when the movie finished, they strolled out.

“That was good.”

Juston saw a man in the crowd that was sauntering out and waved.

Ray came over. “How’s it going, man?”

Since Ray worked with Max, Juston wasn’t that comfortable, but he didn’t want to be rude. “Good. Ray, this is Shayne.”

“Oh yes, I’ve met you before. You came for Christmas two winters back.”

“Yes, I did.” They shook hands. “You work as the manager at our neighboring ranch.”

“Yep. Still there. How long are you back for this time?”

“Actually, I’m here for good. I’m working with my sister at the ranch.”

He looked a little perturbed by that news. “Didn’t realize there was so much work on Westbury Ranch that it could keep a sophisticated girl like you busy.”

“We’re expanding,” she said. As Juston fidgeted by her side, she smiled. “We should go. It was nice to meet you again.” They left the theater and crossed the road to go to the parking lot. “What’s wrong?”