Summer Days (Fool's Gold #7)(61)

“Agreed.” He put his hands behind his head and leaned into them. “It’s Heidi.”

“I figured.”

“She’s���complicated.”

“So’s the situation. Neither of you knowing who’s going to end up with the ranch.”

“I know.”

“That it’s going to be you? Then what happens to her?”

A question he didn’t have an answer for. While he expected to win the case, he didn’t like the idea of her being tossed out. She belonged here, with her damned goats. Which, to him, meant what? That he should change his plans and make room for her? If he left her an acre or two and the caves, that would help. But it wouldn’t be enough. The goats needed more land. From what he understood, she kept them close in the winter. During the rest of the year, she let them wander around the ranch. Once he built his houses, that wouldn’t work.

A problem without a solution, he thought grimly. Not his favorite kind.

“Why are you here?” he asked, mostly to distract himself. “I thought you liked Tennessee.”

“I do, but it’s time for me to get out on my own. I’m looking at buying some land.”

“Here? What if we don’t win the case?”

Shane chuckled. “Then I guess the earth would fall off its axis and spin helplessly into space.” He shrugged. “I like Fool’s Gold. I’d like to settle here, regardless.”

“Have a family?”

“Eventually.”

Rafe looked at his brother. “Including a wife?”

“Sure. You?”

“Same.”

“Why the matchmaker?”

“Because I didn’t get it right on my own, and I don’t know how to keep from screwing up again.”

“Tell me about it.”

Rafe grimaced. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to put my foot in it.”

“Don’t sweat it. That was a long time ago.”

True enough, but Rafe had a feeling that Shane still regretted his first marriage. His brother had fallen hard and fast, giving his heart to a wild beauty who didn’t know the meaning of being faithful. Unable to deal with the other men in his wife’s bed, Shane had left her.

Rafe’s own marriage had ended a whole lot less spectacularly, but the breakup still bugged him. Not that he missed her—he didn’t—but the fact that he couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong.

“I figure a professional will know what to do,” he said. “Nina swears she can help me find someone who’s exactly what I’m looking for.”

“Do you believe her?”

“I don’t trust myself to get it right.”

Shane nodded slowly. “I want to tell you you’re an idiot, but I can’t. I’m not about to trust love again, either. We both need a sensible woman. Someone who’s a friend. No highs, no lows.”

Which should have sounded perfect, but left Rafe with an empty feeling in his chest.

“Let me know how that works out for you,” he said.

His brother laughed. “I don’t have you convinced?”

“Sorry, no.”

* * *

SHANE LEANED AGAINST THE SIDE of the stall. “Seriously, he’s smart.”

Heidi had spent the past couple of hours confirming that she knew all she had to in order to take care of Shane’s expensive horses. She was willing to admit that they were beautiful animals, but were they as miraculous as their proud owner claimed?

“I don’t think so,” she murmured.

Shane pulled a small plastic bag of apple slices out of his shirt pocket. “Wesley, do you want some apple?”

The horse raised and lowered his head.

Heidi smiled. “Coincidence.”

“I knew you’d say that.” He turned his attention back to the horse. “How many slices?”

The horse hesitated for a second, as if considering the question, then hit the stall door twice.

“Two? Are you sure?”

The horse nodded.

Heidi laughed. “Okay, you win. I’m impressed. And you have too much time on your hands.”

“Sometimes the winters get long,” he admitted, feeding the horse the two slices.

Shane led the way outside.

“As long as Wesley doesn’t expect me to read to him or do math, we’ll get along fine.”

“I’m sure of it.”

“You do have insurance, right?”

Shane glanced at her. “Very funny.”

A delivery truck pulled up and honked.

“I got a package for you,” the woman behind the wheel yelled.

“Been shopping?” Shane asked.

“Sort of,” Heidi said, suspecting the box contained the special paint Annabelle had suggested she order online.

The delivery woman circled around to the back of the truck and pulled out a small box. “You’re going to need to sign,” she said.

Heidi hurried forward and scrawled her signature on the electronic clipboard. Before she could reach for the box, Shane had collected it.

“Where do you want it?” he asked.

Heidi waved as the delivery truck drove away, then pointed to the goat house. “In there, please.”