Summer Nights (Fool's Gold #8)(29)

She glanced toward the door. “It’s nearly time for me to welcome the newest citizen to Fool’s Gold.”

With that, she turned and left the waiting area.

Shane stood in the center of the room, trying to grasp what had just happened.

“You okay?” Annabelle asked as she came up to him. “You look like…” She frowned. “I can’t describe it.”

“Me, either. Who is she?”

“Mayor Marsha? What’s not clear from her title?”

“Is she a witch or something?”

Annabelle laughed. “Don’t be silly. She’s a lovely woman who has taken care of the town for years.”

“No mystical powers?”

“Not that I know of. She’s very connected. Everyone tells her everything. It’s impossible to keep a secret around her.”

“I figured that out for myself.” He showed her the paper.

“You’re getting horses?” She sounded delighted. “For the riding lessons?”

“Why not?” He hadn’t felt he had much of a choice. “And a pig for Priscilla. His name is Wilbur. That seemed to bother the mayor.”

“Wilbur? From Charlotte’s Web? It’s a children’s book. Charlotte is a spider who…” She shook her head. “Never mind. I’ll check out a copy for you at the library. Then you’ll get the joke.”

“It was a joke?” It seemed to him that Mayor Marsha was more like a tornado. She blew into people’s lives and rearranged things, then disappeared. All that was left was the fall-out and a dazed sensation.

“I think a pig is a really interesting idea. They’re supposed to be really intelligent.”

“I’ll make sure I leave out the daily crossword for them both.”

She leaned against him, the scent of her body drifting to him. “This is what Fool’s Gold is like. People care. They get involved. It’s nice.”

“It’s extortion and entrapment.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Maybe a little,” he admitted, liking the feel of her against him. He dropped his gaze to her mouth and he wondered if there was somewhere more private where he could take advantage of her.

She turned toward the waiting crowd. “Do you know everyone here?”

“Not even close. Rafe and I are trying to figure out what we’re doing here, waiting for a woman we don’t know to give birth.”

“You’re being supportive.”

“Don’t you think she would find that a little strange?”

Annabelle grinned. “You’re so picky. Besides, you know her brothers. You have to. Rafe knows Ethan, so you should know Kent or the other one. I can’t think of his name.”

“Ford,” Shane said absently, searching the room again. He spotted Ethan right away, talking to Rafe. Kent was with a boy who was maybe ten or eleven.

Kent looked up and saw him. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and headed over.

“I’d heard you were in town,” Kent said, shaking hands with him. “It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back. Do you know Annabelle Weiss?”

Kent nodded at her. “We’ve met at the library.”

“Your son is an excellent reader,” Annabelle said.

“Not in the summer. He’s more an outdoor kid when it’s nice.” Kent slapped Shane on the shoulder. “Just like you. I remember when you taught me how to ride a horse.” He turned to Annabelle. “Shane here loved the ranch. He never wanted to come play with his friends after school. We had to go to see him. Man, remember when you dared Ford to jump over the fence?”

Shane winced. “I didn’t think he would say yes. It was too high. The horse stopped and Ford didn’t. He broke his arm. Your mom was so mad.”

“Can you blame her?” Annabelle asked. “Typical boys.” She looked at Kent. “I don’t think I’ve met Ford. Does he live in town?”

“He’s in the military. He hasn’t been home in years.”

“That must be hard on the family,” she said.

“It is. My mom, especially. He sends emails and calls, but we can go months without hearing from him. He’s involved in secret, covert missions.”

Shane tried to imagine the friend he’d known eighteen years ago as a soldier. “If you talk to him, tell him I send my best.”

“I will.”

The door to the waiting room opened and a blond-haired woman entered. Shane thought she looked kind of familiar and realized she was Kent and Ford’s mother.

The woman smiled with obvious relief and pride. “It’s a girl,” she said happily. “Skye is six pounds, fourteen ounces and couldn’t be more perfect. Montana and Simon are ecstatic and I have another granddaughter.”

* * *

ANNABELLE DROVE ONTO the Castle Ranch and felt a sense of belonging. Silly, really. She didn’t belong here. She was Heidi’s friend and Shane’s client, but little else. Still, a girl could dream. There was something about the expanse of land, the quiet, the various animals. It wasn’t a life she’d ever known, but she sure got the appeal. Plus the ranch was close enough to town that company and a good margarita were only a few minutes away.