Summer Nights (Fool's Gold #8)(54)

He led Khatar across the yard, toward the large pen next to Priscilla’s. After a morning of hard work, Khatar deserved a little freedom in the big one-acre fenced area.

A black Mercedes drove up by the stable and came to a stop. Shane recognized the vehicle and the man who stepped out of it. His good mood faded and he was ready to put his fist through something. Or someone.

“Good morning,” Lewis called. “I’m here to see Annabelle.”

Shane felt Khatar tense. The horse raised his head, as if trying to appear even bigger.

“Right back at you,” he muttered to the horse, then glanced over at Lewis. “She’s not here.”

Lewis raised his eyebrows. “She doesn’t live here?”

“No. She has a place in town.” He was about to say she worked at the library, but decided he wasn’t going to give the other man any more information.

“Interesting. I thought…” Lewis gave him a quick, meaningless smile. “Thank you.” He turned his attention to Khatar. “Amazing animal.”

“He is. Do you ride?”

“Me? No. Never been one for outdoor sports.”

“Annabelle does.”

Lewis blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

“Annabelle rides Khatar.”

“You must be mistaken.”

Khatar chose that moment to lunge for Lewis. When Shane held him back, he rose on his back hooves, front legs pawing toward the other man.

Lewis scuttled back for safety. “That horse would kill her. How can you allow it?”

“It wasn’t my decision.”

Shane hadn’t been pleased to see Lewis, but he suddenly found himself enjoying the conversation. Still, he didn’t want Khatar to hurt himself, so he led the horse over to the closest corral and secured him behind the gate.

“I’ll be back,” he told the horse in a low voice. “Then you’ll have your afternoon of running around.”

Khatar ignored him and glared at Lewis.

Shane walked back toward the man hiding behind his car.

“I can’t imagine what she enjoys about being here,” Lewis said with a sniff. “She’s not the outdoor type.”

“How long were you married?”

“Two years.” Lewis paused. “Closer to four now, what with us still being married.”

“How did you find out the divorce wasn’t final?”

“My lawyer bought into another practice. In the process of moving, he went through his files and realized we’d never received the final paperwork from the clerk.”

“So you came to see her rather than let her know by phone?”

Lewis smiled. “I knew that by now Annabelle had to be regretting the divorce. She doesn’t belong in a place like this. Fool’s Gold.” His lip curled in a sneer. “What a ridiculous name. Have you seen the town? Like something out of a 1960s TV show.”

“I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t around then.”

Lewis bristled. “I’m simply pointing out that it’s hardly a regular sort of place. Not anywhere Annabelle would be happy.”

“You two lived in North Carolina?”

“Yes. Raleigh. I have a lovely house. Very quiet and spacious with good light. I’m a writer.”

“You mentioned that.”

Shane studied the other man. He was probably in his early forties. He dressed like he had money and he’d paid plenty for the car. Shane wondered if Annabelle had been impressed by either. He would have said she was more interested in character, but he’d been wrong before.

“Divorce is tough,” Shane said. “Mine was ugly.”

Lewis seemed to relax. “Ours was very civilized, but unnecessary. I see that now. Perhaps I could have been more attentive, although it’s difficult when I’m working. Writing demands everything. Annabelle was always there for me. Taking care of things. She handled my schedule, kept up the house. When she was gone, there was no one.”

Like when the staff quits, Shane thought, but didn’t say.

Lewis stared past him, as if seeing something Shane couldn’t. “She’s so beautiful. I’d forgotten that part. I have pictures, of course, but they don’t capture the life in her. I always admired that about her.”

“She’s a librarian here,” Shane told him.

“Yes, Annabelle did always want to keep her little job. This time, I’ll make her understand her work gets in the way.”

“You’re expecting her to come back to you?”

“Yes. That’s why I’m here. We’re still married. Her place is with me.”

He wanted to point out that Annabelle had ties to the town, that she was eager to raise money for her bookmobile. But what if he was wrong? What if she was having second thoughts about her marriage?

Lewis glanced around. “If she’s not here, then I won’t take up any more of your time.”

“No problem.”

He wanted to say more, to announce that there was no way that Annabelle was going anywhere with that guy, but he wasn’t sure. And not knowing left a gnawing sensation in his gut.

He waited until the other man had left, then walked Khatar over to the fenced acre and let him loose. Then Shane got in his truck and drove to town. He had a few questions of his own and he knew the best place to get them answered.