River's Return (River's End Series, #3) (24 page)

“When did you…?”

“This week. I just was too afraid to wear it. Things seemed so good tonight…”

He suddenly swooped down and nearly pounced on her as his lips caught hers. His hands filled up with her boobs, now lifted to ridiculous proportions by the underwire. He buried his face in her cleavage. “Oh my God, they’re huge. Delicious. Perfect.” He was mumbling while kissing the sides of her white globes and licking her skin. She sighed, as her neck fell back to enjoy his adoration and ogling. “I dreamed of this,” he mumbled as his hands clapped onto her uncovered butt cheeks.

“Why? When?”

“It was impossible not to. Have you seen your body?”

Yes, and it was so far beyond hot and lust, she had to bite her tongue to explain that to Shane. One huge plus of dating this brute of a man was he made her seem tiny. He apparently thought she actually
was
; so who was she to argue? Jumbo-sized Shane found her tiny. Of course, she went with it. It gave her more confidence in her body and sex appeal than ever before in all her life.

“I never thought I’d get to see this,” he said while kissing her and feeling her up. She closed her eyes to purr at the experience as his big, thorough hands explored every spot on her skin. “Thank you.” His reverence toward her was almost like she gave him a sacred keepsake.

She almost thanked him for allowing her to know this side of herself, let alone make it grow and become more comfortable for her to express. She loved how she felt about herself while being with Shane.

She stayed the weekend and enjoyed all of the Rydell family from the quiet Ian to the charming Joey. She soon felt a level of comfort she hadn’t known with anyone, but her own parents and Patrick.

“Shane, what do you do for the ranch?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I know Jack and Erin take care of all the horses; Ian was kind of the Renaissance man around here; so now that he’s gone, what do you do?”

“Nothing. I run my shop.” She frowned and he noticed. “Why?” His tone turned grumpy.

“Seems a little unfair they do all that, and you don’t pick up any of the slack. I heard Erin saying it’s been hard on Jack since Ian left.”

Shane’s brows furrowed. “He said that?”

Allison shrugged. “Well, no, Erin said that.”

The lines around his mouth scrunched up. “I didn’t know that. Don’t know. I’ll ask him.”

“But you still own your share?”

“’Course. What’s your point, teacher?” He sounded frustrated. Allison sensed it wasn’t directed toward her, but at what he was seeing as his own oversight.

“Seems like if you all share equal parts, why not be equal partners? Equal the work?”

“Joey doesn’t work on the ranch either.”

“He doesn’t live here,” she pointed out quite reasonably.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t like the horses.”

“I think everyone within a hundred mile radius understands that. Aren’t there other things for you to do now?”

Shane didn’t answer, but she knew she struck a chord with him. She had to rub his back and kiss him all over to rekindle his good mood and make him forgive her inquiry. Eventually, he turned back towards her, and he wasn’t mad anymore.

****

“Jack?”

Jack glanced up when he heard Shane call his name. He was petting and socializing a newborn foal. He continued what he was doing while Shane stood by the fence, waiting. Finally, Jack finished and crossed over towards him, a rope wrapped around his hands. “What’s up?”

“I ordered a new sign for my shop. A big one. I was thinking of maybe expanding the business. You know, advertising. Working a little more.”

Jack leaned his hands on the fence rail and put his booted foot up onto it. “Uh, okay. Not like I’d discourage that.”

Shane crossed his arms over his stomach and scowled. “I think it’s time I start building up my business.”

“Aren’t you going to be leaving soon? You hate the heat. You rarely stay for an entire summer.”

“Not this summer,” he answered, without bothering to explain. Now, with Allison in the picture, his feet were firmly planted in River’s End. “I got plans. Plus, uh, Allison mentioned that Erin said you’re missing Ian’s help around here. I didn’t know that. You never mentioned it. I wondered…” Shane faltered and sucked in a breath, disbelieving his own request. He kicked a rock at his feet. “I wondered if there was anything I could do to pick up the slack?”

Jack’s eyebrows lifted. “You mean, as in working around the ranch?”

“You don’t have to look so surprised. I used to.”

“A decade ago when you were still under my rule. Not since the day you were old enough to tell me to screw off.” Silence fell between them.

Shane nodded. “Was I really that bad?”

“Yes, you really were.”

“I’m sorry, then. About that. I shouldn’t have been such a little dick.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. But I understand. You hate this place.”

“No. I really don’t. It’s my home. I like the land. The scenery. The space. I like that we own this. All of us… together. I really value that. I guess, I’ve never said so. Or acted like it. It never occurred to me I’d end up anywhere else but here. But I see now that expecting you and Ian to carry the workload is pure bullshit on my end. I owe this place some hours too. I just didn’t cotton to the horse care. Not like you guys. But I don’t mind working
here.
Does that make any sense?”

Jack nodded, and his eyes glinted with something close to fatherly pride. “Yeah. Makes total sense. It means a lot to me just hearing your offer.”

“Allison… she likes the horses. So I need to take her riding more often. And she pointed out that I should be assuming a more active role since I own an equal share. That, or give you my share. She didn’t say that, but I think that’s what she meant. I don’t want to give you mine. And I don’t want to mooch off you guys anymore. So again, I ask: is there anything I can help with?”

Jack’s gaze was strong and Shane basked in his approval. “Yeah. Lots. I’d be glad for the help, Shane. Give me a few days. I’ll make up a list, and we can go over it and discuss what you’d prefer to do.”

“I’ll do that, Jack. I think it’s only fair.”

“Honestly, Shane? Thank you. I’m over wrung sometimes. Between the ranch and the resort and all the new bookkeeping associated with both… and Ian’s absence, I’m drowning here.”

He kicked his foot at the fencepost. How had he never noticed, or thought about that? Allison spent three days with them and it became totally obvious to her. He was selfish, just a self-interested, little prick.

“I should have been a better brother.”

“You’re here now.”

“I’m here now,” Shane finally said after they exchanged a long, deep look. They nodded their heads in understanding at each other. Shane realized, after all these years, he had earned Jack Rydell’s respect. Something rarely accomplished by anyone. And that revelation released something tightly bound in Shane’s chest. He wanted it. What a shock to realize all his rebellion and protesting were destined to get him back here; still craving his big brother’s approval. But now, he had legitimately earned it.

He turned to leave and Jack called his name. “Yeah?”

“About Allison. I’m sorry I gave you shit over her. I’m glad you’re with her. I think you guys make a great couple.”

He nodded.
A great couple. Fuck yeah, they did!
Shane’s heart totally expanded with pride. Yeah, people should notice them, because she was that freaking great. She made him great. He smiled. So did Jack.

It took a week before his new sign came, and he and AJ spent an afternoon positioning it. It now hung in the center over his shop.
Rydell Rides.
His chest opened up, and he stood taller as he stared up at his name, his logo, his business. A sense of newfound pride began filling him that he had lacked every single moment of his life, until now.

When Allison pulled in for tutoring, she nearly ran up to him with glee at seeing the new sign. Throwing her arms around him with praise and admiration, he felt like he had climbed the Matterhorn, or slayed a dragon. Her approval launched him to the place where he was always meant to be. And supposed to be. And proud to be.

When Shane started doing chores that Monday afternoon for Jack, he felt like he could finally stand up tall and strong and sure.

He felt like he was finally a Rydell. And maybe even the kind of son his dad would have been proud of.

Chapter Fifteen

SUMMER WAS HOT. SO hot, most afternoons found them down at the river, nearly immersed to their necks in it. Shane’s workday started early in the morning, and everyone took off during the peak of the heat. One good thing about having a teacher as a girlfriend? She got the summers off.

In early July, he convinced her to go for a ride on his bike.

She stared at the beast after he parked it in her driveway. Wearing one of his leather jackets, which she practically drowned in, she asked in disbelief, “You want me,” she pointed to her chest and then at the bike, “to get on
that
?”

They had been arguing about it for two months. She was a chicken not to do it. It seemed to be everything she usually avoided. Yet he hopped on it and buzzed around everywhere all the time. No harm. All she could picture was her mangled body sprawled all over the highway, dead; or her head smashed into a tree and cracked open; or…

Shane got pretty offended at some of Allison’s vivid pictures of what could happen. Having driven his bike from one state to the next and inside two different countries, Shane didn’t get her hang-ups.

Being the nice, prim, polite teacher of the freaking town, she wasn’t really meant to be cruising around on a Harley. It was crazy to even picture. He didn’t totally get that always.

“We agreed to ride to the ranch and back. It’s four miles. You’ll be fine,” he finally said, his tone  cut-and-dried after he rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest to punctuate his point.

“Unless a semi smacks into us,” she mumbled. “Or we drive off the bridge, or veer off the one-lane road that travels along the river to the ranch.”

She kept pointing out more
what-if’s
to Shane and they argued for another fifteen minutes. He finally rolled his eyes, stepped forward, put his hands on her waist, lifted her up and physically set her on the bike. She squealed and kicked and twisted, trying to get free, but he stood in front of her. “You promised. To the ranch.”

“To the ranch” soon became the entire valley. She shocked herself and hated to admit that she liked his bike. She felt strong, sexy, and empowered, sitting on the monstrous machine. She loved and adored holding onto Shane as the wind rushed and ruffled her clothes and swept through her body. Even the hum of the big machine between her legs was a rush she only told Shane about. He smiled and petted her as she gushed about riding his bike, every single time after they dismounted. It was not something she, Allison Gray, was supposed to love, but she honestly did.

Shane was opening a world to Allison that she never even considered for herself. She had judged them years ago as inappropriate choices. Turns out, they were also really fun, and not a matter of being appropriate or not.

Shane stared and gazed at her as if he simply adored her after their cruises on his bike. Helmet hair, pink-cheeked from the wind, and wearing no makeup was like foreplay to Shane, and he seemed unable to keep his hands off her at those times. He convinced her to take a trip with him down to the southern part of the state. Riding the bike and only taking a little luggage, they slept in motels, and Allison had an incredible time.

She never had so much fun in her life.

They usually spent most of the time at her house, although many evenings were shared at the ranch with Jack and Erin, after her work with Erin was completed for the day. They often had dinner together or swam. They were couple friends and whiled away many afternoons at the ranch’s beach, swimming and floating.

The resort was a hit almost immediately. Only four nights in June had a couple of the cabins not booked. Other than that, every single night of the summer was booked out, and well in advance. They had to hire a woman to be on call at the front desk all day. Erin managed the horseback rides daily, from the private parties to larger groups. Many family reunions took place on their ranch. It was a striking revelation to learn that Ian’s idea became a monstrous success.

As summer wore on, Allison felt closer to Shane than any other human being. She was amazed at how good and easy and light, yet deep, their connection was.

Shane did not leave the ranch or River’s End for almost six months. Allison often asked why and checked in with him, but he never found the motivation to go. He hushed her efforts to encourage his departure, and distracted her by kissing her, and she always let it go eventually.

For Allison, it was the longest stretch since Gabrielle that she had experienced any kind of peace or happiness. Shane transported her out of her head, and back into the now. Maybe it was because he was so different than she ever experienced before; or because he had nothing to do with anything involving Gabrielle.

Whatever. It turned out to be the best summer she could remember in all her thirty-one years. Her parents came to visit and they met Shane, but failed miserably at trying to mask their obvious distrust and disillusionment towards him. However, Allison didn't let it mar or besmirch their perfect summer, or developing relationship. Despite all else happening, the more time they spent together the deeper and more honest their relationship became.

But something pricked Allison’s heart. Nothing so good ever lasted. Didn’t she already have first-hand proof of that? She could not pinpoint exactly when her fears started to creep back but they did: the fear of losing life, worrying about what could happen, and having no control over it. The anxiety that followed her started to percolate in her head and heart whenever she felt happy with Shane.