Page 107 of The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love

It seemed like there were wall-to-wall cowboy hats. Ty kept his arm around her as they made their way to the counter.

Rocket smiled when he saw them. “Hey, guys. Janey, Laney, and Frankie are in a booth in the back.” He looked at Ty. “And be warned – Ace and Ari brought Nessa, and that girl is bubbling over with excitement.” He smiled at Shayna. “She’s a great kid, but you might be exhausted by her enthusiasm by the time she’s done.”

“Aww, she’s the one who set up your profile, right Ty?”

“Yeah, I should have made the time to introduce you to her before now. She is a bit over the top, but I will be forever grateful to her.” He looked toward the back of the seating area. “Who else is back there?”

Rocket grinned. “Miss Candy and Deacon, Libby’s here, and Trip brought Travis with him.”

“Trav’s back already?”

“He is. You know he was looking at properties last time he was here? Well, sounds like the perfect place has come on the market and he’s here to snap it up. But what can I get you?”

After they’d ordered, Tanner told them to go and join the others and he’d wait and bring everything over.

Ty led Shay by the hand through the crowded space. It seemed as though he knew everyone, and everyone knew him – and most of them were more than a little curious about her.

He stopped dead when a broody-looking cowboy stepped out in front of him, and Shayna held her breath for a moment. She let it out in relief when the cowboy smiled and slapped Ty’s shoulder.

“Told you I wanted to hear about it.”

Ty grinned and wrapped his arm around Shay’s shoulders. “Shayna, this is Mason. He was the first person I called when I got a weird message from some chick named April about her friend Shayna.”

Shayna stepped forward with a smile. “Thank you for helping out!”

Mason laughed. “You’re welcome. Glad things worked out for the two of you. Oh, hang on.” He turned away from them and beckoned to someone she couldn’t see through the crowd. It seemed as though everyone here was taller than her, and she felt as though she was walking under a canopy of cowboy hats.

She smiled when she saw who Mason had summoned over – Chance.

He smiled at her, and although she could still see that he was a good-looking guy, it didn’t send a thrill through her like it would have before.

“Hey! I heard you were here. How’s it going?”

She nodded happily. “Great, thanks.”

His smile faded. “And what about the guy at the lake? April said that you left town because you had some kind of stalker?”

She shrugged as she looked up at Ty. “Is it bad that I’ve forgotten about him? I mean, it’s not as though he’s going to find me here, is it?”

Ty pursed his lips, and Mason and Chance exchanged a look. “Don’t bank on that, will you?” Chance said.

Ty shook his head. “We’re not taking any chances.”

“Good. And if you need …”

Chance’s words were drowned out and all three men ducked their heads at the sound of a shrill squeal behind them.

“Ty! Oh my gosh, Ty! You’re finally here! And you’re Shayna! I love your name – it’s so beautiful! And so are you! Wow, Ty! You got so freaking lucky!”

Shayna couldn’t help but laugh at the way the girl – she had to be Nessa – babbled on. While she talked, Chance and Mason disappeared back into the crowd. Shayna spotted Tanner giving them a wide berth, carrying a tray with their drinks toward the booths in the back.

“You can thank me any time now,” Nessa was telling Ty.

Shayna loved that as he leaned in to hug Nessa, he gave her a rueful smile over her shoulder.

When he leaned back, he said, “This girl right here may be a pain in my ass, but she will forever be one of my favorite people, since if it wasn’t for Ness setting me up with a dating profile, I never would have met you.”

“You’re one of my favorite people, too,” Shayna told her. “Saying thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”

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