Page 121 of The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love

“They send a signal when you press the button. You can wear mine so that if the bad man comes for you …”

She smiled at him in the mirror. “Thank you, sweetie. I love that you’d let me wear yours, but you need it. And like I said, the bad man won’t be able to find me here.” Her smile faded. She hated that he’d found Booker at the barn, and she hated that they hadn’t been able to find him.

When they got to the big cabin, Sierra came out to greet them.

“Thanks again for going to get them,” she told Shayna.

“It really is my pleasure.”

“Can I call Dad?” Mateo asked.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Sierra looked worried, and Shayna loved the way he went to her and took her hand – as if he was the grown up and wanted to reassure her. “Nothing’s wrong, but Shayna needs a special watch like ours.”

Sierra smiled. “Shayna’s safe here, Mateo.”

He scowled. “You don’t know that – not for sure. And even if she is safe, she can wear a special watch.”

Sierra smiled at Shayna. “He’s right. There’s no harm in wearing one, is there?” She held her hand up, showing off the bright pink plastic band. “I know people think it’s strange that I wear this instead of my old Cartier one, but this one saved my life.”

“I get it,” Shayna told her, wondering if she still wore it out of sentiment or because it was better to be safe than sorry.

Sierra answered that for her when she told Mateo, “We’ll talk to Daddy when he gets home – we can order one for Shayna.”

She was about to protest, but Sierra smiled at her. “Now that Mateo has brought it up, I have to get you one – it’d be like tempting fate if I didn’t.”

Shayna nodded. “I was about to argue with you, but I feel the same way. I’ll talk to Ty.” She had no idea how much something like that would cost but …

“There’s no need – I’ll ask Wade to order one, and it’s my gift, part of my thank you for picking them up from school for me.”

She stepped closer and gave Shayna a hug, and Maya wrapped her arms around their legs and grinned up at them.

“Do you want to come in for a while?” Sierra asked.

“Thanks, but I need to get home. I’m hoping to make some headway on my assignment before Ty gets back from work.”

“Okay, we’ll see you on Thursday then.”

As she drove away from the big cabin, Shayna looked back at it in the mirror. It was a beautiful place, but she wouldn’t want tolive there. She loved the much smaller cabin that she shared with Ty. It was perfect for them.

~ ~ ~

Later that evening, after they’d had dinner, Ty led Shay out onto the back porch. He loved that she waited for him to sit before she lowered herself onto his lap. This had become their thing. They sat out here to watch the dusk fall and the stars come out.

He pressed a kiss to her temple. “How was your day, busy bee?”

She laughed. “I don’t feel like I’m living up to that name anymore.”

“What, because you’re only working seven jobs now instead of seventeen?”

“Because nothing feels like work here.”

He grinned at that. “It doesn’t?”

“It really doesn’t, Ty. Think about it – whenever I’m in the lodge, you’re there, and I get to see you. When I’m running errands for the ranch, I get to drive around this beautiful valley. I feel lucky that I get to spend time with Mateo and Maya when I pick them up. And I get to ride horses with your brother and sister – how could that feel like work?”

“We need to carve out some time to ride up into the mountains, just you and me.” He frowned when a thought struck him.

“What?”

---