Page 29 of The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love

She smiled when the screen lit up with a message.

Ty: I think I’m in trouble.

Shay: Oh no! What’s wrong?

Ty: You know that girl in Cali?

Shay: Yeah?

Ty: I’m getting in deeper by the day.

Shay: I think you’re both in it together.

Ty: I hope so. You’re supposed to be going to bed.

Shay: I was! Until this cowboy texted me again.

Ty: Sorry.

Shay: I’m not.

Ty: G’nite, sweetheart.

Shay: See ya later.

Chapter Eight

When Shayna arrived at the gym on Tuesday evening, Alexis came straight to her with a big smile on her face.

“Hi, sweetie. I’m glad you’re here early, I want a quick word.”

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes. Nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s good news – or it might be. It’ll depend on if you can get any time off this weekend.”

Shayna gave her a puzzled look. She’d been working on doing exactly that. She’d talked to Lily and Booker this morning, and they told her that she’d be fine to take the weekend off from the barn. Mary, the barn manager, had volunteered to go in early with Booker, even though he’d said he’d be okay by himself. She’d talked to her manager at the grocery store, and he’d said that he could roster her off for the weekend. She still needed to talk to Ben, who managed The Boathouse, but since he still had a few days to find someone else, and she was only helping out until he figured out his full staff for the summer season, she didn’t think he’d mind her not working this weekend. But how did Alexis know?

Alexis’s smile disappeared. “Of course, it doesn’t matter if you can’t.”

“Sorry.” Shayna realized that she’d just been staring at her. “Why? … What?”

Alexis grinned again. “Eli called me this morning. He was supposed to have a group coming to do a weekend seminar, but they called to cancel. He’s been struggling to find a time whenhe can fit you in for more than just a quick chat. With this cancellation, he can fit you in and take a bit of a break as well. If we can get you there, he said that he’d be happy to spend all of Saturday afternoon with you and then do a follow-up on Sunday lunchtime. What do you think? Might you be able to get the weekend off? I already looked at flights and a hotel, and if you say yes, I can get them booked with my points straight away.”

She held up her phone with a laugh. “I have everything on here, ready to pull the trigger. Of course, we’ll find you another hotel if you don’t like the look of the one I chose, but it’s in a convenient location – and safe. We can get you a rental car if you’re comfortable driving, but if you’re not, this hotel has a shuttle from the airport. It’s only a few blocks from Eli’s office. It’s a good area with restaurants on your doorstep, and it’s walkable to all the places you might want to see.”

Shayna just stared. Of course, she’d love to go and see Eli. It was something that she’d been looking forward to ever since Alexis had mentioned the possibility but …

“That’d be amazing!”

As much as she wanted to meet Ty, there was no way she could allow herself to get off track. She’d been working toward building a career for herself for years already. She might not have made much progress – it was slow going when you could only take a couple of classes at a time, but it was her whole purpose in life. No way would she pass up an opportunity like this for a guy. He might be an amazing guy, but …

Alexis was giving her a puzzled look. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Oh my gosh, don’t think that I’m not grateful – and excited! – I am. Honestly. I appreciate you doing this for me more than you know and …”

Alexis touched her arm. “This is me you’re talking to, remember. You can tell me anything.”

She relaxed. It was true. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but only so that you’ll understand my reaction. It just took me a minute to process it all. Before I say anything else – Yes! I would love to go and see Eli this weekend and thank you!”

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