Page 4 of January's Bad Boy: Shane

"I'll do the same, and I think we both want to try the new burger and fries," Shane says, looking at me and I nod and smile.

"I'll go ahead and put those in." She writes on her notepad and walks off.

"They aren't looking at you or gossiping about you. It's me they can't seem to leave alone," Shane says once she leaves.

"And why is that?" I want to know.

CHAPTER 3

SHANE

It was an innocent question,but I hadn't been thinking when I announced they were staring at me. I was trying to comfort her, but it came out before I could stop it. Now I have to tell her because she deserves an answer. Hell, a sweet girl like her needs to know who she is hanging out with, so she can make the choice to avoid me at all costs.

When I tell her I was in jail, she will run for the hills, effectively ending this short obsession I have with her. Maybe subconsciously, this was the plan the whole time. My brain is forcing me to push her away now instead of me getting deeper into my infatuation. The last thing I want to do is get hurt or worse yet, end up in jail when I lose it on some perfectly nice guy who tries to make moves on her.

Yeah, put up the walls and drive her away now since I can't seem to leave her alone. That is now my new plan.

"Since they found out I was in jail, they all look and stare at me." Then I wait for one of two reactions I get from women.

Either they think it's cool and latch on to the “bad boy” in rebellion. When that happens, I move on because that is not what I want. Or the good girls will make an excuse to get away from me quickly, and I won't see them again.

Caitlin is a good girl, so I'm sure after a very awkward dinner, which I plan to pay for, she will run for the hills.

Caitlin's eyes go wide, and she studies me for a moment.

"What for?" she asks.

I sit stunned. She is genuinely curious, and she isn't trying to escape my presence. Even though I don't detect any disgust in her voice, I'm still on guard.

"I was charged with smuggling and black market sales. It happened when I was deployed overseas." What I don’t say is that I was charged with assisting, so it was a slightly lesser crime. Taking a breath, I sit back to gauge her reaction.

Only she doesn't react like I expected her to. Though I can tell she is thinking about it.

"How long were you in jail?"

"My sentence was seven years, but I was let out on good behavior after four years," I say.

"Is that why you didn't come back to take over the ranch after your parents died?"

"Yeah," I say as the waitress returns with our food and drinks.

"I heard what you did at Thanksgiving. Defusing the bomb and saving everyone. That has to count for something," she says, waving a French fry around at the people in the diner.

"The town was happy then, but they flipped pretty fast once they found out I was planning to move back to the ranch. Apparently, they are fine with an ex-con saving their lives, but not with one living in their town, even if I grew up here." I don’t attempt to keep the frustration and anger out of my voice.

Then in the next moment, I regret revealing so much. This is my burden to bear, and I deserve to deal with every minute of it. I don't need to unload it onto anyone, especially not this angel sitting across from me.

"Well, that's their problem." She rolls her eyes.

Just like that, the tension is gone. How the hell did she do it?

"So, what are your plans for the ranch?" she asks.

I stare at her for a moment. She isn't treating me or looking at me any differently. And she still wants to talk and have dinner with me. Fuck me, I just fell even harder for this girl. She seesme, not an ex-con. Silently, I make a vow to protect her from anyone who tries to hurt her, even if that person is myself.

Taking a deep breath, I answer her question. "I want to get it up and running again like it was when I was growing up. Towards the end, Dad wasn't able to keep it up the way he used to, so it needs work. Fortunately, it is still in relatively good shape.”

“Tell me about your job in New York City." I change the subject abruptly. What I really want is to hear her talk and learn more about her life.

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