Page 7 of January's Bad Boy: Shane

"I'll walk you to your car. I want to talk for a minute," my brother says.

"Thank you for everything," Shane says.

"Come on in when you're done," Shane says to Atlas. Then, he walks into the house.

As we walk to my car, Atlas begins grilling me.

"I heard you had dinner with Shane at the café the other night. What was that about?"

While his tone is gentle and not accusatory, I know there is a motive behind him asking. There always is.

"He’s been coming into the outdoor store to get things for the bunkhouse. We talked about the new burger at the café and decided to try it. He stayed while I locked up and we walked down together. Over dinner we talked about his ranch and that's when I offered to come check it out on my next day off. And here we are," I say.

"And that's all, right?" he asks.

That's when it clicks.He was wondering if it was a date. Atlas tends to be super protective of me. If there was something going on with me and his best friend who just came back into town, he’d want to know. Especially since he's just now getting to spend time with me again.

"Yes, Dad, that was all," I say in an annoyed tone. "I'm only here for a few more weeks, anyway."

"Listen, if there is anything else there, I would suggest you don't proceed. Shane isn't the right guy for you. Especially not you. Even if it’s just a simple fling or a friendship. Don’t go there," Atlas orders.

Standing there, I’m shocked and speechless.

Then he leans in and hugs me before walking off. I should say something, but he's stunned me and I don’t even know what to say. By the time I recover, he's already heading inside Shane's house.

So, I get in my car and go back to the cabin I rented from Ruby. Atlas offered to let time stay with him, but he's newly married and I didn't want to be in the way. This cabin gives both them and me our space. Right now, I'm grateful for it because my brother has my mind racing. Something isn't adding up. Atlas has always been super strict with the people he lets in his life. He's protective, and I don't think he'd be friends with someone that I can't have as a friend.

I know about Bex's dad, Malice. He was arrested for the same thing as Shane, from what I can tell. But Atlas turned his back onMalice, though he's still friends with Shane. I trust my gut. It's never been wrong, and my gut says Shane is a good guy. So why is Atlas pushing me away from him so adamantly? And behind Shane's back at that.

What am I missing?

CHAPTER 5

SHANE

I'mon my way to the Mustang Mountain Riders’ clubhouse that is currently under construction. This will be the first time I've seen it. But from what Atlas told me the other day, all the damage has been repaired. Now they are just doing updates. Atlas asked me to come help him pack up his office because the offices are the next section to be worked on.

Once I arrive, I have to say I’m impressed with the job they have done to keep all the historical aspects of an old Wild West brothel. Yes, all the paint is new, but they matched the colors and trim from the parts of the building that were untouched in the fight with Savage Bones a few months ago.

"Hey Shane, are you here to see Atlas?" Viper greets me.

"Yeah. He roped me into helping out today," I joke.

"Through that door, down the hallway on the right. Then take a left at the last door on the left." Viper points the way.

Following his directions, I find Atlas in his office.

"I'm here to help." I walk in, ready to get to work.

"Shane! Thank you for coming," Atlas greets me.

"If you will help pack things up, I have a few of the guys loading stuff up to take it to my house to store. You’ll have to assemble those boxes over in the corner."

While he is working on his desk, I start on the bookshelves.

"How are things going on the ranch?" Atlas asks.

"Going well. Started working with some of Caitlin's ideas. She had some good ones that will save me money. Though I’ve been doing some thinking, and I have some ideas for what I‘d like to do. But I want to run them by you and see how you feel because I know the rest of the town would rather I just sell it and leave," I say.

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