Page 31 of A Nice Day for a Cowboy Wedding

“Shane’s got his pacing shoes on,” Gavin said, opening a can of beer. “Let me guess, this isn’t about the price of cattle.”

“We have todosomething.” Shane couldn’t control much, but he had to control this. Hehadto protect his mother. If he didn’t . . .

“You told her about the reference lying, and Mom didn’t budge,” Molly pointed out. “Unless he’s stealing from us or, I don’t know, a serial killer, her mind’s made up. I don’t want to twist myself into knots over this anymore. Let’s just support her.”

“Support her into making a mistake and giving Donahue part of our ranch?” Gavin demanded.

“Is that all you care about? That he’ll have a share of the ranch?” Molly returned.

“You know it’s not, but it doesn’t make it not a concern,” Shane said determinedly. “There can’t be fighting between us. We have to be a united front. Not that long ago we all agreed,” Shane reminded them.

“Honestly, if he confessed to lying before we told on him, he can’t be that bad,” Lindsay offered, being absolutely no help at all.

“Or he’s hiding even worse sins and he confessed to throw her off the lying scent,” Gavin said, pointing his beer at Lindsay.

“And maybe you’re a paranoid nutjob, Gav.”

“Why do you like him so much?”

Lindsay huffed out a breath. “I don’t really like him. I don’t not like him either. But, come on, we’re going to interfere with Mom’s life? On what planet.”

“And good for Mom for getting the hot, younger guy. She deserves a boy toy,” Molly said, not doing a very good job of suppressing a grin.

“Gross,” Shane and Gavin responded in unison.

“We need to hire an investigator,” Shane announced. Though he shuddered at the term, Mom could have all the boy toys she wanted. As long as she didn’t marry them.

His siblings’ responses were immediate and all at once:

“Now you’re talking,” Gavin said.

“Are you high?” was Lindsay’s demand.

“No,” Molly said in her straightforward way.

“What is the harm in pooling our resources and hiring someone to make sure Ben Donahue isn’t a no-good, thieving liar?” Even though Shane was certain Ben was without doing any investigating.

“Mom would kill us,” Molly replied. “Why are you so fixated on this?”

“Why aren’t you?”

“Because Mom’s an adult? Because when you were sticking your nose in my life, I sure as hell didn’t listen to you.”

“And, as I recall, you ended up being wrong.” Which he should not have said to his sister even when it was true. She’d taken a hit there. He shouldn’t poke at it. “Look, we’ve got a tie. So—”

“I could probably break the tie.”

It was as if all the air was sucked out of the barn in one instance. Because even if the sun setting through the door obscured all their views of the man in the barn door opening, they all knew that voice.

“Boone.” Shane sure as hell didn’t know what else to say aside from his brother’s name. His brother who hadn’t been home since Christmas, and even then just for dinner. He certainly hadn’t called home or returned any of Shane’s calls about Mom and Ben. Boone was an occasional ghost at best.

And now he was here.

“Boone!” Lindsay screeched, launching herself toward the figure in the door, but she skidded to a halt. “You’re hurt.”

Boone stepped farther into the room. Actually,limpedwas a more apt term. Now that Shane could see his younger brother’s face, he saw there were bandages across his temple and chin, and Boone moved stiffly.

“You look like shit,” Gavin said flatly.

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