Page 52 of A Nice Day for a Cowboy Wedding

“I know you’re right. A very weird kind of progress.” Shane stopped walking and turned to face her. He had such a handsome face, so strong and honest. Even when he smiled with mischief in his eyes. “So. Your end of the bargain?”

God, he was cute. “I don’t have a definitive answer, but I have a couple potential things. Will and Tori are going to see if Micah wants to go on this rock climbing thing, which I’m hoping he declines with all of my heart. If he doesn’t want that, Sam and Hayley are going to see if he wants to do a camping thing with them, and Brandon and Lilly will come up with something if all else fails.”

Shane reached out and brushed his fingers across her temple. Cora’s stomach wobbled as he slowly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips touching every inch of skin they could. She couldn’t remember if anyone had ever touched her quite like that. Gently and reverently, with his eyes on her like she was the center of the universe.

“I’ll work with whatever day.”

“Good. And it will be soon,” she assured, because, oh, she wanted more of this, of him. More than a few minutes, even in this beautiful place.

“You know, in the meantime . . .” His mouth inched toward hers, and, because she was feeling a little giddy over all thiswantand anticipation, she blinked fake innocently up at him.

“In the meantime what?”

He grinned. Still touching her face, his mouth inching closer.

“Mom!”

Cora jumped back with a start, though that was probably silly. Micah was jogging out of the stables and probably hadn’t seen a thing.

She would have to tell him what was going on, though. Probably before she went on a date with Shane. Because this wasn’t just some date for the heck of it. It wasn’t a night out to get all the edginess out of her system. It was Shane. And it was somehow scarily important.

Figuring out how to explain it to her twelve-year-old was beyond daunting.

“I guess ‘in the meantime’ will have to wait,” Cora offered with an apologetic smile.

“I can wait. Long as it takes.”

And she had no doubt that that’s exactly what he meant.

* * *

Stuffed with pizza, his cheeks hurting a bit from smiling so damn much at Cora over the table, Shane walked out of The Slice is Right feeling good. Light. He was still worried about Mom, Ben, the wedding, Boone, et cetera, and et cetera. But it wasn’t the same as it had been.

Part of it was hanging out with his family. When nothing felt at peace, just being around them for a meal often reminded him they were surviving. Tylers endured. Always had. Always would.

The conversation with Ben had helped some as well. It wasn’t the kind of closure Shane would have preferred, but Cora had been right when she said it sounded like progress.

But part of being able to believe that was Cora herself. He would never have come up with the idea of talkingopenlywith someone on his own, and he certainly never would havedoneit without a nudge. Cora had swept into his life and rearranged something he didn’t quite understand yet. She’d eased some tenseness that had been inside of him.

He walked with Cora and Micah to their car, listening as Micah chattered on about the level he’d beaten on the old-school arcade game inside. Gavin and Boone were waiting for Shane back at his truck across the lot. Molly had taken a ride back to the ranch with Lou and Em a little earlier.

“Well, guys, thanks for coming along. We enjoyed the extra company.”

“It was cool,” Micah said, and Shane was noticing more and more he didn’t even try to tamper his enthusiasm. “Mom usually makes us get carryout and eat at home.”

“Well, I don’t carry quarters around, so you wouldn’t be able to play all those games anyway. We’re lucky Boone came prepared.”

Shane caught Micah’s glance toward where Boone and Gavin were waiting by the truck. It was strange to know the kid had some hero worship for Boone and mostly tolerated Shane and Gavin. Weird to be in some kind of competition for affection with his baby brother. Probably unbeknownst to Boone, who wouldn’t have cared either way.

Shane tried not to care because he knew the important thing wasn’t who the boy looked up to. It was that the boy had someonetolook up to. And Shane had some work to do on remembering his brother was a grown man who had done a lot of cool and interesting things.

“We’ll see you tomorrow?”

“It’s actually my day off, and I think Micah should probably take one, too,” Cora offered somewhat apologetically.

“I don’t want a day off,” Micah interrupted.

Cora looked at Shane and Micah, some kind of argument going on within her. Shane had been the one to put her in the middle of it.

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