Page 6 of The Outlaw's Code

“Keep you calm? Is there a reason you usually aren’t?”

“Oh. Right. You probably don’t remember meeting Joseph Stratton.” He let out a pained laugh. “My uncle can be… a lot. He owns the place. Working for him, working with him… I try to keep my distance when I can.”

“But why put yourself through any of it?”

“Because of Levi and Cole. We all take care of each other. Levi and Cole are brothers, and even though I’m their cousin, I’ve always been like a brother to them, too.”

“Huh.”

“Huh what?”

“Nothing. It’s just…” I stopped and started. “That’s very noble of you, Shane. It’s admirable.”

He shrugged. “They do the same for me.”

“Doesn’t make it any less admirable.” I smirked. “Just take the compliment? Please?”

“Compliment taken,” Shane said, turning his attention back to the horses. I kept my eyes on him as he did, feeling something strange bubbling up through my chest. We were basically complete strangers as far as I knew, and yet, there was something about Shane. Maybe some kind of tension, maybe some kind of warmth, maybe some kind of tenderness. I was just so comfortable around him, all the time, from the first moment I’d woken up on the ranch.

Or maybe I was just like the rest of the horses in this stable, comforted by Shane’s presence because he wascomforting. He’d clearly gone out of his way to check on me after my accident, keeping watch until I opened my eyes. For someone like Shane, making sure people were taken care of seemed to be second nature.

Which meant that I was probably reading into something that wasn’t there.

3

SHANE

“Steak and potatoes for breakfast.My favorite.” Calder playfully winked at me. “Seriously. Thanks for this, Shane.”

I was doing my usual daily routine, dropping off a hot meal, along with some supplies and firewood for Calder’s cabin. As he seemed to be recovering just fine, I tried to keep my distance from him as best I could. My system was efficient, not leaving much time for catching up or small talk. I wasn’t interested in getting to know Calder any better than I had before, images of us exchanging polite greetings still stuck in my head.

But lately, the way he’d look at me sometimes…

No.

I knew there wasn’t anything to it. If anything, Calder seemed like he was just a natural flirt, training his attention on anyone who happened to be around. Which meant that I needed to treat him accordingly, as an overly flirty person who just happened to be staying on the ranch for the time being.

Besides, I knew he had someone waiting for him. That woman in the picture.

And as soon as he could remember her name, he’d be on his way home to her.

“Can I shadow you again today?”

“Oh. Uh…” I paused for a moment, thinking through my response. “I don’t know if we should. Last time was fine but today I’m?—”

“Come on, Shane,” he pressed. “I understand I can’t be out there every day, but don’t I still have the right to go outside?”

“Of course, you can go outside?—”

“What are you up to today?” He cut me off, as he moved closer to me. “Whatever it is, I want to help. You don’t want my help?”

“It’s not that I don’t want your help, Calder,” I replied. “What I want is for you to get well. And I don’t want to do anything to hinder that?—”

“If I start feeling like I can’t handle it, I’ll let you know, ASAP. I promise.”

“Calder—”

“Please, Shane? Please.”

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