Page 15 of Never Stay Gone
“Shell—”
“We’ve been engaged for six months now, but you don’t act like we’re getting married.” Shelly wrapped her hand around the margarita in front of her and took a gulp. “It’s like you don’t really want to get married.”
“Where did you get that drink?” Shane groaned. Alejandro wouldn’t have given her another one.
“I didn’t want mine,” Misty said.
“Can’t you see she’s had enough?”
“I can handle myself, Shane!” Shelly snapped.
“Shelly, you’re drunk—”
“I wonder why,” she hissed. Her eyes went hard, and she pushed the half-full margarita away before leaping to her feet. She swayed but stood her ground, glaring at Shane. “Why do you think I’m in here drinking all the time? Why do you think I’m pissed off more nights than not? You’re a deputy sheriff, aren’t you? Can’t you figure this case out?” She grabbed her purse and headed for the saloon doors.
Danielle arched a delicate eyebrow at Shane, then pointedly looked toward Shelly.
Shame crawled up Shane’s spine as he limped after her. Damn it, a whole heap of people had seen that, heard that. Shelly shoved through the crowd and disappeared out of Manuel’s before he could catch up with her. “Shelly!”
She stood at the bottom of the porch, leaning against the horse ties as she lit a cigarette. Her cheeks hollowed as she glared up at him. There were more people outside now, groups of men and women drinking beers and smoking around the rocking chairs and leaning against the railing. Nearly everyone stopped talking and stared, their eyeballs crawling between Shane and Shelly. The song inside ended, a round of applause rising and falling.
“You asked me to marry you!” Shelly snapped. “Do you remember that? Do you remember saying you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me? Something changed after you asked. I’mtrying,” she said, holding her hand to her chest. “But you keep pulling away from me. What happened to us, Shane? I feel like I’m the only one trying to findusagain.”
Silence, save for the crickets sawing away in the trees. A rocking chair creaked.
Shelly’s eyes teared up, and she shook her head, lips twisting.
He limped down the steps and held out his arms. “Shell, please. Can we talk later?”
“Later. It’s always later. Always something else that’s more important than us. Later, later, later.” She sucked the last half of her cigarette down, then flicked it onto Main. Blew an ugly, thin cloud of smoke in his face. “You’re killing me with all these laters. You’re going to later me into a goddamn grave.”
“Shell—”
“Know what I’m really sick of you latering?” She shoved a finger in the center of his chest. “Why don’t you ever make love to me? I’ve got freaking cobwebs building, it’s been so many damn laters!”
There was a snort from the porch behind him. Shane’s neck burned all the way down his collar and up to the tips of his ears.
“I want to feel like the man who asked me to spend the rest of my life with him actually wants me around.” Shelly backed into Main Street. She threw her arms wide and glared at Shane. “I want the man I love back!” Her arms dropped. She kept walking, right in the road. “Jesus Christ,” she cursed.
“Shelly—” He tried to jog after her, but his knee gave out again and he slumped sideways against an old Marquis parked haphazardly in front of the bar.
“You know what, it’s my turn to say later,” Shelly called back to him as she walked away. “I’ll seeyoulater, Shane. I need to be on my own tonight.”
Danielle and Misty both lived in that direction, Misty in one of the lofts over Main Street and Danielle with her husband at a farmhouse just outside town on a meandering back road. Shelly had a couple more friends, too, who lived at the trailer compound down the highway for the married oil workers who worked one of the nearby fields. She could call one of them, and they could pick her up in a few minutes, especially if she waited down at the corner, where the old streetlamp was.
He sighed, watching Shelly walk away from him. It wasn’t the first time someone had walked away from him. Wasn’t even the first time that day. His memories flashed, sunlight replacing midnight, and he saw Dakota’s teenage legs striding down Main, walking away from Shane as fast as he could.
“Shelly!” Danielle shouted from behind Shane. “Wait up, girl!”
Shelly stopped beneath the streetlamp, smoking another cigarette, as Danielle and Misty chased after her. Misty hurried, while Danielle took the time to turn to Shane and say, “Better hurry, cowboy. She’s not going to put up with your bullshit for much longer.” Then she followed Misty and Shelly, her steps slower, measured, like she had all the time in the world and not a worry to trouble her mind.
Shane watched as the three women linked arms and kept walking, heading for Misty’s car parked outside Jo’s Diner. They climbed in and drove away, turning and heading out toward the highway and Danielle’s ranch. Shelly would probably be out all night.
Shane kept his head down as he headed back into Manuel’s. He needed to check in with Alejandro, see if Shelly had left a tab open.
No one said a word to him as he passed through the porch and pushed open the saloon doors.
The first thing he saw when he walked in was Dakota, nuzzling with Betty at the bar, his forehead to hers. She had one hand on his upper thigh, fingernails digging into the denim, and he didn’t look like he was discouraging her at all. In fact, he was wearing the smile that Shane had thought belonged tohim, the one that onlyheever saw.
