Page 1 of Catching a Cowgirl

1

Shane

This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Why was it that when one thing went wrong, everything else followed like a couple of baby ducks after their mother? Shane raked a hand through his mussed hair as he stood in the hallway in front of his closed office door. On the other side of that fancy mahogany barrier, his two least favorite cousins were probably scheming at this very moment.

His hands curled into tight fists at his sides. He didn’t know how they had managed to track him down. Marc and Madeline weren’t the brightest members of his family. Shane’s jaw was so tight it ached. He couldn’t deal with their shenanigans tonight. His nerves were already frayed, and he was barely holding everything together.

It wasn’t just the restaurant opening without one of his chefs. It wasn’t the fact that his heart had been stomped on by a lovely woman only a few months ago. Nor was it the arrival of his cousins reminding him exactly why he’d decided to settle down in the middle of nowhere.

No. It was all of the above, and he didn’t have the patience to deal with any of it.

Maybe if he hid out in the kitchen, his cousins would get the hint and leave. They were part of the Owens family tree, after all. Their patience was bound to run out eventually.

He took a step backward, ready to make his escape, when he bumped into someone. A soft gasp burst behind him and he spun to find Eloise Callahan staring at him.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, her voice just above a whisper. “I was just about to head out when I realized my phone was missing.”

Shane glowered.

She stilled. “Is something wrong?”

“You didn’t by chance let one of my cousins borrow it, did you?”

Slowly, she nodded. “Madeline was hoping she could use it to look something up. I must have forgotten to get it back from her.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, “it must have slipped your mind.” He spun around and stalked toward the door. Madeline was up to her old ways already. Not even thirty minutes here, and she was stealing from the locals. He heard Eloise’s footsteps and he stopped suddenly, only to feel her collide with him.

She gasped again. “I’m so sorry.”

“Stay here.”

“Pardon?”

Shane faced her, taking care to keep his voice level so he didn’t startle her or make her feel like she was the one in trouble. She didn’t deserve to be roped into any of this. In fact, if he could get her to leave and not come back until he had safely forced his family to vacate the state, he’d prefer that above all else. “I’m going to have a word with my cousins—in private. If you wouldn’t mind waiting out here while I do that, I’ll return your phone to you.”

She thumbed over her shoulder. “Would you mind if I go visit my sister?”

“That would be fine.” Actually, it would be perfect. If she could stay away from his office, he’d be able to have the conversation he needed in order to get them to leave.

Eloise offered him a small, shy smile, and for a moment he was taken aback. She was definitely related to her older sister. Some of the Callahans resembled their father, but Brielle and Eloise must have resembled their mother more.

He had to give his head a sharp shake to clear it before getting back on track. “I’ll come find you.”

She nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”

Shane watched her go until she turned the corner and was out of sight. He let out an irritated sigh and faced the office door again. Calm. He needed to stay calm. Marc and Madeline always fed off his fury. The ironic thing was that they used to be the only things that made him react that way.

Now, his attitude was far more volatile—which probably had something to do with a certain Miss Callahan.

He couldn’t think about how Brielle had hurt him. Right now, he needed a clear head so he could see through his cousins’ lies.

Shane pushed his way into the office to find Marc seated in his office chair with his crossed ankles resting on the desk. Madeline perched on the edge of his desk, studying her nails. They had been speaking quietly when he’d opened the door, but their conversation died off the moment they saw him.

And just like he’d expected, they smiled at him like the crocodiles they were.

These two were not to be trusted.

“Hey, cousin!” Madeline sang. She gestured around his office. “You’ve gotten all fancy—just like Gramps.”

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