River's Return (River's End Series, #3) (20 page)

Chapter Thirteen

AFTER SCHOOL, ALLISON WENT to the ranch. She steered her car over the dirty road and parked at the front of the house. Jack was just walking towards the barn with their foreman, AJ. He raised a hand in greeting. She did the same with a grin before her entire neck, face and ears bloomed into a deep blush. Jack merely grinned wider and winked. She let out her breath. He knew, of course, what she’d been doing with Shane on their property, and seemed to be letting her off the hook. Relieved the confrontation was over and that Jack seemed completely amiable, she grabbed her stuff and approached the front steps. Erin opened the door as she was coming up the stairs.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Erin smiled a shy, almost unsure greeting.

She wondered how long before Erin quit reacting to her as if she were there to tie her up and rob her. They entered and Allison found a bunch of boxes in the living room.

Erin waved at them. “Our house is done. We’ll be starting to move in this weekend.”

She gazed at Erin. “Is that a good thing?”

“It’s a very good thing. The boys and we have the first house off to the left; if you went down the south road towards the river. Ian’s building a house, but it won’t be done until this summer. The new cabins will open up for guests the first weekend in May. We’re terrified. But also very excited.”

Erin shrugged and a sweet, unsure, yet pride-filled smile blossomed over her face. “I’m supposed to offer horse rides. It… intimidates me. But I’m just happy to do
something
to help around here, besides the horse care.”

“I’ve seen your unparalleled competency with the horses. They picked you well. And I swear to you, someday you’ll manage all the appointments and guest scheduling, if you want to.”

She shook her head. “I don’t see that happening.”

“Oh, I do.” Allison smiled with complete confidence.

Erin glared at her, but Allison merely kept smiling until finally Erin smiled back. “I’ve never, not once, had anyone say such a thing to me.”

“Give me enough time, and I won’t be the only one.”

Tears shimmered in Erin’s eyes almost instantly. “I can’t imagine such a day,” she said and her tone was soft and sad.

“That’s why I’m here to make sure it happens. So… Monday, I go down to the new house?”

“Yes.”

“Will you miss living here?”

“Yes. But no. We need to be our own family, you know? And there is a lot of coming and going here. The guys have gotten much more respectful now that I live here, but still, it’s just a matter of time. It’s hardest on Jack, he’s never
not
lived here.”

“Wow. That’s hard to imagine. But stick with me, and you’ll be able to do a lot more of the jobs associated with the new resort. Honestly, Erin? By the time you and I are done, you’ll be able to do anything in the world you want to.” That was why Allison wanted to continue doing it. She was affecting real change in a woman’s life. A woman who deserved the chance to do anything she wanted.

“Allison?” Erin said after a long moment.

“Yes?”

“If I ever forget to tell you, you have already changed and altered my life and my view of myself. I will never be able to thank you enough.”

“Thank me by never giving up on yourself. I won’t if you won’t.”

“I won’t.” Erin’s tone was
fierce.
Allison believed her more than she ever believed anyone. She sat down and so did Allison, ready to begin work on lesson two of level two.

They were just finishing up when the front door burst open. Shane stepped through and stopped dead when his gaze collided with Allison’s. She was leaning across the table when he came in. A furious blush filled her cheeks. She was aware Erin glanced at Shane and then at her.

“Teacher. Erin,” Shane said as he nodded at both of them. His tone was oddly formal, coming from a guy covered in rips and grease. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“We’re about done.”

“Would you mind coming down to my shop before you go?”

She nodded when a weird lump in her throat prevented her from speaking. How could she suddenly feel so nervous with this man? He nodded back and spun on his foot as he quietly left.

Erin was staring at her. “When did that happen?”

Blushing even more, Allison pretended to be tidying up their supplies when she shrugged. “What?”

“That! The chemistry. The looks were enough to ignite a fire between you two. How did I miss that? Shane and you?”

She stared down at her feet. “It just happened. I hope it doesn’t affect anything with this… the tutoring.”

“No. Of course not.” She reached across the table and touched Allison’s hand. “He’s a really great guy. He gets labeled. I think he likes being labeled because he so obviously tries to play on them. But they are not him. It took me awhile to get a handle on what kind of guy Shane was. So flirty and charming. Yet nothing real about himself is ever given away by him. But he was the one trying to find me some help. So, no, of course, I get it.”

She pressed her lips together, unsure of what to say next. It had been so long since she dated anyone or worried about anyone finding out she was having sex. And never was it a concern since she started teaching. She was already married to Patrick; and then afterwards, there wasn’t any kind of sex at all. So no issues with worrying what parents or anyone else thought. That normally didn’t concern her, but with this small, tiny town, and Shane’s very prominent look and obvious personality… it could easily lead to some awkward, compromising situations.

“I’m sure we’re just…” What? Passing the time? Having sex? What could she say to describe it? And if it were just that, then why did it already feel so different, so fast?

“Why don’t you find out?” Erin asked gently as she tugged her lip into her mouth in an unmasked attempt not to laugh.

Allison finally grinned. “I’m not very good at this.”

“Neither was I. My experience? The Rydell men figure it out real fast. Once they decide exactly what they want, watch out. I mean it, Allison. If he wants you, good luck resisting him. Look at me. Look at Kailynn. Next? I have a feeling it’s you.” Her grin was huge. They shared a smile and Allison was left feeling like she had just gossiped with a girlfriend. Something she hadn’t done in half a dozen years, and since she had none here… it was really kind of fun. Especially since five minutes ago, they were diligently working as tutor/student.

She gingerly picked her way over the farm road in her low, dark heels. Not the best outfit for a freaking ranch, she decided as she finally stepped onto the flat concrete of Shane’s shop floor. “Shane?” she called as she peeked into the gloomy darkness.

She shrieked when he came from behind and wrapped her in his arms before burying his mouth right at her neck in a kiss. “Hey,” he finally mumbled. “How’d tutoring go?”

“Before or after I shocked my student?”

“’Cause of me?”

She giggled. When did she ever giggle? But he kept nuzzling her neck and she responded by arching into it because the attention felt really, really good. “Of course, because of you. I guess she picked up on our insatiable sexual chemistry.”

He pulled her back against him and rested his chin on her head. “Strangely enough, teacher, I think we definitely have that.”

“I’ve
never
had any obvious sexual chemistry in my entire life. Look at me. Red hair. Freckles. Skin that burns from even glancing at the sun? Yeah, no sexual anything there.”

“I like hearing you giggle.
That’s
sexy.”

“I don’t giggle.” Her tone was emphatic with her disdain.

“You do. You giggle. And you do too have obvious sexual chemistry. With me.”

She leaned into him and his hands, which were resting around her waist. It was a nice way to end the day. In his arms, listening to his deep voice surrounding her. She reached up and her hand dug into his long ponytail. It was very surreal to her: she was intrigued by a man who embodied all the styles she once considered off-putting. But combined together, as they all were on Shane? For some reason, that just seemed kind of right.

She turned in his embrace so they were staring at each other. “Patrick came to say goodbye to me. He told me he already met with you. Did you really go over there and apologize to him?”

He nodded. “Of course. After what you told me? How could I not?”

“Because you won’t ever see him again?”

“I think there’s a good chance I will,” Shane said softly as his finger came up and twisted an errant strand of her hair around it. 

She held his gaze, and her eyes grew weary. “You don’t date.”

“I think… I think that I date you.”

“I don’t date. Not after what happened. I’m just not interested.”

He smiled gently. “Then why are you here right now in my arms, Allison?”

She had no answer. “This isn’t what I planned on.”

“And you think I did? I intended to be gone. Not to get obsessed with my nephew’s
teacher.
I get it, Allison. I really do. We are not an ideal match. Neither of us was even looking for anyone. Neither of us can even believe we’re meant to be together. But… I can’t think about anything else
but
you.”

The words were soft coming from his mouth. Such a big man who spoke with such kind tenderness wasn’t expected. Then again, nothing about him was expected. “I don’t know how I feel.”

He shrugged his shoulders under her hands. He was so massive. And his embrace was so gentle and… strangely sweet.  Looking at him, you’d probably think he’d prefer to crush two beer cans against her head than be sweet. But sweet he was.

“Celia warned me about you this morning. Talk about awkward…”

His arms tightened around her. “What did she say?”

“Something about you
fuck and leave
. She’s not really lying, is she?”

“No,” he said softly, wincing. “With her; but I don’t feel the same way with you.”

She closed her eyes. “I don’t know if I should believe you. I don’t know if I even want to. Maybe I don’t want anything. Maybe I do. But then…”

“Allison? Do you want to get some dinner?” he interrupted her.

“Like go on a date?”

“Isn’t that what we were just agreed on? We’re dating. So shouldn’t we do that? Date?”

“Uh. Well… okay?”

He grinned. “You don’t sound so sure. You might give me a big head.”

She dropped her face with smile of chagrin. “I’m just so confused and unsure and then… scared. I’m scared of feeling anything again. I haven’t in so long. You don’t understand…”

“No. I don’t. But I want to. And I’m scared of my feelings too.”

She jerked her gaze to his and his smile looked small and kind of weary. She never expected him to be so candidly open and honest, or confess that he was just as scared as she was.

“Dinner? Yes, I’m hungry.”

He grinned and asked, “Do you mind waiting at the house while I shower and change?”

“No. I don’t mind,” she said as he let her go. He started putting some tools away before shutting all the doors of the large shop. Allison did mind though, and she felt really weird. It was almost an out-of-body experience for her to be doing this.

She followed him up to the house, and he noticed how she struggled to walk through the packed dirt in her heels. He laughed as he took her arm to give her better stability.  They entered the house together where Jack, Erin, and Charlie were all bustling around getting dinner ready. All talking instantly stopped when Shane and Allison entered. They quickly tried to cover their surprise by inviting her in like a guest when only a half hour ago, she was there, but in a teaching capacity. Charlie kept giving her odd looks and questioning why she came back. He knew she tutored Erin already. Why was she still around? Shane left to take the stairs two at a time. She saw now what Erin meant. It was a strange setup to any onlooker, and for anyone who didn’t have their relationship totally defined.

“So is the extra work Charlie’s been doing paying off?” Jack asked as she stood leaning against the kitchen counter and drinking periodically from the glass of water they offered her. Erin was busy stirring gravy on the stovetop.

“Yes. I’ve seen a huge improvement. I think he just needed a little more one-on-one interaction to understand it. I wish all my students’ parents were as diligent as you are, Jack.”  And there she was, back to being Mrs. Gray again. She sighed. How could she shake that dynamic when she was here now, as what? Shane’s date? Too weird. But thankfully, Jack didn’t ask or comment on her odd presence. Especially after catching them in the shop yesterday… Well, she refused to indulge any further thoughts on that subject. It was far too embarrassing.

Hearing a scuff on the top stair, Shane suddenly appeared and she stood up straighter. His hair was still wet and slicked back off his face. He shaved the thick, black facial hair clean, but for the long sideburns. He was wearing clean black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Her heart swelled with joy and her throat went dry. She was so attracted to him. Aggressively so. He took her breath away. She once thought, and truly believed, her baby’s death inside her caused her entire body to morph into menopause. She was sure all her sexual feelings, urges, and former emotions had withered and died, like her baby girl. But these last few days made her very aware that she still possessed those wonderful feelings. Never mind the weird way her stomach dropped just from hearing Shane walk down the stairs, or when his gaze latched on to hers. Yes, that quickly, she was breathless and hopelessly tongue-tied in his presence.