“I...” He let out a slow breath. “You're really okay with me dating your sister?”
Shane grinned. “Only because I didn't grow up with her.” He took another sip of his beer. “If I'd spent my childhood beating up every horny jackass who looked at my kid sister, I probably wouldn't let you within a mile of her. Not with your reputation for being allergic to relationships.”
A reluctant chuckle escaped Seth. “Fair point.”
“Damn right.”
The humor faded, leaving only quiet understanding between them. Shane rested both forearms across the back of the chair again and held Seth's gaze. “Don't burn bridges you may want to walk across again someday.”
He sat in silence, the unsolicited advice swirling through his mind.
Shane took another sip of his beer before pushing to his feet. “So... what are you going to do?”
Chapter 36
Daisy settled into a gentle trot beneath her, and Shylo couldn't help smiling as she posted in rhythm with the mare's movement. The first time she'd ridden the mare, Seth had kept Daisy on a lead from Maple’s saddle, talking her through the basics one careful step at a time. Now, she guided the horse around the corral on her own without feeling as though every stride might send her tumbling into the dirt.
Her body had finally stopped protesting after every lesson, having grown accustomed to using muscles she'd never known she had. The canter still intimidated her—Shane had suggested trying it more than once—but she wasn't ready for that leap yet. One victory at a time.
Across the corral, Shane watched with his arms resting on the top rail of the fence. “Looking better,” he called. “You're not fighting her nearly as much.”
“I'm trying not to.”
“It shows.”
His praise warmed her. Not because she'd managed a decent trot, but because it came from him. Over a month ago, she'd been a stranger who'd driven into Hazard Falls wanting answers about a father she'd never known. Now, she spent nearly every day learning something new about the Triple-R, whether it was balancing a ranch ledger, understanding breeding records, or sitting a horse properly. Shane wasn't making her feel like an employee he'd reluctantly taken on out of guilt. He'd made it clear he wanted her beside him, helping run the ranch one day—if that was the future she wanted for herself.
There were still parts of ranch life she'd probably never do. She couldn't picture herself riding out with the men to gather cattle or working a branding pen, and honestly, she wasn't sure anyone wanted to see that. But she enjoyed watching them work in the pastures. There was something mesmerizing about how the cowboys, horses, and herding dogs moved as though they all shared the same thoughts.
She belonged here.
That realization no longer felt impossible.
It felt... right.
The only part of her new life that refused to find its place was Seth.
Every glance in his direction reminded her of what she'd lost.
She caught herself looking for him far more often than she should have, only to watch him disappear into the barn, head in another direction, or get into his truck to run an errand before she'd gotten close. He was never rude. Never angry. Just... absent. Deliberately so.
She couldn't blame him.
If their positions had been reversed, she wasn't sure she'd have handled it any better. She'd lied to him from the day they'd met, even if she'd convinced herself it had been for the right reasons. No matter how genuine her feelings had become, she'd kept the truth from him far too long.
Accepting that hurt, but not nearly as much as realizing she'd probably sacrificed their friendship too. Maybe, given enough time, they could find their way back to that. She wasn't sure how she'd handle watching him fall in love with someone else someday, but she'd deal with it when the time came. If friendship were all he could offer, she'd take it. Having Seth in her life in any capacity would be better than not having him in it at all.
Shane had certainly done everything he could to convince her she already had a place on the Triple-R. He'd insisted she stay in the main house as long as she wanted, reminding her there was no rush to decide anything. He'd shown her the small cottage where he’d lived after turning twenty-one—a little house tucked away on the property that Tucker's parents now used whenever they visited from Arizona. They'd be arriving in another week, but until then, it stood empty. Then, Shane surprised her by offering to build her a house of her own on the ranch.
The offer had left her speechless.
Someday, maybe. But not yet. She liked being near everyone and getting to know her new family, especially Ari and Ashley. And Paige was fast becoming the sister Shylo had never had.
“Looking good.”
Shane's voice pulled her from her thoughts as Daisy completed another circuit of the corral. Shylo glanced toward the gate and noticed Seth walking across the yard, Maple following quietly on a loose lead. Her heartbeat stumbled before settling into an altogether different rhythm.
He hadn't shaved in a few days, and she found she liked the scruff on him. As handsome as ever, he looked every bit the rugged cowboy she'd fallen in love with. She couldn't help letting her gaze wander over him, taking in the broad shoulders beneath his T-shirt, the faded jeans molded to long legs, and the worn boots she'd watched cross the ranch more times than she could count.
