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Tristan hesitated. “She’s my wife, Shane. I can’t just—”
“It’s not forever. Just until I figure out a way to get them out of this town. The fewer who know about them, the better we’ll be.”
“You mean the betteryou’llbe,” Tristan corrected. “Look, Shane, if people are going to be at risk with them here—”
“They willalwaysbe at risk. You know how manipulative Madeline can be. Even when we know what they’re capable of, they still manage to come out on top.” Shane put his head into his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know how, but I know I have to stop them from coming after me—and everyone here.”
“How long?”
He peeked at his friend. “How long what?”
“How long do I need to keep this from my wife? Because I’m not going to give you a free pass indefinitely.”
Hope flared within Shane. “Not long. Give me a few weeks. Two months at the most.”
Tristan frowned. “That’s a long time to keep a secret.”
“I know. And I wouldn’t be asking you if I didn’t think it was important.”
His friend seemed to contemplate what Shane had said for a moment before he gave him a sharp nod. “Fine. What do you know? Maybe I can help come up with a plan.”
“That’s what I was hoping.” Shane tore his gaze away from Tristan. He couldn’t bring himself to look his friend in the eye when he knew what this information would mean. “Right now, they’ve put an offer on a ranch.”
Tristan let out a curse. “So they’re planning on staying.”
“Yeah. And Madeline is pushing Marc to court Eloise.”
Tristan shot up from his seat. “Shane, you know I can’t—”
Shane rose too, his hands held out as he tried to keep his friend calm. “I know, I know. They managed to find out about Zeke’s wealth somehow. I think they might be trying to get close to her so she’ll become some kind of way to get them more money. Madeline wouldn’t tell me what she’s doing, but that’s about as close as I can figure.” He could see the crimson color of Tristan’s face even in the dim lighting. “I’m not going to let anything happen to Eloise. I just need to figure out a way to keep them apart.”
Tristan paced in front of his door. “How could you ask me to promise not to tell Dianna? You know that she trumps our friendship, right? I need to tell her—”
“One month,” Shane pleaded. “Dianna, Grace, and Eloise all work for me. Sean, too. They’re good people—”
“Exactly. That’s why you need to warn them.”
“I thought for sure you would be the person who would understand. If we tell them, they get on Madeline’s radar. You barely got out from her clutches unscathed. Think about what could happen.”
Tristan worked his jaw, glowering at Shane. He had every right to be furious with him. Shane only prayed he’d be willing to go along with their original agreement.
“Just help me keep them apart—without alerting anyone—until I can convince Madeline to leave.”
“I can’t believe I’m going along with this,” Tristan muttered. “You owe me.”
“I know.”
Tristan let out another sigh. “You know there is only one way to keep two people separate without telling anyone what is really going on, right?”
Shane frowned. “What’s that?”
“You have to get closer to her than Marc can.”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to manipulate her.”
“What other option do you have? You know what’s at stake here—what they’re capable of doing.”
“I’m not going to pretend—”
