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Marc smiled widely at Eloise. “Better now that you’re here, love.”
Shane bristled. How could she not see that Marc was manipulating her? This wasn’t boding well at all. He needed to do better—try harder—get her alone somehow.
As much as he hated to admit it, he needed to get into a different mindset. He needed to think more like Marc.
Worse.
He needed to think more like Madeline.
Shane’s gaze swept over Eloise and his stomach churned. Not only would he be manipulating her, but he’d also be hurting the sister of a woman he had very much cared for. Brielle would rip out his throat if she knew what he was thinking of doing.
For Pete’s sake! Why did Eloise have to be the one to pick up his cousins from the side of the road? Couldn’t the universe throw him a bone?
Eloise scooted back onto the bench. She gave Shane a strange look, and he could just see the cogs in her mind whirring. She probably didn’t even want him there.
Shane glanced at Marc, finding an obnoxious sneer on his face. Boy, how he hated his cousins more in this moment than he could ever recall in the past. Shane shot out of his seat, leaning over the table, his palms pressed flat on the surface. “I will see you at work tonight, Eloise.”
She blinked, then nodded. “I suppose you will.”
He stormed out of the restaurant, clenching and relaxing his hands. He needed a better plan. He needed a devious one. Tristan wouldn’t be any help. He couldn’t think of anyone who had that kind of background that would help him take Marc down.
Shouldering through the door, he nearly collided with someone. When he got a better look at the man, recognition flitted through him. “Wade? I’m sorry.”
The rugged cowboy sized him up with mild distaste. “Mr. Owens.” His gaze drifted toward the restaurant and then back to Shane.
They stood frozen on the sidewalk, and Shane couldn’t help but feel like the cowboy was sizing him up for some reason. It wasn’t a secret that Wade Keagan was as hardheaded as they came. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about the money that Shane had donated to his farm, but he should respect it.
Wade shoved his hands in his back pockets. “Well, then. Have a good day,” he muttered. Wade moved to shoulder past him when an idea popped into Shane’s mind.
Spinning around, Shane blurted, “Don’t you have a criminal record?”
Wade froze. From behind, it wasn’t hard to see every single muscle in his body tense. “Excuseme?”
Shane shrank back. That was probably the wrong way to start a friendship. “It’s just that I have a need for that sort of background.”
Wade turned to face him, his stone-like expression sending a chill through Shane’s body. “You probably don’t want to continue speaking if you know what’s good for you.”
Clearing his throat, Shane ventured closer to Wade. “In that restaurant, there’s a guy who is on a date with a Callahan.”
The cowboy’s brows lifted marginally.
Shane attempted to clear his throat again, but the lump that had lodged there wasn’t budging. “Eloise Callahan is in there with someone she shouldn’t be. I don’t want to alert anyone to his… past… but I need a way to get her away from him.”
Wade snorted. “And you want me to do what? Kidnap her?”
Holding up both hands, Shane shook his head. “No. Of course not. But maybe you could pick a fight with him. Rough him up a bit.”
Wade dragged a hand through the air. “You sound insane, you know that, right? I’ve got two weeks of probation left, and you want me to jeopardize it for someone I don’t even know?”
“You’re interested in Brielle.”
The man’s expression hardened again. “Where did you hear that?”
“Didn’t have to hear it. She’s been working out at your ranch. It’s hard not to like someone who you spend so much time with, right?” Shane was making things up as he went. There was no guarantee that Wade had any such feelings. But based on the way the man was reacting, Shane had a pretty good idea. It could be as simple as a fondness, or it could have bled into a crush. Either way, he might take pity and actually do something about Marc. “Besides, I could make it worth your while.”
Wade closed the distance between them, causing Shane to take a stumbled step backward. “I want to make it perfectly clear that Brielle is nothing more than a volunteer who has barely stepped foot on my property since you gave us that money. She’snothingto me. And I could care less about what happens to her or her sisters.”
“Couldn’t.”
