“It’s decaf,” he remarked, sliding a plate toward her and then turning back to the stove to fill one for himself. “I figured you’d grab a couple hours before heading out again.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled around a mouthful of French toast. “And thanks for breakfast. You didn’t have to.”
His broad shoulders lifted in a lazy shrug. “I slept a few hours and thought you’d be hungry. How’s the new calf?”
“On my last circuit he was enjoying his first meal.”
“Great to hear.” Shane slid into the seat beside her and set his plate down. His bare feet found the rungs of her chair, casually invading her space. “Thanks for letting me tag along last night.” He peered at her for a long moment before picking up his fork and turning his attention to breakfast.
“Sure.”
As they ate in companionable silence, Brandee found her concern growing by the minute. The night’s shared experience and his thoughtfulness in having breakfast ready for her were causing a shift in her impression of him. For years she’d thought of Shane as an egomaniac focused solely on making money. Tonight she’d seen his softer side, and the hint of vulnerability made him attractive to her in a different way.
A more dangerous way.
She had to stay focused on her objective and not give in to the emotions tugging at her. Letting him capture her heart was a mistake. One that meant she would lose everything. Her home. Her livelihood. And worst of all, her self-respect. Because falling for a man who wouldn’t return her love was really stupid and she’d been many things, but never that.
Seven
It was almost six o’clock in the evening when Shane returned from checking on the building site at Brandee’s teen camp. As he entered the house through the back door, the most delicious scents stopped him dead in his tracks. He breathed in the rich scent of beef and red wine as he stripped off his coat and muddy boots. In stockinged feet, he entered the kitchen, where Brandee’s housekeeper stood at the stove, stirring something in a saucepan.
“What smells so amazing?”
“Dinner,” May responded with a cheeky grin and a twinkle in her bright blue eyes.
The fiftysomething woman had rosy cheeks even when she wasn’t standing over the stove. She fussed over Brandee like a fond aunt rather than a housekeeper and treated Shane as if he was the best thing that had ever happened to her employer.
“What are we having?”
“Beef Wellington with red potatoes and asparagus.”
Shane’s mouth began to water. “What’s the occasion?”
“Valentine’s Day.” May pointed toward the dining table, where china and silverware had been laid. There were white tapers in crystal holders and faceted goblets awaiting wine. “You forgot?”
Eyeing the romantic scene, Shane’s heart thumped erratically. What special hell was he in for tonight?
“I’ve been a little preoccupied,” he muttered.
Between helping out at Hope Springs, keeping an eye on the construction at The Bellamy and popping in at Bullseye to make sure all was running smoothly, he hadn’t had five minutes to spare. Now he was kicking himself for missing this opportunity to capitalize on the most romantic day of the year to sweep Brandee off her feet.
Obviously she hadn’t made the same mistake.
May shook her head as if Shane had just proven what was wrong with the entire male sex. “Well, it’s too late to do anything about it now. Dinner’s in half an hour.” She arched her eyebrows at his mud-splattered jeans.
Catching her meaning, Shane headed for his shower. Fifteen minutes later, he’d washed off the day’s exertions and dressed in clean clothes. He emerged from his bedroom, tugging up the sleeves of his gray sweater. Black jeans and a pair of flip-flops completed his casual look.
Brandee was peering into her wine fridge as he approached. She turned at his greeting and smiled in genuine pleasure. “How was your day?”
“Good. Productive.” It was a casual exchange, lacking the push and pull of sexual attraction that typified their usual interaction. Time to step up his game. “Did May head home?”
“Yes. She and Tim were going out for a romantic dinner.”
“Because it’s Valentine’s Day. I forgot all about it.”
“So did I.” Brandee selected a bottle and set it on the counter. With her long golden hair cascading over the shoulders of her filmy top, she looked like a cross between a sexy angel and the girl next door. White cotton shorts edged in peekaboo lace rode low on her hips and bared her sensational, well-toned thighs. “Can you open this while I fetch the glasses? The corkscrew is in the drawer to your right.”
“I guess neither one of us buys into all the romantic mumbo jumbo,” he muttered.