A Cowboy's Woman by CATHY GILLEN THACKER Read Free Book Online Page A

they were in for a pound. Like it or not, it was simply too late to back out now, she thought, as she passed the drilling platform the Wyatt Oil company had erected. Greta sighed as Shane bypassed several large fields, filled with yellow grass and wildflowers, and a large grove of scrub oak and cedar, before turning his pickup into the lane leading to his brother’s Golden Slipper Ranch. Greta frowned contemplatively. “It would seem we have a lot.of work to do.”
    Shane nodded his agreement as he circled around the barn and parked beside her car. “We better get started.”
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    â€œSHANE MCCABE, what are you doing back so soon?” Lilah asked several hours later when she caught him standing in front of the cabinet that held their collection of videotapes. “And where’s Greta?”
    Shane bit back an oath of frustration. He’d assumed his mother would be at the hospital now, where she was busy turning over the reins to Meg Lockhart, the Laramie Community Hospital’s newest nursing supervisor.
    Or, at the very least, planning the repeat of her wedding vows to his dad or their retirement or second honeymoon. Something! Instead she was here at the ranch, catching him red-handed. Masking his discomfort, he continued studying the vast collection of tapes in front of him, most of which were not clearly marked.
    â€œShe’s working,” he said finally.
    â€œToday?” Lilah McCabe pulled on her favorite white cardigan over her blue nurse’s uniform and made no effort to hide her surprise. “When you just got married last night?”

    Shane deliberately kept his gaze from his mother’s gentle countenance. He shrugged. “Her Lone Star Dinner and Dance Hall opens on Saturday night. She has a lot to do to get ready for it.”
    A beat of silence followed. “Then, shouldn’t you be there helping her?” Lilah persisted as she paused to put on her name tag and badge.
    Shane knew a golden opportunity to prove himself unworthy of his new bride when he saw it. And since that was the plan, he did his best to look dumfounded. “It never occurred to me.”
    Lilah’s brows knit together in a disapproving frown. Shane felt a lecture about how to treat a lady coming on. He circumvented it with a change of subject. “Greta wanted to see the videotape of her and Beauregard Chamberlain.”
    Lilah gave him a look that let Shane know he hadn’t fooled his mother for one single second. About that or anything else. “Greta wants to see it or you do?” Lilah asked dryly.
    When he was up to something, his mom had always been able to read him like a book.
    Right now Shane did not want his thoughts—or feelings—read. “We both would,” he said simply, figuring it didn’t do any good to deny his curiosity. Lilah would see right through it, anyway. “She was gonna tell me all about him—them—whatever.” At least she would when he asked.
    â€œHmm.” Lilah plucked the requested tape off the shelf and handed it over to him.
    â€œDon’t let me keep you,” Shane said politely, hoping to hurry his mother along.
    â€œI don’t have to be anywhere just yet,” Lilah replied, just as smoothly.

    Knowing he didn’t have all day, as he had other things to do, too, and that if he wanted to watch the tape he’d have to watch it here since Wade did not have a VCR at his place, Shane switched on the VCR and popped the tape in.
    â€œShould I make some popcorn?” Lilah asked sarcastically.
    Shane wasted no time calling his mother’s bluff. “Actually, Ma, that’d be great,” Shane quipped as his lips formed his most devil-may-care smile. “Some lemonade, too, if you wouldn’t mind.” Seeing as how he and Greta hadn’t stopped to eat breakfast, he was a little hungry in any case.
    Lilah rolled her eyes. “I’ll fix you a sandwich,” she said in