(Calahan Cowboys 08) The Cowboy Soldier's Sons by Tina Leonard Page A
Authors: Tina Leonard
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celebration.
“So, is Cat right?”
“You just said she knows everything,” Shaman snapped.
“So you’re in love!” Jonas chuckled, his theory confirmed. “A movie star and a soldier. Could only write that in Hollywood.”
“Not really,” Shaman said. “I’m not in love.”
“You’re not?”
Why would he fall in love with a woman so far out of his league? It would be dumb. “No.”
“Oh.” Jonas sounded depressed about that. “That’s too bad. Sabrina already dragged out the magic wedding dress, in case Tempest wanted to borrow it. Of course, she’ll probably want something fabulous by some world-famous designer, but all the same, the ladies in our family are pretty fond of their magic wedding dress. It’s all a fairy tale, but it’s fun to hear them tell the yarn.”
Jonas grinned, but Shaman didn’t have a smile in him. He wanted Jonas to stop talking, and he wanted to sit alone with his wounded pride and aching head.
“So, who do you think hit you?” Jonas asked.
“Bobby Taylor,” Shaman said, too grumpy to filter.
He felt his boss’s stare. “Why do you think that?”
“Just a sneaking thought,” Shaman said.
“It doesn’t affect what I hired you to do,” Jonas said, “and Gage knows all about it. I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret. Besides, it’s no reason for anyone to try to open your cranium.” He shrugged. “When Gage was managing Dark Diablo, Bobby filed the suit. I got a little worried and pulled Gage off the project because I didn’t want to build in case the courts decided for the Taylor family. But my brother Sam—he’s a crack attorney—said damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead. He told me to get up every building I have my heart set on for Dark Diablo. And there’s a lot of building I intend to do. So you need to quit loafing,” he finished, his tone jovial.
“I’ll do that,” Shaman said, “as soon as your enemies quit trying to unhinge my head from my body.”
“Good man.” Jonas was quite cheerful, but it wasn’t his head wearing staples. “I’ll give you a few days to rest. And I don’t want to hear a word about you handing in your resignation. I fully expect that you can handle Bobby Taylor, even if you did let him sneak up on you. Weren’t you supposed to be some kind of sniper or something? I would expect more out of a decorated grunt, to be honest.”
Shaman sighed. “Appreciate the vote of confidence.”
“No problem,” Jonas said. “I hope it works out with the movie star.”
“She’s not a—” Tempest was a movie star, or she was about to be. He was a soldier, and the whole relationship was pretty uneven. Too bad he’d had to get his head whacked to figure it out.
Yet his head didn’t hurt nearly as bad as his heart, which was, Shaman thought, even dumber.
* * *
“I’ M HEADING TO Rancho Diablo to see our niece. I should leave Xav here to keep an eye on you,” Kendall said, inspecting the bandage wrapped around his head.
“No,” Shaman said. “I’m going to rest. I can’t rest when Xav’s around. He has the attention span of a flea.”
“He’s not quite like you remembered,” Kendall said. “But we’ll leave you here to sulk in peace if you promise to rest.”
“I will.” Shaman lay on the sofa, his head throbbing. “I’m already resting.”
He could hear his sister and brother whispering, conferring about what should be done with him. “Go,” he said, tense as all get-out. “I want peace and quiet and a shot of whiskey.”
“No whiskey,” Kendall said, bossy as always. “You have plenty of drugs the doc gave you.”
“Fine.” He’d just said it to rile her, give her a reason to worry. “Lights off, please. And get out, sibs.”
He heard Kendall and Xav walk out the front door. Shaman’s eyes closed, and he sighed with relief.
As soon as he felt better, he was going to have a chat with Mr. Taylor.
* * *
T HE PHONE RINGING in his pocket felt as if it were splitting his
“So, is Cat right?”
“You just said she knows everything,” Shaman snapped.
“So you’re in love!” Jonas chuckled, his theory confirmed. “A movie star and a soldier. Could only write that in Hollywood.”
“Not really,” Shaman said. “I’m not in love.”
“You’re not?”
Why would he fall in love with a woman so far out of his league? It would be dumb. “No.”
“Oh.” Jonas sounded depressed about that. “That’s too bad. Sabrina already dragged out the magic wedding dress, in case Tempest wanted to borrow it. Of course, she’ll probably want something fabulous by some world-famous designer, but all the same, the ladies in our family are pretty fond of their magic wedding dress. It’s all a fairy tale, but it’s fun to hear them tell the yarn.”
Jonas grinned, but Shaman didn’t have a smile in him. He wanted Jonas to stop talking, and he wanted to sit alone with his wounded pride and aching head.
“So, who do you think hit you?” Jonas asked.
“Bobby Taylor,” Shaman said, too grumpy to filter.
He felt his boss’s stare. “Why do you think that?”
“Just a sneaking thought,” Shaman said.
“It doesn’t affect what I hired you to do,” Jonas said, “and Gage knows all about it. I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret. Besides, it’s no reason for anyone to try to open your cranium.” He shrugged. “When Gage was managing Dark Diablo, Bobby filed the suit. I got a little worried and pulled Gage off the project because I didn’t want to build in case the courts decided for the Taylor family. But my brother Sam—he’s a crack attorney—said damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead. He told me to get up every building I have my heart set on for Dark Diablo. And there’s a lot of building I intend to do. So you need to quit loafing,” he finished, his tone jovial.
“I’ll do that,” Shaman said, “as soon as your enemies quit trying to unhinge my head from my body.”
“Good man.” Jonas was quite cheerful, but it wasn’t his head wearing staples. “I’ll give you a few days to rest. And I don’t want to hear a word about you handing in your resignation. I fully expect that you can handle Bobby Taylor, even if you did let him sneak up on you. Weren’t you supposed to be some kind of sniper or something? I would expect more out of a decorated grunt, to be honest.”
Shaman sighed. “Appreciate the vote of confidence.”
“No problem,” Jonas said. “I hope it works out with the movie star.”
“She’s not a—” Tempest was a movie star, or she was about to be. He was a soldier, and the whole relationship was pretty uneven. Too bad he’d had to get his head whacked to figure it out.
Yet his head didn’t hurt nearly as bad as his heart, which was, Shaman thought, even dumber.
* * *
“I’ M HEADING TO Rancho Diablo to see our niece. I should leave Xav here to keep an eye on you,” Kendall said, inspecting the bandage wrapped around his head.
“No,” Shaman said. “I’m going to rest. I can’t rest when Xav’s around. He has the attention span of a flea.”
“He’s not quite like you remembered,” Kendall said. “But we’ll leave you here to sulk in peace if you promise to rest.”
“I will.” Shaman lay on the sofa, his head throbbing. “I’m already resting.”
He could hear his sister and brother whispering, conferring about what should be done with him. “Go,” he said, tense as all get-out. “I want peace and quiet and a shot of whiskey.”
“No whiskey,” Kendall said, bossy as always. “You have plenty of drugs the doc gave you.”
“Fine.” He’d just said it to rile her, give her a reason to worry. “Lights off, please. And get out, sibs.”
He heard Kendall and Xav walk out the front door. Shaman’s eyes closed, and he sighed with relief.
As soon as he felt better, he was going to have a chat with Mr. Taylor.
* * *
T HE PHONE RINGING in his pocket felt as if it were splitting his
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