Mason (Remington Ranch Book 1) (Contemporary Western Romance) by SJ McCoy Page B

friend. They'd been so close for so many years growing up.
    “What are you doing here?” he asked.
    Gina was uncomfortable now. Just on the drive over from the airport she'd realized that Liam didn't belong out here. He'd commented on pretty much everything he'd seen—and not in a complimentary way. She was pretty sure the resort wouldn't be up to his standards and he wouldn't hesitate to make that known. Asking him to come had been a bad idea, but it was done now. He was here and she would have to make the best of it. “My fiancé, Liam, and some of our friends are here for the weekend.”
    Shane cocked his head to one side. “You don't look thrilled, G. And you didn't invite me to come meet him. What's up?”
    He knew her too well. There was no point lying to him. “Honestly, I don't think he's going to like it here. And...”
    “And what?”
    “And I don't think you're going to like him.”
    Shane grinned. “You underestimate me. I may be a valley boy through and through, but I've been out in the big world, remember? I can make allowances for snooty city shits. I mean it's not their fault. They just don't know any better, do they?”
    Gina had to laugh. “I didn't say he was a snooty city shit!”
    Shane winked at her. “You didn't need to. Don't worry. I'll do my best not to embarrass you. You are going to introduce me, aren't you?”
    She nodded. She hardly had much choice, did she? And besides, introducing Shane to Liam was going to be a lot easier than introducing Mason. She waited while Shane went to park up. Then walked arm in arm with him into the saloon.
    Ian was sitting at the bar, but there was no sign of Liam or Kaitlyn. He waved when he saw them. Gina had to wonder why on earth he'd come. He ran the gallery with Liam, and the two of them spent most of their free time together, but coming all the way to Montana seemed a little much.
    He looked apologetic. “They should be down soon. Kaitlyn had a problem with her room and Liam was helping her to get a better one.”
    Gina pursed her lips but didn't comment. “Okay. I'd like you to meet a dear friend of mine. This is Shane Remington, we grew up together. Shane, this is Ian Rawlings, Liam's partner at the gallery.”
    Shane held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. Are you a photographer, too?”
    Ian shook his head. “No, I'm a business brain, not a creative one. Liam and I simply showcase the talents of people like Gina. And you?”
    Shane grinned. “I run a dude ranch on my parents’ property.”
    “That's like a vacation ranch, right? Where people stay to ride horses and pretend to be cowboys for a while?”
    Shane laughed. “Yeah. Pretty much. The way the economy is going, it's tough for any of the ranches to survive. So we take in paying guests and give them a taste of the Old West. Usually, it's more like picnic rides exploring the back country, but some of them want to try real ranch work and we get them involved in as much as they're capable of.”
    Ian nodded. “Sounds cool.” He looked at Gina. “That would make an interesting show, wouldn't it? A study of how the West is changing in order to survive?”
    Gina frowned at him. “Don't start me on that one. I've tried for ages to get Liam to agree to it. He won't hear of it.”
    “Sorry.” Ian looked uncomfortable.
    Shane raised an eyebrow at her. “Wasn't that what you always wanted to do, G?”
    She nodded. Her dearest professional dream had been to come back out here to do a study of the West. She knew the kinds of shots she wanted. The dilapidated old barns that dotted the landscape, the ghost towns in the eastern part of the state, the weathered faces of old cowboys. She would stand those in contrast to shots of places like Chico, the new organic farms that were springing up, and ventures like Shane's dude ranch. Setting the new and thriving against the old and disappearing ways of the West. Liam thought it was a sentimental indulgence on her part and refused to see the cultural