circumstances.”
He appeared to ignore her dry tone. “This home and Horseback Hollow may not be where I’d choose to live forever, but for the short term both are adequate.”
Shannon knew he was being kind and exceedingly tactful. But his comment only served to remind her that Oliver Fortune Hayes wouldn’t be like his sister, Amelia, or his brother Jensen, who’d come to Horseback Hollow and not only fallen in love with a local but with the town and its people, as well.
She had to keep that in mind. Despite the ooh la la factor, any relationship with Oliver would be a dead-end street.
Oliver found himself enjoying his conversation with Shannon. She was obviously an intelligent woman who appeared to truly care about his situation.
“I asked Amelia for names since Amber and Jensen were fresh out of ideas.” Oliver paused and tilted his head. “Are you certain I can’t get you a refreshment?”
Shannon smiled. She had quite a lovely one. While her features were too strong to be considered classically beautiful, there was an arresting nature to her face that made a man—even one who’d sworn off women temporarily to focus on his son—take a second look.
Though he must admit, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen a woman in denim and cotton. Not to mention cowboy boots. The pants hugged her slender figure like a glove, and the shirt, though not tight, hinted at underlying curves. Yes, she was striking indeed.
“I guess I could take a cup of tea, if it’s not too much trouble.”
He was so focused on her lips that it took him a second to process. “No trouble at all.”
Oliver was putting the kettle on the stove when the doorbell rang.
“Would you like me to get that?” Even as she asked, Shannon was already rising to her feet with a fluid grace comparable to any of the ladies he knew back in London.
“Thank you, yes.” Oliver pulled his gaze from her backside and gave Ollie a biscuit. His son squealed with delight.
He heard Shannon speak, then recognized his brother’s voice.
Jensen strolled into the room, dressed casually—for him—in brown trousers and a cream-colored polo shirt. There was curiosity in his eyes when his brother’s gaze slid between him and Shannon. “I didn’t realize the two of you were acquainted.”
“Shannon showed me around this lovely home,” Oliver announced.
“That’s, ah, correct.” Shannon, who’d appeared relaxed only moments before, now appeared ready to bolt.
The fact puzzled Oliver. He’d been under the impression that while Shannon and Jensen weren’t well acquainted, they were on good terms.
“Will you have a cup?” Oliver asked his brother. “I have Fortnum & Mason.”
Jensen’s smile gave Oliver his answer, while Shannon’s brows pulled together.
“Fortnum & Mason is a popular British tea manufacturer. They have a Smoky Earl Grey blend that Oliver—and almost everyone in the family—prefers,” Jensen explained before Oliver could open his mouth.
“I’m sure it’s delicious, but I’ll have to pass.” Shannon appeared to make a great show of looking at her watch. “We can talk another time, Oliver. I have plans and I’m sure you and your brother have a lot to discuss.”
Oliver’s heart gave an odd lurch. He surprised himself by crossing the room, taking her arm and leading her back to her seat at the table. “Nonsense. You’re staying for tea.”
“Down,” Ollie called out. “Want down.”
“I can get—” Shannon began.
Oliver held up a hand, then fixed his gaze on his son. “What do you say?”
Ollie stared at him with innocent blue eyes before his mouth widened into a grin. “Pease.”
“Good man.” Oliver lifted his son down from the high chair.
Jensen exchanged a look with Shannon. “Amazing.”
Shannon cocked her head, but before Jensen could explain, Oliver looked up from wiping Ollie’s hands.
“Nothing amazing about it. Child rearing is no different from running a successful business enterprise. Rules and order are essential.” Oliver shifted his gaze to Shannon. “My brother expected me to be a bumbling feckwit incapable of rearing my son.”
Oliver pulled out a bin containing an assortment of toys, placing several before Ollie on the rug within eyeshot of the kitchen table. The whistling teakettle brought him back to the stove, where he produced three cups of the steaming brew in short order.
“Surely he’s seen you in action before?” Shannon cradled the “I Love Texas” mug in her hands with an unexpected reverence.
“Oliver only recently gained custody of Ollie,” Jensen explained. “After Diane...”
Jensen stopped and slanted Oliver an apologetic glance. In their family, private matters weren’t usually discussed in the presence of a guest.
“Diane was my ex-wife,” Oliver explained. “The divorce was already in process when Ollie was born. Because I believed a child—a baby especially—needed his mother, I didn’t fight her for custody. She recently died in a car accident.”
“She shouldn’t have been out that night.” Jensen’s voice rose and anger flashed in his eyes. “She should—”
“Enough.”
The quietly spoken word was enough to stop Jensen’s potential tirade in its tracks.
“She was Ollie’s mother.” Looking back, the person Oliver blamed most was himself. He should have paid more attention. He should have known that Diane was spending more time with her new boyfriend than with Ollie. “The accident occurred fairly recently.”
He felt Shannon’s hand on his arm, looked up to find her soft eyes filled with compassion. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“We’d been divorced over a year.”
“You were also once married to her. That means you once loved her.” She gave his forearm a squeeze, then removed her hand.
Oliver nodded briskly.
Diane hadn’t wasted any time finding another man once the baby was born. She’d been with yet another man when she died. That’s why the sadness he’d experienced upon hearing of her passing had blindsided him. He finally accepted it was understandable, given this was a woman he’d once known and loved.
Jensen steepled his fingers and his gaze settled on Shannon. “I understand you work for your father.”
“I do.” She sipped her tea and her
