on fifty-plus acres of lavish gardens, the resort consisted of two hundred and fifty luxury suites, tricked out with cutting-edge technology. The complex also contained fine farm-to-table dining and other amenities. Every single detail had to be perfect.
He texted his mother before he started his truck, letting her know he was going to be delayed, and her snarky response made him smile. Born Elyse Flynn, Shane’s mother had left her hometown of Boston at twenty-two with a degree in geoscience, contracted to do a field study of the area near Royal. There, she’d met Shane’s father, Landon, and after a whirlwind six-month romance, married him and settled in at Bullseye, the Delgado family ranch.
After Landon died and Shane took over the ranch, Elyse had moved to a home in Pine Valley, the upscale gated community with a clubhouse, pool and eighteen-hole golf course. Although she seemed content in her six-thousand-square-foot house, when Shane began his housing development near Royal, she’d purchased one of the five-acre lots and begun the process of planning her dream home.
Each week when he visited, she had another architectural design for him to look over. In the last year she’d met with no fewer than a dozen designers. Her wish list grew with each new innovation she saw. There were days when Shane wondered if she’d ever settle on a plan. And part of him dreaded that day because he had a feeling she would then become his worst client ever.
When he entered the house, she was standing in the doorway leading to the library, a glass of red wine in her hand.
“There you are at last,” she said, waving him over for a kiss. “Come see how brilliant Thomas is. His latest plan is fantastic.”
Thomas Kitt was the architect Elyse was currently leaning toward. She hadn’t quite committed to his design, but she’d been speaking of him in glowing terms for the last month.
“He’s bumped out the kitchen wall six inches and that gives me the extra room I need so I can go for the thirty-inch built-in wine storage. Now I just need to decide if I want to do the one with the drawers so I can store cheese and other snacks or go with the full storage unit.”
She handed Shane the glass of wine she’d readied for him and gestured to the plate of appetizers that sat on samples of granite and quartz piled on the coffee table.
Shane crossed to where she’d pinned the latest drawings to a magnetic whiteboard. “I’d go with the full storage. That’ll give you room for an extra sixty bottles.”
“You’re right.” Elyse grinned at her son. “Sounds like a trip to Napa is in my future.”
“Why don’t you wait until we break ground?” At the rate his mother was changing her mind, he couldn’t imagine the project getting started before fall.
“Your father was always the practical one in our family.” Elyse’s smile faded at the memory of her deceased husband. “But you’ve really taken over that role. He’d be very proud of you.”
Landon Delgado had never been proud of his son.
You’ve got nothing going for you but a slick tongue and a cocky attitude, his father had always said.
Elyse didn’t seem to notice the dip in her son’s mood as she continued, “Is it crazy that I like the industrial feel to this unit?” She indicated the brochure on high-end appliances.
Shane appreciated how much fun his mother was having with the project. He wrapped his arm around her and dropped a kiss on her head. “Whatever you decide is going to be a showstopper.”
“I hope so. Suzanne has been going on and on about the new house she’s building in your development to the point where I want to throw her and that pretentious designer she hired right through a plate-glass window.”
Growing up with four older brothers gave Elyse a competitive spirit in constant need of a creative outlet. Her husband hadn’t shared her interests. Landon Delgado had liked ranching and believed in hard work over fancy innovation. He’d often spent long hours in the saddle moving cattle or checking fences. His days began before sunup and rarely ended until long after dinner. When he wasn’t out and about on the ranch, he could be found in his office tending to the business side.
To Landon’s dismay, Shane hadn’t inherited his father’s love of all things ranching. Maybe that was because as soon as Shane could sit up by himself, his father had put him on a horse, expecting Shane to embrace the ranching life. But he’d come to hate the way his every spare moment was taken up by ranch duties assigned to him by his father.
You aren’t going to amount to anything if you can’t handle a little hard work.
About the time he’d hit puberty, Shane’s behavior around the ranch had bloomed into full-on rebellion, and when Shane turned fifteen, the real battles began. He started hanging out with older friends who had their own cars. Most days he didn’t come home right after school and dodged all his chores. His buddies liked to party. He’d been forced to toil alongside his father since he was three years old. Didn’t he deserve to have a little fun?
According to his father, the answer was no.
You’re wrong if you think that grin of yours is all you need to make it in this world.
“So what have you cooked up for us tonight?” Shane asked as he escorted his mother to the enormous kitchen at the back of the house.
“Apricot-and-Dijon-glazed salmon.” Although Elyse employed a full-time housekeeper, she enjoyed spending time whipping up gourmet masterpieces. “I got the recipe from the man who catered Janice Hunt’s dinner party. I think I’m going to hire him to cater the Bullseye’s centennial party,” Elyse continued, arching an eyebrow at her son’s blank expression.
Shane’s thoughts were so consumed with The Bellamy project these days, he’d forgotten all about the event. “The centennial party. When is that again?”
“March twenty-first. I’ve arranged a tasting with Vincent on the twenty-fourth of this month so we can decide what we’re going to have.”
“We?” He barely restrained a groan. “Don’t you have one of your friends who could help with this?”
“I do, but this is your ranch we’re celebrating and your legacy.”
“Sure. Of course.” Shane had no interest in throwing a big party for the ranch, but gave his mother his best smile. “A hundred years is a huge milestone and we will celebrate big.”
This seemed to satisfy his mother. Elyse was very social. She loved to plan parties and when Shane was growing up there had often been dinners with friends and barbecues out by the pool. Often Shane had wondered how a vibrant, beautiful urbanite like his mother had found happiness with an overly serious, rough-around-the-edges Texas rancher. But there was no question that in spite of their differences, his parents had adored each other, and the way Landon had doted on his wife was the one area where Shane had seen eye to eye with his father.
At that moment Brandee Lawless popped into his mind. There was a woman he wanted to sweep into his arms and never let go. He imagined sending her hat spinning away and tunneling his fingers through her long golden hair as he pulled her toward him for a hot, sexy kiss.
But he’d noticed her regarding him with the same skepticism he used to glimpse in his father’s eyes. She always seemed to be peering beyond his charm and wit to see what he was made of. He’d never been able to fool her with the mask he showed to the world. It was unsettling. When she looked at him, she seemed to expect...more.
Someday people are going to figure out that you’re all show and no substance.
So far he’d been lucky and that hadn’t happened. But where Brandee was concerned, it sure seemed like his luck was running out.
After snatching too few hours of sleep, Brandee rushed through her morning chores and headed to Royal’s history museum.