• Ten •

I never knew if he was going to acknowledge me or not.

Capri

I should have left early and dealt with my parents’ wrath. I was a grown woman, and allowing them to have any control over me was ridiculous. Unfortunately, I was a people pleaser by nature, and I had stayed at church until the service was over. I’d spoken to my parents, other members of the congregation, Esther, and not gotten out of there fast enough. Without even looking, I could feel my mother’s eyes on me as Haines stepped in my path.

Honestly, he wasn’t a bad-looking man. He had that clean-cut look. His hair was always styled perfectly; his face was smooth, as if it had been freshly shaven; no bloodshot eyes from too much drinking the night before; and of course, straight pearly-white teeth that I swore had to be veneers. No one’s teeth looked that perfect.

“It’s good to see you, Capri,” he said with his blinding smile.

I needed to add too happy and full of joy to the list of things about him that should be positive, but I found annoying.

“If it wasn’t for Sunday morning service, I’d never get a chance to talk to you.”

And you wouldn’t be doing so now if I’d left early, like I wanted to, I thought to myself.

Instead of being rude, I smiled back at him. “I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, Esther was telling me that you’re going to New York for one of those horse races,” he replied. “I’m sure your parents are concerned.”

The way his voice had dropped when he said the last bit irked me. Haines had never met or spoken to one of the Shephards, yet like the rest of the people around here, he assumed the worst.

“Seeing as I am twenty-seven, I don’t reckon my parents have any say or cause for worry. I can handle myself just fine.” My voice held an edge to it even if I was maintaining the smile on my face. That was mostly for my momma’s sake. I knew she couldn’t hear us from this distance, but she could see just fine.

“I didn’t mean that as an insult,” he said, looking concerned. “I was just saying … well, you’re traveling with those people.”

He was making this worse.

“Those people own this town. They are also champion horse breeders who win races. I am lucky to get the chance to sit on the back of one of their horses. This takes my career as a jockey to a whole new level.” Which he would never understand because he was not a horse person.

The only thing he knew about horse racing was that folks wore flashy hats at the Kentucky Derby and drank mint juleps. His words, not mine.

“Yes, I am sure it does. Look, I didn’t mean to upset you. I apologize. My plan had been to charm you into having lunch with me.” His smile was back.

I opened my mouth to decline the invitation with a lie that I had to go to the ranch, but Esther grabbed my arm before I could say anything.

“Let’s all do lunch together!” she exclaimed, grinning. “Jaiden and I are going to The Doghouse. I’m craving a bacon cheeseburger from there. Come with us!”

“Their bacon cheeseburger does sound good. Thank you, Esther,” Haines replied, sounding pleased with this turn of events.

Esther knew that Bloodline had left for New York, and she would more than likely call me out on it if I said I had to go to the ranch. This was what she’d been wanting. Me to double date with her. Looked like I was going to get it over with today. After this, I would be sure she knew it would never happen again. I had tried it and did not want to date Haines.

“We will meet y’all there!” Esther said with a little wave of her hand, then hurried off to get Jaiden.

I might have been backed into a corner, but I wasn’t riding with him. “My car is this way,” I told him. “I’ll, uh, see you there.”

Before he could say more, I hurried away, taking long strides and not glancing back. Esther meant well, and I knew that, but I was still pissed at her. Next time, I was leaving the service early.

When I had been a teenager, I’d stayed clear of this place. The Doghouse was where the popular kids at the high school always ate on Friday and Saturdays.

Sebastian Shephard was the only reason I’d even stepped foot in here back then. That was only once too. My friend he’d dated begged me to go with her. The entire experience had been overwhelming, and I’d ended up quietly leaving when they were busy making out.

Sunday after church, it was a place where churchgoers had lunch. There were few restaurants in Madison, so they all filled up when services let out. It had been at least a year since I’d eaten here, and stepping inside still felt like going back in time to when this was intimidating. I was aware of how silly that sounded since I was a grown adult, but some things marked you and didn’t shake loose.

Esther hadn’t been homeschooled. She’d been a part of the crowd. Maybe not the popular one, but she had a group of friends on the inside. I did not.

A hand touched my back, and I jumped, startled. Haines’s chuckle grated on my nerves as I realized he’d walked in behind me.

“There they are.” He nodded his head toward Esther, who was standing up from a booth, waving at us like she couldn’t be seen.

I nodded and started in that direction, wanting to walk fast enough that Haines had to move his hand off my body. I hadn’t said he could touch me, and the way he had assumed it was welcome added to the ongoing list of things I did not like about Haines. Unfortunately, he was taller than me—most people were—and his strides easily kept up with my hurried ones, leaving his hand on my lower back.

After today, Esther might want to hide from me for a while.

She was beaming like an idiot when we arrived at the booth. I’d have prepared a table with chairs so I wasn’t stuck so close to Haines, but leave it to Esther to get a booth. I should have gotten here first. My sitting in the parking lot, trying to think of a way to get out of this, had been wasted time. Now, I had to sit in the damn booth.

Haines motioned for me to go in first, and forcing a smile, I shook my head.

“I don’t like booths. Being stuck inside makes me anxious,” I lied.

I could feel Esther’s gaze on me, and I knew she was looking at me like I’d gone crazy. Not once in our life had I said anything about getting in a booth first. But if I was on the outside, I could leave without having to wait for him to move, and I could keep some distance between us.

He nodded, giving me an odd look, and I shrugged, still smiling. Haines slid into the booth, and I followed, only to stay near the end. I refused to make eye contact with Esther. She’d made me do this, but she couldn’t make me like it.

“So,” Esther said, drawing out the word, “we all four finally got together. With Capri working all the time, it’s been a struggle.”

“You’re riding for the Shephards in the Belmont Derby Invitational,” Jaiden said, sounding almost excited about it.

I knew he kept up with horse racing some. He was the reason that Esther had even watched some of the races I’d ridden in.

Since this entire lunch wasn’t his fault, I turned to him and nodded. “Yes. Riding for them is thrilling and nerve-racking.”

He grinned. “I bet. They’re one of the best. That’s got to be some pressure.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But riding on one of the best does have its perks. In the past, I rode horses that weren’t considered winners. Their owners had hopes, of course, but they never expected them to actually win.”

“I’ve heard great things about Bloodline,” Jaiden told me.

“Okay, let’s talk about something not so boring,” Esther chimed in, and I cut my eyes at her. She was looking at Haines though, not me. “How’s the dentist life?” she asked.

I might throw my fork at her. Why would she ask him that? She knew that man loved to talk about himself and teeth.

Without hesitation, he began to prattle off about his office and some new slide they had put into the waiting area for kids and how he might as well become a pediatric dentist because he had so many children now. I listened as Esther laughed and said it was the hot dentist that was bringing in all the mommas. Haines chuckled, and I wanted to roll my eyes. Not that it wasn’t true because, well, he was nice to look at, but because he was vain enough to agree with her.

He began telling some story of a mom who had dressed up in a miniskirt and heels last week to bring her kid in for a checkup. I zoned out and let my gaze scan the rest of the place. I recognized two of my mother’s friends, and they were looking this way, smiling as if they had the best gossip in town. Fantastic. Not only did I have to eat with this man, but the whole town would know about it and think there was a future here.

If my momma didn’t show up on my doorstep later this afternoon, demanding details, I would be shocked. I needed to go to the gym anyway; perhaps I should go on a long run too. That should keep me away from the house long enough. Her calls I could avoid.

“Capri,” Esther said with a hint of frustration.

Had she been trying to get my attention? Oops.

“Yeah?” I asked, looking back at her.

“What day do you leave again, and when do you get back?” she asked in that tone that said she was repeating herself and annoyed.

“Wednesday and back Sunday,” I told her.

“What time on Sunday?” she pressed.

What had I missed? Was there something happening she was trying to get me to go to with the three of them? I should have paid more attention.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

She gave me a pointed look that reminded me of my mother. “What time is your flight?”

“Whenever they want it to be. They have their own plane. I’m not flying commercial,” I told her.

Jaiden let out a low whistle. “Damn, you are getting there on the Shephards’ jet? I want to be you when I grow up.”

I rolled my eyes but did smile as I picked up the water the server had brought and took a sip. I was kind of excited about that too. I’d never flown on anything but commercial, and that came to a total of two different events.

“Speak of the devil … that’s King Salazar, isn’t it?” Jaiden said in a low voice, not wanting anyone other than us to hear him.

I glanced back over my shoulder to see King speaking to some man I didn’t know. He turned his head then, and his gaze locked on me. A small lift at the corner of his lips was followed by a nod. He started to look away when his eyes shifted to Haines. His body tensed. It was slight, and I was sure no one else noticed it. He turned back to the man in front of him and said something.

I looked back at Jaiden. “Yes, that’s King.”

“Do you work with him too?” Jaiden asked.

“The Shephard Ranch horses are owned by the Salazars, Shephards, Kingstons, and Jones. It’s like most things they own; it’s in their corporation or something.”

I wasn’t exactly sure how all this worked. I just knew that those four families were in business together.

“The Mafia,” Esther said under her breath.

I cut my eyes to her and scowled. “Don’t start with that.”

She pursed her lips and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “You’ve been warned. Everyone knows it. What else would they be doing, owning everything? They even own this restaurant.”

“Everyone doesn’t know it,” Jaiden said, correcting her. “It’s gossip. It’s not fact.”

“They do own most of the buildings in this town,” she argued, not happy her fiancé wasn’t siding with her on this.

“They do?” Haines asked.

I glanced at him. He’d lived here his entire life. How did he not know this?

“Dude, who do you think owns the building your dental practice is in?” Jaiden asked him.

He looked confused. “It’s owned by SKSJ Enterprises. An older lady—sweet grandmother sort with a strange name—she’s the real estate agent who showed me the building, and I had my lease and payments all set up by her.”

When he was done with his explanation, he was looking from me to Jaiden as if we were clueless.

“SKSJ,” Jaiden said slowly. “Shephard, Kingston, Salazar, and Jones.”

Haines’s brows drew together as if that hadn’t occurred to him.

“Are you sure that’s what it stands for?” Haines asked.

“Positive.”

The single word hadn’t come from Jaiden. I recognized the deep voice instantly.

I noticed Jaiden’s complexion instantly pale before turning my gaze to King, who was standing at the end of our booth. He was wearing his typical jeans, T-shirt, and boots. His eyes scanned the others in a bored fashion before meeting mine.

“King,” I said, staring up at him. I hoped he didn’t think I was the one talking about them. It would be unprofessional of me.

“Hello, Capri,” he replied.

Feeling as if I should explain but not sure how to do it, I shifted nervously in my seat. “Did Bloodline head north already?”

He nodded. “They left at about six this morning.”

Great. Okay. Well, what did I say now? Oh, introduce everyone. That would be the polite thing to do.

“King, this is my best friend, Esther,” I said, pointing in her direction. “And her fiancé, Jaiden.” Then, waving a hand to my side, I forced my smile. “This is Haines. He leases one of your buildings for his dental practice. He just wasn’t aware that SKSJ stood for, well, your last names.” I was now rambling and sounding like an idiot.

King looked at Haines, and I could see a flash of concern in his eyes. I wasn’t sure what that was about or if I was just reading it wrong. His gaze lifted, and this time, when he tensed, it was obvious. Even his jawline was more pronounced.

I turned back to see what he was looking at when my eyes collided with Thatcher’s dark ones. Several things happened that I wished did not. Starting with my heart rate picking up speed and my stomach feeling all fluttery.

He excited me. Thatcher kept my emotions spinning. I was either terrified, anxious, or giddy. Sometimes all three. I never knew if he was going to acknowledge me or not. When he did, it felt amazing. When he didn’t, my mood sank.

“We just stopped by to grab some lunch,” King said to me, reminding me he was standing beside me. “It was nice to meet all of you.”

I tore my gaze from Thatcher’s to look back at King. I was going to say something, but he was already walking away. In Thatcher’s direction.

“Okay, wow. I’ve never seen that man up close or heard his voice,” Esther said with clear fascination in her tone.

“He’s married and has a baby girl,” I told her.

“And you’re engaged,” Jaiden added, sounding pissed.

Esther rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean I was going to go jump him. Chill. But he’s kind of gorgeous. You can’t deny that.”

King Salazar was rather attractive. He had the kind of face that could be on billboards. But it had never been him who caught my attention. I preferred the mystery that was Thatcher Shephard, apparently. Leave it to me to be intrigued by the supposedly dangerous one. It was a good thing that this was a one-sided attraction. The thought of him even seeing me as anything other than a jockey was comical.

“I don’t understand the fascination everyone has with him or the others. They’re not special. So, they have money. I’m a dentist.” Haines sounded defensive, as if he needed to remind us that he was here and we should be paying attention to him.

“Years ago,” Jaiden whispered, looking at Haines, “that dude who walked in with the black cowboy hat had killed a guy. In the parking lot of the pizza place. Snapped his neck, then lit a cigarette and leaned up against the car beside the guy, waiting on the cops to show up. It was crazy. And he didn’t go to prison. Now, explain that if they’re not some kind of crime lords. They have important folks at their disposal.”

I’d never actually heard the details of the supposed killing Thatcher had done. We had been kids, and I hadn’t paid attention. I had my own problems back then. I seriously doubted that Thatcher had actually broken a guy’s neck, then smoked a cigarette beside the body, waiting on the cops. That was someone making stuff up. This town was good at that.

“Don’t talk about it with them here,” Esther hissed. “I don’t want to die today.”

Jaiden nodded as if that made sense.

“Y’all, seriously,” I sighed. “Can we talk about something that isn’t made-up tales that have become more elaborate over time by the town gossips?”

“I agree,” Haines said, smiling at me.

Perfect. Now, he was going to start regaling us with more stories from his dental practice again.