Free Cattle Valley 28 - Second Chances by Carol Lynne Page B

thing down—or, we could use it.”
“Use the corrected programme that we didn’t pay for? Wouldn’t that open us up to bad media, or worse, a lawsuit?”
“It could be a media blitz if handled correctly. What if we watch, find out who solves it, and offer them a job to head up the team? I think it’s obvious that whoever’s behind uploading it in the first place needs to be fired.”
Drake nodded and pulled out his phone.
“Hello,” Asa answered.
“It’s Drake. Shane thinks he’s figured out who’s behind the upload, and he has some ideas on how to deal with it.”
“I’m just sitting down to dinner. Can the two of you hang on for an hour or so until I get there?” Asa asked.
Drake covered the receiver. “You okay to stick around for a while?”
Shane nodded. “Nothing but an empty apartment waiting for me.”
Drake knew exactly how Shane felt. He returned his attention to Asa. “We’ll be here. Come by my place, so I can feed Shane while we wait.”
“Will do.” Asa ended the call.
Drake shoved the phone back into his pocket. “You like soup?”
“Soup?” Shane stood and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Sure.”
Drake headed into the kitchen. “I have some vegetarian vegetable from Grinders or your pick of good old Campbell’s.” He opened the cupboard and gestured to the stockpile.
“Damn, and I thought I ate a lot of soup,” Shane remarked.
In an uncharacteristic move, Drake felt the need to explain himself. “I started cooking dinner for me and my mom when I was eight, but she wouldn’t let me use the oven, so it was microwave cooking or eat it cold.”
Drake didn’t go into further detail. He refused to tell Shane that money was so tight they couldn’t afford much else or how proud he’d been when he’d started working odd jobs so he could afford Campbell’s instead of the off-brand he’d spent the first thirteen years enduring. Nor would he discuss the fact that he could now afford to eat steak every night, but felt too guilty to eat anything but what his mom had been forced to eat. He was fucked up and he knew it.
“I’ll take some of the bean and bacon, if you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Drake withdrew one of the red and white cans. He felt Shane step up beside him, close enough that their arms and thighs touched. Drake glanced down at the much younger man while he spooned the soup into the same bowl he’d used earlier.
Shane stared up into Drake’s eyes. No words were spoken between them and neither of them made a move to take things further. Eventually, Shane stepped to the side, breaking contact. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Drake placed the bowl into the microwave before turning it on. “If I didn’t already have someone on my mind, I’d probably already have my mouth on you.”
Shane’s cheeks turned a flattering shade of red. “I won’t bother you again.”
It said a lot about Drake’s unresolved feelings towards Oggie that he didn’t throw caution to the wind and take the sexy young man right there in the kitchen. “I’m no one you’d want anyway. You’ll find a good one—trust me.”
“I doubt it. I’m always attracted to alphas who turn out to be mean jerks.” Shane chuckled. “I blame the romance novels I used to steal from my mom.”
“That’s funny. My mom was big on Reader’s Digest, which is why I can’t seem to make it through a full-length novel.” The microwave dinged and Drake grabbed a dishcloth. “Have a seat.”
“You don’t have to wait on me,” Shane started to argue.
“You’re the first guest I’ve ever had for dinner. I’d feel better if I at least tried to be a good host.”
* * * *
    By Sunday, the snow was almost a foot deep. With the sun shining overhead, Oggie decided to show Mandy and Cullen how much fun a Wyoming winter could be. Wearing his warmest clothes, he paced back and forth in the living room. He hadn’t seen or heard from Drake since Tuesday and he was beginning to wonder if he ever