He was dangerous in a way that most people couldn’t see, but Shannon had experienced it firsthand, and she’d never let him touch her again.
“You really think you’re better than me?” He stepped closer, almost daring her to respond. “You think you can undermine me?”
Shannon’s pulse quickened, but she didn’t flinch. The anger and frustration inside her simmered, threatening to spill over.
She wanted to shout, to make him feel the depth of her hatred, but she knew better than to risk everything on a throat punch and a knee to the balls.
Because every penny she earned at Meadow Dawn yard was a step closer to her dream. A dream that had been hers to build since she was a kid.
Niall’s eyes roamed over her before he leaned in, his smirk spreading as if he still held some kind of power over her.
“You look pretty today, Shan,” he said, his voice too smooth, like he was trying to push buttons he thought he still could.
Shannon fought the immediate surge of disgust. She forced a small, icy laugh, eyes never leaving him.
“Oh, I’m sure the smell of manure must besoirresistible for a guy like you.”
Niall’s smirk didn’t falter, but his eyes narrowed.
“You know, if you don’t stop burying your head in horseshit and actuallylivea little, you’ll end up an old maid. No man will want you, Shan.”
Shannon’s gaze cut through him like a knife. Shewasn’t flustered. Not even a little. In fact, the longer he stood there, the more repulsed she became.
“Lucky for me, I have zero interest in distractions. I’d rather be a lonely old maid than stuck with a guy like you,” she shot back, her voice laced with venom. “You don’t scare me anymore, Niall.”
His jaw tightened, but he quickly masked it with a scoff. “You think you’ve got it all figured out, huh? All this work, pretending like it’ll get you somewhere.”
Shannon’s breath caught, but only in the way someone might brace themselves for a punch.
“I’m building something for myself, Niall.” She glared back at him, squaring her shoulders. “No man’s going to get in the way of that.”
She could see it all in her mind and didn’t need a guy who’d squash her life goals by demanding babies and marriage. That wasn’t her path.
Niall wasn’t the man he used to be, and she had changed, too.
“Are you waiting for me to take you back, Shan?” Niall thumbed his bottom lip. “Still hoping I’d fuck you in the barn again?”
Shannon laughed and took a sideways step.
“You put me off relationships for life.” She squeezed the small bottle in her hand. “The only thing I’m waiting for is my savings account to hit the magic number.”
A dark shadow passed behind his eyes.
“Watch yourself, Shannon. I could ruin your life in a fucking heartbeat, and all that saving will have been for nothing.”
2
Shannon
“I’m nearly there. The bus got stuck in traffic. Don’t panic.”
Shannon sighed, her free hand rubbing at the back of her neck as she pressed the mobile phone between her ear and shoulder.
She’d been riding Trixie in the sand paddock when the first call came. One of the waitresses covering the afternoon shift vomited in the storeroom, and her manager sent her home.
Working in the city coffee shop was one way Shannon kept her head above water. Though the pay wasn’t great, it covered bills and boosted her savings.
Thankfully, Niall hadn’t noticed when she ended her training session early, leaving Trixie half-exercised.
