12-Alarm Cowboys (73 page)

But that would be a lie. There was no guarantee. No crystal ball.

“No one can predict how things will turn out,” she said instead. “Just as no one can help Keiffer but Keiffer. In my experience, the key to salvation lies within yourself. You need to realize what’s good and healthy for you, then strive to meet that goal.”

Brandi lifted her gaze and blinked. “Wow. That was…deep.”

A smile tugged her lips. “I’ve been known to venture off my shallow shores once in a while.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply—”

“It’s okay,” she reassured. “I do swim in both waters.”

Her hostess reached out and touched her hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“About what?”

“Whatever happened in your past to put such insight into your words?”

Oh, that.
“No.” She sucked in a breath and pulled her hand away. It was too deep…too painful to share. Especially, since it proved she was unworthy of the compassion lighting the woman’s eyes. “I’m good. But, thanks.”

“For what?”

“For not judging me. You have every right to dislike me after how I treated your brother Ben.”

“Oh, Gwen, that was so long ago. You were a teenager who’d just lost her mother. That would throw anyone into a tailspin.”

“That’s no excuse.” She shook her head. “You lost your mother around the same time, and you didn’t treat your boyfriend so badly.”

Brandi giggled. “That’s because I was too young to have one.”

“True.” She smiled. Her friend had been ten, like her sister. Neither Brandi nor Lea had rebelled. “Still, that doesn’t excuse my bad behavior and horrific choices I made the decade that followed.”

“I’d say your peers where partly to blame, too.”

Possibly. Well, not to blame. That was all on her, but they didn’t help. She’d broken away from her bad influences, slowly but surely over the past two years.

“You seemed to have turned things around lately. You seem happy.”

She shrugged, then even released a smile. “I am, and now I totally understand what has kept you down here in Harland. No one judges you. You’re accepted. It’s so weird. I can walk around in flip-flops, cutoffs, and a T-shirt, with no makeup, and my hair tied back, and no one bats a lash.”

Brandi nodded, returning her smile. “I know. It’s refreshing.”

“Very. It’s like I can actually…breathe or something.” And she liked breathing. A lot.

“It is a great feeling,” her friend agreed. “I’m so glad you found it. And I’m proud of you, Gwen. I know it’s not easy to get out from under controlling people.”

Her heart rocked. “Why? What happened to you?”

She felt bad for not having kept up with the personal lives of her family and friends back home while she was living life to the fullest. Make that to the
foolish
.

Brandi snorted. “Let’s just say I was in an unhealthy relationship a lot longer than I should’ve been, and I’m not happy with myself for staying in it so long.”

Wow
. She blinked. Never would she have expected Brandi Wyne to have poor judgment, or for her brothers to make sure her boyfriend didn’t treat her well.

“My brothers didn’t know,” the woman added as if reading her mind. “I kept the jerk’s abuse a secret. In fact, I hadn’t realized it was abuse until I saw an episode on one of those cops shows on TV.”

Gwen’s blood began to run hot. She sat up straight. “Who was he? Did he lay a hand on you? Who do I need to throat punch?”

Brandi laughed. “No one. It wasn’t physical abuse. It was mental and verbal, and done so slowly and slyly over a three year period, I didn’t see it coming. But the last straw was when I gained over forty pounds because of my dead thyroid, and was dealing with self-doubt, and he told me he didn’t find me attractive anymore and didn’t want to have sex. That was his excuse to cheat.”

“Bastard,” she grumbled. “He definitely deserved a throat punch. I hope you kicked his ass to the curb.”

“Yes. It was my wakeup call.”

She sat back in her chair. “What did your brothers do?”

“Like I said, I didn’t tell them.”

“Wise.” She snickered. “If my brother knew how some of my old boyfriends had treated me he’d…” She stopped talking the instant she realized they were no longer alone. Between Brandi glancing over her shoulder, and the awareness spreading across her skin, she’d clued in. A little late.

Dammit
.

“It was one of those damn rockers you dated, wasn’t it?” Tanner’s voice was deathly low and sent a batch of shivers down her spine.

Both rockers, actually.

Not something anyone needed to know. Muttering a curse, she rose to her feet, along with Brandi, and together they turned to find Tanner and Kade just inside the doorway.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” She held the frowning cowboy’s gaze as he stepped closer. “And I really need to put that damn bell around your neck.”

“Hah.
That
I’d like to see.” Kade smiled, bending to kiss Brandi’s cheek.

“And I’m still waiting for an answer,” Tanner said, staring down at her, gaze the color of aged whiskey.

She was trying to come up with a passable answer when Barry and Jesse walked into the room and saved her from lying.

“Chrissie!” The older man’s face lit up like Vegas at night, then rushed forward to pull her into his arms for a tight hug. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home? When did you get into town?”

Ah…Houston…anybody?

She stood stalk still, glancing over the hugging man’s shoulder and into four worried faces.
Shit
. With no idea who Chrissie was, she followed her own lead and patted the man’s back.

“I…uh…just got here.”

Tanner nodded, then stepped closer. “Yeah, it was a surprise, that’s why I brought you to the Dalton’s ranch.”

Barry released her and stepped back, big grin still covering his face, making him appear years younger. “You’re a sly one, Tanner. I had no idea.”

The sly one smiled, slipping an arm around her shoulder. “That was the idea.”

What idea?

“Well, go on.” Barry waved his hand. “You can kiss my daughter. I know you missed her, too.”

Kiss? Wait…Barry has a daughter?

It’d be really swell if someone clued her in.

But the only
cluing
she got was Tanner tasted as good as she remembered and that cupping her face and kissing her softly wasn’t nearly enough. Her body demanded more. Much more.

The traitor.

Drawing back, Tanner stared down at her, apology blaring in his eyes.

The thing was, she wasn’t sorry. And that was probably bad.

But she
was
confused.

“Who’s Chrissie?” she whispered as he remained close.

“Barry’s dead daughter.”

Ah, shit.

Her heart squeezed tight. The poor guy forgot his daughter had died. What happened when he remembered?
Cripes
. Did he have to relive that pain over and over again?

It was bad enough losing a child once, but to have to go through the tragedy again… God, she’d barely…

“Okay, what do you say we go home?” Barry stepped close to drop his arm around her. “I’ll ride with you. Tanner can meet us there.”

She sought Tanner’s gaze and found it clouded with worry, as if he was afraid she’d try to set the man straight. That never crossed her mind.

She slipped her arm around the older man and smiled. “Sounds good. I can cook your favorite for supper.”

Too bad she had no idea what that was.

“Fried chicken and dumplings?”

She broadened her smile. “Absolutely. And gravy.”

“You know it.” He smiled.

She did now.

Waving to the others, she noted relief in their gazes as she played along, leading Barry out of the kitchen, wondering just what the hell she’d gotten herself into.

And just how serious things had been between Tanner and Chrissie Patterson?

It was barely
dawn when Tanner parked his pickup next to Gwen’s rental in Barry’s driveway. Guilt and worry had followed him home last night after he’d been forced to leave her to continue her charade when his mentor had politely, but firmly, walked him to door, spouting a gentleman knew better than to overstay his welcome. He rushed around back and let himself into the kitchen with a key Barry had given him long ago.

Stepping inside to find a beautiful woman in a T-shirt and cutoffs, standing in front of an opened refrigerator, he’d experienced his own version of déjà vu.

Except, this time, his body heated at the sight.

Barry’s daughter Chrissie had been beautiful, and they’d gone out a few times, but it had all been a ruse. One that may have led to her death, and haunted him to this day.

Gwen twisted around with a strangled shriek. “That’s it. I’m buying that damn bell today.”

“Sorry.” A smile tugged his lips as he walked closer. “How’d your night go?”

She shut the fridge and yawned. “Okay. Uneventful.”

He glanced into the living room, noting a blanket on the floor and pillow on the couch. “You slept out here?”

She nodded, covering up another yawn. “Yeah. I wanted to make sure I heard Barry if he needed anything.”

His heart chipped open, and a deep warmth spread through his chest. “Thank you, Gwen.” The woman kept on surprising him. And even though he knew it was dangerous, he pulled her in for a hug. “You’ve been so damn good about all of this. I’m grateful as hell.”

She squeezed him back. “No worries. I had a model friend whose mother had Alzheimer’s, and I helped take care of her. I know it’s not easy.”

That explained the couch, and how she’d gone along with everything yesterday.

“Then you understand.” He grasped her upper arms and drew back. “You never know what to expect.”

She nodded. “Monthly occurrences become weekly, then eventually daily, until…”

He was unwilling to let his mind go past the
until
part.

A warm hand slipped up his chest.

“How are you doing?”

“Me?” He blinked. “I’m good. I wasn’t the one forced to give up a night and pretend to be someone she’s not.”

A sad smile crossed her lips as she slowly released him. “I’ve pretended for nearly a decade, one more night was no big deal.”

But it was a big deal. To him.

He stepped close and cupped her face. “You never have to pretend around me, Gwen. Never around me.”

She sucked in a breath and gripped his wrists, but he didn’t know if she wanted to break free or hold tight. “Tanner, I-I’m not sure…”

“Me either,” he said before covering her mouth with his, tasting her hesitation, then acquiescence when she moaned and slid her hands up around his neck.

The feel of her exquisite body pressed against him, combined with her wicked tongue, slipping inside his mouth, made him instantly hard and ready for a Pocono repeat. He backed her against the fridge and the kiss got out of hand real fast. Tasting and plundering, he lost his mind, even went a little insane at the feel of her pert nipples poking his chest.

With the need to touch her skin ruling his actions, he brushed a hand up her side. God, it was so soft. She must’ve felt the same because her hands were up under his shirt, touching him everywhere, drawing a line of fire straight down his spine.

He lifted her up and set her sweet ass on the counter, grunting his approval when she wrapped those gorgeous, mile-long legs around his hips and drew him in tight.
Damn
. The woman was just as hungry, just as damn needy as him.

And so soft.

He broke the kiss, gulping in air as he pushed her shirt up and tugged her lace bra aside. So beautiful and pert and rosy, and he forgot where he was as he drew the sweet temptation into his mouth. She moaned and grabbed his ass as she rocked against him. He could feel her heat and taste her tremors, and heaven help him, he swore she was trying to kill him.

But what a way to go…

He remembered their fling in the Poconos and how incredible she’d felt, and tasted, and shuddered. With his own desire overruling his mind, he released her to expose the other nipple, flicking the stiff peak with his thumb while her breath hitched and body continued to rock. This had driven her crazy that night, and he was all about pleasing her.

She grabbed his head and drew his mouth back to hers. The woman was hot and demanding, and he had to know just how damn hot. Sliding his hand up her thigh and under her cutoffs, he brushed her center and clenched his jaw.

Ah hell, she was wet. So wet.

Gwen moaned into his mouth, rocking against his hand, telling him, spurring him on.

He wasn’t one to disappoint. Ever. Completely ignoring the fact they were in Barry’s kitchen, he slid a finger under the wet lace and into her slick heat, needing to give her the release she sought.

Another moan vibrated in her throat, and he took that to mean he was on the right track. Slipping his tongue inside her mouth, he matched the rhythm of his finger, encouraged by her little mewls, and the way she arched back.

Damn
…she was wound so tight. Well, he was going to take care of that, take care of her.

Increasing the pace, he brushed her with his thumb, and she went off like the firecracker he knew her to be. Moaning low and long in her throat, she clutched his shoulders and bucked as tremors shook through her body, nearly setting
him
off.

Despite being rock hard and a hell of a lot more intimate with his zipper than he’d like, Tanner let Gwen down slowly, waiting until her tremors subsided before he pulled out.

“Tanner? Is that you down there?” Barry called from upstairs.

The creaking of floorboards sounded overhead.

Shit!

He jumped back, and she slid off the counter, both of them dragging air into their lungs while righting their clothes with jerky movements.

“Yeah,” he replied, stepping in front of Gwen, but facing the doorway in an attempt to block her from his mentor’s view, until she had a chance to cover up.

Damn. That was close. What the hell was I thinking?

He wasn’t. At least, not with the head on his shoulders. That was the problem.

“I thought I heard someone… Oh, hi, Gwen. I didn’t know you were here, too.” The older man smiled, walking into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, but apparently alert enough to have seen them both. “Getting an early start on the day?”