Kitabı oku: «The Risk Series: A Bree and Tanner Thriller»
Risking it all—again.
Now his past is threatening both of them.
Deputy Tanner Dempsey paid a high price for an undercover op gone wrong. Nobody understands a dangerous past better than Bree Daniels. Together they have to take on those real-life demons in order to stay alive. Keeping one step ahead of ruthless killers is their only option and risk is their constant companion.
JANIE CROUCH has loved to read romance her whole life. This USA TODAY bestselling author cut her teeth on Mills & Boon Romance novels as a preteen, then moved on to a passion for romantic suspense as an adult. Janie lives with her husband and four children overseas. She enjoys travelling, long-distance running, movie watching, knitting and adventure/obstacle racing. You can find out more about her at janiecrouch.com.
Also by Janie Crouch
Calculated Risk
Daddy Defender
Protector’s Instinct
Cease Fire
Major Crimes
Armed Response
In the Lawman’s Protection
Special Forces Saviour
Fully Committed
Armoured Attraction
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk
Security Risk
Janie Crouch
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-474-09419-1
SECURITY RISK
© 2019 Janie Crouch
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk
Version: 2020-03-02
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This book is dedicated to the ladies in the Crouch Crew.
Thank you so much for all your support and
encouragement. I couldn’t do this without you!
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Booklist
Title Page
Copyright
Note to Readers
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
About the Publisher
Chapter One
The noose around his throat slowly strangled Tanner until gray blurred the edges of his vision. At the very last moment before he lost consciousness, he forced his weight onto his legs, providing blessed air. He knew the relief was short-lived. One leg was broken, the other almost useless after the hours of trying to support his weight on just his toes on the stool where he balanced precariously.
“Tell us who the cop is, and this can all end.”
Tanner could barely see through his swollen eyes. “I already told you.” The words were garbled whispers—blows to the face and the trauma to his throat had ensured that. “I’m the cop.”
Someone pushed his leg out from under him, causing the rope to tighten around his neck once again, his hands tied behind his back rendering them useless. Airflow immediately ceased, although he didn’t jerk or move unnecessarily. He’d learned after the first hour that flailing didn’t accomplish anything but using up more energy and oxygen.
He had a limited supply of both.
“Which one of them is the cop? We know you were communicating with one of them.”
The voice was referring to the two men also tied up with Tanner, but sitting in chairs, one barely twenty-one years old. Tanner couldn’t see them. Couldn’t hear them. Could only try to survive this moment.
Someone helped him plant his good leg back on the stool so he could relieve the tension on his throat. At least they’d finally figured out he couldn’t talk while they were attempting to suffocate him.
He breathed in as much as his swollen throat would allow. “I wasn’t communicating with one of them.” That was the truth. He’d been communicating with both of them. All three of them had been sent undercover together. “It’s just me.”
The blow to his stomach caught him completely unaware and had him coughing up blood and struggling to balance on the stool. Tanner didn’t know how much more he could take. But he would do whatever he had to if it meant Nate and Alex would walk out of here.
Tanner definitely wouldn’t. He’d already made peace with that.
Before he could prep himself for another blow, someone ran into the opposite side of the warehouse screaming curses that would make a sailor proud.
“Cops! They’re everywhere outside!”
For a split second Tanner felt hope. They were going to make it.
The hope died a moment later at the simple instructions the leader of the syndicate gave his men.
“Kill them all.”
It echoed over and over in Tanner’s head.
Kill them all.
Kill them all.
At the first blast of gunfire and thump of a body, Tanner used all his strength in one last Hail Mary attempt to dive from the stool. He could barely believe it when the rope gave way, snapping from the ceiling rather than ending his life. He crashed to the floor and—ignoring that agony lighting through his entire body—forced himself onto his feet.
And turned just in time to see one of the syndicate members point his Glock at twenty-one-year-old Nate Fletcher’s forehead where he was strapped to a chair.
Tanner dived for them.
* * *
EIGHT HOURS LATER the nightmare still felt slick and slimy on Tanner Dempsey’s skin. The flying motion had woken him up. It was what had woken him up, often violently, hundreds of nights since what happened in that warehouse three years ago.
Tanner was never in time to save Nate in his dream, just like he hadn’t been in time to save him in real life. He’d watched as the life of a promising law enforcement officer—and human being—had been snuffed out.
Tanner had been too late to save Alex, the other undercover officer, too. He’d died with the first bullet when Tanner had still been strung up.
The place had been swarming with cops not a minute later. Almost everyone in the Viper Syndicate, a human-and weapons-trafficking cartel, had been caught or killed that day, too.
But not in time to save Nate or Alex.
Tanner scrubbed a hand over his face. He was sitting in a Denver courthouse, having finished giving his testimony in a drunk-driving case. Normally, he would’ve already left after providing his info, but he was staying to catch the prosecuting attorney during the court recess for lunch.
Ryan Fletcher, Nate’s brother.
Maybe knowing he would be seeing Ryan today was what brought the nightmare back last night. Although, after three years’ worth of required visits with the department psychiatrist, Tanner knew there didn’t necessarily have to be a reason for his subconscious mind to start dwelling on what had happened that day. Sometimes his mind just went there of its own accord. Some PTSD triggers were visible, but many more were hidden.
He and Ryan had become not quite friends, but more than just professional colleagues over the last year since Ryan had moved to Colorado and become one of the district attorneys. When Tanner was in Denver, or Ryan was in Grand County to see the sheriff, they sometimes got together to spar at the gym. Ryan might be a lawyer, but he kept himself in good shape.
And Tanner had worked damn hard to come back from what had happened at that warehouse. Tried to use his wounds—both physical and mental—to make him a better police officer. He demanded it of himself. As captain of the southeast department of the Grand County Sheriff’s Office—which included his hometown of Risk Peak—he would do whatever it took to keep the people in his care safe.
A half smile popped up on his face before he could stop it. Risk Peak now included Bree Daniels, the woman who’d been causing smiles to pop up on his face unbidden for months.
She’d run out of money, and hope, in Risk Peak three months ago while being chased by a terrorist organization. Normally, Tanner wasn’t thankful for bad guys, but the fact that these had led the socially awkward yet breathtakingly beautiful Bree to his front door was enough for him to make an exception.
“We haven’t won the case yet.” Ryan walked up to him and slapped him on the shoulder. “You might want to save grinning like an idiot for when we do.”
Tanner reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Think there’s going to be any problem getting a conviction?”
“That would be a definite no. Guy was on a suspended license and ran from the police. Plus, I’ve got Dr. Michalski providing his professional evaluation of the defendant this afternoon.”
Tanner nodded. “Dr. Michalski is good.” Tanner should know—he’d been seeing the man for three years. Tanner wasn’t a huge fan of his sessions—sometimes it felt like he had a million other things to do than just sit around and talk about the past, but he couldn’t deny that Dr. Michalski was a good psychiatrist.
“Yeah, he’s definitely better on the stand than the last department psychiatrist I worked with in Seattle. Jury responds much better to him.” Ryan grinned. “Of course, he’s never going to be as good as putting you on the stand. Anytime I know you’ll be testifying, I try to get as many women in the jury as possible.”
Tanner rolled his eyes. He’d been teased about his looks before, by both the district attorneys and his colleagues in the sheriff’s department. But as far as he was concerned, there was only one person whose opinion of his looks mattered. And it definitely wasn’t anybody in a jury.
“Anything I can do to help get bad guys off the street.”
“Speaking of.” Ryan’s easy smile slid from his face. “You heard that Owen Duquette got released on parole last week?”
Tanner swallowed a curse and nodded. “I made my objections known to the parole board. Strongly. Both in written form and in person at the parole hearing.”
“It just feels like a slap in the face, you know? Duquette might not have been in the warehouse that day, but he knew what was going on. He was complicit in Nate’s death. I’m sure of it.” Ryan’s fist tightened around his briefcase handle.
But they both knew that knowing something and proving it in court were two entirely different things. Duquette’s ties to the Viper Syndicate had been tentative at best, legally. The district attorney at the time had only been able to charge Duquette with relatively minor trafficking charges, not murder.
But still, to get out after only three years? Tanner was angry. He couldn’t even imagine how Ryan felt, knowing someone they both highly suspected was connected to his brother’s murder was now back out on the streets.
“I’ll make it my business to keep an eye on him,” Tanner said. “And not just while I’m in uniform. The second he steps out of line, I’ll make sure he goes down.”
Ryan nodded. “Thanks. It’s just...you know. Nate would’ve been twenty-five this month.”
Tanner had to look away. If he had just snapped that rope a few seconds earlier, maybe Nate would’ve been here.
But that was Tanner’s burden to bear. “Duquette will get what’s coming to him. Don’t doubt it.”
A career criminal like Duquette wouldn’t stay on the straight and narrow very long. Tanner would use whatever resources he had to know the moment Duquette stepped in the wrong direction.
Ryan nodded, then looked over Tanner’s shoulder. “Oh, hi, Dr. Michalski. Got a moment to go over a couple of last-minute details?”
“Sure, Ryan.” Dr. Michalski stepped up beside Tanner and offered his hand to shake. “Tanner, good to see you. It’s been a while.”
Translation: You missed your last required appointment.
Response: Sorry, it just happened to be scheduled when I was off saving the country from a terrorist group about to illegally access cell-phone data all over the world.
Neither man actually said it.
“Doc. Good to see you, too.”
“Everything okay? No anger...problems?”
The good doctor had obviously heard Tanner’s discussion about Duquette.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little frustrated when my job gets harder because of criminals getting released early.”
“Maybe we can talk about that sometime.”
Tanner resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll let you guys get to your discussion.”
Ryan smiled. “Tanner, thanks again for your work on the stand. Stellar, as always. Next time bring a cowboy hat in case we need an extra push with the lady jurors.”
Tanner shook hands with both men before saying his goodbyes.
Because there was someone else he knew for a fact found him attractive in a cowboy hat. Someone who barely came up to his chin and had waves of thick brown hair running down her back. Someone to whom it never occurred to wear makeup, but it didn’t matter because her natural beauty could give a cover model a run for their money any day of the week.
One look into her green eyes would have him forgetting about psychiatrists, witness stands and even the ghostly itch of a noose stretched around his neck.
Chapter Two
He watched Tanner Dempsey leave the courthouse just like he’d watched him all day. He’d silently observed, no one discovering what he was really doing. What he was really planning.
Had Dempsey realized he was watching? Of course not. Because Tanner Dempsey was so full of himself he couldn’t possibly conceive that someone might watch him with contempt or scorn or disdain.
The handsome cop with the charming smile couldn’t possibly devise that someone didn’t fall under the spell of his charisma.
The man felt bile churning in his stomach as he saw how friendly other people were with Dempsey. It was impossible to understand how everyone surrounding the cop in the courthouse wasn’t sickened by his arrogance. How he obviously thought himself better than everyone.
And then people shook his hand, smiling and friendly. Fooled. They couldn’t see the truth right in front of them—that Dempsey was fooling them all.
It had taken every ounce of restraint the man had to not stand up in the courtroom and scream out that Dempsey was a fraud.
Dempsey thought the rules did not apply to him. Thought he could just do whatever he wanted. That everyone he arrested and testified against was no better than a bug beneath his shoe.
But soon they would all learn the truth about Tanner Dempsey’s conceit. He would get what was coming to him.
It was time for the lawman to fall from grace. And the man would make sure that happened.
Chapter Three
“Order up, Bree!”
Bree Daniels smiled at Gayle Little sitting at the table in front of her. “So then what did Mr. Little do?”
Mrs. Little frowned. “Dan just yelled for you. Don’t you need to go get the food?”
Bree smiled gently at the older woman. Mrs. Little came in a few times a week since her husband of sixty years had passed away recently. Bree knew Dan would much rather Bree stay out here and talk to Mrs. Little—to listen to her tell a story Bree had already heard—than to rush back and get the food.
“Don’t you worry about Dan. He’ll take the food out himself if I don’t get back there in time.”
There would’ve been a point not long ago that Bree wouldn’t have realized that staying and talking to Mrs. Little was more important than getting the food from the kitchen. She wouldn’t have realized there wasn’t a single customer in the Sunrise Diner who wouldn’t gladly eat a lukewarm meal if it meant seeing Mrs. Little—a woman most of them had known all their lives—forget her sadness for a spell.
It had only been over the last few weeks of living here in Risk Peak that Bree had begun to understand the nuances of interacting with people. It wasn’t something that came easily for her.
She was probably the only genius-level hacker in the world working at a mom-and-pop diner in the middle of nowhere, without a computer in sight. Most people would say it was a waste of her talent, but Bree didn’t care. If she never saw another computer, that would be just fine with her.
Computers, and her talent with them, had gotten her tortured as a child, gotten her mother killed and had nearly cost her her life a few months ago. So working as a waitress was just fine with her.
“And then he surprised me by getting down on one knee right then and there and asking me to marry him. On our third date,” Mrs. Little said, a dreamy look in her eyes.
Bree’s smile was genuine, feeling no urge to tell the older woman she’d heard the story before. It was so sweet and romantic.
At least she no longer sat tensely through every conversation worried that however she responded would be wrong or inappropriate.
While Bree didn’t miss working with computers, she had to admit she found them much more simple than people. Coding held no subtext—it was straightforward, inputs and outputs, and for Bree as basic and simple as breathing.
Relationships and people, on the other hand? They were the opposite: full of unspoken rules and expectations and subtext.
Simple things other people took for granted, like talking and joking and, heaven forbid, flirting, were causes of darn near panic attacks in Bree. Part of it was from growing up without any friends and a mother terrified they’d be taken back into captivity at any moment. The other part of it was just how Bree’s brain worked.
Like a computer.
Mrs. Little patted Bree’s hand as she finished her story, and Bree turned back toward the kitchen. Sure enough, someone had already taken the food out to the table where it belonged.
For just a moment she tensed, second-guessing herself and whether she’d made the wrong decision by talking to Mrs. Little rather than concentrating on the job she was being paid to do. But both Dan and Cheryl smiled at her when she turned back toward the kitchen, so Bree decided not to worry about it.
She had bigger things to worry about. Tanner was on his way to come get her. Said he had a surprise for her this evening.
Bree did not do well with surprises.
She knew he’d been in Denver today providing testimony in court. The fact that she couldn’t call him and ask him for more details about this evening had just ratcheted up her anxiety.
What did it mean when a man said he had a surprise, but that it wasn’t a date and that she should definitely not get dressed up?
What did that mean?
“You okay, honey?” Cheryl came and stood beside her and rubbed her arm.
Not too long ago that sort of casual touch would’ve been completely foreign to Bree. Living a lifetime without anyone touching her had made all touches feel odd.
Judy, the other full-time waitress, came and flanked Bree on the other side, knocking Bree’s hip with her own.
“You’ve been staring at that pitcher of tea for a full minute. You thinking about asking it out on a date? Tanner would probably be jealous.”
The sound of his name just made her abdomen muscles tighten more.
“I’m scared,” she finally whispered.
Saying it, talking personally about herself, was still so difficult. But these women were her friends.
Friends. Still such a foreign concept.
Both women immediately pulled in closer. Cheryl wrapped her arm around Bree’s waist. “Scared of what, honey? Do you feel like someone is watching you again? Do you think it’s the Organization?”
“They’re gone,” Judy assured her. “They may not be in prison yet, but none of them are free. Especially not Michael Jeter. He’s not going to get anywhere near you.”
Bree shuddered at the name of the man who’d kept her and her mother captive and hurt them both to force Bree to use her computer talents to further his agenda. Her mother had never fully recovered from his torture. But they were right—Jeter was currently awaiting trial and couldn’t hurt her anymore.
“No, not Jeter,” she whispered. “Tanner.”
“You’re afraid of Tanner?” Judy asked.
This was why Bree didn’t like talking. She always messed it up. She could feel herself withdrawing, falling back into old, bad patterns of retreat that were more familiar.
But Cheryl got right up in Bree’s face. “Hey. Talk to us.”
Bree looked in the older woman’s eyes. There was no judgment there, just acceptance and kindness.
“Order up,” Dan yelled from the kitchen window a few feet away.
“In a minute!” both Cheryl and Judy responded in sync. Dan sighed.
“Why would you be scared of Tanner? Did something happen?” Judy asked.
Spitting it out was probably the best option. “He’s coming to get me in an hour. Said he had a surprise and not to get dressed up.”
“A surprise isn’t bad, Bree.” Cheryl rubbed her arm again. “Granted, that boy should know better than to think you’re going to like surprises, but it’s definitely not something to be afraid about.”
“But he told me not to get dressed up! That means he doesn’t want me to go to any trouble with my hair and makeup if he’s just going to tell me it’s over.”
The other two women met each other’s eyes.
“Or...” Judy drew the word out. “He has something else planned and he doesn’t want you to worry about a dress or fancy shoes.”
Bree’s forehead wrinkled as she considered that. “Like what?”
“I’ve got another order up, gals,” Dan said from the window again.
“In a minute!” Now Bree joined the battle cry. She looked to her friends with a little more hope.
“Maybe a hike,” Judy said. “I know it’s colder out, but you both like to hike.”
Cheryl took the pitcher of tea from Bree’s hands and set it down on the counter. “Maybe stargazing. That’s romantic. He wouldn’t want you to get dressed up for that.”
Judy gave a one-shouldered shrug. “A motorcycle ride. I know he doesn’t have one, but maybe he borrowed one.”
“The point is, the words surprise and casual are not bad. Tanner Dempsey is nothing if not straightforward. That man is never going to blindside you.” Cheryl kissed her on the cheek, and then both women smiled and headed toward the kitchen to keep Dan from having a fit with undelivered food.
Bree turned and made her way back over to Mrs. Little, pouring her some more tea.
She wasn’t convinced surprises weren’t bad. She’d had a lot of years where the unknown meant dangerous or painful.
But one thing they said was definitely true: Tanner wouldn’t blindside her.
He’d spent the last month helping her with damn near everything. Helping her move back into the Andrewses’ small apartment on the outskirts of town. Helping her learn how to interact with others. Helping her figure out how to navigate her life now that she wasn’t on the run anymore.
And most important, helping her deal with the crippling loss of the twins she no longer had to care for. She knew Christian and Beth were back where they belonged, in their mother’s—Bree’s cousin Melissa’s—care. But after nearly three months of being their sole caretaker, losing them so suddenly had left a huge gap in Bree’s life.
Tanner had distracted her with dates and horseback rides at his ranch and kisses that curled her toes.
So Judy and Cheryl were right. Bree wasn’t exactly sure where her relationship with him was going, but if he had something bad to say, he wouldn’t beat around the bush.
The door to the diner chimed as it opened, and as if her thoughts had conjured him, Tanner was there—all long legs and big, broad shoulders that almost filled the door before he made his way inside. Her gaze continued up to his face, his thick dark hair cut short. That square jaw covered in what seemed to be an almost perpetual five o’clock shadow.
Those brown eyes.
Bree couldn’t stop staring. Even knowing she was standing there holding a pitcher of tea in the middle of a restaurant and just staring, she still couldn’t stop.
But at least he was staring at her, too.
He closed the distance between them, stopping when he was a few feet from her. “I know I’m early. I just had to see you. Today has been...”
She took a step closer. “Are you okay? Did anything happen?”
Every single part of her body seemed to clench as he reached out and trailed his thumb down her cheek. “It’s all fine now.”
She couldn’t look away from those brown eyes. It wasn’t so long ago that she found it hard to look him in the eyes, but more often than not now she found it impossible to look away. “Fine. I mean, good. I’m glad it’s fine.”
He took her awkwardness in stride as always. “I’ll just sit out here until you’re finished and chat with Dan and folk, if that’s okay.”
Sure. The word formed in her brain, but she couldn’t seem to get it out of her mouth as his thumb trailed down her cheek again. She nodded abruptly then turned away, almost running back toward the kitchen.
Judy and Cheryl were both grinning like idiots.
“Yeah, I’m definitely going to go with ‘not a bad surprise’ for my final answer,” Judy said.
Cheryl turned Bree around so Bree’s back was to her.
“What are you doing?” Bree said as she felt the knot of her apron loosen.
“Dan’s basically been running the whole restaurant by himself for the last half hour anyway. We don’t need you here.” Cheryl pushed her gently between the shoulder blades back toward the front of the restaurant. “You’ve got a gorgeous man out there who couldn’t bear to wait one more hour to see you. Go get changed out of your work clothes. Whatever his surprise is, you want it.”
Chapter Four
It didn’t take Bree long to figure out where they were going, and the last of her tension eased away. He was taking her to her favorite place on the planet: the ranch Tanner shared with his brother, Noah, about thirty minutes outside Risk Peak.
She’d stayed here when she’d been on the run, and it was impossible not to fall in love with this place. Horses and quiet and mountains. No people ever around except for Noah, who rarely made his presence known at all.
She and Tanner usually came here on the weekends. He’d taught her how to ride and care for the horses. But they’d never come in the evening.
Her heart clenched a little as he led her around the house. Of all her memories of the twins, waking up and seeing them both outside in Tanner’s big, capable arms as he walked and showed them the horses was forever ingrained in her psyche.
“Hey, what’s that sad look for?”
She gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Just... Beth and Christian. I miss them.”
“Have you Skyped this week?” He took her hand, his long fingers stretching securely over hers.
She nodded. “Of course. Melissa and Chris know if they don’t call me as scheduled, I’ll never let them hear the end of it. But it’s just not the same.” She couldn’t help her little sigh. “They’re happy and safe and together as a family, and I want that for them.”
“But you miss them.”
“Crazy, right? They were never mine to begin with.” She’d tried to warn herself of that, but those babies had stolen her heart.
“Not crazy at all. But maybe my surprise will help make it better.” He led her over to his barn.
“Did you guys get a new horse?” Now, that would be a wonderful surprise. Bree loved interacting with all the animals here, since she’d never had any sort of pet growing up.
“Better.” He took her hand and pulled her toward a stall in the far corner.
She rounded the doorway so she could see and couldn’t stop her near squeal of pleasure. “Corfu had her puppies!”
“And one is yours, if you want it.”
“Really?” It was all she could do not to jump up and down and clap her hands. She knew she was acting like an idiot but couldn’t help it.
A puppy.
It wouldn’t be the same as having the twins, but it would be a puppy. And it would be hers.
Tanner took her hand and led her closer to Corfu—a mixed-breed dog who’d just shown up on the ranch a year ago. “They’re nearly a week old already, since Noah didn’t see fit to mention the fact that Corfu had given birth to me until yesterday.”
The four pups were lying snuggled next to Corfu, who lifted her head and sniffed at Bree as Bree crouched beside her.
“Is it okay to pet her?”
Tanner crouched down, too. “Sure. She knows you’re her friend.”
Bree scratched the dog’s head gently, smiling as she leaned into Bree’s fingers.
“They’re so little!” She touched one gently. “Which one is mine?”
“There are three boys and one girl. You’ll have to decide.”
“Boy,” she said instantly. “I want that one. I’ll name him Star.” She pointed to the one in the middle—black, with a large white spot on its head.
Tanner laughed softly and scooped the puppy up. “I’m afraid you’ll have to make a tough decision.”
“Is he already spoken for?” It was ridiculous to be disappointed. Any puppy would be great.
“No, you just can’t have a boy pup and this one. Star is a girl.” He held the pup out to her.
“A girl,” Bree breathed then smiled, taking the tiny pup in her arms. “Of course you’re a girl. You’re a beautiful, sweet girl, and we’ll be best friends.”
They played with the pups a few more minutes before Tanner said they should let Corfu and the babies rest.
“I can’t take her with me tonight?” The thought of having the pup around in her apartment that always seemed too quiet was so appealing.
Tanner slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they walked out of the barn and toward his house. “It’ll be another five weeks before she’s weaned. No sleepovers until then.”
Five weeks wasn’t that long. Hell, before a couple of months ago, she’d spent years without talking to anyone or having any human contact. Surely she could survive a little over a month without a dog.
He spun her around to face him as they got to his house. “It’s been harder than you’ve let on, hasn’t it? Being by yourself.”
She shrugged. She didn’t want to be a whiner. “I was by myself for a lot of years, even before my mother died. Seems silly to complain about it now when I’m finally not alone.”
He took a step closer, his hands dropping to her waist. “I know I’m not as cute as those twins, but you really aren’t alone. I’m always here if you need me.” His forehead dropped against hers. “Okay?”
She couldn’t worry about anything when Tanner was this close. All she could do was breathe in the scent of him, woodsy and fresh and undeniably male.
She rose up onto her toes when his lips moved toward hers. Her mind might work like a computer, but her body was all woman when she was around him. She shivered as his thumb brushed over her jaw, then felt like she was melting out of her own skin as he kissed the side of her mouth before running his tongue over her lower lip.
He kissed her gently like that until she couldn’t stand it anymore and she threaded her hands into his hair at his nape and pulled him hard against her. She gasped as the pleasure radiated through her, heard him groan and knew he was feeling the same. They both surrendered to the heat between them, lost in sensation.
When they finally broke away, both of them were breathing hard. His forehead fell against hers again. “I think I better get you home.”
She wanted to ask him to stay with her tonight. To take that next step their kisses had been moving them toward for the last few weeks. Every time they were pressed up together, it was abundantly clear he wanted her. If she gave him the go-ahead, would he make that next move? Would he finally give her whatever it was her body needed to ease the restlessness and heat that seemed to thrum through her every time he was around?
If he were just waiting on her, she’d tell him she was ready right now, this very moment. She might not have experienced sex before, but she wasn’t afraid. Not with Tanner. He wouldn’t hurt her. She knew that more than anything else.
But it was more than just her own natural hesitation. Something was holding him back, too. Something she was too bad at interpreting interpersonal cues to figure out. He never made her think it had anything to do with her. But still...
She was missing a lot of the emotional components other women—normal women—weren’t. Women who hadn’t been born with a brain that worked like a computer and sentiment that sometimes didn’t seem to work at all. Women who hadn’t had to shut down emotionally because they’d been tortured. Women who hadn’t been on the run for half their life with no interaction with other people.
All those things left some pretty large gaps in Bree’s emotional development. Maybe subconsciously Tanner was realizing Bree wouldn’t be able to provide all he would need, and he wanted to keep from taking that last physical step that would make it harder for them to break apart if they needed to.
Why else would he be stopping, when his body still pressed up against hers made it clear he wanted her? At least physically.
“Let’s get you home,” he whispered.
The ride back to Risk Peak was mostly in silence, but not uncomfortable. Tanner’s hand never left hers, bringing her fingers up to his lips to kiss every so often.
It just made Bree more confused. The urge to blurt out all her questions was overwhelming, and a few months ago she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself. But she forced herself to remain quiet rather than demand answers for things that didn’t make sense to her.
The fact that there were more kisses after he parked at her apartment on the outskirts of town, and the fact that her body was fairly humming by the time they pulled away from each other, didn’t help with her confusion.
He took the key she offered and unlocked the door, checking her apartment for any threats before letting her inside. He always did that, even though there hadn’t been any sign of trouble since they’d disbanded the Organization almost two months ago. But she didn’t mind him doing it. The fact that he put himself between her and any potential danger made her feel cherished.
He kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Stay.
She screamed at herself to say it. To just tell him outright that she was ready. That she wanted him. Wanted this.
But before she got up the nerve, with one more kiss to her forehead, Tanner was gone.
She sighed and called herself every type of idiot for not voicing her desires. How was it she couldn’t seem to get herself to shut up when she was blurting out something inappropriate for a situation, and now couldn’t seem to force herself to speak up when there was something legitimately good she wanted?
She eventually got ready for bed, but once she was there, she couldn’t sleep. After thirty minutes she gave up even trying. She couldn’t do anything about Tanner, but she could research puppies.
Maybe that would take her mind off everything else.
She went over to her desk, running her fingers across her laptop. Even opening it caused her to tense, but researching something as innocent and fun as this didn’t need to bring back any of the bad memories.
Once she got started, habit took over, and all discomfort from using a computer was left behind. Within an hour she had read multiple articles on canine physical, mental and emotional development. Then she researched and made a list of everything she would need to buy the next time she was in Denver. It was probably a good thing she had five weeks before Star could come home; there were a lot of things a puppy needed. She wouldn’t be caught off guard this time, like she had been when the twins had been thrust into her care.
She was still wide awake when she got to the recommended square footage of outdoor space a dog that size would require. She had a small plot of backyard, which would need a fence. She would have to talk to Dan and Cheryl about that. But more important, would it even be big enough to meet the recommended size? Would she still be allowed to get the dog if it wasn’t?
Knowing her brain would never let her sleep until she knew the exact square footage in her backyard, Bree slipped on a pair of sweatpants with her sleep shirt and some shoes. Grabbing a tape measure and her phone so she could type in the measurements, she headed outside.
She was glad she didn’t have any neighbors around to see her out measuring her yard in the middle of the night. Using the tape measure, she began marking off quadrants, typing them into her phone as she went. She was at the farthest point from the apartment when she took a step backward and tripped over something.
Cursing, she slid back, turning on the flashlight on her phone so she could see what had tripped her. She didn’t remember there being any logs or large rocks in her yard. Although they weren’t necessarily bad—a dog might like them.
But when she shone the light, she realized it wasn’t a log at all. She’d tripped over a person. She couldn’t see the face of the person passed out facedown, but it looked like a man by the size of him.
“Hey, are you okay?” she said. She poked his shoulder when he didn’t respond. “Excuse me. Wake up.”
When he didn’t move at all, fear began to crawl along her belly. She reached over to take the guy’s pulse.
His skin was cold to the touch, and there was definitely no pulse to be found.
She hadn’t just tripped over a person. She’d tripped over a body.
Chapter Five
Tanner groped for the phone, his mind becoming instantly alert as it rang on his bedside table. After ten years in law enforcement, he’d gotten used to having it go off at any and all hours of the day or night.
But when he saw it was Bree, his heart began to gallop. She wouldn’t call at four o’clock in the morning without reason.
“Bree, what’s wrong?”
Her breath sawing in and out didn’t ease his fear in any way. He was already getting out of bed and putting on his clothes. “Bree? Talk to me, freckles.”
“Tanner? There’s a...body.”
He cursed as he zipped and buttoned his jeans. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m not hurt.”
He pulled on a shirt and began buttoning it. “But someone was inside your apartment?”
“No, I found the body outside.”
He had no idea why she would’ve found a body outside in the middle of the night. Maybe someone was drunk and passed out on her lawn. Maybe it wasn’t a body at all.
“Are you inside? Safe?”
“Y-yes.” The barely whispered word didn’t reassure him.
“Just stay where you are, okay? Don’t move. I’m at my place in town. I’ll be to you in less than five minutes.”
He hated to hang up but had to so he could call the station and get Ronnie Kitchens, the deputy on duty tonight, out to the scene. Tanner would meet them there. He was pulling up to Bree’s place by the time he got off the phone with Ronnie.
Weapon drawn, he approached her front door, keeping an eye out all around him.
He knocked. “Bree, open up, sweetheart. It’s me.” He kept his eyes pinned out in the darkness, looking for any sign of movement.
The door creaked open just slightly. “Tanner?”
He hated to hear the fear in her voice, so much more noticeable because it had been conspicuously absent for the last month. “Yeah, freckles. Let me in, okay?”
The door opened wider, and he stepped inside, holstering his weapon and pulling her against him in a one-armed hug. “Are you all right?” He looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place or destroyed.
“Yes, i-it’s out back. Outside. I tripped over it.” A shudder racked her small frame.
“I want you to stay here. Ronnie will be here in just a minute, and we’re going to check it out.” He led her to the kitchen table and helped her sit in a chair. “Why were you outside in the middle of the night?”
“I was measuring the yard to see if it was regulation size for a dog.”
Even with the gravity of the situation, Tanner almost smiled. Measuring a yard in the middle of the night for her new puppy? That totally made sense in a Bree world.
“Sweetheart, not that I doubt you, but are you sure it was a body?”
“Yes. I tried to get him to move before I called you. In case it was someone who’d fallen asleep or something.”
That didn’t sound good.
“Okay.” He rubbed his hand soothingly over her hair. “Stay here. I’m going to check it out.”
The lights from Ronnie’s squad car were reflecting in the windows, so Tanner went outside to meet him.
“We definitely have a body?” Ronnie asked as he exited his car, a little slower than he’d once been after narrowly escaping a body bag himself a few weeks ago.
“Bree says it’s out back. I haven’t confirmed. Said she tripped over it when she was measuring the yard for her new dog.”
Ronnie stopped and stared at him. “Do I even want to ask why she would be doing that in the middle of the night?”
Tanner shrugged. “It’s Bree. Once she gets her brain set on something, there’s no way around it.”
The whole town was getting used to that response. Ronnie was no exception. “Let’s go check it out.”
They grabbed high-powered flashlights from the squad car and moved quickly to the back of the house, firearms once again drawn. Bree’s patch of land wasn’t that large, and it didn’t take them long to realize Bree hadn’t been mistaken.
There was very definitely a dead body.
Ronnie muttered a curse and kept him covered with his weapon as Tanner rushed over. As soon as he touched the cold skin of the male body lying on his stomach, Tanner knew there was no way the guy was alive. But he checked the pulse anyway.
Dead.
“We need to get the crime lab out here. Definitely dead—for a while, it feels like.” Tanner stood, backing away from the body to try to keep the scene as pristine as possible.
“Natural causes?” Ronnie asked.
Tanner shone his light on the back of the guy’s shirt. It was covered with blood. “Nope. Nothing natural about this.”
* * *
TANNER STAYED OUTSIDE as forensics made their way onto the scene and began processing, using the floodlights they brought. It didn’t take long to realize the guy not only hadn’t died of natural causes, he’d been murdered. The multiple stab wounds covering his back were testament to that.
Tanner kept Bree inside the house. She was curious, but coming face-to-face with this sort of violence under the glaring lights wasn’t something he’d suggest for anyone. Not to mention it was now an active crime scene that shouldn’t be contaminated.
It wasn’t long before he was having to give that excuse to more than just Bree. The lights had woken folks up, and before long there were curious bystanders from all over town stopping by. It wasn’t every day someone was murdered in Risk Peak.
Ronnie was doing his best to shoo them along, thankfully having set up the crime scene tape far enough back to keep this from becoming an online media sensation.
“Captain Dempsey.” Owen, one of the crime lab techs, jogged over to him. “We’ve done all our preliminary processing and are ready to turn the body over.”
Time to find out if they had a dead local on their hands. Tanner prayed he wouldn’t be making a dreaded trip to the house of someone he knew to tell them a loved one had been killed.
He and Ronnie both joined the two techs as they reached down and rolled over the body. Ronnie let out a relieved breath. “That’s nobody from Risk Peak, right? Thank God.”
Relief flooded Tanner, too. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I don’t recognize—”
Tanner stopped. Because he did recognize the dead man, although it wasn’t someone from here. He let out a blistering curse.
“What?” Ronnie asked. “Is it someone we know?”
Tanner crouched down beside the body. “Someone I know. Joshua Newkirk. He was arrested four years ago, and then he got out on early release six months ago. He’s from farther north in Grand County. Raped a woman there. I was part of the team who arrested him.”
And now, four years later, he was out and might have been on his way to attack Bree. The MO was similar. Newkirk had broken into the other woman’s house while she was alone.
Tanner stood back up. “Damn it, I told the parole board he should be kept in prison. That the risk of repeat offense was too high.”
Just like he’d said about Owen Duquette earlier today. Different parole board, same situation. It was hard to keep the community safe if they were going to continue letting offenders back onto the streets so soon.
Ronnie stepped back so the crime lab could continue their job. “Well, he won’t be attacking any more women now, that’s for sure.”
Tanner shook his head. “I can’t even pretend I’m going to lose sleep over Newkirk’s death.” Damn well not, since they’d found the man on Bree’s lawn.
“That didn’t give someone the right to kill him.” Ronnie shook his head.
Tanner scrubbed a hand over his face. “No, of course not. We’ll bring that person to justice. But damn it, Ronnie, the guy was twenty feet from Bree’s door.”
Owen the crime tech looked up. “I don’t think this guy was planning to attack the lady who lives here.”
Tanner focused in on Owen. “Why?”
“I don’t know if this is going to make it better or worse, but this guy wasn’t killed here. There would’ve been a crap ton of blood.”
Ronnie raised an eyebrow. “Crap ton? That a clinical term?”
“I’m just saying that if this guy was stabbed here, there would be blood pooling around him.”
Tanner looked around. He didn’t see any blood, either. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“One option is that guy could’ve been stabbed closer to town and just made it this far before giving up the ghost, pardon the pun. We’ll look for blood traces and see if we can follow it anywhere. Might get lucky and lead us to the actual murder scene.”
“That would be highly useful. But there’s another option?” Tanner asked.
Owen’s brows furrowed. “Well, the body could’ve been placed here. Unless we find some sort of blood trace leading from somewhere, then I would assume that the body was dumped here by the killer.”
Damn it, that was almost as bad as thinking a rapist had been on his way to Bree’s house. “Why would someone dump a body here?” Tanner barked. “Specifically at this apartment?”
Owen shrugged. “That I can’t tell you. Maybe because it’s pretty far at the edge of town and this just happened to be a convenient place, but...” He trailed off.
He wasn’t going to like what Owen was going to say, but the younger man still needed to say it. “You can tell me, Owen. I’m not going to kill the messenger.”
“You only dump a body in someone’s yard if you want it to be found. Otherwise, there’s ten thousand acres of national forests all around us. Why not drag it in there and leave it? Could be years before anyone found him.”
“So it was some sort of message to her?” Ronnie asked. “Does she have any connection to Joshua Newkirk?”
Tanner shook his head. “I’ve got no reason to think so, but I’ll ask.”
“For what it’s worth—” Owen crouched down next to the body again “—it’s a lot more likely that this has nothing to do with her. Somebody could’ve killed Newkirk and just decided to dump the body here before going any farther. Like I said, her apartment is on the edge of town, so dumping it here, in the dark, makes sense. I’ll know more in a few hours.”
Tanner and Ronnie stepped back farther so he could go to work. Ronnie slapped Tanner on the shoulder. “We’ll get answers.”
Tanner nodded. “I’ll ask Bree if she knew Newkirk.”
He turned back toward the house and found Bree standing in her back door, fully dressed but still with a blanket wrapped around her as if to ward off a chill. And who could blame her? There was a dead rapist a couple dozen feet from her house.
Tanner walked up to Bree. God, he hated that pinched look that was back on her features. It had been there so much when he’d first met her but had been gone for a while.
He wanted it gone again.
“Was it someone from around here? Someone we know?” she asked.
Tanner wrapped his arms around her. “No, freckles. Not anyone from around here.” He could feel some of the tension leak out of her. “Do you know someone named Joshua Newkirk?”
She pulled back so she could look him in the eye. “No. Should I?”
He believed her. She had no reason to lie about it, and he didn’t think Bree was very good at lying anyway.
“That’s the dead guy’s name. I was able to ID him pretty quickly because I arrested him a few years ago. Evidently, he’s made a few enemies since getting out of prison six months ago.”
And while Tanner was grateful a rapist hadn’t been on his way up to Bree’s back door, he didn’t like how any of this was feeling to him.
He prayed Owen’s last statement would be correct, and that Bree’s yard had just been a convenience. That it was just a coincidence that the body had been placed here.
Tanner wasn’t prone to believing in coincidences. Anger and frustration pooled inside him. She’d been through enough. He’d brought her to Risk Peak to keep her safe, and now this. The worst could’ve happened, and he wouldn’t have been able to prevent it.
He felt her small hands close over his fists.
“I’m okay. Whatever’s going on in that head of yours didn’t happen. You’ll figure out what’s going on and put a stop to it. Give yourself time.”
The trust in her eyes gutted him. He stroked his knuckles down her cheek. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, to assure her of, but the phone rang in his pocket. He grabbed it and saw it was Sheriff Duggan, his boss.
Bree waved at him to get it and turned and walked toward her bedroom.
“Sheriff Duggan.”
“I hear there’s a body in Bree Daniels’s yard.”
Tanner wasn’t surprised word had already reached her. Grand County wasn’t big enough that a murder wouldn’t be a big deal. “Yes, there sure is. I’ll do you one better. The body is Joshua Newkirk.”
“The convicted rapist?” She let out a curse. “And he was killed in Miss Daniels’s backyard?”
Tanner filled in his boss on all the details, including the lack of blood on scene.
“Tanner, I need you to be straight with me,” the sheriff said after he’d finished. “It’s no secret you’re involved with Bree. Do I need to pull you off this case? I’m worried you can’t stay neutral.”
“The guy is dead. I’m not sure my neutrality makes any difference.”
“You still have a killer to find, and it’s no secret you weren’t a fan of Newkirk’s.”
Tanner swallowed a curse. “I hope nobody was a fan of Newkirk’s. Just because I’m not sad he’s dead doesn’t mean I won’t bring down his killer.”
Sheriff Duggan was quiet for a moment. One of the things Tanner appreciated the most about the woman he’d worked for for over ten years was that she thought things through before she spoke.
But when she did speak this time, it wasn’t something he wanted to hear.
“I’m going to send Richard Whitaker out there. And before you start arguing with me, because I know you will, this is not a punishment or because I don’t trust you. He’s fresh eyes, and he doesn’t have a history with either Bree or Newkirk.”
Tanner knew this was what was best, but it still rankled. Not to mention nobody got along well with Richard Whitaker. The guy was a grade-A jerk.
“You know I don’t like it, but I’m not going to fight you on it.”
“Good. Because someone has been murdered. And whether we liked the dead guy or not, our job is to find out who did it.”
Chapter Six
Richard Whitaker, Tanner’s counterpart in the northern part of Grand County, showed up an hour later. Tanner and Ronnie met him out front as he pulled up.
“Whitaker.” They both shook the man’s hand.
“Dempsey. Kitchens.” Richard nodded at them before tilting his head toward the crime scene in the back. “Sheriff said you finally had a little bit of excitement out here.”
Tanner caught Ronnie’s eyes roll in his peripheral. He couldn’t blame the man. Everybody tended to want to roll their eyes around Richard Whitaker. The guy had moved here from Dallas six or seven years ago because his wife was from this area and wanted to return. Ironically, when they’d divorced eighteen months back, Richard had been the one who’d stayed and his wife had been the one who moved away.
Whitaker was a good cop. He had gotten quite a bit of experience in his years with the Dallas PD—a fact he never let anyone forget. But his disdain for small-town life and police work was pretty evident. Sometimes it was hard to understand why he stayed.
“Yeah. Victim’s name is Joshua Newkirk. He was a convicted felon—a rapist.” They walked toward the crime scene. Owen and his colleague were now searching for any blood traces that might show where Newkirk came from if he stumbled here on his own.
“Based on body temps,” Ronnie continued, “looks like he’s been dead a little over six hours. Body was called in a little over two hours ago.”
“But Miss Daniels didn’t call 911. Is that correct?” Whitaker looked pointedly at Tanner.
Tanner crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, that’s right. She called me. She knows me. It’s not a huge stretch.”
“Maybe. But when I was on the Dallas force, a lot of times we would find the person who called in a crime had something to do with it. Seems like they thought it made them look more innocent.”
Tanner stiffened. “Well, you’re not in Dallas, and Bree didn’t have anything to do with this.”
Whitaker tilted his head to the side. “And that right there is the exact reason why the sheriff sent me out here. You’re not neutral, Dempsey.”
Tanner’s teeth ground together. He stopped walking. “Just because I’m not going off chasing wild rabbits doesn’t mean I’m not capable of finding out who did this to Newkirk.”
Ronnie stopped next to him. “I’m not involved with Bree, so, by your definition, I’m much more neutral, and I concur with Tanner. I don’t think she has the physical prowess to get the drop on someone Newkirk’s size. Plus, I definitely don’t think she’s stupid enough to drop a body in her own backyard. The woman has an IQ of 832.”
Whitaker looked like he was going to argue the point further, but finally he just nodded. “Fine. We won’t concentrate on Miss Daniels at the moment. But if evidence suggests she had a part in this, I can damn well promise you I’m going to bring her in. Just because Risk Peak is a small town and everyone knows everyone else doesn’t mean we’re going to ignore facts and proper procedure.”
Tanner could feel Ronnie rolling his eyes again. “Yeah, we get it,” Tanner said. “Facts and solid procedure are the same regardless of whether you’re in a big city or small town. But Bree didn’t do this.”
Whitaker gave another hard nod and walked the rest of the way to the body.
Tanner stayed behind and turned to Ronnie. “Can you finish up here with him? I’m going to take Bree out to the ranch so she can get some rest. I’ll be back in this afternoon.”
Ronnie slapped him on the shoulder. “Absolutely. I wish this hadn’t happened in her backyard. Literally. She’s been through enough.”
Tanner scrubbed a hand over his face. “I know.”
“Go take care of her.”
The one good thing about Whitaker being here was that it allowed Tanner to leave with complete peace of mind, ironically, because of the man’s big-city police force expertise. Whatever inexperience Ronnie may have working with a murder, Whitaker made up for. And the sheriff was right: two sets of eyes were always better than one.
But Whitaker was still a jerk.
Tanner walked through the back door of Bree’s apartment and found her sitting at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a mug. Exhaustion seemed to drip from her features. She looked more like she had when he first met her months ago—tired, haunted.
He hated it.
“Hey,” he whispered. “You doing okay?”
Those green eyes that had enthralled him from the very first time he’d seen her looked up at him now.
“I’m okay. Just tired.”
“Why don’t you pack a bag? You can’t stay here. I want to take you to the ranch.”
Those eyes lit up a little. “Really?”
“Is that okay?”
She nodded with more energy. “Let me get my stuff.”
A few minutes later, they were headed out to Tanner’s SUV. “I’ll just bring you in to work later. Is that okay? Then you can get your car. I know the drive will be a hassle, but I don’t want you staying in town on your own.”
“That’s fine.”
He opened the door for her, then went around and got in himself, starting the vehicle and pulling away.
He kept glancing over at her as he drove, waiting for some sort of outburst from her. But she actually looked a little happy.
“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she asked when they were about ten minutes outside town.
“Occupational hazard, I guess. Just want to make sure you’re all right. I wouldn’t blame you if you were upset. Hell, I convinced you to move to Risk Peak because it was supposed to be a safe place. And now this happens.”
She actually smiled at him. “I was most concerned the dead person was someone we knew. When you told me it wasn’t, that was a huge relief. Plus, now I get to stay at the ranch. I’ll get to see Star every day rather than having to wait five more weeks.”
He couldn’t help but smile back at her. That was Bree, wasn’t it? She never quite reacted the way people would expect someone to.
It was one of the many reasons he was falling in love with her.
But then the smile fell off her face. “That’s wrong, isn’t it? How I’m feeling. I should be upset that someone is dead.”
“Believe me, you not being hysterical is helpful in this situation.”
She turned to look out the window and was silent for a long while. “But it’s not normal. Once I found out it wasn’t anyone we knew, I didn’t really care that there was a dead body in my backyard. It was more stressful that there were so many people at the house than anything else. And it can’t be normal that I care more about getting to the ranch and seeing a dog.”
He grabbed her hands she was twisting in her lap. “Bree—”
She turned to him, face distraught. “I don’t have correct emotions, Tanner. I’m broken.”
He flipped on his hazard lights and pulled the SUV over to the side of the road, then turned to her, cupping her cheeks with both hands.
“I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. Your emotions are just fine. Just because you’re not hysterical doesn’t mean you’re broken. Never feel bad for how your brilliant mind fortifies you so you can survive.”
“But—”
“No buts.” He reached between them and kissed her briefly. “You survived what would’ve broken most people. And you’re amazing just the way you are.”
He wasn’t sure if she believed him, but he meant every word. He waited until she finally nodded before releasing her and pulling back on the road again.
It wasn’t long before they were arriving at the ranch. He grabbed her overnight bag, and they walked inside.
“We both need to get a few hours’ sleep,” he said. “I’ll take the couch and you can have the bed.”
She walked toward the bedroom but turned at the door. “Come with me. Just to sleep together like before.” Those big green eyes studied him as she reached her hand out toward him.
There was nothing he wanted more than to curl up with her in his bed. But with his anger and frustration so close to the surface, he couldn’t discount the fact that he might wake up swinging. The thought of Bree being the recipient of his night terrors made him break out into a cold sweat.
“Never mind,” she said quickly, misreading his hesitation, hand falling back to her side. “You don’t have to.”
Damn it, he’d rather never sleep again than see that wounded look in her eyes from something he’d done.
He stepped toward her. “I want to. Trust me, there’s nothing I want more. But...I just don’t want to take a chance on waking you up if I get called back in to Risk Peak early.” That was at least a partial truth.
The haunted look fell away from her eyes, and a shy smile broke on her face. “I don’t mind. I’ll take a shorter amount of sleep if it means I get to sleep next to you.”
He would have given her anything in the world to keep that sweet smile on her face. He took her hand, and they walked into the bedroom together.
They took turns changing into sleep clothes in the bathroom, then got into the bed together. The act was so innocent and yet so intimate.
Tanner rolled over onto his side and pulled Bree’s back against his front. He breathed in the sweet scent of her hair as her head rested in the crook of his elbow. His other arm wrapped loosely around her waist.
She was out within minutes, her smaller body relaxing against him, trusting him to shelter and protect her while she slept. Tanner wouldn’t betray that trust, even if that meant protecting her against himself.
Besides, sleeping was overrated when he could be awake and feel every curve that had been haunting his dreams for months pressed against him.
Definitely worth it.
Chapter Seven
“Coffee?”
The fact that Ronnie was already at Tanner’s desk with a cup of the steaming brew right under his nose before Tanner even realized he was in the room was testament to Tanner’s exhaustion.
It had been a hell of a week. He’d spent all day every day working the Newkirk murder case. Running into dead end after dead end.
And then night after night near Bree, loving being around her but trying not to let her get too close. It was a fine line he was walking with her. They needed to have a long conversation about his PTSD as soon as this case was done.
Because there was no way he was going to be able to keep his hands off her for much longer.
Tanner took the cup from Ronnie and nearly scalded himself as he swallowed a gulp. “I was looking over the suspect list again, hoping something might jump out at me this time.”
Ronnie grabbed the tennis ball that rested on Tanner’s desk and began bouncing it. Bounce the ball as they bounced around ideas. They’d been doing it for as long as they’d been working in this building together. “Maybe Whitaker will have some insight after talking to Newkirk’s family again.”
Tanner nodded. At least the other cop was out of their hair. He’d finally left yesterday after being in Risk Peak for three days.
The few details they had about the murder were set out in the case file on Tanner’s desk. Joshua Newkirk had been stabbed in the back six times. He’d definitely been wrapped and transported into Bree’s yard. The crime lab team had not found any traces of blood anywhere around the body. So there was no way he could’ve stumbled into her yard of his own accord.
Whitaker had not taken Tanner’s insistence that Bree was innocent at face value. Only after thoroughly investigating any possible ties between her and Newkirk and coming up empty had Whitaker deemed her cleared. He’d even brought her in for questioning, which Tanner chalked up to just wanting to piss him off.
He set down his coffee cup and held up his hand so Ronnie could toss him the ball. “Why Bree’s place? That’s the only thing about this that doesn’t sit right with me. Why dump the body in Bree’s yard?”
Ronnie nodded. “It’s not like there’s any shortage of people who might want to kill Newkirk. Guy has enemies all over the state. But nothing to do with her.”
Tanner bounced the ball back to him. “And he had no real ties to Risk Peak. I was part of the group who arrested him, but I was helping to work the case up north. I didn’t even have a major role in any of it.”
Ronnie flipped the ball back and forth between his hands. “Yeah, I don’t get it, either. I’m hoping Whitaker comes up with something after today.”
Tanner sighed. “As long as it doesn’t mean he has to come spend three more days here.”
“Maybe we could start a pool to guess how many times in a day Whitaker will say the words Dallas or big city.” Ronnie tossed the ball back to him.
He chuckled. “I’d be down for a piece of that action.”
“Is Bree doing okay? I can’t blame her for not wanting to move back into her apartment. Hell, Cindy would make us move to an entirely new place altogether if a body showed up in our yard.”
“Bree’s doing good. I don’t think she’ll have any problem moving back into her apartment. I just want to give her however much time she needs.” Tanner set the ball back on his desk.
He’d brought up the topic of moving back into Risk Peak very casually with her yesterday. He didn’t want her to feel like he was forcing her away from the ranch.
It would probably be best for her to move back to town. That way she wouldn’t have to drive so far to get to work every day, and he could get a good night’s sleep in his own bed without having to worry about hurting her.
But hell if he wanted that. He liked having her on the ranch. Definitely because he knew she was safe, but also because he liked having her around. For meals. For coffee in the morning out on the porch. For watching her play with that damned puppy.
But he couldn’t go on the way he’d been going. He was way past burning the candle at both ends—his life was more of a roaring bonfire at both ends. He wasn’t getting the sleep he needed, and knowing that Bree was wondering about the distance he kept between them ate at him.
Definitely time for a talk about what had happened to him on that undercover op three years ago. How it had affected and changed him. How PTSD might be something he had to live with for the rest of his life.
But it was something he hated to talk about. Just ask Dr. Michalski. He’d been trying to drag details out of Tanner for three years.
Tanner also didn’t want to talk about it with her since Bree had known such pain in her own young life. He didn’t want to add to her burden by asking her to help carry his trauma also.
But not talking wasn’t going to make it go away. Bree was part of his life now. The biggest and most important part. If he couldn’t get his PTSD under control, then it was something that he had to share with her so she understood what was going on.
But damn it, he wished he could be someone who just came to her with no baggage. She deserved that. Deserved someone who could help her carry her own.
“Until we hear from Whitaker, I’m just going to put the Newkirk case on the back burner.”
Tanner looked up at Ronnie. “Yeah. Nothing we can do.”
“Also, high on the fun scale...we’ve promised Mr. Dunwoody that we would stake out his auto shop over the next week and try to discover who’s vandalizing him. So I’m going to be out there for the graveyard shift tonight.”
Dunwoody’s auto repair shop was on the southeast edge of the county, in the middle of nowhere. Much to Mr. Dunwoody’s chagrin, someone kept breaking into his shop and painting rainbows everywhere. Mr. Dunwoody threatened to wait for it to happen again with his shotgun ready, but Tanner had talked him into letting them try to catch the vandals first. Especially since it was probably teenagers from the nearby high school.
“Great. I guess I’m lucky and get tomorrow night’s shift, then.”
Ronnie rolled his eyes. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and I’ll catch them tonight. Pacify Mr. Dunwoody.”
Ronnie gave a little salute and walked out of the office. It was time for Tanner to go also. All the stuff involving Newkirk, Mr. Dunwoody or any of Risk Peak’s other problems would have to wait. Even the hard talk he needed to have with Bree would have to wait.
Tonight he was leaving this behind. Taking Bree to possibly his favorite place on earth. It was exactly what he needed, and he was looking forward to it. Tonight would be the opposite of what the rest of his week had been. It would be fun, relaxed, easy.
* * *
TONIGHT WAS GOING to be a total disaster.
Bree sat in the living room of Tanner’s house, smoothing her palms along her skirt. It was a cute skirt, a flowy navy blue with little white flowers. It came down to just above her knees and looked great with the matching white blouse. Tanner had loved it when she’d worn it for a date a couple of weeks ago, but now she just wanted to rip it off and throw it away.
Of course, that probably had less to do with the outfit and more to do with the fact that Tanner was taking her to have dinner with his family. How could this go any way but poorly?
Before she could think of an excuse not to go, Tanner pulled up.
The way his breath whistled out between his teeth and he stared at her made her feel better. But only for a moment. “You look absolutely edible.”
Whatever argument she was about to make to try to get out of dinner disappeared when he stalked toward her. That was the only word for it: stalked. Like he was a predator and she was his prey.
And he had every intention of eating her up.
It should scare her, make her wary, but all it did was light up the most feminine parts of her.
He was on her in just a second, one strong arm wrapping around her hips and spinning her until she was pressed up against the living room wall. He pressed up against her, and all thoughts fled from her head when he claimed her lips.
His mouth was demanding as he tilted his head, moving hers with it, giving him the angle he wanted. She moaned as his tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she opened for him. The kiss deepened, his tongue sliding over hers, tasting her. Claiming her.
When his hand fisted her skirt, sliding it up, and she felt his fingers skim along the outside of her thigh, she pressed herself closer. Trying to concentrate on the kiss was impossible with the lines his fingers were trailing up and down her hip and thigh.
“Damn it.” He was breathing as hard as she was as he pulled away a few minutes later, his forehead dropping against hers. “We’ve got to stop this or we’re going to be late and my mother will kill me. I’ve got to change and shave. My five o’clock shadow is a little out of control.”
She reached up and touched his cheek. “I like your scruff. It’s sexy.” It made him look a little dangerous.
His hand covered hers on his cheek. “We met because of this scruff, you know. I caught you shoplifting in the drugstore because Mr. Vanover keeps my special razor refills in the back aisle. If he didn’t, I probably never would’ve been back there or seen you.”
She ran her fingernails along the short whiskers. “I’m glad you caught me,” she whispered. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Heat seemed to pool in his soft brown eyes. The hand that wasn’t covering hers on his cheek wrapped around her waist, anchoring her against him.
She could feel the hardness of him pressed up against her. For just a second she was tempted to throw caution to the wind and see if she could seduce him into staying. But she quickly pushed the thought aside. She didn’t want their first time to be because she had emotionally manipulated him in order to get out of a dinner.
Not to mention she didn’t know how to seduce a man anyway.
He groaned and pulled back. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Is that a good thing or bad thing?”
“The very best of things. Now, you wait right here five minutes. It’s time for the most important people in my life to get to know each other better.”
Chapter Eight
Bree wanted to run; she really did. She wanted to run when Tanner made it back to the living room four and a half minutes later looking mouthwatering himself in jeans and a button-down shirt.
She definitely wanted to run when they pulled up to his mother’s house thirty minutes after that.
Bree had met all of Tanner’s family before. Noah at the ranch, of course. Mrs. Dempsey and Tanner’s sister, Cassandra, came to town sometimes and to the Sunrise. It was impossible not to have met them in a town the size of Risk Peak. But this was the first time she was facing them as Tanner’s girlfriend.
Grasping the box filled with Mrs. Andrews’s lemon pie from the Sunrise Diner, she walked stiffly with him toward the door.
He slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her temple. “You’re going to do great. They’re going to love you.”
Bree was not nearly as sure about either of those things. This situation was pretty much her worst nightmare—a small group where she was expected to interact and banter wittily.
So basically to act like a normal person with normal personal interaction skills.
Yeah, this was not going to go well.
Dinner actually went by without her making any terrible faux pas. Between Tanner and Cassandra’s constant bickering, with Noah and Cassandra’s husband, Graham, occasionally chiming in, there wasn’t much conversation that was expected from Bree. Every once in a while, Mrs. Dempsey would try to bring her brood under control, but it was easy to see that the fighting was in good fun. Graham and Cassandra’s three kids, all between the ages of eight and twelve, ate as fast as they could then begged to be excused to go back out to the fishing pond. Cassandra agreed, sending them with the cookies she’d baked.
As soon as they were gone, she turned back to the adults at the table. “I’m no idiot. I made cookies for the kids so there’s more pie for us.”
“Damn it, I thought I was the smartest one in this family,” Tanner muttered.
When everyone got up and started carrying their dishes into the kitchen, Bree grabbed hers and followed suit.
“How are you enjoying living on the ranch?” Mrs. Dempsey asked. “It’s always been too isolated for my tastes. Is it the same for you? It must be much different than Kansas City.”
Bree’s life in Kansas City had been pretty isolated also. She’d been surrounded by people, but still alone.
“No, I actually like the isolation. Sometimes a lot of people can be a little too much for me.”
“Amen to that,” Noah muttered. “Give me horses over people any day.”
Tanner smiled and kissed her on the top of the head as he passed by with some dishes.
“Yeah, but what’s it like living with my idiot brother?” Cassandra elbowed Tanner as she walked into the kitchen.
Bree wasn’t sure what to say. They weren’t really living together. Would Mrs. Dempsey think Bree was some sort of freeloader? “I’m only living there because of the crime scene at my house and the puppy.”
Cassandra grinned as she and Tanner sat back down. “Not if Tanner has anything to say about it.”
Bree could feel heat rising in her cheeks. She had no idea what she was supposed to say to that. “Um...”
“Ow!” Cassandra glared at Tanner. “Mom, Tanner just pinched me under the table.”
Mrs. Dempsey turned to them. “You two behave. Bree, why don’t we leave the infants alone and go cut the pie.”
They could hear Cassandra and the boys yelling and laughing as they left.
“Are they really arguing?” Bree asked.
Mrs. Dempsey rolled her eyes. “Cassandra is the baby. She likes to stir up trouble when both her brothers are here. Do you have siblings?”
“No, it was just me.” She’d barely even had a mom growing up.
Mrs. Dempsey began cutting the pie. “My son doesn’t bring someone home for a family dinner lightly. He’s quite smitten with you.”
“I...I...” Some days Bree wasn’t sure he was. For the past days, even though she’d lived in the same house as him, he’d seemed to keep himself so distant. Not like he resented having her there, but like she was a guest who he liked but wanted to keep a respectful distance from.
But then today...that kiss against the wall. There had been nothing like that all the other days. Nothing like that, ever. Where he’d kissed her like he was about to lose control.
And she’d loved it. She could still feel the ghost of his fingers on her outer thigh.
But was Tanner smitten with her, like his mother suggested? “I don’t know. Sometimes, I just don’t know.”
Mrs. Dempsey looked up from the pie and studied Bree. “Tanner has his own demons—pretty significant ones—and his own way of handling them.”
“He does?” He was so laid-back and friendly. He seemed so likable and approachable. It had never really occurred to her that he might have demons like her.
“He doesn’t talk to you about stuff?”
Bree shook her head. “Some. But no, not stuff like that.”
Mrs. Dempsey’s tone hadn’t been judgmental in any way, but the words themselves made Bree recognize once again that maybe she wasn’t meeting Tanner’s needs. Maybe that was why they still hadn’t slept together.
Mrs. Dempsey reached over and squeezed Bree’s arm. “He’s protective of you. I can’t blame him—you’ve got something special that makes him want to take care of you. To fight all your battles for you. Tanner’s dad felt that way about me.”
Mrs. Dempsey didn’t look like someone who needed protecting. She looked like she could fight her own battles.
“Of course, I had to set Clifford straight pretty early on in our relationship. Because it was never going to be enough for me—or for him—to let him wrap me in cotton wool. It is enough for some women and some relationships, but it wasn’t what either Clifford or I needed. Is it what you need, Bree?”
Bree’s answer was immediate. “No. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. Probably longer than I should’ve. I’m strong.”
Mrs. Dempsey smiled at her. “I believe that. You’ve definitely got a core of steel. You’re probably going to need to convince Tanner that you’re strong enough to be what he needs, though.”
What did Tanner need? Bree wasn’t sure. She might’ve asked Mrs. Dempsey if shouting hadn’t started from the dining room.
“We want pie! We want pie!”
Mrs. Dempsey sighed and grinned. “Looks like the natives are getting restless. Shall we?”
All of the Dempsey siblings began eyeing the pie in Mrs. Dempsey’s hand as soon as she walked in the room.
“Hey, Mom,” Tanner said, innocence all but dripping from his voice. “Is there any pie left in the box, you know, for after we’re done? Asking for a friend.”
Mrs. Dempsey’s eyes narrowed. “If I say yes, are you going to forget every manner I ever taught you?”
“No, ma’am,” all three Dempsey siblings and Graham responded at the same time.
She just rolled her eyes. “Then yes, there’s one piece left.”
Bree’s jaw dropped as Tanner, Noah and Graham accepted their pie and began scarfing it down. She glanced over at Cassandra, but she was eating hers at a more humanlike rate. She shrugged. “I gave up my horse in this race when I got married. I might’ve been able to outeat one of my brothers, but there was no way to beat them and Graham. Although sometimes if I promise hubby here sexual favors he’ll give me some of the pie if he wins.” She wagged her eyebrows. Graham gave her a thumbs-up with one hand and kept piling in pie with the other.
Bree just smiled, watching the eating with wonder. “Tanner tried to explain the whole pie thing to me once. But really you have to see it in person to truly understand.”
As soon as the men finished their pie—within seconds of each other—they made comically polite excuses before rushing toward the kitchen. This entire process was obviously a time-honored tradition.
Cassandra and Mrs. Dempsey just shook their heads, both eating their pie at a much more leisurely pace.
“So,” Cassandra said. “How are you liking waiting tables at the Sunrise Diner?”
“Cass,” Mrs. Dempsey said quietly.
Cassandra shrugged. “No harm in me talking to her about it.”
Bree didn’t mind talking about her job. Did Mrs. Dempsey think she was sensitive about it?
“I like it. Dan and Cheryl have always been very supportive.”
“Do you miss working with computers?” Cassandra asked.
Bree stared down at her pie. Tanner probably hadn’t told his family very much about her past. This conversation had turned stressful amazingly quickly. What was the most appropriate way to answer Cassandra’s question?
She brought a piece of pie to her mouth, more to buy herself time than anything else. How did she feel about computers? Pinpointing it wasn’t easy.
“It’s complicated,” she finally said.
“How so?” Cassandra asked.
“Cass...” Mrs. Dempsey said again.
“I’m not doing any harm, Mom. Just trying to understand.”
Bree was somehow causing tension between Cassandra and her mother. She didn’t want that. “I’m good with computers, but because of some of the stuff that happened when I was a kid, they sometimes hold triggers for me.”
Cassandra nodded, her eyes narrowing. “Do you think you’ll ever work with them again?”
Bree shifted in her chair. She wasn’t sure why Cassandra was asking her that. Were they worried she might do something illegal and drag Tanner down with her? They had to know that she had ties to the Organization. Did they think she was involved with the evil stuff they’d done?
Before Bree could think of what to say, Cassandra continued. “I’m a hairdresser by trade. I have my cosmetology license.”
Bree blinked at the change in subject. “Oh. I’ve never seen you working in town.”
“I don’t, at least not very often anymore. I stay home with the kids now. But I’m starting a part-time project. A mission, sort of.”
The guys came back in from the kitchen, all three of them grinning but looking a little disheveled. “We shared.”
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