Page 126 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

She hesitated for a moment but then stepped forward and hugged him.

His breath hitched as he wrapped his arms around her. His voice broke as he said, “Thanks, love.”

Tears pricked her eyes as she stepped back and smiled. “Thank you. I think now that we’re here – now that we’re so close like this – we are going to be able to build something.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed visibly as he nodded. “I hope so. I’ll follow your lead.”

“I should go.”

“Yes, go on.”

She opened the truck door and looked back at him. “Soon, when we’re in the apartment, you should come over for dinner. I’d ask you now, but I don’t feel right – it’s Ford’s house as well, you know?”

He smiled. “I can wait. You guys need to get settled into your new home. And don’t forget; tell Tanner that I’m happy to be an extra pair of hands if you need one.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Love you.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he nodded. “I love you, too.”

~ ~ ~

Tanner hesitated before pushing open the door to the store.

“Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts?” Ty asked.

“Oh, hell no!” Tanner grinned at his brother and at Luke, and Kolby, who were standing just behind Ty, wearing matching puzzled smiles. “I just… Fuck! Before we go in, I just want to say thank you. I’m glad you guys are here with me. This isn’t something I imagined myself doing anytime soon, but now that I’m here… I’m glad you guys are with me.”

Luke held his gaze and nodded.

Ty laughed. “No way would I miss this. You guys came with me when it was my turn.”

“And you know my deal,” said Kolby. “I didn’t need to pick out a ring for Callie, since Ace gave it to me, but you guys were all there with me.”

Tanner nodded and entered the jewelry store. “Let’s do this.”

“What about Ford and Wade?” Luke asked. “When you talked about coming up to town this afternoon, I thought you were talking about finishing early for a beer on a Friday, like we used to. I knew that the two of them wouldn’t be up for that, but this?”

“I’ve got it covered,” said Tanner. “They’re in the office at the big house – they had some meeting, but they should be done by now.”

Kolby pulled his phone out of his pocket. “And I’m in charge of making sure that they get a say in what he chooses.”

Tanner laughed. “I’m not sure that they get a say – but they get to be part of it.”

The girl behind the counter grinned when she saw them. “Well damn, Tanner! Are you here for the reason I think you’re here? Are the rumors true?”

He grinned. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but if the rumors are that I’m off the market, then yeah. And I’m sure after this, you won’t mind being able to confirm that it’s officially official.”

She laughed. “I won’t mind a bit. In fact, I’ll be happy to get one up on Sloane.”

Tanner wasn’t so sure about that – Sloane had done him a huge favor in the way she’d dealt with the kids. He made a mental note to shoot her husband, Billy, a quick text so that he could tell her – she considered herself the queen of all gossip, and he’d hate to deny her that after she’d been so good to him.

Ty laughed. “Good luck trying, Dakota. I reckon Sloane might already know.”

“But where are the rings?” Luke asked. “Tanner needs to choose one before anything gets to be official.”

Dakota fetched a couple of trays from the window display, and Tanner just stared at them. There were so many different kinds of rings. He liked the classic diamond solitaires, but even with those, he didn’t know if a round cut, or a square cut, or what shape might be best. Then, there were some that had two stones – he liked those, too.

“What did you have in mind?” Dakota asked.

---