Page 19 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

She nodded but didn’t comment. It probably didn’t matter, but she was a little freaked out by the possibility that he mightknow her dad. When he’d told her that he was a Navy SEAL that felt a little too close for comfort, given that her dad was also a former SEAL. Since he knew the Remingtons as well, it just made her feel… She wasn’t exactly sure how it made her feel.

She hadn’t told him or his family the real reason that she was here in Montana. She wasn’t deliberately hiding it – they hadn’t asked.

He nudged her with his elbow as they walked. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. Sorry. You’re right, I have met Shane. And…” She might as well tell him, even if she didn’t want to get into all the details. “I’ve met Beau before as well.”

“You have? I didn’t think he was around the lodge much.”

“No, I mean I’ve met him before. Do you know his wife, Corinne?”

Tanner grinned. “Yeah, Corinne’s cool, and their little girl, Ruby, she’s awesome.”

Everly laughed at that. “She is. I’m glad you like her – some people think that she’s a handful, but she’s just a strong-willed little woman.”

Tanner laughed. “That’s a good way to describe her. She’s a little spitfire. So, you know them? Oh, wait, that’s right – Corinne and Ruby moved here from Napa, didn’t they? Did you know them when they lived there?”

“I did. Remember I told you that I used to work in a hotel? Corinne ran the place, and I was her assistant manager.”

“Wow! So, is that why you’re here – to visit her?”

“Kind of.”

He surprised her when he slung his arm around her shoulders and grinned down at her. “What are you hiding, Miss Everly?”

“I… I’m not hiding anything. I guess I’m just a little cautious.”

His smile faded. “Why?”

She shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. I… I’m kind of nervous that you might know my dad. And apart from that, I… Oh, what the hell. I might as well just tell you. I had an interview at a hotel over in Bozeman this morning. It didn’t go that well; I probably won’t get the job. But I need a change, and Corinne told me about the job.” She blew out a sigh. “Things aren’t going great at home in Napa – I won’t bore you with the details, but like I said, I need a change. I was hoping that maybe things would come together here. I mean, what are the odds that my dad would end up living in the same place as my friend? It seemed too good to be true…”

Her words trailed off, and Tanner’s arm tightened around her shoulders as they continued walking.

After a little while, she looked up at him. “Turns out that it was all too good to be true. The interview was awful, and even if they offered me a job, I don’t think I’d want to work there. And then my dad didn’t show tonight. I really thought that this time…”

“Hey, don’t give up on him yet. He might have a reason why he didn’t show. Maybe you should do like you said and give him until tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Tanner. You’re right. That’s what I’m going to do.”

He stopped walking and placed his hands on her shoulders as he looked down into her eyes.

A slow smile spread across her face as she looked back up at him.

He smiled back. “Are you laughing at me again?”

“No! If you really want to know what I was thinking, I was thinking that even though the interview was a bust, and my dad was a no-show, you’re not a bad consolation prize.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “Well, that’s a new one. I don’t think I’ve ever been called a consolation prize before.”

She laughed with him. “I’m sure you haven’t, but I get the feeling that your ego’s robust enough to take it.”

“Yeah. It’d take more than that to hurt my feelings. And besides, I still get to be a prize of some sort, even if it’s not the main prize.”

Looking up at him, she imagined that a lot of girls would see him as the main prize. Yeah, he was the kind of good-looking that made women swoon, but more importantly than that, the more she got to know him the more she believed his claim that he wasn’t just a good guy – he was a great guy.

“The girl who lands you as her main prize will be one lucky lady,” she told him honestly.

“I’d rather be your consolation prize.”

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