Page 38 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

Ty shrugged. “I don’t know. I think Trav knows but he’s not telling. And that’s fair enough. It’s none of our business, is it?”

“I guess not,” said Tanner. “I just hope he’s okay.” Tanner had gotten to know Zeke when he first arrived in the valley; he’d served in the Navy with Cash and Travis and the rest of their friends, and he was staying in one of the cabins at Travis’s place.Tanner hadn’t spent all that much time with the guy, but they’d had a few good conversations. He knew that Zeke had some regrets in life, even if he didn’t know what they were.

“Here they come,” said Ty, jerking his head toward the entrance. “Did you know that Shane and Cassidy were coming?”

Tanner’s heart pounded in his chest when he spotted her. She was gorgeous. He didn’t know what it was about her, but she just took his breath away. It was strange to see her standing between his brother and one of his oldest friends. She was flanked by Kolby and Callie on one side, and Shane and Cassidy on the other. It hit him for the first time that she wasn’t all that tall. For some reason, that just added to her appeal.

He heard Shayna laugh. “It looks like he’s dumbstruck, but I can tell you that they gave her a ride here so that she can figure out getting her rental car back. You know when I talked to her earlier? She said that she was coming with them. She knows Corinne and Beau, too.”

Tanner just nodded his agreement. The sound of the conversation faded to no more than a buzz as he watched her make her way through the crowded bar toward them. He was vaguely aware that Shane and Cassidy were watching his reaction and smirking at him as they came, but all he could focus on was the way Everly was smiling at him.

~ ~ ~

It had only been a few hours since she last saw him, but the sight of Tanner standing behind the bar, smiling at her, took Everly’s breath away.

“Well, how about that?”

She turned to look at Cassidy, who was grinning.

“How about what?” Shane asked.

“Tanner,” Cassidy explained. She leaned around Shane to look at Everly. “He’s all yours, if you want him.”

Everly didn’t know what to say to that.

Cassidy laughed. “You don’t believe me? I get it. Honestly, I do. But I know how it goes.” She wrapped her arm around Shane’s waist. “I know all about big, good-looking guys, who are used to women falling at their feet.”

“She’s talking about me,” Shane explained with a grin. “She just doesn’t like to say it out loud in case it makes me big headed.”

Cassidy laughed. “You’re already far too big headed. The only reason that I don’t say it out loud is so that I can deny it if ever I need to. But …” she turned back to Everly “… my point, before I was so rudely interrupted, was that you have Tanner on the line; all you need to do is decide if you want to reel him in. And I have to tell you, I think you’d be crazy not to.”

“Excuse me, wifey. Husband, standing right here. You know, just in case you forgot.”

Cassidy laughed. “How could I ever forget? And what are you complaining about anyway? There’s no denying that Tanner’s a good-looking guy. It’s not as though I’m stating a personal preference, it’s just an objective fact.”

Shane gave a good-natured shrug and smiled at Everly. “It’s true. I mean, he’s so good-looking that if you’re not interested, I might just have to ask him out myself.”

Everly, Callie, and Kolby all laughed at that, and Cassidy rolled her eyes. “Just ignore us.” She pointed. “Go and say hello while he has a minute.”

Everly watched as Tanner made his way to the end of the bar and let himself out through the hatch. Her legs felt a little shaky as she hurried to meet him.

Instead of feeling more nervous, she relaxed when he rested his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes.

“Hey, darlin’.”

She closed her eyes as he leaned in and gave her a quick peck. “Hey.”

He straightened up with a smile. “You really like me calling you that, huh?”

She gave him a guilty little smile. “I do, but I’m not sure if my reaction was more about you calling me darlin’, or just…”

He tilted his head to the side. “Just… What?” he asked with a small smile.

She chuckled. “Just … you.”

“I’ll take it either way.” He glanced back over his shoulder. “Unfortunately, for now, I need to get back to it.”

“That’s okay. I didn’t expect you to come out here. But I’m glad you did,” she added hurriedly.

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