Page 58 of Ultimate Freedom

“I came as soon as I could get away. How is Bella?”

“Fat and sassy as Demi says. Those two are happy being together, and Bella has settled in just like Demi did when she first arrived. Are you here for long?”

“Not sure. Figure we’ll have to return to the city right away if Bella still wants to give birth in Phoenix.”

“Oh shit, that means Whit and I better get our job done as quick as we can then. We’ll want to be here to say goodbye.”

“Why, what are you two up to?”

Glen explained about the accident a while back that Demi and Whit had been involved in… where a truck went over into the ravine. As he told the story about Mitch’s new baby needing surgery, and the poor man terrified about the expense, he addedthat he and Whit had decided to get to the truck themselves and see if they could retrieve the gold they knew was locked inside.

“Is it worth that much?”

“According to what Mitch told Whit, it sounds like it’s a small fortune. You know what gold prices are today. The poor man can’t leave the hospital, so we’ve decided to pitch in.”

“I wish I could help. But I better not make any promises until I talk with Bella.”

“Not to worry. We’ll be back as soon as possible. Hopefully, in time to give you a proper send off.” Glen turned to see Whit approach. “Here he is now. Whit, you never got to meet Tanner when he came last time. He’s here for Bella.”

Whit approached slowly. Tanner knew the man was sizing him up as much as he did to the large prospector. They shook hands as Whit’s deep voice greeted him. “Hi. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“All good I hope.”

“Bella closes up when anyone mentions your name, but Demi is your best ally. She won’t allow any disparaging comments about you at all.”

“Disparaging comments?”

“Like, where the hell have you been and why would you let your pregnant woman get away from you?”

Bristling, Tanner adopted the lazy, relaxed stance he usually did when confronted by unexpected danger. Voice filled with warning, he said, “Buddy, trust me, I didn’t let that woman do anything. She’s her own boss. My biggest stupidity was being away from her while working an undercover case.”

Suddenly, Whit smiled and backed right down. “Yep, exactly what Demi said. You save the world… thanks for that. So you know, you’re welcome here anytime, and I hope Bella is happy to see you. That poor little woman has been pining forher partner something terrible. Not that she says much, but it’s pretty obvious.”

Tanner secretly got a kick out of Whit referring to his amazon lady as the little woman and wished Bella had heard it herself. He’d share the joke with her one day, and they’d both get a chuckle. Guessing anyone looked small to the large-sized man, Tanner accepted his words and gave back his own.

“I can’t thank you enough for taking such good care of her and them. I’m in your debt.”

Whit and Glen chuckled at Tanner’s reference to the baby, and both gave him a back slap as they made their way toward Norrie to pick up the supplies they’d arranged for.

Norrie watched them approach. “You two heading out?”

“Yeah. It stays light longer now. We’ll have time to set up camp and get started searching in the morning. Check on the cabin if you get a chance, honey, okay? Not sure how everything will work out with Tanner showing up.”

“So, that’s the missing hero. Hmm… I sure wouldn’t be leaving that hunk so easy… that’s if I had a penchant for male lovers.”

“Behave. He’s taken. And even eight months pregnant, Bella could whip your ass.”

Laughing together, Norrie nodded. As Whit made his way out of the store to join Glen, Norrie again looked for the stranger lurking behind shelves filled with canned goods. She’d decided to check it out, before Whit had interrupted her intentions. Now, she walked over to find the person gone.

That’s strange.Before she could speculate any longer, Tanner approached carrying his coffee. “Are you Norrie?”

“That I am. Are you Tanner, the missing daddy?”

“Yeah. Not missing by choice but here now.”

Norrie stared into his eyes, hers calculating… assessing and filled with wisdom.

He didn’t flinch, nor did he turn away. Waiting for her to make up her mind, he relaxed his stance letting her take her time. Her sudden smile lit up a pretty face, and he returned it easily.

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