Flawless Surrender (The Surrender Trilogy, #2)(44)

Zoey shook her head, “No, Mrs. White. That’s fine, we were just on our way back to the Triple T to put away groceries, but Dalton should go with you. You guys have a few things to talk about.”

Dalton gave her a grateful smile, and then nodded. “Yeah, we do.”

Zoey accepted a small hand squeeze from Dalton, thankful and slightly disappointed that he didn’t offer a more public display of affection. She was, after all, in his brother’s arms in full view of the town.

Together, Zoey and Tanner watched him help Minnie to her car and leave with her. It felt as though in a matter of minutes a huge weight had been knocked off their shoulders. Dalton was staying in Stone River. He would have no reservations about it now, and that meant that all three Keegan men would be on the ranch for the rest of the time Zoey was.

Turning to face Tanner, she didn’t step away from his grip, she just placed her hand on his chest. “They aren’t the only ones that need to talk. I think we do too.”

Tanner stared down at her and she watched several emotions dance in his eyes before he took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, but let’s get this stuff home first. If we’re going to talk, we’re going to do it alone.”

Zoey nodded and gave him a quick hug before letting him help her into the truck. The ride home was just as quiet as the ride into town, but the tension had drained away along with the sunshine. As she watched it sinking toward the horizon on the drive, apprehension and excitement warred in her belly. By confronting Tanner, she was either making the biggest move of her life, or the biggest mistake. Only time would tell.

Standing in the kitchen putting groceries away, Zoey had an odd sense of déjà vu as Tanner stood behind her watching, and waiting. Facing him was one of the hardest things she had ever done, but the anxiety on his face eased her own nerves.

Before she could speak, he held his hand out, “Come on, I know where we can go to be alone, and I want to show you something.”

Her heart skipped a beat as she placed her hand in his, and a flare of satisfaction lit his eyes. Just that little surrender to him obviously flipped his trigger. What would he do if she fell to her knees and begged him to love her? Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she lifted her chin, “Okay, but I need to let Clint know we’re leaving. He’ll worry if I don’t.”

Tanner’s head dipped, “Of course. I think he’s in the barn, so we can tell him while we saddle the horses.”

“Horses?” she asked in confusion.

To see the grin that split his face she would have ridden a horse across the country. “Yes, horses. That’s the only way to get to this spot on the ranch.”

She followed him out to the barn, their hands still laced together, and her heart racing. Clint was brushing patiently murmuring to an agitated mama horse when they came in the barn.

“How is she doing?” Tanner asked softly, and Clint glanced up in surprise, taking in their clenched hands with a raised eyebrow.

“Good. I think we’ll have a new one by morning.” Clint smiled at Zoey, “Hey, angel, did you get everything you needed in town?”

“Yeah, more than we expected.”

He stepped out of the stall and brushed a kiss over her lips, “Oh yeah, what else did you find besides groceries?”

“Minnie White.” She watched as his face registered the surprise.

“Oh shit. Where is Dalton, is he alright?” Gone was the playful teasing Clint she knew, and in his place stood a concerned brother.

Releasing her grip on Tanner, she stepped closer to Clint, and pressed her hand to his wide chest to ease him, “He’s fine. Minnie asked him back to their place to talk. It seems Dalton has been wrong about how they have felt all this time. He’ll be back later tonight. Oh, and he took the job from Doc, so I guess he’ll be staying permanently.”

Clint wrapped his hands around her waist, and swung her in a circle as he laughed, “I knew it! You are an angel! If it weren’t for you, none of this would have worked out.” His mouth captured hers in a passionate kiss that hinted at deeper emotions. Zoey chose to ignore the reciprocating flutter in her chest as she pulled away from him.

“You’re a goof, Hollywood.” She was giggling at him, but she stepped back to Tanner’s side. The tension in his shoulders seemed to relax a little when her hand slid back into his.

“So that’s how it is, huh? Leaving me to run off with my older brother?” Clint said. Tanner inhaled sharply, but Zoey could sense that Clint was just teasing her.

“Yep, but only for a little bit. Tanner wants to show me something on the ranch. You can eat leftovers if you’re hungry, or I will fix something when I get back.”

Clint’s eyes widened and a frown line appeared between them, “Angel, I have been handling myself for a long time, you don’t have to worry about taking care of me.”

She smiled, “I know, but I like to.”

“Well in that case, I’ll see you later for dinner.” Clint didn’t pull her away from the silent Tanner this time, instead he just stepped closer, pinning her between the two of them, and kissing her one more time like his life depended on it. She was stuck between two hard cocks based on the matching ridges behind their zippers, and she moaned with pleasure as her tongue danced with Clint’s.

When he finally released her, he met Tanner’s eyes with a cocky grin, “Take care of my angel, Skipper. I’m growing pretty attached to her.”