Flawless Surrender (The Surrender Trilogy, #2)(5)

Tanner cleared his throat when silence ensued. Zoey shifted on the step so she was sitting up a little more and facing to the side instead of directly at his crotch. The tension was thick, and she didn’t know what to do about it.

When Tanner shifted his stance once more, she sighed. There was no way to avoid someone who was two feet away. “So how is the ranch doing?”

His lip lifted in a half smile and she had the idea that he was pleased she broke first. “Good, but the drought hurt us. Last season’s stock didn’t fatten or strengthen the way they should have. That’s why the guys and I are discussing partnering up our horse breeding programs.”

“If the Triple T and Brooks Pastures are working together, it’s a guaranteed success,” she said, and she had to hold in a moan when his lips spread into a wider smile.

“Thank you for that vote of confidence. I think so too.”

“So how is your family? Do your parents like living in Arizona?”

Tanner’s parents had retired to Arizona a couple of summers before, turning the running of the ranch over to Tanner alone. Zoey knew Tanner was the oldest of the Keegan boys, and the only one who seemed interested in ranching. Dalton was a doctor working in some far off country helping the needy, and Clint had run off right out of high school to become an actor in California. All three of them were older than Zoey and Rachel. Clint was five years older making him thirty this year, and that would put Tanner at about thirty-three.

“Mom loves it, pops misses home. They are planning to come home for a visit at Christmas. The retirement community has been good for mama though. She spends her time with her friends keeping active.” Tanner moved to sit on the step next to her, and she felt goose bumps pop up on her arms.

“Hmm…yeah, I can’t imagine your dad slowing down.” Zoey shifted away just a little bit trying to put more distance between them. Tanner’s eyes narrowed just a bit but he didn’t comment.

“He really didn’t have a choice after the heart attack.”

She felt her mouth fall open, “Your dad had a heart attack? When?”

His jaw tightened and he grimaced, “Yeah, it was about six months before they decided to retire. It damaged his heart quite a bit, so Doc said he needed to slow it down and take it easy. Before that, it never seemed possible that pops was a mere mortal. Working sun up to sun down without a vacation or a rest…well, I guess we’re all only human, right?”

Zoey’s heart lurched in her chest, and she reached out her hand to cover his fist on his thigh before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry, Tanner. I can only imagine how hard it must be to see him growing older and weaker. At least he survived the heart attack and you have more time with him.”



*****



Tanner’s mind went blank the moment Zoey’s skin touched his. If he was honest, he had been struggling to think ever since he turned the bend and saw her sexy body stretched out on the porch steps. She looked like a fifties pin-up in cut off blue jeans and a blue tank top that made her ocean blue eyes look dark and mysterious. Her jet black hair hung in a solid sheet of straight satin down her back, and he ached to wrap it around his fist and pull her up against him.

He was all too aware of the fact that his own mouth ruined his chances with Zoey Carson. When she made a play for him at Robin’s all those years ago, he had assumed she was joking. She was only twenty at the time, and to his twenty-eight-year-old mind, that had been an incomprehensible situation. She was na?ve, and way too innocent for a kinky pervert like him, so he did what was right instead of what his cock wanted, and he shut her down. If only he had found a more delicate way of doing it, maybe they could have had a chance later.

Shaking off his wandering mind and his dirty thoughts, he pulled his brain back into the moment.

“Thanks. I’ve adjusted. I had to hire a few hands to help on the ranch, but otherwise everything kept moving forward just like always.”

He ached to turn his hand over and link his fingers through hers. What would she say? Would she freak out, or get angry? Knowing Zoey, she would punch him in the nose.

Abruptly she stood, giving him and eyeful of her sexy legs, and her sweetly curving backside. Her hips were made for a man to hold onto, and his cock wanted him to be that man.

“I better say my goodbyes and get home. It will be dark soon.”

Tanner stood and turned to face her. He was two steps down from her, so their faces were nearly level, and his eyes zeroed in on her mouth out of habit. Her lips parted and he saw her sharp intake of breath as she swayed on her feet slightly. It took all of his strength to shove his hands in his pockets and step to the side breaking the tension.

A sharp whinny followed by a man’s howl of pain startled them both, and Tanner stopped thinking. He turned on his boot heel and ran for the barn. It wasn’t until he skidded to a stop and felt Zoey plow into the back of him that he realized she followed. His arm went out to instinctively catch her up against him so she wouldn’t fall, and her hands caught his waist clutching at his t-shirt.

The erection in his pants wasn’t deterred one iota by the terrible scene in front of him. Sawyer Brooks was sprawled out on his back in the middle of the barn alley, one leg twisted at a disturbing angle, and blood running down his face.

“Sweet Jesus! Sawyer, what the hell happened?”

“I’ll go call for help!” Zoey said, and Tanner gave her a nod as he dropped to his knees next to his friend. She was out the door in a flash, her black hair swinging behind her.