He’d hoped to catch Bree here, but she’d already gone to work, which was probably for the best. After that kiss yesterday afternoon, Tanner didn’t know if he could lie in the same bed with her again and not do anything about it.
He wasn’t a man given to fancifulness, but the skin of her thigh had been so soft he could damn near write poetry about it.
Seeing her around his family hadn’t cooled his ardor, either. He liked watching her with them, seeing how she fit in, even when she was uncomfortable and unsure of herself thanks to Cassandra. His sister could be a lot for anyone to handle, and he wanted to wring her neck for dropping the computer-teaching bomb on Bree.
Bree might have gotten upset initially, but they’dspent the entire ride home talking about what computer skills would most help the women at the shelter. Bree had a basic syllabus all but planned out by the time they’d gotten back to the ranch. It was easy for him to see that, despite her hesitation, she was going to teach the class. Now he just needed to wait for her to realize it, too.
Watching her face her fears and step up to help others was pretty damn amazing.Breewas pretty damn amazing.
So yeah, it was probably better she hadn’t been there this morning, or else he definitely wouldn’t have been keeping his hands off her.
Tanner made himself a sandwich for lunch, washing it down with a big mug of coffee. He was outside checking on Corfu and the pups when Noah came riding up on one of his horses. He got off and quickly put the horse in the corral.
“You expecting company?” Noah asked.
“No.” Most people knew better than to come out here without being invited or calling first. Noah was not a people person.
“Looks like one of the Grand County sheriff’s vehicles.”
Tanner grabbed his phone out of his pocket to see if he’d missed any calls. Nothing. “I have no idea. They haven’t tried to contact me.”
Noah nodded then faded back into the wooded area surrounding their property, making himself unnoticeable. But Tanner had no doubt he’d be out in a second if he was needed.
Less than a minute later, the vehicle arrived outside Tanner’s door. Noah had been right—it was a GrandCounty SUV. But it wasn’t any of Tanner’s regular colleagues who was driving; it was Richard Whitaker.
“Dempsey,” he said as he got out of the vehicle.
Tanner raised an eyebrow. “You lost, Whitaker? Dallas is about eight hundred miles south of here.”
The other man pointed to Tanner’s cup of coffee. “Just now waking up?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. The stakeout I was on last night didn’t amount to anything, so I left. I called in that I was going home.”
Whitaker crossed his arms over his beefy chest. “I know.”
For the first time Tanner was a little more worried than confused about Whitaker’s appearance at his home. “Why are you here?”
“Sheriff wants to see you in her office.”
“Why? Has there been a break in the Newkirk case?”
Whitaker shrugged. “Possibly. I’ll let the sheriff talk to you about that. Did you go anywhere else besides your high-crime stakeout?”
Tanner ignored the small-town barb. “No. I’d already put in a full day then came back to work someone else’s shift.”
“You must’ve been tired. Why’d you come all the way out here rather than your place in Risk Peak?”
Tanner wasn’t going to discuss his relationship with Bree and that he’d wanted to see her. It was none of Whitaker’s business. “Why are you asking so many questions? Why are you here at all? The sheriff could’ve just called me herself and asked me to come in.”
Whitaker shrugged. “I’ll let the sheriff answer that, too. I’m just here to make sure you get to her with no problems.”
That was definitely not a good sign.
Tanner gave a curt nod. “I’ll follow you in.”
Less than an hour later, he was sitting across from Sheriff Duggan in her office. She’d invited Whitaker in also and then closed the door.
“I’ll cut straight to the chase, Tanner.” She walked back and took a seat in the office chair behind her desk. The same chair that had once been Tanner’s father’s when he’d been sheriff. “Peter Anders is dead.”
