Tanner nodded, grateful. “Did you send all this to Sam and Weston? I want this on record.”
“We contacted the sheriff and the lawyer.” Griff frowned. “They didn’t want us to send it. Sam wanted to come by and copy it from our system himself to make sure there wouldn’t be any chain of custody issues later. He said he’d deliver it to Weston.”
“That makes sense. All right,” Tanner said, taking a deep breath. “Here’s what we do. Junie stays at the ranch as much as possible. No reason she can’t bake from the cabin kitchen or the main house if she needs more space. Boone, you good with that?”
“More than good,” Boone said.
Thank fuck. He’d pick Junie up and head there right after the meeting. “She’ll fight me on it at first, but she’ll listen.”
“We can set a rotation for the bakery,” Boone suggested.
“Right,” Tanner said. “At least one of us is at the bakery at all times. No more leaving her alone. Legal pressure stays on. We keep feeding the sheriff and Weston everything we get. They’ll probably pick him up for this last stunt, and you can believe we’ll be filing a police report for assault.”
“Yeah, but with the high-priced lawyers he has, I’ll be surprised if he’s in there more than ten minutes. Bail won’t be an issue,” Chance chimed in.
“We still need the legal paper trail for our own protection should it become necessary to justify our actions,” Tanner said.
Dutch grinned darkly. “And if he shows up when one of us is there?”
Boone looked around the room, a grim look on his face. “We do what is necessary but follow the rules if we can. I don’t want to see any of you in jail for, let’s say, murder.”
Tanner clenched his jaw. “Then he’d better pray that one of you guys is on duty.” They could all understand how he felt. Any of them would feel the same way. Hell, some of them had experienced pretty much the same all-consuming fury. At least now they had a plan.
It was all well and good to want to follow the rules, but only one counted. Keep Junie safe, no matter what it took.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
One of the things Junie loved most about the Wild River Ranch house was the living room. It was so bright and inviting. The sunlight poured through the large windows, casting golden patches across the worn hardwood floors and overstuffed couches.
That’s where the girls were waiting for her when Tanner dropped her off before going to meet with Wild River Security. Kenzie met her at the door, pulling her into a tight hug that smelled of strawberry shampoo.
“Are you okay?” Kenzie asked.
“I think so,” Junie lied. Physically, she was fine. Emotionally, not so much.
Kenzie hooked her arm in Junie’s and led her to the sofa in front of the fireplace. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but we’re all worried about you,” Kenzie said, holding Junie at arm’s length like a dress she was inspecting for purchase. “Tanner called Boone and said Preston showed up at the bakery. Tell me he was mistaken!”
Junie’s throat tightened. She wished she could.
Her friends gathered around her as they sat, Tildi on her right, Joy on her left, Kip and Kenzie perched on the coffee table facing her.Warmth filled her chest. They were like a protective little council. Their concern was so genuine, so immediate. So constant.
“He came to the bakery,” she said, voice still shaky. “Just walked in like nothing was wrong.” She tried to hold back the shiver of revulsion but failed. “He was smiling, talking like we were old friends.”
“That man is a psycho, acting like that after all he’s put you through,” Kenzie snarled, shaking her head.
“You’re not wrong. He kept saying all this crazy stuff about how Tanner poisoned me against him and how we were meant to be together. He got down on one knee and proposed to me. Bought a ring and everything. When I told him no, he… he grabbed me. He grabbed my face and forced me to kiss him. If Tanner hadn’t gotten there when he did, I don’t know what he would have tried to do next.”
The girls gasped. Tildi’s hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide. Joy reached over and squeezed Junie’s hand tightly, her touch warm and steady.
“Oh, honey,” Joy whispered, voice full of sympathy. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrifying.”
Kip leaned in, eyes fierce with protective anger. “He’s lucky Tanner didn’t catch him. Boone said the guys are all meeting right now to figure out what to do.”
Kip reached over and patted Junie’s knee. “You’re safe here. We’ve got you.”
Tildi reached around and rubbed Junie’s back in slow circles. “That’s right. We’re not going anywhere. Littles stick together.”
Tears filled Junie’s eyes again, but this time it was different. She’d spent so long believing she would always be the one left behind. Even after Nanabelle came to live with her, a small part of her had always waited for the other shoe to drop.
