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“Brandy wasn’t feeling great; she had a migraine. I told her to go home, and I’d cover this afternoon. It’s only a few hours, and Beau’s taken the kids to see his folks.” Corinne peered out through the window.

“Is that Shane out there?”

“It is.”

Corinne looked back outside. “That’s Tanner MacFarland he’s talking to.” Her eyes grew wide. “Everly?”

She had to laugh. “Yes, Corinne?”

“Is that why you didn’t answer me when I asked where you’ve been all day?”

“Maybe, why?”

“Because Tanner’s… Crap! I don’t know how to say this. I hope you had a good time last night, but I know you, you don’t usuallydo one-nighters. And I hate to tell you this, but Tanner doesn’t do anything else.”

“It’s okay. I know. I know what he’s like.” She glanced out through the window at him, and a rush of warmth filled her chest as she watched him laugh with Shane. “And believe it or not, we didn’t spend the night together.”

Corinne gave her a puzzled look.

“Honestly, we didn’t. I was sitting at the bar at Chico last night, and he was working. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that my dad didn’t show.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. I’m not surprised – and neither are you. I’m disappointed, but not surprised. Anyway, Tanner and I got to talking. His brothers and sisters were there, too. They invited me to sit with them, and we all hung out. Tanner brought me back here at the end of the night. But he just dropped me off.”

“He just dropped you off?” Corinne looked far from convinced. “That’s all? Forgive me, but I’m having a hard time believing this,” she said with a laugh. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging you – well, if I am, it’s for turning him away. Because there’s no way that Tanner MacFarland would give a girl a ride home if he wasn’t at least hoping.”

Everly grinned. “If you want to know the truth, I’m kind of judging myself for saying no, too. And… He didn’tjustdrop me off. We may have taken a little walk. And there may have been… a kiss.”

Corinne grinned at her. “Okay, that’s more like it. And…?”

Everly let out a little squeal. “And it was perfect, Corinne! It was… Wow! And don’t worry, I know that I must sound like a complete idiot. But you know how things have been for me. And Tanner’s not only gorgeous, but he’s such a great guy. I know what he’s like, it’s totally obvious to anyone with eyes in their head – and I don’t mean the way he looks, I mean the way he flirts. But once you get beyond that, he’s just so sweet.”

“Sweet? That’s the last word I expected to hear. Then again, I don’t really know him. Actually, I shouldn’t be so surprised. He and his brothers come over every now and then when we all get together. I haven’t talked with him much, but Ruby adores him. He’s her favorite cowboy of all.”

That made Everly smile. “And Ruby’s tough to win over. In fact, he did mention that he knows her and from the way he talked, he adores her, too. What? What are you thinking?” she asked when she saw the way that Corinne was looking at her.

“What have you told him about Ashton?”

She made a face. “Nothing. I’m not trying to hide it or anything. There have been a few times when I was about to tell him, but something else came up. I … I don’t suppose it really matters, anyway. I’m only here for a week at the most, and Ashton’s not here.” She checked her watch. “And now that I’ve said that, I miss him again. I think I’ll go up and give him a call.”

“Okay. I’ll be here on the desk until six if you want to come down and hang out. And what do you think? Since the interview was a bust, I started putting out feelers to see if we can find you something else. Do you still want to do that or does the deal with your dad change things?”

Everly shrugged. “Right now, I don’t even know what to think. I’ve been hoping all day that he’d get in touch. At first, I was mad at him. Now, I’m kind of worried. Wouldn’t it be awful if I was all angry at him and he didn’t show because something happened to him?”

Corinne frowned. “You can’t go thinking like that. He’ll be fine. I’m sure he will. Have you tried getting in touch with him?”

“No. I wanted to wait – I know it’s stupid, but I really wanted him to reach out to me.”

“It’s not stupid, I get it. But maybe you should try calling him – to put your mind at ease if nothing else.”

“Yeah, I think I will. I’ll call Ashton first, then I’ll give him a try.” She glanced out the window again. Tanner was still there, talking to Shane. He turned to look up at the lodge as if he somehow sensed that she was watching him. It made her smile.

“And I take it you’re seeing him again later?” Corinne asked.

She smiled. “I am. I’m going to hang out at Chico again with his family while he works.”

Corinne chuckled. “I like where this is going.”