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“You don’t have to.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“See, what I was thinking is that …”

“What?”

He laughed. “I’m not used to being in this position. I’m not used to wondering whether I’m asking for too much. No matter what else happened, I was going to ask if you wanted to come to the ranch for lunch tomorrow. If you’re already there, in the morning, you can just hang out. So, what do you say?”

A wave of relief washed over him when she tightened her arms around his neck and smiled. “I’d like that.”

~ ~ ~

Everly stared out the truck window as Tanner turned into the driveway at the ranch. She looked up at the big wooden sign:MacFarland Ranch. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live in a place like this. Not just on a huge ranch out here in Montana, but with a big family – in a place where you knew everyone, and they knew you. A place where you had roots. Her own childhood hadn’t exactly been stable. Not that it had been bad. Her mom had provided well for her and taken good care of her. There was no shortage of love between them, but her mom’s career had kept them on the move.

She stared up at the big house. It seemed to represent the kind of life she used to long for as a kid – and if she were honest, the kind of life that she wished she could give Ashton.

“Are you doing okay over there?” Tanner asked. “You’re mighty quiet. Would you rather I took you back to the Remington place?”

She let out a short laugh. “No. That wasn’t what I was thinking.”

He rested his hand on the console and waggled his fingers. She placed her hand in his, loving the way he did that.

“What then?”

She shrugged. “Just thinking how different our lives are.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was close enough.

“You know, you still haven’t told me much about what your life’s like.”

Her heart leapt into her mouth. He was right. The right moment still hadn’t presented itself for her to tell him about Ashton, and it was about time that she did.

“As a matter of fact, there’s something that you need to know. I…”

“Whoa!” Tanner slammed on the brakes and held his arm out in front of her as the truck slid to a stop.

“What the…?” she gasped. And then she saw it – a deer was bounding away across the field.

“Are you okay?”

“I am. That was close. Are you okay?”

He let out a short laugh. “I am. We were lucky. All too often, by the time you spot them, there’s nothing you can do but hit them.” He looked out across the field to where the deer was disappearing into the trees that lined the creek, then he turned back to her with a smile. “Our insurance rates are through the roof because of them. You must be my lucky charm.”

She laughed. “If you say so. I feel bad that I was distracting you by talking.”

“It’s more like I was paying extra attention to the road because I knew that I was also listening to you.” He gave her a rueful smile. “The last couple I hit, I was all by myself – no excuses.”

They’d reached the house now, and as Tanner pulled around the back of it, a light on the porch came on and the kitchen door opened.

“Are you okay with this?” he asked. “That’s Ford.”

“He’s the oldest of the brothers who live here, right?” she asked. She hadn’t met him earlier, but Tanner had told her which one he was. She was just saying whatever came to mind because she was uncomfortable that Ford would now know that she was here – and why.

“He is, but don’t worry, he won’t hang around. Wait there.”

She watched him jump out of the truck and trot up the porch steps. She shuddered. This might be even worse than just getting out with him and going to say hi. As she watched him talk to his brother, she took a deep breath. They weren’t kids, sneaking around. There was no reason that she shouldn’t be here. She reached for the door handle and got out.

They both turned to her as she started up the steps. For a moment, she hesitated, wondering if Tanner might have preferred her to wait. The smile he gave her reassured her. He held his arm out to her, and she went to stand beside him.