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She got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, grateful that he had his own and she wouldn’t have to go out and wander down the hallway. At this point, she wouldn’t blame him if he thought that she’d been hiding her son from him. That thought made her scowl. There was no way that she’d ever hide her beautiful little boy from anyone. He was everything to her. She decided that as soon as Tanner came back, she was going to tell him all about Ashton.

Chapter Twelve

Everly made her way down the stairs, feeling totally self-conscious. She’d taken a shower, and she’d been partly amused and partly grateful to discover that Tanner had a hairdryer in his bathroom – she was going to have to tease him about that. She’d made herself as presentable as possible, but she was very conscious of the fact that she was still dressed in last night’s clothes.

She hesitated, hoping that perhaps Ford might still be sleeping or out tending to the cattle – or doing whatever people did on a ranch. He seemed nice enough, and he’d been warm and welcoming, but she still wasn’t looking forward to not only having to do the walk of shame, but also having to hang out and have coffee with her hookup’s brother. No – Tanner wasn’t just a hookup. It might be crazy to think that they could make anything happen beyond this week, but he was already more than a hookup.

As she was standing there, lost in her thoughts, Ford popped his head out of the kitchen. “Good morning, come on in. There’s coffee in the pot if you’d like one.”

“Thanks,” she said with a smile. “I’d love one.”

Ford poured her a mug and gestured for her to sit at the big, farmhouse table. “Tanner texted to let me know what’s happening. It sounds like he might be a while.”

Everly’s heart sank. It might be unreasonable of her, but she had to wonder if Tanner had time to text his brother, why he hadn’t texted her.

“He said that he’d messaged you as well, but he didn’t know if you were maybe sleeping in.”

“Oh. Yeah. I took a shower. I haven’t checked my phone.”

Ford gave her an understanding smile. “I don’t want to overstep the mark, but I would like to reassure you – if you want to hear it?”

She cringed. “This is awkward, isn’t it?”

He chuckled. “It could be, if you let it, but it doesn’t have to be. I can imagine how you might be feeling, but you need to know that this is a first.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Tanner doesn’t do this.”

She had to laugh at the face he made.

“Shit! What I mean is that he doesn’t bring anyone back here. To my knowledge, this is the first time that he’s ever had someone spend the night here.” He ran his hand over his face. “I don’t want to make a mess of this. What I’m trying to say is that you’re not just in an awkward situation after you spent the night with some guy. Well, maybe you see it that way. For what it’s worth, I don’t. And the point that I’m trying to make is that I know damn well that Tanner doesn’t see it that way. You’re important to him.”

“Thanks.”

Ford chuckled. “I kind of fucked that up, didn’t I?”

She laughed. “No. I appreciate you saying it. I do feel kind of embarrassed. I want to tell you that I don’t do this kind of thing– like, ever. But you don’t know me, you have no way of knowing if I’m telling the truth.”

Ford met her gaze. “Yeah, I do. I’m a good judge of character. You wouldn’t tell me that if it weren’t true.”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t. I’m not a liar.”

He nodded. “I can tell, and for what it’s worth, I think you could be good for Tanner.”

She blew out a sigh.

“I take it that means you don’t want to be?”

She shrugged. “Want? Yeah, I like the idea. But how realistic is it? I live in Napa. I don’t live here. And even if I did…”

“Even if you did, what?”

She made a face. “Why are you so easy to talk to?”

Ford laughed. “That’s a new one. Most people think that I’m the broody one and try to stay out of my way.”

“Really? You surprise me.”