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Everly stared out the window of the truck as they drove back up the valley toward the airport. She felt like she needed a timeout by herself to process everything that had happened in the last few hours.

She turned to glance over her shoulder. In the back seat, her dad and Ashton were deep in conversation. Ashton was explaining everything Tanner had taught him about how to groom a horse.

As she turned to face the road again, Tanner shot her a quick smile. She held his gaze for a moment and smiled back. He was coming home with them! She still wasn’t sure how it had worked out that way – but she wasn’t complaining.

She’d been dreading saying goodbye to him, and she knew that Ashton felt the same way. Then, Cash had been there, asking about her routine at home, asking Ashton what he did while she was at work. She felt as though she should be mad at him for somehow manipulating things so that it seemed like it had been her idea to bring Tanner home with them to help out. She shook her head with a smile. She liked to think that she was no pushover, but Cash seemed to be a master at getting what he wanted while leaving you feeling that it was your idea the whole time.

“You okay?” Tanner asked in a low voice.

She laughed. “I am. I’m still trying to figure out how your brother engineered all of this.”

“It’s what he does. I couldn’t explain it if I tried – I don’t know myself. In this case, I’m not complaining – I’m more than happy with the way this worked out.” His smile faded. “As long as you are? I don’t want you to feel like you were manipulated into something that you’re not sure about.”

“No.” She gave him a wry smile. “I know I was manipulated, even if I don’t know how. But I’m not complaining either – I’m happy about it, even if a little bemused. And…”

He glanced over at her again, and when he rested his hand on the console and waggled his fingers at her, she placed her hand in his without hesitation. She should perhaps be concerned about what Ashton and her dad might think, but she wasn’t. Things were moving so fast that she didn’t see any point in trying to hide anything.

“And what?” Tanner asked.

She squeezed his hand. “I’m glad that we don’t have to say goodbye this afternoon. And I’m glad… I’m glad that we’re kind of fast-tracking things.”

He grinned. “Me too.”

“Although, you know, if this isn’t going to work out, we might be fast-tracking our way to a more permanent goodbye.”

He shook his head adamantly. “This is going to work, darlin’.We’regoing to work out.” He glanced in the rear-view mirror and smiled. “We’re all going to figure out what our family looks like going forward.”

Everly’s breath caught in her chest. Wouldn’t that be something?

Chapter Twenty-Three

“How did things go with your dad? I feel like with everything else that went down I didn’t get the chance to check in with you on how you felt about that,” Tanner asked.

The plane was in the air, and they were on their way back to Napa. Tanner felt as though the day’s events had gotten ahead of him, and he could only imagine how Everly must feel. He was glad that things had worked out this way, but at the same time he was a little concerned.

They’d barely had a moment alone since this morning. He’d planned to check in with her on the ride to the airport, but Ashton had asked if Zeke could ride with them. It made sense; Zeke would be able to take the truck home and save someone else a trip to the airport to bring it home for him. More than that, it gave the little guy a bit more time with his grandpa.

He was relieved when Everly smiled. “It was good. I don’t need to tell you how good it was for Ashton – it was plain to see how happy he was to finally get to know his grandpa.”

“Yeah, and you’re not worried about it?”

“I’m not. Part of me feels like I should be. I should be more wary – I know all too well how he can build you up and then let you down. I hope to God that I’m not setting Ashton up for a big disappointment, but it honestly feels different this time.”

“It seems to me that Zeke’s determined not to let either of you down. Obviously, I don’t know if it’ll be any different this time, but I’m hoping.”

“Me too.” She leaned out into the aisle, looking toward the cockpit. “It was kind of Bear to let Ashton sit up there with him, but do you think we should bring him back now?”

Tanner turned to face her. “We should, but in a minute.” He leaned in closer until his forehead was resting against hers. “It feels like we’ve hardly had a minute alone.”

He loved the way her whole demeanor softened as she closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m sorry. There’s been so much going on.”

He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. “Hey, no sorries, remember? I don’t want you to feel like I’m just one more thing that you need to fit in – to make time for. That’s not why I’m here. I’ll gladly take any time we can grab to be alone, but I want to share the load the rest of the time, too.”

He curled his arm around her, and jerked his chin, indicating that she should come and sit on his lap. When she did, he questioned the wisdom of the invitation – the feel of her warm, soft body in his arms had him hard as a rock.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and dropped a kiss on his lips. “Have I told you how awesome you are?”

He chuckled. “Not for a while but go on – keep talking.”