Chapter 6
Devon
“I heard you’re starting Reese’s riding lessons tomorrow,” Tanner said as he and Kaleb sat in my office at Remington Friday afternoon.
We’d just finished going over some business we had to resolve before the weekend.
“That’s the plan,” I said nonchalantly.
“What prompted you to do that?” Kaleb asked with curiosity in his voice. “I thought you two didn’t really get along. And then I heard this morning that you were at her house last night. Are you still trying to get information about her previous life out of her?”
I shot a disgruntled look at my brother from behind my desk. Of course he’d heard that I was at Reese’s house the night before. Gossip spread quickly in Crystal Fork. “I know you both think I’m crazy, but there’s something that’s just not sitting well with me about her.”
Tanner let out a beleaguered breath before he spoke. “Look, you’ve been saying that almost since she got here. There’s nothing weird going on. She’s been a valuable employee and friend to Hannah, and I happen to like her, too. I haven’t seen anything strange with the business, and I go over Hannah’s business account with her. We did a thorough background check. What in the hell still makes you think that something’s not right with Reese? I think you’re paranoid. She’s not a criminal hiding out in Crystal Fork, Devon. She’s a nice woman.”
“Anna and I really like her, too,” Kaleb added. “And Mom and Lauren adore her.”
“I’m not saying she’s a damn criminal,” I grumbled. “I just said that something’s not right. I know I have no tangible evidence of that, but my gut won’t leave it alone. I don’t think she’s left Crystal Fork since she got here. She’s an attractive, single woman. Wouldn’t you think she’d go to Billings or Bozeman to the clubs once in a while? Or meet someone from there on dating apps or something?”
Kaleb lifted a brow. “You’re a single guy. Do you do that? Are you on dating apps meeting women in those cities? Maybe she’s sick of the bar scene and dating apps.”
“Okay,” I replied readily. “But what about shopping and other activities you can’t find in Crystal Fork? Tell me your wives aren’t in Billings at least once a month to get something they can’t get here.”
“Sometimes more,” Tanner agreed. “And I can bring Hannah whatever she wants since our offices are here. She’s had a lot of cravings for things that I can’t get in Crystal Fork lately.”
I watched Tanner’s face, but there wasn’t a single sign that Hannah’s needs during her pregnancy annoyed him. In fact, he was grinning.
I knew that he’d bend over backwards to get Hannah whatever she wanted.
Most of the time, he was anticipating his wife’s wants and needs before she ever said a word.
My older brother had been a different person since he’d married Hannah.
He was…happy.
Happy in a way he hadn’t been since she’d walked out of his life years ago.
He had no idea how much I’d wanted that for him.
I’d wanted the same for Kaleb, and my eldest brother had found the woman he was meant to spend his life with in Anna.
Married life wasn’t for me, but I’d always known my brothers weren’t meant to live their lives alone.
I was going to be an uncle, and that seemed almost unbelievable to me.
I could only imagine how Tanner felt knowing he was going to be a father soon.
“Anna is starting to think about kids,” Kaleb shared.
“And?” I asked, already knowing that Kaleb would love to be a father.
He shot me a lopsided grin. “I’m more than ready to do my part in getting her pregnant. Hell, I’d love to see her pregnant with my child, but it will definitely screw up her career for a while. She’s still traveling a lot, even though she records her music in her studio in Billings. I don’t want her to make sacrifices for me. I love her. Just having her as my wife is enough.”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t think it would be a sacrifice for her. She wants to have kids, right?”
He nodded. “Hopefully more than one, which is why she’s thinking about getting started soon. She’s going to start slowly decreasing her traveling and personal appearances. She keeps saying that she’s not getting any younger.”
Tanner barked out a laugh. “Hannah says the same thing, but this pregnancy thing scares the shit out of me. Well, not really the pregnancy, but the labor and the discomfort Hannah is going to go through to bring our kid into the world. Once I watch the pain she’ll go through during the birth, I’m not sure I can do it again. And anything could happen during childbirth.”
“Nothing bad is going to happen,” I assured Tanner. “Women have babies every day. Hannah will be fine.”
“She’ll have to be,” Tanner answered in a disgruntled voice. “Hannah is my entire world now.”
Kaleb nodded like he understood completely. “Just like Anna is mine.”
I couldn’t say that I related to what they were saying because I didn’t believe that one person could be your entire world, but I knew my brothers.
If anything happened to their wives, neither one of them would ever be the same.
I could comprehend that much, which is why I tried to watch out for them.
Truthfully, Hannah and Anna were family to me now, and I’d do anything to keep them safe.
My concern about Reese had all started because of my protective instincts for my family.
“I still plan on figuring out what’s going on with Reese,” I warned them. “Maybe she’ll tell me more if we’re on friendlier terms.”
“Don’t push on her, Devon,” Tanner warned. “She seems like a private person, and we all should respect that. She wasn’t raised here in Crystal Fork where everyone trusts their neighbors. We all grew up here. She’s still adjusting.”
“I’m not sure she’s just trying to be private. I think she’s scared,” I finally blurted out.
A look of concern formed on my brothers’ faces.
“What makes you think that?” Tanner asked.
“Fuck!” I cursed, feeling frustrated. “Gut instinct. The flash of fear I see in her eyes for just a nanosecond before she masks it. She’ll share some things with me easily. Her likes. Her dislikes. Some of her past experiences. But when it comes to specifics about her past, she clams up like she’s afraid to say anything.”
“I guess I can’t give you any input about that,” Tanner admitted. “I’ve never felt the need to interrogate her on her background. However, there’s something to be said about your gut instinct. You’re almost never wrong.”
I hadn’t always had a good gut instinct.
I wished that I’d been born with it, but I’d developed it and listened to it as I’d matured.
“I did notice that she’s friendly with Chief Norton,” Kaleb mentioned. “Anna and I saw them having coffee at Charlie’s a while back. But Norton makes it a point to know everyone in this town. He’s been reacquainting himself with everyone and meeting the townspeople he doesn’t know.”
Ralph Norton was our Chief of Police. He’d been hired and had started his position not long before Reese had moved here.
Kaleb had made it a point to improve our police department after our cousin, Shelby, had been kidnapped and almost killed by a serial killer while she was staying in Crystal Fork.
Ralph Norton was single, but a lot older than Reese. About thirty years older. Unless Reese was really into much older men, I doubted there was any romantic interest there on either side.
Kaleb had helped recruit Norton from Spokane, where he’d been known as a very experienced and very savvy senior detective.
Originally from Crystal Fork, Ralph had fit right back into the town like he’d never been gone for a few decades.
“He’s met with a lot of the residents at some point,” Tanner pointed out. “Hannah and I had dinner with him a few months ago.”
“Same here,” Kaleb agreed. “I think he’s just a friendly guy who wants to connect with his town again. I never really thought it was unusual.”
I frowned. “Maybe she just wants to make sure she’s comfortable with the law enforcement here.”
Crystal Fork had never had much of a police force, but all of that had changed after Shelby was kidnapped. The person in charge at the time had very little experience with serious crimes and didn’t know a thing about the procedures involved in a kidnapping.
My cousin had nearly died because the proper procedures hadn’t been followed, and Kaleb had been like a bulldog about fixing that issue.
We all had.
We’d all been more than willing to make a big enough donation every year to pay for a decent police force.
“Now you really are being paranoid,” Tanner drawled. “Are you sure that you’re only concerned about your family’s welfare and not Reese’s safety?”
“What if some asshole is stalking her?” I questioned. “It makes sense. Maybe she moved here to get away from a former boyfriend.”
“Why don’t you just ask her if you’re worried about her,” Tanner questioned. “You ask her about everything else.”
“Too personal,” I informed him. “I’ve decided that I need her to trust me to tell me anything that personal about herself.”
“It’s going to be hard for her to trust you when you have ulterior motives for teaching her to ride,” Kaleb said drily.
“Or is all of that bullshit?” Tanner questioned suspiciously. “Why do I have a feeling you’re starting to like her and want to spend time with her?”
I didn’t.
My dick was apparently starting to adore her, which was exactly why I shouldn’t spend time with her.
“She’s smart,” I conceded. “And we have a few things in common. Maybe I could like her if she wasn’t hiding things.”
“She’s also a beautiful woman,” Kaleb said.
“She’s a decade younger than I am, and she’s not my type,” I assured him.
The last thing I needed was my brothers to start playing matchmaker.
I wasn’t a guy who had a match out there somewhere like they did.
They knew that I didn’t do committed relationships.
Hell, my brothers had never tried to fix me up with anyone before.
I hoped that wasn’t going to change now that they were happily married and possibly thought I should be, too.
“Does ten years really mean anything now that you’re older? Reese is pretty mature,” Tanner said offhandedly as he held up his palm. “Not that I’m trying to encourage any kind of relationship with Reese. You’ve never committed to a woman in your life, and if you hurt her, I’d be pissed.”
“Someday you’re going to have to tell us what happened to make you such a prick when it comes to women,” Kaleb insisted.
Oh, hell no, that was not going to happen in this lifetime. “It’s just the way I am,” I answered. “Not everyone wants a committed relationship.”
“I didn’t want one either before I met Anna,” Kaleb shot back. “Someday, some woman is going to knock you on your ass.”
“It hasn’t happened in thirty-eight years,” I replied drily. “It’s not going to happen.”
“Just be nice to Reese tomorrow,” Tanner said firmly. “She really wants to learn to ride, and you might actually enjoy her company if you let yourself.”
I didn’t make a smartass comment, which was my normal.
Maybe because he was right.
I probably could enjoy her company if I let myself, but I didn’t plan to let my guard down long enough to find out.
I was too fucking attracted to her, and that was going to have to keep me on the defensive the whole damn day.
I watched as Tanner stood, telling us that he had to pick up something for Hannah and then he was headed home.
Kaleb followed.
I stayed in my office longer than I’d planned, trying to plan exactly how I could get closer to Reese and keep my defenses completely intact.