Chapter 2
Tanner
“A nything else I can get for you boys?” Charlie asked as I pushed my empty plate away from me so she could collect it easier.
I shook my head, and then looked at my two brothers, Kaleb and Devon.
I was stuffed full of the best biscuits and gravy in Montana.
“I’m full,” my older brother Kaleb said as he handed his own empty plate to Charlie. “It was an amazing breakfast as usual, Charlie.”
“Agreed,” my younger brother Devon said as Charlie took his plate. “Thanks, Charlie.”
“No need to thank me. Breakfast is the least I can do for you three since you’re headed out to my farm to work on my chicken coop,” she said gratefully.
My brothers and I had stopped at Charlie’s restaurant for breakfast before we headed out to her farm. It was Saturday, and my brothers and I had stopped going to our offices in Billings on the weekends unless it was an emergency a long time ago.
The older woman had a very large flock of chickens to keep her restaurant stocked with fresh eggs, and she had a large chicken coop that needed repairs before winter set in.
One of the things I liked about Crystal Fork was the way everyone stepped up to help each other when something needed to get done. There would be more people out on the farm to help, all of them willing to work until that chicken coop was like new again.
Granted, living in a small town meant that everyone knew your business, but if work needed to get done, they’d all step up to help.
Charlie was beloved by everyone in Crystal Fork. She owned the only great place to eat in town, and she treated her customers like family.
Unfortunately, she’d lost her husband to a stroke years ago, and her son lived out of state, so when Charlie needed something, she never even had to ask.
I actually enjoyed working outside after spending the week in my office, so I was always up for helping people with outside work on the weekends.
I grinned at Charlie. “You really didn’t need to bribe us with breakfast to get us to go out and work on your chicken coop.”
“Speak for yourself,” Devon quipped. “I’m never going to turn down a good breakfast here.”
Charlie beamed at my younger brother. “Like I already told you, breakfast is on the house.”
Kaleb looked like he was going to argue, but stopped himself from saying something at the last minute.
Arguing with Charlie was pointless, and we all knew it. She was sweet, but she could be as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be. It didn’t matter to her that we were all billionaires and could definitely afford to pay for our own breakfast.
“We’ll leave a large tip,” I told Kaleb quietly as Charlie wandered away with our empty plates.
“That’s the plan,” Kaleb agreed before he took a slug of his coffee.
“What is Anna doing today while you’re working out at Charlie’s farm?” Devon asked Kaleb curiously.
Kaleb had recently married Annelise Kendrick, one of the most famous pop stars on the planet. It was probably more difficult for him to be away from home on a Saturday than it was for Devon and me because my older brother was the only one of us who was now married.
Kaleb was living in wedded bliss, and he liked being home with Anna on the weekends.
“She didn’t seem particularly disappointed that I’d be gone,” Kaleb grumbled unhappily. “She’s going to Billings with Mom later to do some shopping.”
I smirked because my brother sounded offended that his wife was making the best of her time away from him.
Truthfully, Anna was as in love with Kaleb as he was with her, but she was an independent, highly successful woman who was used to spending time on her own.
Anna had lost her own parents, and she had grown exceptionally close to our mother.
“You’ll survive for one day without her,” Devon said unsympathetically. “You two were together constantly on your honeymoon. The disgustingly sweet pictures of you two are almost nauseating. That much togetherness would drive me crazy.”
Kaleb and Anna had just returned from that honeymoon. They’d escaped to a secluded villa in Italy to maintain some of their privacy. People here were getting used to having a celebrity like Anna in their town, and they adored Anna as a person.
However, she was generally mobbed in other places in the US if she was recognized.
I didn’t agree with my cynical younger brother about the pictures of their honeymoon.
Kaleb and Anna had looked joyful in those pictures, and I was glad he’d found the woman who could make him that happy.
I’d experienced a love like that at one time.
Devon hadn’t, so he had no idea how the right woman in a man’s life could be everything to him.
My relationship hadn’t worked out, but I didn’t resent the fact that my older brother’s had.
As weird as the pairing of a pop star and a billionaire from Montana might seem, Kaleb and Anna were perfect for each other.
“You’re just jealous because no woman wants to put up with your crabby ass,” Kaleb joked.
“I don’t want a woman glued to my hip every day,” Devon argued. “Being with the same woman day in and day out would make me completely insane. I happen to like my freedom.”
I wasn’t quite sure that was true.
The truth was that Devon had never found a woman who made him so obsessed that he didn’t want to be away from her.
Hell, I’d felt that way once, and having it end badly had nearly killed me.
Like Devon, I was perfectly all right with being alone now.
“We’d better head out,” Kaleb said before he drained the last of his coffee, totally ignoring Devon’s comment about women. “That chicken coop isn’t going to repair itself.”
I nodded, and then felt my phone vibrate in the pocket of my jeans.
I pulled it out of my pocket and stared at the text for a moment in surprise.
“Something wrong?” Devon asked.
“It’s Mom,” I grumbled.
“She okay?” Kaleb asked, his voice concerned.
“Yeah,” I said distractedly. “She asked me to pick her up some apple fritters from Sweet Mornings before I head out to the farm.”
It was a weird request.
Number one…my mother was best friends with Joy Griffin, the woman who owned the donut shop. If she wanted donuts, she’d hop into her vehicle and get them so she could chat with Joy.
Number two…Mom loved to bake, and she always had more muffins and cookies around the house than she could eat herself.
And number three…she rarely asked one of her sons for help with anything. She was an independent woman who did whatever she wanted when she wanted to do it.
“Since when does our mother have cravings for apple fritters?” Devon questioned with a frown.
I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll grab them, drop them off at the ranch, and meet you two out at Charlie’s farm. It’s basically on the way. Maybe that’s why she asked.”
Mom’s ranch was outside of town, essentially on the same back highway we had to take to get to Charlie’s place.
Joy Griffin was my ex-fiancée’s mother, but there had never been any hard feelings between the two of us.
Kaleb shook his head as he stood. “I still think her request is a little odd. When is the last time Mom asked us to get donuts for her from Sweet Mornings?”
Um…the answer to that question would be…never.
“She never asks for anything,” Devon affirmed as he slid out of the booth and stood. “She’s stubborn. She does everything herself.”
I quickly texted my mother, stood up, and shoved my cell back into my pocket.
All of us dropped a hefty tip that would cover the cost of the breakfast and a large tip on the table before we headed outside.
Charlie’s was busy on Saturday morning, and there were people waiting for a table who would be more than happy that we were vacating the booth.
“I don’t mind,” I told my brothers. “She doesn’t ask for much. It’s not a problem.”
Honestly, I’d be happy if my mother would let us do more for her.
After my father had passed away four years ago, she’d decided to lease a lot of the ranch’s land to other farmers and ranchers, but there was still plenty for her to do alone around the property.
She insisted that caring for her home and a few horses wasn’t a burden, but she wasn’t getting any younger, and we didn’t see it that way.
“She’s up to something,” Devon warned.
I shrugged. “She wants me to drop off some donuts. I don’t know how something like that can have some kind of ulterior motive.”
Devon shot me a dubious glance as we walked out of the restaurant. “If Mom is doing something out of the ordinary, there has to be something behind it.”
“It is unusual for her,” Kaleb said thoughtfully as he unlocked his vehicle. “But I have to agree with Tanner. Getting her donuts isn’t exactly a nefarious request. You’re being paranoid, Devon.”
“Don’t say that I didn’t warn you,” Devon grumbled as he walked to his vehicle parked next to Kaleb’s. “Bring us some donuts.”
“We just ate breakfast,” I reminded him.
“I’ll be hungry in a few hours,” he answered.
Kaleb grinned. “I like the chocolate bars, cream filled.”
“I’ll get enough for the whole crew,” I said as I left, walking toward Main Street.
Sweet Mornings was just down the street. There was no point in taking my SUV.
After the huge breakfast I’d just consumed, and considering the donuts I was going to eat later, I probably needed the exercise.
The small town was bustling because it was a weekend.
It was after nine, so all of the shops were open, and small groups of people were gathered on the sidewalks to trade gossip and news.
It was fall in Montana, but we’d been blessed with an incredibly warm fall this year, and everyone liked being able to be outside for extended periods of time when the weather was decent.
Crystal Fork was a typical small town. I didn’t know everyone personally, but I was familiar with a lot of the faces because I’d grown up here.
I’d said “good morning” to a lot of people by the time I reached Sweet Mornings.
The folks around here might be into everyone’s business, but most of them were welcoming and polite.
I stopped short as the glass door to Sweet Mornings came into view.
“Fuck!” I cursed under my breath as I saw who was manning the counter this morning.
Hannah.
My ex had been back in town since her mother had suffered a heart attack several months ago.
We’d managed to avoid running into each other directly for months now.
Devon’s ominous warning floated through my head as I stared at the beautiful, dark haired woman at the counter of Sweet Mornings.
Now I was skeptical, too.
Had my mother somehow known that Hannah would be here?
That theory made sense because she was so close to Hannah’s mother, Joy.
I can’t just stand outside like an idiot.
People around me were starting to stare and put the pieces together as to why I was hesitant to enter the bakery.
Hannah Griffin had been out of my life for over seven years.
We meant nothing to each other anymore.
It’s not like we can avoid each other forever.
From what I’d heard, she was back in Montana for good, and I wasn’t going anywhere.
It would be helpful if seeing her didn’t faze me anymore, but I’d be lying to myself if I tried to say that some of the memories of us didn’t still haunt me just a little.
I gritted my teeth and headed toward the door of Sweet Mornings, determined not to let the fact that Hannah was here completely ruin my day.