Chapter Seven
“Coffee?”
The fact that Ronnie was already at Tanner’s desk with a cup of the steaming brew right under his nose before Tanner even realized he was in the room was testament to Tanner’s exhaustion.
It had been a hell of a week. He’d spent all day every day working the Newkirk murder case. Running into dead end after dead end.
And then night after night near Bree, loving being around her but trying not to let her get too close. It was a fine line he was walking with her. They needed to have a long conversation about his PTSD as soon as this case was done.
Because there was no way he was going to be able to keep his hands off her for much longer.
Tanner took the cup from Ronnie and nearly scalded himself as he swallowed a gulp. “I was looking over the suspect list again, hoping something might jump out at me this time.”
Ronnie grabbed the tennis ball that rested on Tanner’s desk and began bouncing it. Bounce the ball as they bounced around ideas. They’d been doing it for as long as they’d been working in this building together. “Maybe Whitaker will have some insight after talking to Newkirk’s family again.”
Tanner nodded. At least the other cop was out of their hair. He’d finally left yesterday after being in Risk Peak for three days.
The few details they had about the murder were set out in the case file on Tanner’s desk.
Joshua Newkirk had been stabbed in the back six times.
He’d definitely been wrapped and transported into Bree’s yard.
The crime lab team had not found any traces of blood anywhere around the body.
So there was no way he could’ve stumbled into her yard of his own accord.
Whitaker had not taken Tanner’s insistence that Bree was innocent at face value.
Only after thoroughly investigating any possible ties between her and Newkirk and coming up empty had Whitaker deemed her cleared.
He’d even brought her in for questioning, which Tanner chalked up to just wanting to piss him off.
He set down his coffee cup and held up his hand so Ronnie could toss him the ball. “Why Bree’s place? That’s the only thing about this that doesn’t sit right with me. Why dump the body in Bree’s yard?”
Ronnie nodded. “It’s not like there’s any shortage of people who might want to kill Newkirk. Guy has enemies all over the state. But nothing to do with her.”
Tanner bounced the ball back to him. “And he had no real ties to Risk Peak. I was part of the group who arrested him, but I was helping to work the case up north. I didn’t even have a major role in any of it.”
Ronnie flipped the ball back and forth between his hands. “Yeah, I don’t get it, either. I’m hoping Whitaker comes up with something after today.”
Tanner sighed. “As long as it doesn’t mean he has to come spend three more days here.”
“Maybe we could start a pool to guess how many times in a day Whitaker will say the words Dallas or big city.” Ronnie tossed the ball back to him.
He chuckled. “I’d be down for a piece of that action.”
“Is Bree doing okay? I can’t blame her for not wanting to move back into her apartment. Hell, Cindy would make us move to an entirely new place altogether if a body showed up in our yard.”
“Bree’s doing good. I don’t think she’ll have any problem moving back into her apartment. I just want to give her however much time she needs.” Tanner set the ball back on his desk.
He’d brought up the topic of moving back into Risk Peak very casually with her yesterday. He didn’t want her to feel like he was forcing her away from the ranch.
It would probably be best for her to move back to town. That way she wouldn’t have to drive so far to get to work every day, and he could get a good night’s sleep in his own bed without having to worry about hurting her.
But hell if he wanted that. He liked having her on the ranch. Definitely because he knew she was safe, but also because he liked having her around. For meals. For coffee in the morning out on the porch. For watching her play with that damned puppy.
But he couldn’t go on the way he’d been going. He was way past burning the candle at both ends—his life was more of a roaring bonfire at both ends. He wasn’t getting the sleep he needed, and knowing that Bree was wondering about the distance he kept between them ate at him.
Definitely time for a talk about what had happened to him on that undercover op three years ago. How it had affected and changed him. How PTSD might be something he had to live with for the rest of his life.
But it was something he hated to talk about. Just ask Dr. Michalski. He’d been trying to drag details out of Tanner for three years.
Tanner also didn’t want to talk about it with her since Bree had known such pain in her own young life. He didn’t want to add to her burden by asking her to help carry his trauma also.
But not talking wasn’t going to make it go away. Bree was part of his life now. The biggest and most important part. If he couldn’t get his PTSD under control, then it was something that he had to share with her so she understood what was going on.
But damn it, he wished he could be someone who just came to her with no baggage. She deserved that. Deserved someone who could help her carry her own.
“Until we hear from Whitaker, I’m just going to put the Newkirk case on the back burner.”
Tanner looked up at Ronnie. “Yeah. Nothing we can do.”
“Also, high on the fun scale...we’ve promised Mr. Dunwoody that we would stake out his auto shop over the next week and try to discover who’s vandalizing him. So I’m going to be out there for the graveyard shift tonight.”
Dunwoody’s auto repair shop was on the southeast edge of the county, in the middle of nowhere.
Much to Mr. Dunwoody’s chagrin, someone kept breaking into his shop and painting rainbows everywhere.
Mr. Dunwoody threatened to wait for it to happen again with his shotgun ready, but Tanner had talked him into letting them try to catch the vandals first. Especially since it was probably teenagers from the nearby high school.
“Great. I guess I’m lucky and get tomorrow night’s shift, then.”
Ronnie rolled his eyes. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and I’ll catch them tonight. Pacify Mr. Dunwoody.”
Ronnie gave a little salute and walked out of the office. It was time for Tanner to go also. All the stuff involving Newkirk, Mr. Dunwoody or any of Risk Peak’s other problems would have to wait. Even the hard talk he needed to have with Bree would have to wait.
Tonight he was leaving this behind. Taking Bree to possibly his favorite place on earth. It was exactly what he needed, and he was looking forward to it. Tonight would be the opposite of what the rest of his week had been. It would be fun, relaxed, easy.
TONIGHT WAS GOING to be a total disaster.
Bree sat in the living room of Tanner’s house, smoothing her palms along her skirt.
It was a cute skirt, a flowy navy blue with little white flowers.
It came down to just above her knees and looked great with the matching white blouse.
Tanner had loved it when she’d worn it for a date a couple of weeks ago, but now she just wanted to rip it off and throw it away.
Of course, that probably had less to do with the outfit and more to do with the fact that Tanner was taking her to have dinner with his family. How could this go any way but poorly?
Before she could think of an excuse not to go, Tanner pulled up.
The way his breath whistled out between his teeth and he stared at her made her feel better. But only for a moment. “You look absolutely edible.”
Whatever argument she was about to make to try to get out of dinner disappeared when he stalked toward her. That was the only word for it: stalked. Like he was a predator and she was his prey.
And he had every intention of eating her up.
It should scare her, make her wary, but all it did was light up the most feminine parts of her.
He was on her in just a second, one strong arm wrapping around her hips and spinning her until she was pressed up against the living room wall. He pressed up against her, and all thoughts fled from her head when he claimed her lips.
His mouth was demanding as he tilted his head, moving hers with it, giving him the angle he wanted. She moaned as his tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she opened for him. The kiss deepened, his tongue sliding over hers, tasting her. Claiming her.
When his hand fisted her skirt, sliding it up, and she felt his fingers skim along the outside of her thigh, she pressed herself closer. Trying to concentrate on the kiss was impossible with the lines his fingers were trailing up and down her hip and thigh.
“Damn it.” He was breathing as hard as she was as he pulled away a few minutes later, his forehead dropping against hers. “We’ve got to stop this or we’re going to be late and my mother will kill me. I’ve got to change and shave. My five o’clock shadow is a little out of control.”
She reached up and touched his cheek. “I like your scruff. It’s sexy.” It made him look a little dangerous.
His hand covered hers on his cheek. “We met because of this scruff, you know. I caught you shoplifting in the drugstore because Mr. Vanover keeps my special razor refills in the back aisle. If he didn’t, I probably never would’ve been back there or seen you.”
She ran her fingernails along the short whiskers. “I’m glad you caught me,” she whispered. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Heat seemed to pool in his soft brown eyes. The hand that wasn’t covering hers on his cheek wrapped around her waist, anchoring her against him.
She could feel the hardness of him pressed up against her.
For just a second she was tempted to throw caution to the wind and see if she could seduce him into staying.
But she quickly pushed the thought aside.
She didn’t want their first time to be because she had emotionally manipulated him in order to get out of a dinner.
Not to mention she didn’t know how to seduce a man anyway.
He groaned and pulled back. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Is that a good thing or bad thing?”
“The very best of things. Now, you wait right here five minutes. It’s time for the most important people in my life to get to know each other better.”