Chapter Two
Of course the bar was busy – it was Friday night. Weekend nights were always busy. Tanner hustled ass as usual, but he didn’t waste any time on the attractive women in the crowd like he usually did. Instead of spending his quiet moments flirting, he headed back to check on Everly every chance he got.
She seemed fine. It was after nine o’clock now. Tanner didn’t think that she was still holding out any hope that her date might show – but he didn’t know for sure.
He hurried over when he spotted Luke standing at the far end of the bar by himself. “Are you ready for another round?”
“No – Kolby’s getting the drinks. I just came to check in with you.” He looked down the bar to where Everly was still sitting. “What’s the deal there? What’s going on?”
Tanner gave him a wry smile. “Damned if I know.”
“She’s here by herself?”
“She was supposed to be meeting someone – he didn’t show.”
“And now she’s waiting for you to finish?”
“I said I’d give her a ride.”
“A ride? Where to? She’s not staying here?”
“No. Apparently, she’s staying at the Remington place.”
Laney appeared at Luke’s side and smiled at Tanner. “So, you’re going to go for it?”
He shrugged. “I …”
Laney raised her eyebrows.
“Don’t look at me like that, sis. I don’t think I can.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You can’t bring yourself to make a move on a girl like her?”
He let out a short laugh. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’d love to, but it just doesn’t seem right.”
“Why not?” Laney asked, looking skeptical.
“She’s been stood up.”
“So? I hate to say it, your ego’s already big enough, but if some guy just stood her up, she might see it as a good thing if she gets to go home with you instead.”
Luke shook his head.
“What?” Laney asked. “You know I’m right.”
Tanner chuckled. “Normally, I’d agree with you, but you don’t know the full story.”
“What story?”
Tanner glanced back down the bar at Everly. He scowled when he saw yet another guy trying to hit on her.
Laney laughed. “If you don’t make a move, someone else will.”
She had a point, but … “I already told her that I’ll give her a ride back to the Remington place, but …”
“But what?” Laney asked impatiently. “What’s the big deal?”
“The guy who stood her up? She said that he’s the love of her life.”
Laney looked at Everly. “She doesn’t seem particularly brokenhearted.”
Luke chuckled. “And that surprises you? I would have thought you’d get it – some people can hide a broken heart better than others.”
While the two of them smiled at each other, Tanner checked on Everly again. She’d gotten rid of the guy who was trying to talk to her, but now there was another one trying his luck.
“I’ll be back, guys.”
When he reached Everly, all he needed to do was glare at the tourist who was trying to make conversation with her. It didn’t take long for him to get the idea. He looked from Tanner to Everly and back again a couple of times before saying, “Anyway, it was nice to meet you,” and sinking back into the crowd.
Everly grinned at Tanner. “Thanks. You’re good at that.”
He chuckled. “I’m happy to add it to the list of my many talents. It’s not something I’ve had much practice with.”
She gave him a puzzled look.
“What can I say? I don’t normally stake my claim. I can’t expect a girl to wait for me until the end of the night if she gets a better offer in the meantime.”
She laughed. “I bet you don’t even need to ask them to wait for you, do you?”
He shrugged. “I’d ask you, but you already had a better offer before you even arrived.”
She waved a hand at him. “It’s okay, you don’t need to give me the spiel. We’ve already established that we’re friends, right? And I’m grateful to wait for you to give me a ride back.”
He met her gaze and held it. “We’re only friends because you already established that you’re waiting for the love of your life.”
Her eyes grew wide, and she sat back in her stool. “Are you saying…?”
He nodded happily. “I sure am, darlin’.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Damn, with your looks you already have them eating out of your hand. I bet throwing in the odd darlin’ and honey has the girls dragging you back to their rooms with them.”
He shrugged. He wouldn’t try to deny who he was and how he worked, but looking into her light, hazel eyes, he didn’t exactly feel proud of himself.
“Hey, I’m not criticizing. Like I told you earlier, I’m amused by just how well you work it.”
Amused? That wasn’t a reaction he was used to. Not that he minded it – in fact, he kind of liked the way she laughed at him. That was what his friends did, what his family did – his siblings and their partners. He stared at her for a long moment. Laney was right – she could be one of them.
She tilted her head to the side. “I can see the wheels turning inside that beautiful head of yours. What are you thinking?”
“Beautiful?” he asked with a smile.
She laughed again. “Yeah, you heard me. And don’t try to tell me that you’ve never heard it before.”
~ ~ ~
Instead of answering her, Tanner frowned as he looked past her, over her shoulder. She turned to see what the problem was. The blonde cowgirl who had called him over earlier was standing behind her.
“Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Laney. I’m Tanner’s sister.”
A rush of relief swept over Everly when she heard that last part. Laney didn’t look like someone she’d want to get on the wrong side of. And even apart from that, she’d be mortified if this were Tanner’s girlfriend.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m Everly.”
“So I heard. Listen, there’s a whole bunch of us hanging out over there. You want to come and sit with us? I mean, it seems to me that you’re fine by yourself, but it’ll make life easier for this guy if he doesn’t have to keep running up and down the bar to split his time between you and us.”
Everly turned back to Tanner, and he smiled. “She’s right, and if you sit with them, there won’t be so many guys hitting on you.”
Laney laughed. “Hey, if you want to keep your options open, I won’t get in the way.”
Everly shook her head. “I’m really not looking for options.”
“Then come sit with us.”
She glanced back at Tanner again, and he nodded. “You might as well make some more friends while you’re here.”
She slid down from her stool and followed Laney. When they reached the group of friends, Laney poked one of the guys in his side.
“Get down, squirt. This is Everly, she’s going to sit with us.”
Everly wanted to laugh. If Laney was addressing that guy as squirt , she could only guess that he was another brother. Tanner had said that these guys were his family, and only a sister would think of the burly cowboy who’d just got down from his stool for her as a squirt.
He smiled as he gestured for her to take the seat that he had just vacated. “Nice to meet you, Everly. I’m glad you decided to join us.” He rested his arm on the back of the seat beside her, which was occupied by a pretty blonde girl.
The girl smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Shayna.” She inclined her head toward the guy who was obviously her boyfriend. “This is Ty, he’s Tanner’s brother. It looks like you already met Laney, that’s her fiancé, Luke. Those two are Kolby and Callie.”
Everly smiled around at them. “Nice to meet you all. Thanks for letting me join you.”
Laney smiled at her. “Thanks for coming with me. I know this might seem a bit weird, but it was exhausting watching Tanner run back and forth trying to make sure that you were okay and hang out with us all while he has to work.”
Everly gave her a wry smile. “I appreciate you inviting me over, but I should probably explain myself.” She glanced over at Tanner. “I imagine that your brother’s in the habit of lining up his women for later. I’m not looking to be one of them.”
Laney burst out laughing. “Damn, girl! You can say that again.”
Ty grinned at her. “Since you’re putting it straight out there, we should probably explain ourselves, too. We’re not in the habit of inviting them to join us.”
She gave him a puzzled look, and Shayna leaned in closer. “You’re right about Tanner – the way he usually is with women – but that’s not what’s going on.”
Everly looked around at them. “I’m glad you don’t just see me as some tourist chick who’s hoping to spend the night with him, but … What exactly is going on?”
Laney rested her arm on the back of Everly’s stool. “I don’t think any of us really know. All I can tell you is that there is something happening here. Tanner said that you’ve been stood up.”
Everly sighed. The situation wasn’t what they believed it to be, but she wasn’t sure that she wanted to explain just who had stood her up.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Shayna assured her.
“It’s not ...”
Laney met her gaze. “Tan said that you told him this guy’s the love of your life.”
Everly rolled her eyes. It was the truth, but not in the way any of them thought. She weighed her options. She could let them go on believing that she was pining for some boyfriend, or she could set them straight. They were all watching her expectantly. Shayna looked sympathetic, the guys and Laney were openly curious, and Callie … Callie looked familiar for some reason, but Everly was fairly certain that she’d never met her before.
She smiled. She didn’t owe them a thing – she didn’t know them. But they were good people, that much was obvious just from the way they were treating her.
“I should probably explain that …”
“Hey,” said Ty. “You don’t need to. You can just hang out with us, make some new friends. You don’t have to explain a damn thing.”
“Thanks. But it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t tell you what’s really going on. I didn’t lie to Tanner, I just … It’s… The guy who I was waiting for – who didn’t show? He’s my dad.”
Laney laughed. “Well, shit! Did you tell Tan that so he’d stop hassling you?”
“Not really. It’s not like he was hassling me. I mean, come on! It’s obvious who he is, he’s not going to be hassling me like that. He can have his pick of the ladies. I’m not down on myself or anything – it’s just that, well … I might as well say it; there’s no missing the fact that he’s a player, and there are a couple of girls in here who would be obvious playmates. It doesn’t take much to figure out that I’m not one of them.”
She didn’t get why they all grinned at her. Well, all of them except Shayna. She reached out and touched Everly’s arm as she asked, “What’s the deal with your dad?”
She shrugged. “I thought that I might get to see him while I’m in Montana. He said he’d meet me in here tonight.” She shrugged again. “I should be used to it. I am used to it. It’s been this way my whole life.” She looked down into her glass, then knocked back the rest of her wine in one go. “He is a good guy – a great guy. He’s just not cut out to be a dad. He’s never been a part of my life, but I was hoping that this time…”
“Does he live here?” Ty asked.
Before Everly could answer, Laney cut in. “Screw him! If he does, it’s probably best that I don’t know who he is.”
The others laughed at that, and Shayna nodded. “Laney’s a bit fierce,” she explained.
“So I gathered,” Everly said with a smile. “You probably wouldn’t know him anyway; he hasn’t been here for long. Maybe he’ll have a reason for why he didn’t show. I know I probably should, but I’m not going to give up hope until I leave.”
“If you want my advice,” said Laney. “I’d give up on him right now. Decide that this time’s the last time that he lets you down. Cut him out of your life and move on.”
Kolby smiled at her. “In case you can’t tell, Laney’s slightly bitter. We know all about having a father who’s an asshole.”
Everly nodded. She wanted to defend her dad, he wasn’t an asshole – if he were, she would’ve given up on him years ago.
Shayna caught her gaze and held it. “You don’t have to decide anything tonight. Just hang out with us. Forget about it all and have some fun.”
Everly smiled. “Yeah. Thanks. That’s the plan.”
Her breath caught in her chest when Tanner appeared behind Ty. Phew! He was so freaking hot. And the way he smiled, the way his gaze locked on hers, made her feel as though they were the only two people in the room.
Laney broke the moment. “What are you doing out here?”
Tanner’s gaze didn’t leave Everly’s as he said, “Taking my break.”
He came closer, and the others moved aside so that he could stand next to Everly. He looked down into her eyes and smiled.
“Do you want to dance?”
“I …” She looked around at the others, but they were all suddenly busy chatting amongst themselves.
Ty put his hands on Shayna’s waist and lifted her down from her stool. “We’ll see you on the dance floor.”
Shayna looked back over her shoulder as he led her away. She grinned at Everly and gave her an encouraging nod.
Tanner cocked an eyebrow and held a hand out to her.
She looked down at it and then back up into his eyes. He lifted a shoulder. “I’m not asking you for anything more than a dance – and don’t get me wrong, that’s not because I don’t want more.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. She could turn him down, she probably should – but why not? She’d be back home soon enough, and when she got there, she’d have to figure out what she was going to do with her life. What would be the harm in collecting the memory of a dance with a hot cowboy?
His hand was still extended toward her, and he waggled his fingers. He chuckled as he said, “Please?”
She laughed with him. “Well, since you asked so nicely, it’d be rude of me to refuse, wouldn’t it?”
She slipped down from the stool, and shivers chased each other up and down her spine when he placed his hand on the small of her back.
When they were out on the dance floor, he held his hands out to her and said, “I’ll let you be in charge of how this goes.”
She took one of his hands and looped her other arm up around his neck with a smile. He placed his free hand on her hip and as they started to move to the music, he raised his eyebrows as he inched his hand further around her until it rested on the small of her back.
“This okay?” he asked with a grin.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. It had been a long time since she’d had a man’s arms around her, and the way he was slowly drawing her closer to him as they moved around the dance floor had her heart beating wildly.
Ty grinned at them as he and Shayna went by. Shayna gave her an inquiring look, and Everly nodded happily. She loved that the other woman was looking out for her.
“Hey.”
She attempted to gather her wits together before she looked up at Tanner. It was pointless, though; all common sense fled from her brain the moment she met his gaze.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m good,” she told him honestly. She just didn’t add that she couldn’t remember ever feeling as good as she did dancing with him like this.
The song ended, and a slow ballad came on. “Do you need to …?” she started to ask.
He grinned as he curled his arm around her waist, drawing her so close that she was pressed up against his broad, hard chest. “Need to make the most of what might be my one and only chance to dance with you?” he asked. “Hell yeah, I do.”
She shook her head with a rueful smile. “I already told you; you don’t need to give me the spiel.” She said it more for her sake than his – as starved as she was for male affection and attention, it’d be all too easy to get carried away by the moment.
~ ~ ~
Tanner’s smile faded. “Because you’re all hung up on this guy – the love of your life, right?” He felt bad. She’d made clear what her situation was. He shouldn’t even have asked her to dance, but he hadn’t been able to resist.
She made a face at him. “No, I …” She bit down on her bottom lip. “There’s something I should tell you. Then again, forget that. It doesn’t matter. I … All I meant was that we both know damn well that I’m not your usual type. It’s sweet of you to look out for me, but you don’t need to feed me lines, Tanner.”
He gave her a puzzled look. “I ain’t feeding you lines, darlin’.” He couldn’t help it, he let go of her hand and wrapped both arms around her waist, holding her so close that they were touching from their knees to their chests.
“You might not be my usual type, I won’t lie about that, but you’re … You’re … So much … more.”
When he’d let go of her hand, she’d wrapped both arms around his neck. The way her full breasts were crushed against his chest made it hard to think, let alone try to articulate the way she made him feel.
She gave him a sad smile. “Thanks, Tanner. I know you’re just trying to be nice.”
He laughed. “You’ve got me all wrong.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Are you telling me that you’re not nice?”
He allowed one hand to dip lower so that his fingers were tracing the top of the tantalizingly rounded globes of her ass. He rested his forehead against hers and looked down into her eyes as he said, “No. I’m not denying that I’m a nice guy – I’m a good guy. But I’m not trying to be nice. I’m… Damn! I don’t know what I’m doing, Everly.”
He straightened up. What did he think he was playing at? He had to remember that she’d walked into the bar a couple of hours ago hoping to meet up with the guy she described as the love of her life. Just because he found himself undeniably attracted to her, that didn’t mean that he should make a move – or that she’d be open to it if he did.
He was relieved when she chuckled. “I think I know what you’re doing.”
“Go ahead and explain it to me then, would you?”
“It’s like you said, you’re a good guy, so you’re looking out for me.” She surprised him when she pressed a little closer. “It’s just that you don’t know how to be around a woman without making a move on her.”
Her words stopped him in his tracks – literally. He stopped right there in the middle of the dance floor and held her a little tighter. “That’s not true.”
“No?”
“I… No! It’s not.” His heart was pounding. He wasn’t thrilled by the possibility that she might be right, but more than that he hated that she didn’t understand just how attracted he was to her.
They both turned when Laney and Luke danced by. Laney scowled at him and asked Everly, “Are you okay?”
He was relieved when Everly laughed. “I’m doing great.” She leaned into Tanner to get him moving again.
He stared into her eyes as they moved around the dance floor. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to feel. This woman had his head turned around, and he didn’t know what to do with it.
When the song ended, she let go of him and stood back. “Thanks, Tanner.”
“You’re done with me?”
“I’m trying to make it easy on you.”
“Make what easy?”
She gave him a puzzled look. “Isn’t this your break? Don’t you need to get back behind the bar?”
“Shit!” She was right. He glanced over at the bar – they were slammed. He caught her hand and led her off the dance floor. “What are you doing to me, lady? I can’t even think straight. You’re right; I do need to get back to work, but will you dance with me again later?”
She nodded slowly. “Sure, if you want to. But don’t feel like you have to.”
He led her back to where the others were sitting; most of them were still out on the dance floor, but he was relieved to see that he wouldn’t have to leave her by herself.
“Hey, guys. This is Everly. Everly, this is my sister, Janey, and her husband, Rocket.”
After they’d all greeted each other, he rested his hands on Everly’s shoulders and looked down into her eyes. “Promise me you’re not going anywhere.”
She laughed. “I can’t do that; I need to go to the ladies’ room.”
“You know what I mean. Don’t leave.” His heart pounded as he said those last two words.
She nodded slowly, no doubt thinking that he was nuts. He didn’t understand it himself, but the thought that she might walk out of the bar while he was working, and that he’d never see her again, filled him with a panicky feeling that he couldn’t explain.
“Tanner!” Brody, the bar manager, called to him. “Get your ass back here, would ya? We’re slammed.”
“You’d better get back to it,” said Everly.
It was only when she spoke that he realized that his hands were still on her shoulders, and she was still looking up at him.
“Yeah. Sorry. I …”
She gave him a reassuring smile and patted his arm as she stepped back from him. “Go on, go do your job. I’m not going anywhere – I still need a ride, remember?”