Chapter Eighteen
Bree sat straight up in the bed, looking around. Something was wrong.
It was way too quiet, and the sun was high in the sky—probably midafternoon. When was the last time she’d woken up based on her body telling her it was time rather than because one of the twins needed something?
It took her a moment to get her bearings. She was in a giant king-size bed.
Tanner’s bed.
She had no idea how to process that, so she threw off the blanket and jumped down. She was still fully dressed, except for her shoes, which sat neatly by the door. She rushed into the living room but heard no sound of either child crying.
Beth could possibly go this long without fussing. But Christian?
The house wasn’t that big. She dashed into a room that seemed to be an office/library but found no signs of life. A blanket was dropped haphazardly on the sofa in the living room, but it was empty, as well were the back porch and large eat-in kitchen.
Panic truly struck at Bree. Where were the babies? How could she have just slept like this?
She’d worked herself into such a state that she almost missed them as she walked by the window and came to an abrupt halt, unable to believe her eyes.
Actually, she could. And that was the problem.
Tanner stood outside in the sunshine, a baby in each arm. He was bouncing them both gently, talking to them in words Bree couldn’t hear and showing them the horses in the corralled area in front of them.
Beth and Christian were too young to process anything they were seeing, which Tanner had to have known, but they were looking out at the animals like they were listening intently to whatever it was Tanner was telling them.
Bree’s heart gave a little flutter.
Then she realized Tanner was wearing a cowboy hat. One obviously well-worn and loved.
Then her heart gave a big flutter.
She had to remind herself that Michael Jeter and the Organization would scour the earth to find her if he knew she was alive. No ranch would save her, no matter how remote or what type of Special Forces soldier Tanner’s brother had been.
She could not think of this place—think of this man—as permanent. Bree would only be here for a few days.
As soon as she opened the door, Tanner turned toward her and gave her a smile that stole her breath.
A few days. A few days.
“Morning.” His voice was husky, soft. “Well, afternoon, actually.”
“Hi,” she replied, taking Christian from him.
He half turned back toward the horses. “We were talking about all the animals’ names and how long they’ve lived here.”
“Thank you for letting me sleep. Have they been fed?”
“Yep, and are dry and happy. We were outside enjoying the sunshine and meeting the animals.”
Bree held her face up to the sun. When was the last time she’d just enjoyed being outside without worrying about being spotted by someone or accidentally captured on their cell phone?
Never, except for the rarest of occasions.
They walked around, Tanner pointing out different horses. A few minutes later, a large Labrador retriever came out of the tree line and began sniffing Bree.
“That’s Corfu.”
Bree reached down and rubbed the dog’s head affectionately. “Corfu?”
“Yeah, it’s a Greek isle. One of the places my brother visited when he was stationed overseas. I’ve always wanted to go.”
She smiled. “Okay, I guess Corfu works for a pretty dog like him.”
“Actually her. And she’s pregnant. It won’t be long until we have a slew of puppies around here.” Tanner crouched down so the dog could lick his face, carefully keeping Beth to the side so the dog didn’t frighten her.
Bree stared at the dog, wide-eyed. “Puppies,” she murmured. “How many?”
“Usually between three and five. We’ll give most of them away to people in town. Definitely keep one around here.”
Bree just nodded. No sense thinking about cute little puppies that weren’t hers. Or the babies that weren’t hers. Or the home that wasn’t hers.
Or the man that wasn’t hers.
“If Corfu is around, that means Noah will be showing up any second also.”
Sure enough, a few moments later a man came riding out of the trees from the opposite direction than she’d been expecting him.
Tanner rolled his eyes. “Surveilling?” he asked his brother.
Noah shrugged and slipped from the saddle. “Can’t be too careful.” He turned toward her but didn’t move closer. “Ma’am.”
It was plain these two were definitely brothers. Both tall, broad shouldered. Same dark coloring and good looks. But where Tanner was approachable and trustworthy, Noah was closed off, wary, defensive.
She wasn’t drawn to Noah at all like she was Tanner, but she definitely understood him.
“Nice to meet you,” she murmured, taking a slight step back.
He gave her a brief nod before turning back to Tanner.
“I’ve already gotten three calls from Cassandra, since you’re not answering your phone, and one from Mom.
Gotten quite an earful about how you ran a young mother and her twin babies out of town.
” He raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t look like they got far.
These yours?” he asked his brother, gesturing to the babies.
“No,” Tanner said, rolling his eyes.
“They’re not even mine,” Bree put in.
Noah tilted his head to the side and gave something that looked like a rusty smile. “You always did know how to complicate things, bro.”
Tanner chuckled, but it faded quickly. “They need to lie low here for a while. Completely off the grid. No phones anywhere around.”
That request didn’t seem to faze Noah at all. He just nodded. “Trouble?”
Tanner nodded. “Of a big kind.”
“How big?”
Tanner turned to her. “You want to provide details?”
She balanced Christian on her hip and turned to the side. “I can’t. Not right now. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you details.” If anything went wrong, it would be signing their death warrants. Although she might have done that even if she didn’t tell them.
“Makes it harder to protect you that way,” Tanner said.
She swallowed the panic building up in her. “I know. Maybe I should leave. If you could lend me a car or—”
“No.” Both Dempsey brothers said it at the same time.
“But I—”
Tanner moved closer until he was right in front of her. She had to crane her neck back to see him. “You’re not leaving here on your own. Nobody knows you’re here. You lie low like you said you needed to. We’ll figure out the rest.”
“Okay. But if—”
Tanner’s phone beeping in his pocket cut her off. He cursed under his breath when he looked at the screen. “I’ve got to get into town if we have any hope of keeping your location here a secret. Evidently I’m not very popular right now.”
Bree bit her lip. “Are you going to get in trouble?”
He winked at her. “I’m sure Mrs. A is ready to snatch me out of Sunday School class again. But in the end, all that matters is your safety. They’ll all forgive me after this blows over.”
She grabbed his arm. “And if it’s not something that ever blows over?”
“Then we take it one day at a time.”
“How long do Zac and Gavin think they can buy you?” Noah asked.
Tanner shifted Beth to his other arm. “Two or three days max. Then Gavin will make it look like Bree ditched the car.” He turned to her. “But if this Organization is as proficient as you say at utilizing electronics for their purposes, it won’t take them long to figure out they were tricked.”
She looked over at Noah. “I’m not trying to lead danger to your friends.”
Noah shrugged. “They can take care of themselves.”
Tanner looked over at his brother. “Call Cassandra and get her to come out here, then once she is, figure out a way for her to get whatever baby supplies the kids will need. But don’t mention it over the phone.”
“Will do.”
“And you’ll probably want to carry.” Both men nodded at each other in clear understanding.
“Carry what?” Bree asked.
“His weapon. We’re not going to take any chances with your life. Everybody in town knows not to come around here—Noah doesn’t like company. Anybody else coming around is just looking for trouble. Cassandra, our sister, will get you anything you need.”
Before Tanner could say anything else, Noah whistled at Corfu then swung up onto his horse and headed out without a word. They both watched him go.
“He doesn’t talk a lot.”
“I know,” Tanner said. “He has his own personal demons. But he’ll keep you safe. Even if you can’t see him, know that if I’m not here, he’s got an eye on you and the kids. Nothing’s going to happen.”
Someone else she was dragging into danger. The list got longer and longer. “Tanner, I—”
He put a finger over her lips. “Don’t say it again. You’re not leaving. I want you here. Noah wants you here, even if he can’t formulate the words. You’re not going off on your own.”
He led her inside and gave her a brief tour of the small, charming house that was obviously dear to him. Tanner handed her Beth then reached over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. It might be a while.”
A few moments later, he was walking out the door. She just stared at the door he’d shut behind him.
Home.
For the first time in her adult life she would be waiting for someone at home.