by Janie Crouch
“Schoolwork, you two. Got to make sure you’re ready for next week’s camping trip.” Marilyn pointed back to the table. The kids moaned and tromped forward like they were headed to the guillotine.
Bree laughed at their dramatics, delighting in it. Just a few months ago they would’ve never acted that way. “Their teacher must be pretty mean.”
Marilyn gave a small smile. She was their teacher since she’d decided to teach them at home for the rest of this school year rather than add the trauma of a new school to an already traumatic year. “They’re so excited about the camping, I can hardly get an hour’s worth of work out of them.”
“Understandable.” Bree smiled once more.
“Everything okay here while we were gone?” Cassandra asked.
“Nothing of particular interest. That pipe in the hall bath is still leaking a little.”
“And no word about Jared?” Bree asked softly.
Marilyn flinched at the sound of her estranged husband’s name before smoothing her features. “Nothing either way.”
Jared’s lawyer was trying to get him out on bail, something Marilyn definitely didn’t want happening.
“Okay, good.” Bree nodded. “Keep us posted.”
“I will. Although finding out details isn’t easy. Ironically, because of privacy issues.” Marilyn sighed softly and looked over at Eva and Sam. “The kids are sad that Chandler is gone.”
Bree met Cassandra’s eyes and then looked at Marilyn, all of them giving resigned nods. Chandler’s mother, Angel, had been here three weeks. Two days ago, she’d decided to move back in with her boyfriend, despite the violent situation that had originally caused her to leave in the first place.
Angel said her boyfriend had changed. Had made promises.
Bree didn’t know which was harder: seeing the hope in the other woman’s eyes or knowing that the chances her boyfriend had changed after multiple years of abuse were pretty nonexistent.
And poor Chandler was caught in the middle of it all.
It wasn’t the first time someone from New Journeys had decided to return to a less than optimal situation. It had taken both Bree and Cassandra quite a bit of time to come to grips with the fact that not everyone could make the permanent break from their abusive situations. For some, the unknown was harder to deal with than the pain.
But it still sometimes broke Bree’s heart.
All they could do was provide what they could: a safe place and a new set of skills so that these women could support themselves, get back up on their feet and move on with their lives.
People like Marilyn were a prime example of why places like New Journeys was needed. She had made a huge difference in her own life once she had just a little help. But it was also needed for people like Angel who found the steps so much more difficult to take.
Bree and Cassandra grabbed cups of coffee, and they all came back into the family room to chat about all the daily things that needed tending to here. Half the building still hadn’t been renovated yet. New Journeys had quite a bit of private funding thanks to the Matarazzo family, who worked with some law enforcement group named Omega Sector in Colorado Springs, but renovating everything at once would have been too much to handle on multiple levels.
They currently had sixteen residents in the building, about three-quarters of its current capacity, and roughly one-third of what the building would be able to house once all the renovations were finished.
New Journeys had gone out of their way to make themselves particularly welcoming to women with children, so over half of the residents now had children with them—babies up through middle-school age.
Which explained the noise level in the room right now. None of the three women paid much attention to it. Cassandra and Marilyn were used to it since they had their own kids, and Bree just loved the chaos of it all.
But when the room fell almost completely silent a few moments later she sadly knew what had happened. A man had walked into the room. Bree forced herself not to tense or turn around to see who it was. How she reacted would influence how everyone else reacted.
Cassandra winked at her—able to see who was in the doorway—and a half smile pulled at Bree’s face as she heard giggles a few moments later. She knew exactly what man had walked into the room.
Hers.
Chapter Two
Tanner kept his stance neutral, his posture relaxed as he made his way into the silent room. Susan, one of the residents here, knew him and had let him in the side kitchen door when he’d knocked.
Nobody got into New Journeys who wasn’t invited. Every door had double reinforced locks and a security code. Nobody could just wander in from the streets and enter the building. With all the time Bree spent here, and with as many violent offenders the residents of New Journeys had contact with, Tanner had personally made sure of it.
Tanner knew the code, of course, and had a key to let himself in if there was an emergency, but he’d never done so. The women and children who lived here needed to know they were safe from both danger and from uninvited men just wandering around, even those who didn’t mean harm.
Case in point, the silence that fell over the large living room when he entered. Every child stopped what they were doing—playing, homework, talking—and stared at him.
He wasn’t sure if his Grand County Sheriff’s Office uniform helped or hindered his attempt to set a positive example of what a man should be. Some of these women and children had received no help from law enforcement when they’d needed it most.
He stood in the doorway for a long moment, a smile on his face, arms resting loosely at his sides as everyone processed who he was and that he meant no one here any harm. It didn’t take them more than a couple of seconds to get past their instinctive fear.
He grinned as big as he could, then brought his finger up to his lips, telling all the kids to keep quiet. Using exaggerated motions, he pretended to sneak up behind Bree. The kids began to giggle, knowing both Cassandra and Marilyn could see him and weren’t concerned, so they didn’t have to be either.
“You can’t escape the kissing monster,” he said in a deep, Muppet-sounding voice. He began pecking at the top of her head, her cheeks, her shoulders, from where she sat in the chair at the table.
Bree played along, like he’d known she would. “Oh, no, not the kissing monster.”
Giggles broke out all over the room, then turned into laughing noises of disgust as Bree finally turned her head up and Tanner kissed her—very chastely—on the lips.
It was their routine. It had started out in jest, but when they’d realized how much some of these children, and their moms, needed to see men in a more easygoing, positive light, it had become a regular part of their day as Tanner picked her up to escort her home.
The noise in the room fell back to its dull roar, everyone returning to their activities now that the show was over, as Bree stood up and smiled at him.
Those green eyes still gutted him just as much now as they had the first time he saw her shoplifting in the drugstore over a year ago.
“Hi,” she whispered.
He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, but he didn’t kiss her the way he wanted to, mindful of the audience who might not be actively watching but were still aware of their every move. “Hi, yourself. Good day?”
He knew she’d had a wedding dress fitting today, and that that event tended to stress her out.
But he was also a man and knew better than to try to offer any advice or help. That would probably just get him killed. Not by Bree, but definitely by Cassandra or one of the other women in the throes of wedding planning bliss.
“Let’s just say I’ll be happy two weeks from now when all this is over and I never have to be the center of attention again.”
He trailed a finger down her cheek and leaned closer to make sure no one
could hear them. “You may not be the center of the town’s attention, but I can promise you that once you are Mrs. Dempsey, you very definitely will be the center of my attention.”
He loved how her breath hitched and her mouth formed a little O shape.
“Hey, you two,” Cassandra’s voice rang out. “There are little eyes everywhere.”
Tanner was well aware of that. It was the only reason he didn’t have Bree pushed up against the wall kissing the life out of her.
He forced himself to take a step back. “I’ll behave.”
The look of disappointment on Bree’s face was almost the death of him. Whoever’s idea it had been not to have sex for the last two months before their wedding was a complete idiot.
Oh, yeah, that was him.
He forced himself to step away and sat down to talk about New Journeys and any issues. What happened here affected him on multiple levels. Personally, because of his tie to Bree and Cassandra. Professionally, because he was the captain of the sheriff’s department for this section of the county. Whatever he could do to help keep these women safe and secure, he was more than willing to do.
Sometimes that meant grabbing a hammer and drill and helping hang some pictures or adjust some light fixtures. Tanner didn’t mind. As a matter of fact, he and his brother, Noah, had been spending quite a few hours here during their time off. Both of them also realized that they were doing a lot more than some random honey-do list items by showing up week after week. They were trying, in some small way, to reclaim part of what had been lost by the years of violence perpetrated against the residents here.
It wasn’t enough. Wouldn’t ever be enough. But at least it was something.
Bree was talking schedules with Cassandra and Marilyn when Tanner felt a tug on his sleeve. He knew who it was before he even looked by how Marilyn’s eyes tracked the entire situation.
“Why, hello there, princess.”
Eva smiled up at him. “Hi, Captain Lips.”
Tanner managed not to grimace at his nickname. Bree had made the mistake of calling him by her private nickname for him—Captain Hot Lips—in front of Cassandra. His sister, never one to let a humiliating situation die naturally, started calling him that all the time. But at least the kids had overheard only part of it, and thus the nickname Captain Lips.
But this sweet child could call him anything she wanted if it meant she felt free enough to come talk to him.
Sam was standing next to her silently, not making eye contact with Tanner, but prepared to step in as best he could to protect his sister if needed. Tanner had nothing but respect for that.
“You ready for the camping trip next week?” he asked Eva. “You’re going to have a great time.”
Eva nodded vehemently, but her little face scrunched up as she pointed at the dog standing between her and Sam. “Mom says Tromso can’t go.”
Tanner reached down and petted the oversize pup named after the city in Norway where thousands of people flock every year to see the northern lights. Since the pup’s mom was named Corfu, after an island in Greece, the name sort of fit.
“Yeah, Tromso’s not quite ready for that type of adventure yet. He might get into something poisonous or run off before we could grab him. Better let him stay here where he’ll be nice and safe.”
Eva considered him soberly. “That’s probably true. Mom says Tromso can find trouble faster than anyone she’s ever seen.”
As if to make her point, the dog began pushing at Eva with his nose, wanting her to play. Eva giggled—a beautiful sound. Even Sam looked up and smiled when Tromso put his wet nose against the boy’s stomach.
Eva let out a sigh. “Mom also says we’ve got to get all our schoolwork done or we can’t go.”
Tanner couldn’t imagine any circumstances under which Marilyn wasn’t going to allow her children to go on this beloved camping trip, but he didn’t let that cat out of the bag. “You guys better work hard then. It would be a shame to miss it.”
“Do you think Mr. Noah will come back this Saturday?” Sam asked softly, staring down and rubbing at some invisible stain in the carpet with his foot. “He and I were supposed to finish hanging the shower rod in the new bathroom.”
“I’m sure he will,” Tanner said, knowing that even if his brother had to break plans, he would be here if it meant Sam wouldn’t be disappointed. Kid had already been let down too many times in his life.
Tanner’s words seemed to be all the encouragement the children needed. They made a beeline back to the table with their work. Marilyn mouthed the words thank you to him. He just smiled.
Tanner waited as Bree finished her discussions with the other women, listening and commenting when they asked for his opinion. He loved how confident Bree had become since starting her position here. He could still remember the first night Cassandra had mentioned the possibility and how Bree had scoffed at the thought of being able to teach others. But now she was much more easily able to speak her mind and share her opinions, at least with small groups. She’d battled through her fears and had come out on the other side stronger for it.
He couldn’t wait to make this woman his wife.
Holding her hand after dinner at the Sunrise Diner, Tanner walked her to her apartment on the outskirts of town. Most of her stuff was already at his ranch house—soon to be their house—on the land he shared with Noah. But neither of them trusted themselves to keep the no-sex agreement if they were both sleeping under the same roof. So Bree had been staying back at her apartment for the last two months.
He was definitely an idiot to have suggested the no-sex plan.
Bree sighed softly as they walked into her apartment. Tanner pulled her up against him.
“Please tell me that sigh means you’re going to call me a moron for suggesting we not have sex until the wedding.” He reached down and began nibbling at her lips. “Because I feel like that was the most stupid thing I’ve ever said in my entire life.”
He rubbed up against her like a damned teenager. Bree smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“No, this particular sigh was concerning Marilyn.”
Tanner took a breath and forced himself to step back.
“About her position at New Journeys? I thought she was doing a good job.”
She shook her head. “No, she’s doing a wonderful job. Cassandra and I both know that neither of us could do as good a job as Marilyn is doing. She just mentioned that her husband might get out on bail. She’s concerned for her and the kids.”
Tanner couldn’t blame the woman for that. “Because of the restraining order and the violence against her, she should be notified right away if her husband makes bail.” He reached over and slid both his hands under Bree’s hair on either side of her neck. “I’ve seen the police report for what happened to Marilyn. No judge is going to let him out on bail knowing what he tried to do.”
“I just don’t want anything to happen to her or the kids.”
He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. He loved her protectiveness of her friend. “Have I mentioned how excited I am to be marrying you in just a couple more weeks? Cass said you had some wedding stuff to deal with today. Did it go okay?”
“Yeah. Wedding dress fitting.” She didn’t sound too thrilled.
“I can’t wait to see you in it.” Bree’s taste in clothing leaned toward casual. And as much as he loved it when she stole one of his shirts to tie at her waist and wear with her jeans—or even better, wore only his shirt and nothing else—he was truly looking forward to that first glance at her walking down the aisle.
She sighed. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into dragging me in front of the nearest judge like you once threatened?”
“I’m pretty sure the women of this town, led by my sister, would string up you and me both by our toes if we eloped.”
Bree laughed. The sound
was soft and simple and genuinely happy. He was looking forward to hearing that sound for the next fifty years or so.
She chewed on her lip for just a moment, then stepped a little closer, trailing one finger up his chest. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into going before a judge tomorrow morning? You can outrun a bunch of women. You’re Captain Hot Lips.”
Her own little hot lips pressed against his, her tongue running against the seam of his mouth, before biting down gently with her teeth. “If we knew we were getting married in front of the judge tomorrow,” she continued, “there would be no reason for us not to make love right here, right now, against this wall. Doesn’t that sound like the best plan ever?”
He could feel her smiling against his mouth as he reached under her thighs and picked her up, trapping her body between the wall and his torso. They both let out a groan as her legs came around his hips and brought them flush up against one another.
“There’s nothing I want more than to peel you out of those clothes and spend the rest of the night making love to you on every available surface in this apartment,” he growled into her mouth.
She let out a gasp as his lips found the side of her neck. It may have been two months since he’d last seen her naked, but he definitely remembered every single spot on her body that could drive her crazy.
“Then do it,” she said. “I won’t let the meanie town ladies hurt you. I just want to be married to you tomorrow.”
Using every ounce of self-control he had, Tanner forced himself to ease Bree back down onto her feet and step away from her.
Two more weeks. He wanted to do this right. Wanted the next time they made love to be as husband and wife.
“We will get married. But in the church in front of all our family and friends, the way it should be. The way you deserve. I want everyone in this county—hell, the entire state—to know that you are who I very proudly choose as my wife. I don’t want there to be any mistake about that, no rumored whispers that might accompany a quick trip to the judge.”