by Sable Hunter
Tanner felt sick. Just what he’d feared was happening. Desiree’s reputation was suffering – because of him.
“Do you want the ring?”
Tanner stood there staring at the diamond as if he didn’t recognize it for what it was.
“Sir, Mr. Barron, do you want the ring?”
“Uh, yea.” His confidence had just hit rock bottom. “I’ll take it.” He’d probably have to bring it back – the idea that a woman like Desiree would marry him had been a long-shot at best. Now, the odds were even greater. “How much?”
–CHAPTER EIGHT–
Tanner’s drive back to Lost Pines was fraught with ‘what-ifs’. What if she said ‘no’? What if that stupid video had changed her mind about him? What if he couldn’t fit into her world and she didn’t want to fit into his?
Hell! Tanner had always known he was a worrier. From his childhood, struggling with his father and the addiction that ruined his life, Tanner would lay awake at night with the weight of the world on his shoulders. But like Uncle Lin always said, ‘there’s no use worrying until you have something to worry about.’
Despite his rough start, his life had been good. Uncle Lin, the McCoy’s and Bowie Travis had given him friendship and opportunities he could never repay. And who would’ve guessed that he’d be heading home to the woman who had been his dream from the moment he saw her serving homeless people at the shelter? She was his other half, his soul-mate. He only prayed she would consent to share the future with him.
When Tanner turned off the main road, he stopped first at the Foster’s to ask her to watch over his roses until later in the evening. Tenderhearted Mrs. Foster cried. “I’m so happy for you. Ms. Desiree is a joy, the perfect woman for you.”
“Yes, she is. I plan on proposing, so keep your fingers crossed for me.”
“Oh, I will.” Mrs. Foster hugged him. “But no sane woman would tell you no. You’re a catch if I ever saw one.”
He hugged his faithful friend. “And you’re very, very prejudice.”
Returning to his truck, he started it up and went farther down the road. Tanner hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until he saw Desiree’s rental car still parked in front of her cabin. She was still here! She’d hadn’t driven it since the first day, since then he’d been taking her everywhere she needed to go. Part of him had expected her to be halfway back to Tennessee by now. Hopefully she hadn’t seen that stupid video and he could break the news to her about it himself.
Who was he kidding? She had a publicist who would know all about it. Even if he didn’t have direct contact with her at the moment, Tanner was fairly certain someone had probably called her.
Pulling into his driveway, Tanner cut the engine. Patting his pocket where the ring rested, he realized his stomach was tied into knots. His plan was to propose right after midnight, marking the twelfth day of Christmas. Who knows? Perhaps he’d carried this whole thing too far. Who knew he could be so sentimental? There was a simple explanation, however. He’d never been in love before.
Inside…Desiree stood at the window watching Tanner Barron approach. She tried to look at him with new eyes. And failed. He still looked like her hero. All-man. No immaturity. He had a tender side, but the softness was in his heart, not in his powerful body or rock-solid mindset. Still, he should’ve told her. If he had, Desiree could’ve enjoyed being with him, but she would’ve made certain to protect her heart.
When he opened the door, the cool air that came with him chilled Desiree to the bone. “Hey.”
Tanner whirled to find her standing behind him. “Hey, yourself, gorgeous.” He reached to kiss her, but found her to be stiff in his arms. “What’s wrong?” Or did he have to ask. “You saw it?”
“The video, you mean?” Seeing his worried expression, she nodded. “I take it that you saw it too.”
“Yes, I’m sorry.” Tanner took off his hat and held it in his hand, his fingers nervously worrying the brim.
Desiree backed up from him a couple of feet. “What are you sorry for?”
“For getting you into a situation where the reporters could take advantage of us. I’m sorry all of that came out on national TV. At least I didn’t lie to you, you always knew the truth about me.”
Desiree closed her eyes. “I did not! You didn’t tell me. I feel like a fool!”
Now, he was confused. Why did she act like he’d done something wrong? “Wait. What are you talking about? I told you about my father and about the little lost boy.”
“Yes, you did.” She crossed her arms over her chest as if shielding herself from more hurt. “But that’s not why I’m upset.”
Apparently, they weren’t speaking the same language. “Well, you’ll have to draw me a picture,” Tanner said with a frustrated voice. “I don’t understand.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “It’s simple. I’m too old for you.”
Tanner looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “You are not old! You are damn near perfect, and you know it!”
Desiree wanted to cry. He was so damn sweet. “But you’re too young.”
“I’m the same damn age I was when I left this morning, the same age I was when I rocked your world in bed last night!”
Closing her eyes as if in agony, Desiree whispered. “But you’re twenty-eight years old!”
Tanner didn’t see the problem. “So? How old did you think I was?”
Desiree threw up her hands. “I don’t know! Thirty-something? More my age! I’m thirty-eight!”
“I met you years ago, Desiree. Your biography is written up in a damn Wikipedia article. I’m very aware of your age.” Attempting to take her in his arms, Tanner pled his case. “Desiree, sweetheart. Nothing has changed. I’m a man and you’re my woman. I want to love you, cherish you, take care of you – have sex with you as much as possible! Nothing has changed.”
Shaking her head, Desiree wished she could just make her fears go away. “Age wasn’t an issue before.”
Grabbing her hand, he tugged her close. As always, his body responded to her, his cock coming alive. “Exactly. Age isn’t an issue. You are perfect. You are beautiful and you are the only woman I’ve ever wanted.”
Desiree exhaled, relaxing in his embrace. “Let’s just not think about it. I don’t have much time left before I have to leave.”
Tanner didn’t say anything. He wasn’t ready for her to go, but when she did, he planned on her leaving with his ring on her finger. “Right, let’s make the most of what’s left of our twelve-day celebration.”
She let him kiss her, a few seconds passing before she responded. There was no use, she couldn’t resist him if she tried. But she needed to think, to put all of this in perspective. Pulling back, she patted him on the chest. “Tanner. I’m going to go to my cabin for a little while. I need to do laundry so I can pack tomorrow.”
“Can’t you do that here?” He wanted to spend every second with her he could.
“I need to think and I can’t do that with you near.”
“Sometimes you can think something to death, don’t make more of this than it is, Desiree. We’re exactly the same people we were before. Why do you think you’ve responded to no man before me?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Because you belong to me! You always have, that’s why.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Our lives are intertwined. We just have to figure out why. And that’s one reason I need to think!” Desiree placed two fingers over his lips to keep him from protesting.
As she moved to go out the door, he followed her, his every instinct screaming for him to pull her back, lock the door, and love on her until she forgot all of this nonsense. “Be back before dark. I have steaks marinating for the grill.”
Walking away from him was hard, even if it was for just a little while. How would it feel when she went back to Tennessee? Desire knew – it would feel like she was leaving a big part of herself behind. And she would be – her heart.
O
ver the next few hours, she made some phone calls and put on several loads of laundry. One call she made was to her manager. “Hey, how are you?”
“Better now that I’ve heard from you!” he fussed. “I had a nightmare last night, dreamed you were a no-show. You had some crazy idea to move to the country and raise cows!”
Desiree almost choked. He had no idea how prophetic his dream was – before she’d found out she was a cougar. A cougar? God, she hated that terminology. Why couldn’t we be whatever age we felt? If that were possible, everything would be perfect. Most days she didn’t feel as old as Tanner, probably because he took such good care of her.
“Oh, I’ll be there. I promised. We have people flying in from all over to perform with me.”
“That’s right, this is a big deal. How’s your voice?”
“Fine. I went caroling before Christmas, no problems hitting the high notes.”
“In the cold? Are you crazy? It’s a wonder you didn’t catch pneumonia!”
“Quit worrying,” Desiree chided him. “I want to add a new song to the program.”
“Really? You’ve been writing?”
“I have, but this one isn’t mine. It’s a new writer’s first work and it’s damn good. The title is Head Over Spurs.”
“Catchy. Why don’t you send me the lyrics and maybe sing a few bars on video chat so I can get a feel for it?”
“All right,” she agreed. “I don’t want the standard contract. I want his royalty to be fifty percent, the same as mine.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Randy bellowed.
No, she’d lost her heart. “Just do it.”
Across the pasture, Tanner set the stage for the evening. If anyone would’ve told him a few months ago that he’d one day be cooking supper for a woman, he would’ve assumed they were touched in the head. Yet today, he had a salad made, twice-baked potatoes ready for their last round in the oven, and two succulent rib-eyes prepped for the grill. The bedroom was his masterpiece, though. He’d gone down to the Fosters and retrieved his bouquet, which was even now waiting in a back room for the big moment. But the piece de resistance were the individual rose petals strewn from the entrance to the room, winding a path to the bed, then scattered all over the silk sheets. Cassie’s creation, eleven flameless candles, were arranged on trays, all ready to be switched on to work their magic. They were encased in wax, carved with musical notes, hearts and flowers – things that Tanner thought would make Desiree happy.
Now, all he needed was his girl.
Pacing the floor, he watched the time. “Oh, to heck with it!” Something was bothering him, compelling him to go to her. The hair on the back of his neck was standing up. It was probably just nerves on his part, but he wouldn’t risk it. She might be trying to make an escape or something. Grabbing his keys, he took off to find Desiree and bring her home.
Desiree glanced at the clock. It still wasn’t time to go. The sun was getting lower in the sky, however. Maybe it was because she knew her time with Tanner was short, but the approaching darkness bothered her today like it hadn’t in a while.
A creaking noise outside of the cabin startled her. Probably the wind. My God, she was a bundle of nerves! For the last week or so, she’d spent almost every second with Tanner. And every moment of that time she’d felt safe and loved. Why couldn’t she just ignore that stupid reporter’s words? Did age really matter?
A memory of her mother standing at the window watching her father and his new young wife come up the sidewalk to collect Desiree for visitation haunted her. “Look at her, Desi. Not a wrinkle to be seen. I gave him the best years of my life and this is how he repays me.”
Another sound at the door caused Desiree to whirl around. “Tanner…?”
Tanner had decided to walk. He needed to expend some energy. What the hell? A strange truck set outside Desi’s cabin. She had company. But who? Something told him not to announce his arrival. When he neared the front door, he saw a man sneaking up the steps. Was that a gun in his hand?
Well, fuck this!
Pulling his own side arm, he moved the last few steps as quietly as he could. Coming up on the side, he took one jump and grabbed the burly man by the arm, twisting it. The weapon dropped and the man cursed. “What the fuck?”
“Not only are you trespassing, asshole. My woman is in that house and if ever I saw a threat, it’s you. Do you know what we do to people like you in Texas?”
“Let me go, pretty boy! Desiree Holt belongs to me and my brother. He’s in jail, just because he wanted to spend a little time with her. Bitch! Now, she’s going to pay.”
Tanner shook his head, dragging the idiot off the porch, keeping the barrel of his gun right at the base of the man’s ear. “The only one who’s going to pay is you!” His adrenaline was running so high, it was difficult for Tanner to calm down enough to keep from just beating the shit out of the fool. “Who are you? Stark’s brother?”
“Yea, I’m Dave Stark, we’ve been trying to get some alone time with Desiree for years. Stupid bodyguards. We never missed a concert, if one of us couldn’t go, the other one did. He almost had her at the gas station, but she tripped. I told him that he should’ve just scooped her up and brought her home. We could have had a good time with her.”
Tanner’s blood ran cold. To think what could’ve happened to Desiree made him sick. Why hadn’t the police been savvy enough to know there were two of them? Pushing Stark against the side of the house, he held him there while he made a phone call. “I need someone to come pick up a stalker. I caught him with a gun on my property, threatening one of my guests.”
“We’ll be there in ten minutes, Mr. Barron.”
About that time, the door opened. Desiree stuck her head out and what she saw caused her to almost faint. Tanner was holding a man at gun-point, a man who looked a lot like Elliot Stark! “How? I thought he was in jail!” The ramifications of what could’ve just happened made her weak. She grasped the side of the door, her hand to her throat.
“Apparently, you didn’t have one stalker, you had two. This is the bastard’s brother.” When his prisoner struggled, Tanner pressed the tip of the gun deeper into his skin. “Give me a reason, buddy.” The idea that this man intended Desiree harm just infuriated him. “Go back in, sweetheart. The cops are on their way.”
Desiree did as he asked. She kept watch out of the window and when the cop car pulled up, she breathed a sigh of relief. Tanner didn’t relinquish his hold on the monster until the men in blue had him in handcuffs. The moment they were gone, she ran out and straight into Tanner’s arms. “Thank you! I shudder to think what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come along when you did.”
“Shhhh,” he comforted her. “I’ll always be there for you.” If she’d let him, that is.
He waited with her while she finished getting ready for the evening, then walked her back through the woods, keeping her hand securely in his. “You’re still trembling.”
“Yea, I am.” She leaned into him and he wrapped his arm around her, holding her even tighter. “Will this ever be over?”
“I’m going to get someone to check into this situation closer. Surely, it is, but the cops who arrested Elliot Stark, should’ve uncovered his brother. That’s just shoddy police work.” He’d call Zane tomorrow and see if he could hire a PI to follow up on this situation.
“Thank you.” She let herself indulge in his attention. Too soon, she’d be on her own again. The path between the houses was well-worn now. Desiree wondered how long it would be before the grass grew back over.
“I hope you’re hungry.” He held her elbow as they mounted the steps.
“Oh, I am. I haven’t eaten anything today.”
Allowing her to enter first, Tanner swatted her on the butt. “What am I going to do with you? You can’t skip meals. Your body needs a certain amount of calories a day to function.”
Desiree laughed. “You take such good care of me.”
Yes, he did. And he hoped
to do it for years to come. “Sit down, Miss Priss while I finish up.”
“No, let me help,” she insisted. Together they worked in companionable silence, which was only broken by their laughter when they would bump into one another as they moved about the kitchen.
“Come out to the grill with me,” he invited. After what happened earlier, leaving her alone for a second seemed unacceptable. Taking the platter of steaks in hand, he led her out back to where the grill was situated near a couple of comfortable chairs. “Not that I want it to be different, but you don’t seem as shook up as I feared you’d be.”
“Hmmm,” Desiree mused, handing him the tongs so he could slap the meat over the coals. “I’m not as shook up, not by a long shot. But it’s simple…”
“What?” he asked, noticing how beautiful she looked in the moonlight.
“You were there. Before I even knew there was a threat, you already had the situation under control. I was shocked, but I never felt unsafe for a moment.”
Tanner held her gaze. “Good. I’m glad.”
For the few minutes the meat was grilling, Tanner held her in his arms, her back to his front, his arms banded around her. “Look at the herd. They’re so peaceful, so still.”
Desiree agreed. Some of the cattle were laying down, some standing, grazing. “They don’t have a care in the world. They know you fed them today and they trust you to feed them tomorrow.”