by Joan Hohl
He didn’t speak for long seconds, staring at her with narrowed eyes, as if warning her to be careful. His look was absolutely deadly.
Gritting her teeth, Bri managed to hold his gaze, her pulse racing, her heart thumping. She felt like running but stood firm, resolute.
Bri had never allowed any man to intimidate her. Damned if she’d back down from this one, even if he did scare the breath from her body. “A woman.”
“What?” Although she had thought Tanner’s stare couldn’t possibly become any more fierce, it did. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Bri managed a halfway credible shrug. “I mean, I’ll look up a woman hunter.”
“You will not go after that killer with a woman hunter.”
“I’ll go with whom I please,” she said, her voice calm, resigned.
Although his eyes flashed with anger, he exhaled a quiet sigh of concession. “Okay, you win. I’ll take you with me. But I’ll have one thing understood before we go any further with this.”
“And that is?” Bri had a hard time containing her sense of victory, along with a thrill of excitement.
“I give the orders.”
“But—”
“And you will follow them, at once and without protest or question.”
Bri went stiff with outrage. Just who did this guy think he was? she railed in silent frustration. Unable to keep her feelings inside, she shot back, “I am not a child to be ordered around. Who do you think you are?”
“I’m the bounty hunter you want or you wouldn’t have sought me out in the first place.” He smiled, stirring all kinds of emotions inside her. His gaze skimmed her from head to toe, flooding her body with heat. “Just for the record, I’m well aware you’re not a child. However, those are my demands.”
Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, but Bri knew she had little choice. She had deliberately sought him out, and not only on the advice of her friends or his cousins.
Bri was thorough in everything she did. She had done her research. She had pulled the information that not only was Tanner considered one of the best bounty hunters around, many believed him to be the best at finding his man in rough terrain like mountains.
“All right,” she reluctantly agreed. She thought she should feel steam spewing from her ears; instead she felt…protected? She gave a mental shake of her head. No, Tanner Wolfe wasn’t feeling protective of her; he was very likely feeling superior.
“Good.” He flicked a hand at the table. “Have a seat. We’ve got a lot of plans to go over.”
Wary but resigned, Bri slid onto the chair she had vacated moments before. She picked up the mug, took a sip, made a face and set it down again.
“That’s gotta be cold.” He grabbed the mug along with his own and turned away. “I’ll get us refills.” He raised his eyebrows. “What about your scone?”
Bri shook her head. “No, thank you. It’s fine this way.” Raising the pastry to her mouth, she took a bite. “It’s very good.”
“Whatever.” Shrugging, he turned away.
Chewing another bite of the scone, she watched him, studying him from the rear. It was a very nice rear, narrow, firm and taut. His back and shoulders weren’t bad, either, broad and muscular, not in a pumped-up way, but more lean and rangy.
Mugs refilled, Tanner returned to the table, giving her another chance to more closely examine the front of him. That was even better.
His flat, muscled chest veed to a slim waist. His legs were long, straight, his thighs nicely straining the denim of his jeans as he arranged his tall frame in the chair. He regarded her in calm, watchful silence.
Quiet and composed, his features appeared sculpted from marble, sharply delineated. His nose was straight, cheekbones high, jawline defined, square and hard, as if the sculptor had carved it lovingly. If it weren’t for those soft eyes and that tender smile, he’d look like a statue. That tiny flare of excitement flashed inside her again. Why? The question hammered at her mind. Bri couldn’t find the answer, and that seriously bothered her.
“What are you staring at?” His quiet voice jolted her out of her reverie.
Damn, once again he’d caught her brooding, staring. What in the world was the matter with her? she chastised herself. She had never been so strongly affected by any man. The closest she had ever come to feeling so drawn to a man had been a disaster, for he had proven to be a handsome, charming son of a bitch, a practiced user of young, susceptible women. At the time, she had been both.
“You,” Bri admitted, but that was all she intended to admit. “I’m trying to figure you out.”
He grinned. “How are you making out?”
“Not too well,” she said, deliberately grinning back at him. “You’re not easy to read.”
“Don’t feel bad,” he said, growing serious. “I can’t figure you out, either. You’re sure not what you appear to be.”
Bri raised her brows. “How do I appear to be?”
He studied her a moment. “My first impression of you was of a beautiful woman, very well dressed, well-bred and educated.”
Despite her suspicion of easy compliments—the SOB had been extremely easy with them—Bri felt her cheeks grow warm, flushed not only by his words but by the open admiration in his eyes. “I—I don’t know—”
Tanner silenced her with a quick shake of his head. “Don’t get all flustered. I doubt you’ll be as pleased with my opinion of how you’re different from my snap impression.”
Bri raised her mug to her lips to sip at the hot brew, looking relaxed, while in fact she was steeling herself for whatever he said next. “Go on.” How in the world she had managed a cool tone, Bri hadn’t a clue.
“I think you have been spoiled rotten,” he said with blunt honesty. “You want what you want, when you want it. I read you as self-centered, self-confident and too damned sure of yourself.”
Why Tanner Wolfe’s assessment of her personality should hurt her, she couldn’t imagine, but hurt it did, like the very devil. Odd, usually she wasn’t so sensitive to anyone else’s opinions of her. Since the episode with the silver-tongued weasel, she thought she had grown a thick skin.
“Now you want to take a shot at me?”
“Of course,” Bri said. “But first I’d like to know how you managed to come to that conclusion in such a short time with me.”
“Easy.” Tanner laughed. It sounded relaxed, genuine. “I recognized the traits because they’re very similar to my own.” He paused to laugh again. “The only difference is I’m not beautiful.”
Two
“You’re spoiled?” She couldn’t help laughing, thinking he was wrong on one point. He was beautiful, just in a different, masculine way.
“Sure,” he answered, laughing with her. “I have great parents. While instilling morals, values, ethics, good behavior and good housekeeping skills into their sons, they also spoiled the hell out of us. In a good way,” he quickly added, grinning.
“You have two brothers, both older than you, right?” she asked, although she knew the answer.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “Justin’s the oldest, now thirty-two. Then Jeffrey, thirty. And lastly, yours truly, twenty-nine.” He grinned again. “There’s also a slew of cousins.”
“So I’ve heard.” She grinned back at him.
“How old are you?”
Well, no one would ever accuse him of being hesitant. The thought brought a smile to her lips. “I’m twenty-seven.”
“You’re too young to risk your life traipsing around in the mountains, looking for a killer.”
Bri rolled her eyes while heaving a sigh. “I believe we’ve already plowed that field, Mr. Wolfe. I’m going, period.”
“I know, but I had to try one more time.” His sigh was heavier than hers. “And the name’s Tanner. It would get pretty tiresome hearing Mr. Wolfe over and over for who the hell knows how long.”
“Okay…Tanner,” she agreed. “My friends call me Bri.”
“That’s too bad.�
� He smiled at her startled look. “I like Brianna better. It’s a lovely name and fits you perfectly. Like you, it’s classy.”
Bri grew warm with pleasure. He thought she was beautiful and classy? Though many men before him had called her beautiful, his compliment left her speechless for a long moment. Finally she found her voice, if rather weak and a bit breathless.
“Thank you,” she murmured, feeling herself grow warmer. “That was very nice of you.” Oh, gag me, she thought, disgusted with the inanity of her response.
“You’re welcome.” Tanner’s lips twitched, betraying his urge to grin.
She didn’t blame him. She joined him, laughing easily at herself. “Pretty lame, huh?”
He shook his head. “No, surprising. I would have thought you’d be used to compliments.”
“Well, yes,” she said. “But—”
“But what?” His eyes gleamed with a teasing light.
“Oh, let’s just forget it,” she said, certainly not for a moment about to admit he flustered her simply because she felt a physical attraction to him. A strong attraction.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?” She frowned. “Because it’s getting silly, that’s why.”
“Too bad.” He sighed. “I thought it was just getting interesting.”
Bri rolled her eyes. This man is impossible. Gorgeous, sexy as hell, but impossible. “I think it’s time to get down to the business at hand.”
He gave another, deeper sigh. Boy, this guy was some actor, Bri thought, struggling against the urge to laugh, amazed at how much she was enjoying their banter, not to mention his company, his appeal. No, let’s not go there again, she told herself. As they were going to be spending a lot of time together, it would be in her best interest to avoid thinking about his appeal.
“Are you sulking?” she asked after several long moments—moments in which she had thought about nothing but him.
He smiled. “I never sulk. Children sulk. And, just on the odd chance you hadn’t noticed, I’m a man, not a child.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed,” she said, thinking she had noticed too damn much.
He smiled again. “Oh, I’ve noticed you, too.”
His smile was an invitation to sheer temptation. Pull it together, Bri told herself, fighting to control her rapid heartbeat and leaping pulse. You’ve had one go-round with a sweet-talkin’, overconfident type. That encounter was one too many.
But Tanner was an attractive, sexy man. And she was every bit as susceptible as any other normal woman. Why did the devil have to look so angelic?
Tanner smiled—a devilish, suggestive and too damned appealing smile.
Now Bri not only felt warm, she felt hot all over. And tingly. And funny inside. Stop it, she told herself. As if that helped.
“Uh…um…business,” she said, stumbling a bit over her words—something she had never done. “I really think it’s time to get down to business.”
“Too bad.” Tanner shook his head, looking or trying to look sad. His gleaming eyes gave him away. “But, if you insist, we’ll get down to the nitty-gritty.”
“I do. And that is?”
“Set a day to leave and gather the supplies needed for this hunt.”
“I can leave tomorrow.”
“I haven’t told you yet everything we’ll need to take with us,” he said. “So how can you be ready by tomorrow?”
She shot him an impatient look. “If you’ll recall, I did tell you I have been hunting since I was a kid. I know how and what to pack.”
“Okay, kid,” he said, heavy on the kid. “But I think I’ll do a list, just to be on the safe side, make sure we’re on the same page, so to speak.” Getting up, he walked to the counter and pulled open a cabinet drawer. He took out a pencil and a pad of paper, then hesitated, turning his head to glance at her. “More coffee?”
“No, thank you.” Bri shook her head and shot a glance at her watch. “How long is this going to take?”
His lifted one brow. “Why? Are you in a hurry?”
“No, but the only thing I did was check in to the hotel and get my room card. I left my stuff with the bell captain and came right here.”
“How did you know I’d be here?”
“Lisa told me.” She smiled, maybe a bit smugly. “She spoke to your mother last night, who told Lisa you had called and said you had just returned.”
Tanner scowled.
Bri rushed to clarify her statement. “Your mother knew I was coming here to try to hire you.” She drew a breath and went on more normally. “She told Lisa she would let her know as soon as she heard from you.”
“Women.” He heaved a sigh and shook his head.
She bristled at his dismissive tone. “What’s wrong with women?”
Tanner slid a wry look at her. “Most of the time, like children, they should be seen and not heard.”
Stunned, Bri was speechless for a moment. Though sorely tempted to explode all over him, she forced herself to remain calm, icy calm. “Mr. Wolfe, that is the stupidest, most sexist remark I’ve ever heard. What century are you living in?”
“Honey, I’m right here and now,” he said, every bit as calm and icy. “I may not be politically correct, but I’m honest. I’m a women jabber. Simple as that.”
“Forget it.”
“Gladly. Now…”
“No,” she shook her head, sliding her chair back and rising. “I mean forget about finding that poor excuse for a man. I’ll hire someone else.” Before the last word was out of her mouth, she turned to leave. “Or hunt him myself.”
“No, you won’t.” His voice was sharp with command. “I’m going, with or without you,” he repeated her earlier ultimatum back to her. “Now, Brianna, sit down and let’s get down to business.”
Bri hesitated, telling herself that if she had any sense or pride, she would tell Tanner Wolfe to go to hell, walk out of there and look up another hunter. Her sense must have deserted her, for she sighed and swallowed what was left of her pride. In the final analysis, she was determined Minnich would be caught and she wanted the best mountain hunter. So, still glaring at Tanner, she reseated herself.
“Smart girl.” He offered a slight smile. She refused the offer. Instead he shrugged. “Okay, let’s get it done.”
Smart girl. Yeah, right. She had caved to the caveman, dammit. She soothed her tattered composure by reminding herself Dani’s well-being was worth her pride.
“Guns.”
Bri blinked herself out of her musings. “What?”
“You said you had your supplies,” he said patiently. “What kind of weapons do you have?”
“Oh.” Bri felt flustered and foolish. Telling herself to get with it, keep up with him, prove she was a smart girl, she replied, “I’ve got a .270 rifle with a three-by-nine scope and a .357 hunting revolver.” She arched her brows at his sudden intent expression. “What do you pack?”
“A .30-06 and a 7mm rifle with the same scope, and a .44 mag.” He looked impressed. “And you really do pack some heavy-duty heat.”
Not as much as you do, she thought, referring not to his weapons but to his body. “I told you I knew what I was doing,” she said, working at not sounding too smug or too breathless. “Anything else?”
His lips twitched, evidently amused by her. “Clothes, backpack, sleeping bag?”
“Yes.” Now her lips twitched. “All of the above.”
He smiled. “Wanna tell me about them? Just a hint?” His smile grew into a grin.
Bri gave a mock sigh, fighting the smile tickling the corners of her mouth. Darn him, why did he have to be so attractive? “I have clothes suitable for mountain terrain, including a ski jacket neatly packed in my backpack, along with other necessities. My sleeping bag is the best available and waterproof. I lay it on a nearly weightless ground sheet. Now are there any other questions?”
“As a matter of fact, there are,” he said. “What about food? Have you thought of that?”
This
time she gave him a droll look. “Of course I have, but I didn’t bring much with me. I figured we could get what we needed here in Durango.”
He nodded. “You figured correctly.” He pushed the chair back and stood. “Let’s get lunch. We’ll take my truck.”
“Wait a minute,” she protested while standing and following him from the kitchen. “Who said anything about lunch?”
“I just did.” He shot a glance at the big redrimmed clock on one wall. “It’s nearly one. I’m hungry for something more substantive than a scone. Aren’t you?”
“Well, yes,” she admitted reluctantly, because she was feeling too attracted to the arrogant Neanderthal. “Why not take separate vehicles?”
Tanner paused, holding open the door for her. “You know your way around Durango?”
She had never even been to Durango, Colorado, before. “Well, no, but—” She was about to mention the restaurant in her hotel, but that’s as far as she got before he cut her off.
“That’s what I thought. We’ll take my truck.”
Bri had no intention of doing so. She shook her head. “I want to go to the hotel and freshen up a bit. Give me directions. I’ll meet you at the restaurant in a half hour.”
The restaurant Tanner had directed her to was done in Western decor, not honky-tonk but with style and ambience. Now, in early afternoon, there were few patrons, so the place was quiet.
“This is very nice,” she said to Tanner, seating herself in the chair the host held for her. She smiled at the man. “Thank you.”
“Wait till you’ve tasted the food,” Tanner said.
She looked over the long list of dishes offered on the menu. Her glance halted at shrimp and pasta in a light herb dressing. On the spot, she dumped the idea of her normal luncheon salad.
She placed her order when the waitress came, then looked up at Tanner. She felt certain he would order red meat, like a rare steak. He surprised her. A talent he seemingly had in abundance.
“I’ll have the pasta, as well, but with chicken.”
The server no sooner turned away when a young woman came to an abrupt stop at their table. She was blond, petite and more than pretty. Her big blue eyes sparkled with surprised pleasure. Her teeth gleamed in a brilliant yet sensuous smile.