Page 82 of Tanner
“Morning, Javi,” Tanner said, already reaching for his boots by the door. “You want a cup of coffee?”
Javi shook his head, staying mounted. “No time, boss. I need your help. Can you go for a ride?”
Tanner let out a long sigh. He didn’t need the man to spell it out for him. Javi only rode up looking like that when trouble hadalready found them. The thought of leaving Junie at the cabin alone, even for a short time, made his skin crawl.
The ranch security system was top of the line. The cabin itself was fortified, isolated, and built like a fortress. He’d made sure of it. But logic never fully won when it came to protecting her. Not after everything they’d already been through.
He turned to Junie and cupped her face with both hands, thumbs stroking gently over her soft cheeks. “I’ve got to go handle something with Javi. I’ll be back as soon as I can. You stay inside with the doors locked until I get back. Understand?”
She nodded, eyes wide but full of trust. “That’s no problem. I still have a bunch of things I want to try out in that kitchen anyway.”
The calm way she accepted it eased the knot in his gut just a bit. He leaned down and kissed her, slow and deep, pouring every bit of love and reassurance he could into it. He tasted the faint sweetness of sugar still on her lips from their morning together. When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers for a long second, breathing her in. “Be good for me, babygirl, and keep your cellphone handy.”
“I will, Daddy.”
The words sank into him like a long, slow sip of good whiskey, spreading warmth straight through his chest. He gave her one last kiss on the forehead, then forced himself to turn away and head for Halo. Every step felt heavier than it should.
As he swung up into the saddle, Javi fell in beside him. They rode out toward the eastern pasture at a steady lope, the morning sun warming the cool autumn air. Only when they had put a good distance between themselves and the cabin did Javi finally speak.
“We lost two bison calves last night. Trace got out there early this morning and tested the wounds. Came back positive for rabies. The bite marks look like a wolf’s. We sent the drones up, and we’ve got a pretty good idea where it is, but I want you with me. You’re a better shot than I am, and with a rabid animal…” Javi shook his head. “We can’t take chances.”
Tanner’s jaw tightened until it ached. A rabid wolf was one of the worst things that could happen on the ranch. One sick animal could tear through the bison herd, the cattle, even the mustangs, if it got bold enough.
One bite, one infected wound, and the whole operation could spiral into a nightmare. Quarantines, losses, months of headaches. He had seen it before. He did not plan on seeing it again.
He glanced back toward the cabin one last time. That was when he saw him. Dodger stretched out in a patch of morning sun near the big willow tree, looking completely at ease but with those sharp eyes scanning the tree line. He looked relaxed, but Tanner knew better. Dodger was on watch.
The sight loosened some of the tension coiled in his shoulders. Logic said it should not make a difference. The security system was armed. The doors and windows were locked. Most of all, Junie had a good head on her shoulders—that was what mattered.
Still knowing that a massive wolfdog had planted himself right there, guarding his woman, made him feel a hell of a lot better about riding away.
“All right,” Tanner said, turning back to Javi. His voice came out hard, all business now. “Let’s go find this bastard.”
He touched his heels to Halo’s sides and pushed the horse into a faster lope, Javi matching pace beside him. The ranch spread out around them, wide and green and full of life he’d sworn to protect. And somewhere out there, a rabid wolf waited.
Tanner’s hand rested near his rifle. He’d end this threat today. Then he would ride straight back to the woman waiting for him in their cabin, back to the peace he had only just started to build.
Junie hummed softly to herself as she wiped the last traces of confectioner’s sugar from the counter. The kitchen still smelled sweet and warm, vanilla and cinnamon lingering in the air like a hug. Everytime she glanced around at the beautiful space Tanner had built just for her, her heart gave a happy little flip.
The wide counters, the perfect pantry, the big window letting in morning light—she already loved it here. She was already thinking ahead to what she wanted to make next. Maybe chokecherry turnovers if the berries were ripe enough. She made a mental note, reminding herself to ask Tanner if they could go pick some together soon. With everything that had happened lately, they had never gotten the chance.
She was rinsing the last dish when her phone buzzed on the counter. A big smile spread across her face. She’d been wondering how long it would take Kenzie and the girls to start demanding every single detail about last night. She was just as eager to hear how their “frog mission” had turned out.
She dried her hands, cheeks already warming at the memory of Tanner’s hands on her body, the way he had taken her apart so beautifully. Her nipples tightened beneath his t-shirt at the memory. The sweet ache left over from their play made her shiver in the best way.
When the phone buzzed again, she laughed under her breath. Patience is a virtue, and Littles are not very virtuous, she thought as she picked it up.
The smile froze on her face.
It wasn’t Kenzie.
It was Nanabelle.
The text was jumbled, full of typos that did not sound like her grandmother at all. Like shaky, frantic hands had typed it:
Junie. I tripped and hidt my head on the islane. Woke upp on the flor. Head bleedinh. Can’t get it to stip. Pleas help. Scarred.
Junie’s stomach sank like a stone. Her hands started shaking so badly she almost dropped the phone. Nanabelle. Sweet, steady Nanabelle, who never got flustered.
