You’re visiting your grandmother, Tanner reminded himself as he turned onto the driveway of the ranch Tuesday afternoon. You need to spend what time you can with her before you leave.

  And it has nothing to do with an attractive and appealing red-headed woman?

  Saturday night he had, indeed, stayed at the house he had been building for Dana and Paulette. Though there was no bed, there was an old couch that suited him just fine. After Ken’s visit and his conversation at the dinner table, Tanner once again felt like he needed to give himself some breathing space away from the place and the memories.

  However, being at the house brought up other memories, other guilt. The fights he and Dana had whenever he would try to reason with her when her requests for features would push the house over budget. The big fight they had when she...when she and Paulette died.

  He couldn’t sleep, so Sunday he drove back to Calgary to make peace with Ken. His father-in-law’s plan was what he needed to focus on. The business would make him good money. Something he hadn’t seen for a long time. Between the money he got from the ranch and the opportunity to make more, he knew things would be easier for him.

  They went over some numbers and tried to check in with Jennings again, only to find out that he had been hospitalized with kidney stones.

  Ken had been frustrated, but Tanner wondered if all the stalling, all the barriers being put up wasn’t God’s way of trying to tell him something.

  On Ken and Louise’s insistence, he’d stayed a couple of nights, hoping to hear more from Jennings. However, this morning as he had breakfast with them, the conversation continually went to Dana and Paulette as it had the past couple of days. Louise had been crying again, and he felt awkward.

  As soon as was polite, he left.

  But because of Jennings being in the hospital, he needed to do something. So he figured he may as well stay at the ranch while he and Ken waited for Jennings to recuperate. That way he could spend more time with his grandmother.

  And a certain redhead?

  Tanner shook off the thoughts, spinning the steering wheel, parking his truck by his grandmother’s house and stifling his disappointment when he saw her car was gone. He guessed she was, once again, entertaining Olivia. Keeping her away from him.

  However, Sabine’s vehicle was parked by the cabin, so she was around.

  He heard voices and, puzzled, followed them to the corrals. As he came around the hip-roof barn, he saw a white pickup parked nearby and a tall, blond-haired man wearing brown overalls over a stained T-shirt pulling some boards off the flatbed of the truck. What was Connor doing here?

  He heard a hammer pounding and, as he came closer, he saw Sabine, hair pulled up in a loose topknot, wearing an old, ripped plaid shirt and faded jeans, straightening from the board she had just nailed down inside the corrals.

  “Hey there,” he called out as he came closer. “Fixing fences?”

  He tried to sound casual, tried to act casual, but he couldn’t help a frisson of annoyance. Why hadn’t Sabine asked him to help her?

  Because you were such a jerk about helping her out before? Because you keep taking off.

  Tanner eased away the condemning voice as he strolled over. “Hey, Connor, what brings you here?”

  “Sabine needed some help with her corrals. Thought it would be a nice break from routers and sanders and finishing work.” He flashed Tanner a grin. “Besides, the scenery is amazing.”

  “You charmer,” Tanner said, surprised at the niggle of annoyance he felt. From the knowing grin Connor gave him, his old friend was not talking about the mountains. He shot a puzzled look over at Sabine, who was climbing over the fence she had just repaired and coming to pick up one of the boards Connor had laid out. “Do you need any help?”

  “I think we’re okay,” Sabine said.

  “Where is Olivia?”

  “Your grandmother took her over to the Tye ranch to play with the twins.” She seemed surprised that he asked.

  He looked around, feeling awkward and unnecessary.

  “If you really want to help, you can pull some of those old boards off,” Connor said, pointing to another part of the corral that needed repairs. “I’ll get you a crowbar.”

  Tanner followed Connor to his truck and accepted the crowbar from him. “So, nice you’re able to help Sabine?”

  “I thought so,” Connor said, vaulting into the bed of his truck and opening the metal lid of a toolbox bolted to the front. He pulled out a crowbar and handed it to Tanner. “I wanted a break, and this lovely lady convinced me to help her out today.” He shot Sabine a flirtatious glance that raised Tanner’s hackles. He was surprised how even more annoyed he was at Sabine’s returning smile.

  Not that he blamed her. Connor was fun, good-looking, and probably a lot less complicated than he was.

  But still...

  “How much lumber did you get?” Tanner asked as he hefted the crowbar. “Because you might want to look at fixing up the loading chute as well. It’s good for now, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some boards replaced.”

  “A step ahead of you—”

  “We’re doing that too—”

  Sabine and Connor spoke at once, and once again Tanner had to fight a surprising twitch of jealousy at the fact that they were working together. That she had consulted someone who was a stranger to her and asked for his help.

  He shook it off. He was here now, and he would do what he could.

  He looked over at Sabine again, taking in her flushed cheeks. She looked hot.

  “Shouldn’t you be wearing a hat?” he asked.

  She shrugged away his concern. “It kept falling off.”

  “I told her she didn’t need to prove to me that she’s a rancher by wearing that cowboy hat,” Connor joked.

  “I’ll be right back.” It wasn’t a good idea for someone with Sabine’s fair skin to not wear something on her head.

  So he leaned the crowbar against the fence then strode around the barn to the house. He toed off his boots and ran upstairs to his room. It took some digging, but he found an old ball cap he used to wear. As he walked through the kitchen, he stopped, dug in his grandmother’s cupboards, and found some water bottles. He filled three up with ice, then water, and brought them out with him.

  “Here’s a hat that’ll work better,” he said, walking over to Sabine.

  She flashed him a surprised smile and put her hammer down. With a quick twist of her wrist she undid her topknot and took the hat he handed her. “Jack Dilton’s Mechanics?” she asked with a grin. “He still around?”

  “Yeah, still going strong.”

  “Good to know. He’s a good mechanic.” With a curious smile, Sabine put on the hat he handed to her and pulled her hair through the opening at the back. “Thanks. That’s much better.”

  “Brought some water too.” He handed her a water bottle, the outside now beaded with condensation. “These are from Nana’s cupboard, so I can guarantee they’re clean.”

  “You’re an angel,” she said, taking the water and unscrewing the cap. “I’m so thirsty.”

  “Got one for me?” Connor broke into the conversation.

  “Of course I do.” Tanner tossed him a bottle, and he easily caught it.

  “Thanks, man,” Connor said after taking a deep drink. “And that was really nice of you to bring that hat out for Sabine.”

  Tanner tried not to bristle at his semi-condescending tone. As if Connor were responsible for Sabine’s well-being and he was grateful for Tanner’s assistance.

  Then he realized what was going on. His old friend was staking a claim.

  Tanner knew he had no right to feel annoyed with his friend. After all, Connor was single. Available.

  But then he glanced at Sabine, thinking back to that near kiss in his truck on Saturday. Wondering, as Connor openly flirted with her, if she regretted that moment.

  He hadn’t been able to get it off his mind, and that’s why he had left. Running away again, he thought as he walked over to the loading chute he was to work on.

  He hooked the crowbar into the wood, smiling as he pulled the board loose, the nails screeching in protest. He remembered building this with his grandfather. He and Garret. Two skinny kids and a man with endless patience working together.

  As he pounded out the rusted nails his mind sifted back to those happier times. Working all day in the summer, stumbling back to the ranch, exhausted, to supper that Nana had prepared.

  The times the girls would come and help out.

  He set the board aside, and as he straightened he glanced around the yard again. Should he have sold this all?

  Then he caught a glimpse of Sabine in his peripheral vision. The woman who had bought this place.

  Too late for second thoughts. You had good reasons.

  Besides, the business he and Ken were buying would be far more lucrative than the ranch ever was.

  “You’re doing great, Sabine,” he heard Connor say.

  Tanner had to grin at Connor’s tone, despite the niggle of annoyance it created. Tanner didn’t know if it was his hopeful imagination or if it was reality, but she didn’t seem interested.

  “How’s business been otherwise?” Tanner asked Connor. “Keeping busy?”

  “Yeah. I am. I’ll be working on Jess’s place in a couple of months, so that’ll be cool.”

  “He still around?”

  Their talk drifted to old friends, his cousins, Garret. Old memories.

  And Tanner felt a prickle of regret that he had let things get this far. Beyond the point of no return.

  He was leaving the place that had been his only home.

  The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. They measured and Connor cut, the scream of the skill saw and the pounding of the nails the only sounds in the afternoon other than a few flirty comments Connor exchanged with Sabine. But each time he did, Tanner watched Sabine for her reaction and each time he looked, she glanced over at him. One time she gave him a careful smile which he returned and Connor caught, frowning.

  Tanner worked harder than he had in a long while, and by the time the last board went up on the last stretch of the corrals, he was tired.

  But a good tired.

  “Well, that went well. Glad you showed up, bud,” Connor said as he tossed the scraps of wood into a bin beside his truck. Tanner had gathered all the loose nails and set them in a pail on the bed of the vehicle.

  “Me too,” he said, glancing over at Sabine, who was picking up the last few bits of wood. Tendrils of her hair had escaped the hat and now framed her flushed face. Sawdust sprinkled her clothes and a streak of grease snaked up her bare arm.

  And she still looked stunning.

  “Thanks so much for your help,” she said to Connor with a weary smile. “I think we got everything done that we needed to.”

  “No other fences to fix?” Connor asked, leaning on the post beside Sabine. “I’m free tomorrow too. We could maybe go riding up into the upper pastures?”

  “Those fences are all wire and posts. Not really your wheelhouse, Connor.”

  “I have many skills,” Connor said. He was grinning, but Tanner caught an underlying annoyance.

  Tanner felt slightly foolish for being so defensive with his old friend. And so quick to jump into a conversation that didn’t involve him.

  “Tanner is right,” Sabine said. “And we checked them together. They don’t need any repairs. But thanks for the offer.”

  Connor nodded, straightening. “Well, if you want anything done at all, let me know. Any reno’s or new builds, anything...”

  He let the sentence hang, but Sabine just shook her head. “Just send me the bill for today, and thanks again for helping on such short notice.”

  As she said that she shot a look Tanner’s way, which made him feel even worse that he had been so caught up in both appeasing his father-in-law and selfishly avoiding her and her daughter that he couldn’t even see if she needed any other help. Now she had to pay Connor for something he could have done for her.

  A few minutes later Connor was in his truck, still smiling at Sabine, still seeming to wait for some signal from her, but with a sliver of relief Tanner sensed Sabine wasn’t encouraging him.

  Finally he drove away and Sabine eased out a long sigh, wiping a trickle of perspiration from her face.

  “You looked tired,” Tanner said, walking over to her.

  “I’m beat,” she admitted with a weary smile. She looked up at him, her expression softening. “Thanks so much for showing up and helping. It made everything go so much faster.”

  She swiped at the dust on her shirt then her pants, blowing out a sigh. “I must look a fright though.”

  Tanner took a chance and, building on their almost-kiss in the truck, moved closer and brushed some remnants of sawdust off her face. “You look great,” he said quietly.

  Sabine’s lips parted slightly and her cheeks, if it was possible, flushed even more.

  Awareness, heavy with portent, pulsed between them. Tanner’s heart skipped as his eyes clung to Sabine’s. He wasn’t sure who made the first move, who shifted first. But her hand rested on his shoulder the same time his shifted to her waist. It took only the smallest of movements to close the space between them.

  Her lips were warm, salty. And they moved beneath his mouth, closer, deeper.

  Tanner’s hand moved to her back, hers twined around his neck. He couldn’t find his breath, had lost his heartbeat. Time slowed as their mouths moved gently over each other, tasting, shifting. Soft and so close.

  Then the sound of a car door slamming broke into the intimate moment.

  Sabine pulled away, looking quickly past him, eyes wide, blinking. Her fingers came up to her mouth as if to check for evidence of their recently shared kiss.

  Tanner guessed his grandmother and Olivia were back.

  “They can’t see us,” he said, hoping to reassure her.

  She nodded, swallowing and taking a step away from him. She wouldn’t look at him, and he wondered if she regretted what had just happened.

  “No. That’s good,” she said, breathless. She brushed at her clothes again, but didn’t look at him. “I should go. Your grandmother has been watching Olivia all afternoon so I could help Connor.” She was about to leave but Tanner caught her gently by the arm.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t help sooner,” he said, pitching his voice low. Intimate. “You shouldn’t have had to hire someone.”

  “You had your own issues to deal with,” she said, and he knew she referred to Ken. “And still do.”

  “I’m not sure anymore,” he admitted.

  She frowned as if trying to process what he just said.

  Then she spun on her boot and walked away, hands shoved in her back pockets, her head down.

  Tanner watched her go, not sure which emotion to process first. The only thing he knew was how right and good and pure it had felt.

  And yet, despite his reaction, what a mistake it was.

  “So how can I increase the limit on my credit card?” Sabine asked, flicking her pencil between her fingers in a nervous gesture.

  It was Wednesday morning and she had finally managed to contact Leslie, her accounts manager. She had forgotten that Monday was a holiday, and Tuesday Leslie had called in sick. No one else could help her, which she thought odd. And stressful.

  Trouble was, the only solution Leslie had proposed was for Sabine to use her credit card and increase the limit. The loan was already approved, the money was in place. To increase the loan she would have to re-apply and run the risk of being turned down. She had just squeaked through as it was despite her assets. She had already pushed the limit of what she’d been able to borrow. Any more and she would fail the stress test for loans.

  “I can take care of that right now,” Leslie said. But when she told her what her interest rates would be, Sabine choked.

  Not an option, she thought fighting down a wave of despair, remembering all too well the times Tim would go way over on their credit card and then not make a payment. She would be left to fix the problem and deal with the charges. Always too high and never enough money to cover it.

  “I’m sorry I can’t give you any more options,” Leslie said. “One thing you might want to consider is taking out a loan with a tractor dealership, though they would have to consult with us on that as well.”

  “I’m not sure I want to juggle three loans.” It reminded her too much of the times her father had gotten caught in the same wicked financial spiral. Borrowing from one place to pay the other.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen, she told herself, scratching out a few notes, fighting down the despair that had clung to her since Saturday. She was supposed to be more responsible than her father or Tim. More sensible, stewardly, and businesslike.

  Guess you’re more like your father than you thought.

  The words twisted with annoying truth through her mind. Hadn’t he too been caught up, initially, in trying to be the big-time rancher? The one people respected?

  Her bidding war with Natalie was no different. An immature getting-back at Natalie who once thought Sabine was less than her. A way of thumbing her nose at Natalie.

  Pride goeth before a fall, she thought.

  “Besides, based on the financials we got from Tanner, we really can’t increase your loan anymore.”

  Sabine knew that. The financials of the farm weren’t great, and they were also three years old.

  “One option you do have is to subdivide the unfinished house and sell it as is,” Leslie continued. “That could generate some ready cash.”

  “It’s not that easy,” Sabine returned. “The county is getting fussier about subdivisions in the area, and I don’t know how many people would buy an unfinished house.”

  “I wouldn’t completely discount that idea,” Leslie said again.

  “Okay. Thanks for the information and advice.” Sabine hoped she sounded more sincere than she felt. She ended the call and leaned back in her chair, staring at the numbers again.

  “You look sad,” Olivia said, looking up from the book she was reading curled on the couch in the living area of the cabin. On Shannon’s urging, Jennie had taken Olivia to Evangeline Arsenau’s bookstore yesterday and as a result Olivia had received some free books that had been damaged and other books Evangeline was giving away anyhow.

 

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