by Cora Seton
‡
The next month passed in a blur of long days at the clinic and longer, sexy nights with Tanner. As he’d said, they made the gossip vine the first time they showed up for dinner at the Lone Star, even though they’d made a conscious decision of no public displays of affection. Georgie didn’t care one way or the other about the Whispering Springs gossip vine. Within a month after she left, some other couple would be on the spit, spinning the rumors.
The nights were magical, not that she’d ever tell Tanner that. Many times she wished she were more like a man when it came to sex…no emotional involvement required. As much as she didn’t want feelings for him, they came anyway, pushing and shoving their way into her heart.
But they had an agreement. Shoot, she’d lived through being dumped at the wedding altar, sort of, so she’d be able to move on from here.
Georgie was busy filling out applications for other veterinary clinics with large animal practices. Helping Jolene with her delivery had left its mark on her. Of course she still loved the dogs and cats, and even the occasional turtle, but she felt the call for large animal medicine.
In early November, Georgie headed out to the D&R Ranch to check on a sick cow and, at the same visit, have lunch with Magda. The cow would be fine, lunch was delicious, and Magda’s questions were relentless.
Magda set a plate of chicken enchiladas in front of Georgie. “This is the first time you’ve made it out for lunch in six weeks. Surely the clinic isn’t keeping you that busy.”
“Hmm. It’s busy.” Georgie forked a sliver of enchilada into her mouth and moaned. “This is delicious.”
“Thanks. Now…” Magda propped her chin in her palm and studied Georgie. “You want to tell me what’s going on with Tanner?”
The mention of his name jettisoned a heat flash through Georgie. She grabbed her water for a long gulp.
“Umm…”
“That’s what I thought.” Magda sat back in her chair with a self-satisfied expression. “I told Reno we’d be gaining a new vet.”
“Oh, no, Magda. I’m not moving here. This is just temporary. Tanner and I are just having a little fun. That’s all. Nothing serious at all.”
Magda’s brow furrowed. “Really? Cause that doesn’t sound like you at all. You were always the one who wanted a husband and kids and a dog and maybe even a picket fence thrown in.”
“It’s been a long time since you’ve known me well.” She shrugged. “I’ve changed.” She shifted her gaze back down to her plate. Magda’s words felt as if someone were pressing on bruises all over Georgie’s body.
“And what about Tanner? You just gonna use him and toss him away?”
Georgie laughed. “I wouldn’t worry about Tanner, if I were you. He’s a big boy and he has no interest in anything long term either.”
“You’re playing with fire,” Magda said.
“Nope. Playing with a firefighter.”
As Georgie drove away from the D&R Ranch, Magda’s words kept repeating in her mind. She had been the girl who’d wanted it all…the job, the perfect husband, two-point-five children, the dog who responded to every command and never threw up in the house, and all this wrapped in a pretty white fence. She wasn’t sure when that dream died for her, certainly before being left by Chris. She couldn’t even say she was all that surprised when Chris dumped her. In a way, she’d been expecting it since they’d become a couple.
She was a happy enough person, she guessed. It was just that she didn’t expect the happily-ever-after ending for her.
It was a Friday night in late November. She had not had a great day at the office. The worst—absolute worst—job was putting down an animal and damn if she didn’t have to do five today. Two dogs, two cats, and a horse. Realistically, she believed it was the humane thing to do when an animal was suffering. Emotionally, she felt a piece of her heart die each time the owners cried and then thanked her for making it easy for their loved one to go.
When she unlocked her door, the aroma of spices and meat met her.
“Hello? I don’t know who’s here but will you marry me?”
Tanner leaned around the kitchen door jamb. “Hey, babe. Come here. I want you to taste something.”
After kicking off her shoes, and dropping her keys and purse on the entry table, she followed the delicious scents to her kitchen. A quiet gasp escaped when she saw what he’d done.
The tiny kitchen table held two place settings of dishes, complete with cloth napkins—she had no idea where he’d found those in this house—fresh flowers and two lit candles. A pair of wine glasses stood ready for filling.
It was difficult for her to see everything through the tears that’d appeared.
“Tanner, what the…what’s going on? Why?”
After pouring a chilled white wine into one of the glasses and handing it to her, he said, “Heard about your day. Figured you could use a little TLC this evening.”
He pulled out a chair. “Sit.”
She sat. And then the tears she was fighting won and spilled over the dam.
“This is…is…so…nice,” she hiccupped out. “How did you know?”
“Spies.” He grinned over his shoulder where he was stirring something in a pot. “I have spies everywhere.”
“It was a horrible day.” She took a gulp of the wine.
“I know.”
She sniffed and then said, “I’ll be right back.” She finished the wine and then headed to her bedroom. A shower and fresh clothes would make her feel better. It always did.
While the water ran to allow the shower to heat, she brushed her teeth and stripped off the scrubs that still bore the scent of death.
Steam floated over the top of the glass shower door as soon as the water was scalding hot. She adjusted the temperature to just below lobster boil and stepped in. With eyes closed, Georgie braced her forearms on the shower wall under the spray and let the heat soak into her tense muscles.
A cool breeze caressed her ass just before it was replaced by a large, work-harden hand.
“Need company?” Tanner whispered into her ear and then placed a kiss on her neck.
She arched her neck to give him better access…to what she wasn’t sure. He could have access to whatever he wanted as far as she was concerned.
Removing his hand from her butt, Tanner placed both hands on her shoulders and with strong fingers, began to massage the knots there.
“Hmm,” she moaned. “Feels so good.”
His mouth found her nape and nuzzled there, kissing and licking her skin as he continued to knead her shoulders and then down her back. His thumbs pressed along her spine as he walked his powerful fingers down to her hips.
The entire time, all she could do was moan and whimper with pleasure at his touch. Sometimes coming home to an empty house after a horrible day added to her stress but having Tanner here, even temporarily, filled some of the empty places she had in her soul.
He caressed her bottom, molding the flesh with his palms. Reflexively, she arched her back, pressing into his hands.
“Spread your legs,” he ordered in a gruff voice.
He didn’t have to tell her twice. She widened her stance until her feet touched opposite sides of her rather generous shower. He continued to rub down her thighs, her calves, her ankles and then started back up her legs.
She found herself in the oddest of conditions. His gentle strokes were relaxing her taut muscles, while at the time everything inside her was racing and throbbing and aching for more. A total quagmire of feelings.
The heat from his mouth flashed over her ass, followed by a caress from his lips. She sighed and tried to open her thighs wider but it was impossible. She was as spread as she could be in this space.
He turned the water off. “Turn around.”
She did and the vision almost made her collapse into a heap. Tanner was kneeling at her feet, a supplicant at the feet of a queen, or that’s how he made her feel.
“I turned the water off because it was wash
ing away your scent and I love the way you smell. And your taste. I love the way you taste and the water would spoil that for me.” He nuzzled her coarse pubic hair. “I love your red hair. It’s like fire.” He looked at her. “And you do light a fire in me.”
With that comment, he grabbed her thighs and put his head between them, using his tongue to lick her arousal fluid and his mouth to suck on her swollen flesh. He used his thumbs to spread her open for him, to bare her to whatever he wanted to do. In all the time she’d been with Chris, she’d never allowed herself to be so exposed, but with Tanner, she felt protected and safe.
He traced his tongue around her rigid nub, stopping to draw it into his mouth. She arched and groaned. Her hips gyrated on his mouth, wanting more, needing a release that only he could give her.
When he pushed two fingers into her, her hips moved quicker, demanding he thrust them to her tempo. He let her set the pace, sliding them in and out while his mouth worked her stiff button.
It didn’t take long before she felt the rising tension inside.
“More,” she cried. “More. I’m almost there.”
And then she was at the threshold, tense and shaking before she went over, crying out his name.
He kissed the inside of her thigh. “Finish your shower. I’ll go get dinner together.”
She grabbed his arm and looked down at his impressive erection. “What about you?”
He smiled. “You had your dessert before dinner. That’s my dessert.”
He kissed her deeply and then turned on the water.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t forget where we were.”
Later that night, she showed him that she hadn’t forgotten either.
*
“Tanner, pass me the rolls,” Janet Marshall said.
Tanner lifted the basket of hot bread and handed it over to his mother. His parents had arrived home three days before Thanksgiving. He’d been more than happy to turn back over the reins of home and ranch management to them. He didn’t have to manage a teenage girl and it had freed him up to spend a couple of guilt-free evenings with Georgina. A total win-win in his book.
“You should have invited your lady friend to join us today,” his mother continued. “I hate the thought that she might be alone on Thanksgiving.”
The bite of turkey Tanner tried to swallow went down sideways making him choke and cough. “Lady friend?”
The last thing he needed, or wanted, was his mother digging around in his personal life. She’d been hinting about grandchildren since he’d turned thirty.
His mother smiled as she lifted her wine glass to her mouth for a sip. “Deb tells us you’ve been seeing the new vet in town.”
Tanner rolled a glare over to his sister who gave him a beatific expression of total innocence.
Oh yeah? Well, two can plan this game.
“While she was filling you in on my life, did Deb happen to mention the number of times she missed curfew? Because I have to tell you, that’s a much more interesting story.”
Under the table, his shin took a direct kick from Deb’s pointed-toe cowboy boot.
“Ouch,” he said, leaning over to rub at his throbbing leg.
“No, she might have failed to mention that,” Richard Marshall said. His father glanced over at Deb. “We can talk about that later tonight, little missy.”
“Tell us more about the vet you’re seeing,” his mother said.
“Nothing to tell. Georgina’s a nice gal in town for a couple of months. She’s leaving next month. End of story.”
“Hmm. So,” his mother continued, sliding her gaze to another of her off-spring. “What’s going on with you, Zack?”
His brother grinned. “Not a thing. Working hard. Covering for Tanner while he dates the doctor.”
Suddenly, the food in his stomach didn’t seem to be setting right. A stomach cramp followed by a wave of irritation at his siblings had Tanner done with this meal.
He shoved back his chair and stood. “I need to see to the horses. Delicious meal, mom. Glad to have you home.” He picked up his plate still loaded with food, kissed his mother’s cheek and headed for the kitchen.
“What about dessert?” his mother called after him.
“I’m stuffed. Maybe later.”
After grabbing a couple of apples for Jolene, he headed down to find her and her baby. Somehow, Sir Henry had stuck as a name and now it didn’t seem right to call the little guy by anything else.
He rested one boot-covered foot on the lower rail of the fence and let his gaze roam over the acreage before him. When he finally saw them, they were pretty far down in the pasture. Tanner shoved two fingers between his lips and let out a long, loud whistle. Jolene’s head snapped up from the grass where she was grazing and she started toward him, Sir Henry trotting along beside her.
A heavy footfall behind him alerted him to his dad’s presence before the man said a word.
“She looks great,” Richard said. “And her colt is a real looker. I wasn’t sure about resetting her estrus and letting her foal in the fall, but looks like you were right about that.”
“Thanks.”
His father assumed an identical position, foot propped on the lower fence rail, and crossed his arms over the top rail. “Your mom meant no harm with all her questions. She’s just interested in what she missed while we’ve been gone. I don’t think our trip was exactly what she’d thought it would be.” He chuckled. “You guys didn’t call enough, asking for help.”
Tanner looked at him. “Are you kidding? I wanted to call her every day and ask her something but we didn’t want to bother y’all. I know she’d been wanting to do that trip for years.” He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I do not understand women.”
His dad laughed. “And you never will, son. Hell, I’ve been married to your mother for thirty-six years and I still haven’t figured her out. But that’s what makes life interesting, huh? Trying to figure out mysteries.”
“Good point.”
“But it’s not your mom, is it? There’s something else going on with you. Want to talk about it?”
Tanner considered his next words carefully as he watched Jolene prance up to the fence. He cut an apple into wedges and fed a couple to her. He let out a long breath.
“I don’t think my future is here.”
Richard nodded. “I see. Here, as in Whispering Springs or here, as in Flying Eagle Cattle Company?”
“The cattle ranch.” He shot a quick glance toward his dad and then back at his mare as he fed her another apple chunk. “Being back in Texas has been…eye-opening, to say the least. I enjoyed my time in Kentucky, but I’m a Texas man at heart, I guess.”
“I see. Well, if not cattle, then what? Back to firefighting?”
“I definitely want to keep that going. Chief Townsend has been talking to me about taking over for him. He’s wanting to cut back.”
“And is that something you’re interested in?”
“Yeah, definitely. The county will pay for me to go to the National Fire Academy for some additional training.” Tanner looked at his dad. “I’d have to leave next week. I’d be gone until a couple of days before Christmas. What do you think about that?”
“I think it sounds like an opportunity that you’d be a fool to give up.”
“But the ranch…”
“Your mother and I aren’t going anywhere until after Christmas. Maybe even into the New Year. So there’s no reason you can’t go, unless there is.” Richard gave him a questioning look. “Is there anything, or maybe anyone, keeping you here?”
“Did mom send you out here to pump me for information?”
His father laughed and then leaned closer. “Nope, but if I go back with insider information, I’ll get a bigger piece of pecan pie.”
Tanner shook his head with a chuckle. “There’s nothing really to tell. Georgina’s great but she’s out of here as soon as Mabee gets back.”
His heart twiste
d as though wringing out all its blood at the thought that Georgina would soon be a memory. No more seeing her head tossed back and hearing her peals of laughter. No more watching her care for a sick animal with her tender touch and gentle voice. No more long nights of kisses and touches and caresses that drove them both wild.
“No,” he said to his dad. “There’s nothing keeping me tied here for the next three weeks.”
He was quiet for a minute thinking about this incredible woman he’d met. How she made him laugh. How she made him feel so strong and protective. How she evoked emotions in him that he’d never really felt. But he’d gone into the relationship knowing it was temporary. That’s how Georgina wanted it.
“How long you been in love with her? And more importantly, does she know?”
Tanner shrugged but didn’t answer the question. “Pecan pie, you say? Sounds like just what I need.”
His dad’s questions rang in his head long after their conversation was done. Was he in love with her? He wasn’t sure. He’d said those three words to women before who’d never had the impact on him that Georgina did.
What he did know was that just hearing her voice made his day brighter. Seeing her, holding her, could repair even his worst mood. Hell, the mere thought of her could grind the spurs off a trying day. He might have sent his wearisome sister to a nunnery within the past couple of months if it hadn’t been for Georgina. That thought made him smile.
The other thing he knew? Tanner needed to see her every day because when he didn’t, it felt like the sun forgot to rise.
Chapter Eleven
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“Thanks for helping with the dishes. You didn’t have to,” Magda Montgomery said.
“The least I could do,” Georgie said. “I appreciate your having me out for dinner.”
“You should have come for Thanksgiving lunch with all the Montgomerys. They would have been happy to have had you join us.”
Georgie produced a dramatic shiver. “Thanks but no thanks. How do you handle all that testosterone in one room?”
Magda laughed. “You get used to it.” She dried her hands on a dish towel and then hung it over the sink edge to dry. “Besides, I live with Reno, Mister Testosterone himself.”
