“I suppose she told you about her relationship with your brother,” he snapped, not able to hold back his tongue.
“Relationship? So you don’t know, do you?”
Tanner sat up straighter. “Your brother did go home, didn’t he?”
“My brother and I stayed with Hannah that entire night. Alex missed his flight. In fact, I don’t know why I’m even telling you this, but my brother took Hannah back to Chicago. Her apartment is subleased to someone else.”
Tanner felt the floor open up beneath him. “I don’t believe you. Hannah wouldn’t leave her mother. Besides it’s only been three days.”
“Lorraine’s going to fly out there as soon as possible. She has a few loose ends to wrap up.”
Tanner groaned. His father would kill him. “Where’s Hannah’s mother staying in the meantime?”
“With me. And for your information, you also broke Lorraine’s heart since she had to choose between her daughter and Fritz. Lorraine also saved your hide, stopping Fritz from giving you a piece of his mind. Hannah’s mother didn’t want you to be blamed. And believe it or not, she felt bad about your ulcer. But it’s no excuse for what you did. And just so you know all the facts, Fritz wasn’t to say a word to you about Hannah or Lorraine leaving, or the lady would never speak to your father again.”
Tanner had wondered why he hadn’t seen his father about lately. “I see.”
“I hope you do see,” Candy continued, “because I love my brother, but Hannah will never fall in love with him.”
“Why not?” Tanner asked in a chilly voice. “She certainly seemed to enjoy his affection the last time I saw them together.”
“You stupid idiot! She’ll never fall in love with Alex, because she’s in love with you. Though I have no idea why!”
And with those last words, the call ended.
After a few long seconds, Rafe turned his amused gaze on Tanner. “Whewweeeee! As Dad would say, I believe that little woman gave you the what for, big brother, didn’t she?”
“Shut up, Rafe. For once in your life, just shut up.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Hannah sat at her desk, trying to decipher the new software that had turned her office upside down since she’d arrived in Chicago three weeks ago. She’d been working like a dog until ten o’clock every night, and it seemed all she ever looked at lately was her computer screen and the four bare walls of her cubicle.
She felt guilty for leaving her mother the past few weeks, but it was her mother who had insisted that Hannah take the engineering job in Chicago. Though it had been a rash decision, Hannah thought it a good idea at that time. Her mother was feeling much better and would be moving to Chicago in another week, and everything would eventually work itself out. She hoped.
Hannah called her mother almost every day since she’d flown to Chicago. Although, Hannah had to admit, she was disappointed Tanner had never called.
However, just last week her mother had spilled the beans, telling her Tanner had been in the hospital for an ulcer. It had only been for outpatient care, but Hannah hated the thought of him in pain. Hannah knew he was in the best of hands with Rafe, and she also knew that if Tanner had wanted to call, he could have done so anytime at all. When Hannah called and asked Candy about Tanner, her friend confirmed the information, but otherwise said nothing about the man.
Hannah tried to convince herself that Tanner was out of her life now, and she was better off without him.
“Where do you want to go for dinner, Hannah?”
Hannah looked up from her keyboard. She’d made friends with her co-worker Annie Nelson the first day at work. Annie was just as sweet as she looked. Her innocent violet eyes and shiny, long black hair only added to her intrinsic beauty.
“I don’t care, as long as it’s not pizza. Having it at the office the last two weeks has made me vow never to eat cheese ever again. I like Chicago-style pizza, but enough is enough.”
Annie laughed. “No kidding. I was hoping you’d say something like that. Ellen told me to tell you that tonight’s little outing’s on the company. She made reservations for us.”
Hannah chuckled, grabbing her sweater. Ellen was their boss and more of a mother figure than a tyrant. “An outing in Chicago could mean anything from a trip to the zoo to parasailing on Lake Michigan.”
“You were pretty close with that parasailing bit. We’re taking a cruise on Lake Michigan. Dinner and dancing.”
Hannah dropped back in her chair and groaned. “Not dancing? You’re out of your mind. I just want to eat, drink, and sleep. Sleep, do you hear me?”
Smiling, Annie pulled Hannah up by her elbow. “Don’t worry. We don’t have dates. No one is going to ask us to dance, and we can wear what we have on. I just wanted to see your face when I said the word dancing.”
Hannah eased out a smile. “Fine. I haven’t been out on Lake Michigan since I’ve been here. Alex tried to coax me onto his sailboat last weekend, but I have an idea he had more things in mind than sailing.”
Annie’s violet eyes twinkled. “You got that right. I pegged that man the moment I saw him the other day when he took you out for lunch. He likes you, Hannah, and if he can get you, he will.”
“But I’ve told him I’m not interested.”
“Not interested doesn’t change the fact that he wants you,” Annie said as they walked past the cubicles.
Hannah clamped her lips shut as she headed down the corridor and into the crowded elevator with her friend by her side.
“Okay, tell me the truth,” Annie asked in a hushed voice. “Are you still pining for that millionaire?”
The question was loud enough for all heads to turn toward Hannah. She had escaped Tanner’s undeniable charm, but she wondered if she would ever escape her broken heart. Her face heated with embarrassment as she glared at her friend.
Annie gave a wry shrug of amusement.
After the doors opened, and they were well away from the crowd, Hannah turned to Annie. “I’m not pining away for Tanner. He deceived me. I don’t need any more of that in my life.”
Annie hailed a cab, ignoring the anxiety in Hannah’s voice. “That’s the problem. You haven’t got a life, Hannah. You need to move on. Get over it.”
Get over it? Hannah’s heart felt cold. She had tried. Oh, how she’d tried. But it was impossible to forget.
She hopped into the cab with Annie, knowing her friend was right. She didn’t have a life. Here in Chicago, it was all work and no play, except Alex, and that didn’t count.
Hannah missed Fritz and his weasel-like ways. She missed Jeremy and his hugs. But most of all she missed Tanner. She missed his kisses. His smiles. His voice. The way he held her hand. She missed the man, even with all his flaws.
But she could never go back. He had never loved her and that had reduced the entire relationship to lies and dependence, something she would never go through again.
“I love the summer nights on the lake,” Annie exclaimed later. “Cool, but not so cool. Warm, but not so warm.”
Hannah let out an exhausted sigh. They had been out on the lake for a half-hour and the view was magnificent. A cool breeze caressed her face as she stood near the edge of the dinner cruise ship, watching the Chicago skyline blink against the sparkling water. “Cool? Warm? Really Annie, I don’t know how I would have survived Chicago without you.”
Annie let out a giggle. “Hey, it’s in the blood.”
Hannah moved closer to her friend when the crowd from inside decided to move outdoors. The two women found themselves surrounded by a group of physicists from the nearby university.
Hannah rolled her eyes at Annie the minute the young men began to debate the height of the swells given off by the speedboat coming dead ahead.
“Looks like it’s coming straight for us,” Annie whispered excitedly.
A chilly wind lifted Hannah’s hair, and she pulled her sweater tighter about her neck. “Yeah, and it looks like he’s in one heck of a hurry.”
“T
he idiot’s closing in on us,” one of the men called out. “What does he think he’s doing? The guy’s either crazy or drunk.”
Annie’s brows narrowed in concern at the oncoming speedboat. “Maybe we should step inside where it’s safer.” She grabbed Hannah’s arm and tugged her friend back into the dinner compartment. “I’m thinking that speedboat has some business here, and it doesn’t look friendly.”
Hannah agreed when she saw the boat slicing through the water. Inside the large cabin, she pressed her nose against the window to view the scene. The men were gathered around the side, shouting at the oncoming boat pulling alongside them.
“I think they’re right! The guy’s drunk,” Hannah said, wondering what the crew was going to do. “Looks like there are two of them. The captain’s out there now.”
Annie gasped. “Look!”
The group of students circled around the captain and the intruder, who was stepping from the speedboat, while cheers of “FIGHT” rumbled through the crowd.
Hannah’s eyes widened in fascination. “I thought this was going to be boring. But I can’t see their faces.”
Annie elbowed her friend. “Gosh, nothing’s ever boring in Chicago on a summer evening, Hannah. I thought you knew that.”
Hannah shrugged and was pushed further into the room when the crowd from outside moved toward them. Her back was pressed against the window and some man was standing on her foot.
She became increasingly uneasy. “I’m not getting a good feeling, Annie.”
Annie grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Me neither.”
“Hannah Elliot, I know you’re here! Come on out!”
Hannah froze. Spasms of alarm rippled along her spine at the sound of Tanner’s voice shouting over the rumbling crowd. But it couldn’t be him. It must have been that second glass of wine.
Annie gasped and turned to her friend. “I can’t see the man, but don’t tell me that’s Alex?”
Hannah bit her lip, her nerves tensing. “No,” she groaned. “It’s not Alex.”
“Hannah, so help me, I’ll start throwing people overboard if you don’t show yourself!”
Hannah shrunk behind the man in front of her. What in the world did Tanner want with her now? Why was he here? Well, he could go jump in the lake if it was up to her. The nerve of him seeking her out in a public place to vent his anger. And how did he find her?
“Hannah, I’m waiting, and you know I’m not a patient man.”
A hushed murmur swept through the crowd. The warning in Hannah’s head registered loud and clear.
Annie looked at Hannah, then stood on her tiptoes, her jaw dropping open in shock. “Goodness, whoever this man is, he’s a handsome devil.”
Hannah bent her knees a bit more. “For goodness sakes, don’t make a spectacle of yourself, Annie. Get over here.”
Annie furrowed her brow. “That’s Tanner Clearbrook, isn’t it? Or John Tanner Clearbrook?” she chuckled, knowing the entire story of how Hannah hadn’t known the man’s full name when she first started working as a tutor to Jeremy.
“Yes, it’s him. Now, will you help me? I don’t want him to see me.”
Hannah’s heart pounded as she gazed out at the dark water. She wasn’t usually such a coward, but she wondered if swimming was an option. If Tanner wanted to talk to her, it would be on her terms not his.
“Annie,” she said, desperation in her voice. “You have to—”
“All right, Hannah!” Tanner’s voice boomed against Hannah’s ears.
Hannah groaned and fell against the wall. Tanner had the band’s microphone!
“Maybe you folks can help me out here!”
The crowd started to talk, thinking that this was part of the cruise entertainment, and they were ready to play.
Hannah closed her eyes, trying to think. In order to leave, she would have to get on all fours and crawl toward the exit door. The dinner boat was still close enough to shore. Maybe she had a chance to evade him if she timed it right. How he had found her was anybody’s guess, but if he wanted to embarrass her more, he’d be sorry. She’d have a thing or two to say to him later.
“Hannah Elliot is about so high,” his voice echoed over the crowd. “Blond hair as gold as the wheat fields in summer.”
Hannah clenched her fists. Tanner Clearbrook was not sweet-talking her into anything. She loved Jeremy, but she couldn’t stay on as his nanny, no matter what money it involved. And marriage without love was out of the question.
“Annie, I’m leaving,” she hissed beneath her breath. “Are you coming with me?”
Annie frowned. “Come on, Hannah. He’s looking for you. Aren’t you going to tell him you’re here?”
“Are you kidding?” Hannah’s heart skipped a beat. “The man hates my guts.”
“Yeah, right. Like he came thousands of miles to see you because he hated your guts?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. You can come with me or stay here, but I’m leaving. We’ll have to crawl on all fours to get out of here alive.”
“You can’t be serious? You aren’t planning on swimming, are you? That’s...crazy! What if he wants to tell you he’s sorry?”
But Hannah was already on her way, twisting through the crowd. Tanner’s commanding presence began to gnaw away at her self-confidence. She didn’t need to be hurt again.
Yes, she would swim if she had to. She had won first place in state swimming when she was in high school. Annie didn’t need to come with her. In fact, it was better that Annie stay on the boat. Hannah had no idea if her friend was a good swimmer or not.
But it seemed Annie didn’t like her plans. Her friend muttered something, then stood up on her tiptoes. “Tanner Clearbrook?” she shouted. All heads, including Tanner’s turned toward Annie. “Are you looking for Hannah Elliot?”
Hannah heard her friend’s voice and clenched her teeth in irritation. She was never going to speak to Annie again!
“That’s what I said, wasn’t it?” Tanner replied.
“What’s she to ya?” Annie asked.
“Everything,” Tanner said, softly. “Hannah Elliot is everything to me. I love her and I was a fool to let her go.”
Hannah refused to be baited. She missed the sight of Annie pushing her way through the crowd toward Tanner as she pointed in Hannah’s direction. Tanner nodded.
“You what?” Annie asked louder. “I didn’t hear that.”
“I said I love her,” he said loudly. “I love her!”
He loved her? Hannah stopped. Her breath solidified in her throat. Could it be true? She looked up. But a part of her brain refused to be tricked again.
Before she could think about her next move, like Moses parting the Red Sea, the crowd separated and Hannah caught Tanner towering over her with his irresistible dimpled smile that pierced her defenses. All at once, he was kneeling down beside her and taking her hand in his.
A pulsing knot throbbed in her chest. His scent pummeled her senses, and she began to remember the way he held his child, the way he fixed a breakfast tray, the way he kissed her. She couldn’t control her trembling lips or the tears that began to well in her eyes. She still loved this man, no matter what he had done to her.
“I love you, Hannah Elliot.”
A hush fell over the crowd, and Hannah felt her legs weaken.
“I want you to marry me. Please say yes, honey. I’m sorry for everything I did with Reach Medicals. I’m sorry for every jealous thought I had with you and that gorilla man. I’m sorry for ever acting like I was some grand duke, making decisions on your behalf. I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I love you and want you to be happy. Please, say you’ll forgive me. You and my son are everything to me.”
He was asking for her forgiveness. The tender vulnerability in his gaze sent Hannah’s defenses crumbling. He wanted her. He loved her.
“Come on, Hannah,” someone cried out. “Give the guy a break.”
“Yeah, Hannah. Have mercy on the poor guy.”
> The murmur increased, and soon everybody was shouting at her.
“Yeah, honeybunch,” Tanner replied in a silky voice. “Give the poor moron a break. Marry the guy and stop his suffering. I was a stupid, selfish man who wanted things his way. I’m sorry. I can’t promise you that I’ll be perfect, but I’m going to try to make you happy.”
Before she could answer, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, sending a whooping cheer throughout the crowd.
His half-hooded eyes drilled into hers like Cupid’s arrow spearing her heart. “Jeremy misses your gingerbread.”
“What about you?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. “What do you miss?”
“I miss you, baby. Just you.” His voice was so tender, it cracked with emotion. Two silvery eyes glistened with regret.
“Don’t leave me again, Hannah. I couldn’t stand it. I love you too much to ever be without you. I was a stupid moron to pull your resume. I’m going to ask you again. Forgive me? I want to marry you and have children with you. I want to live with you until we’re old and gray. I just plain want to love you, baby.”
“I forgive you.” Hot tears spilled from Hannah’s lids. “And yes,” she said softly. “I’ll marry you.”
His laugh was alive with delight. She kissed him with a hunger that surprised even her. The boat full of onlookers cheered her on.
For the first time since Nick, Hannah abandoned herself to a string of intensifying emotions that left her giddy with desire and hope. Tanner loved her. He had asked to be forgiven in front of a crowd of men, something Nick would never have done.
She knew Tanner wasn’t perfect, but neither was she. Wasn’t that what marriage was about? Learning from each other? And helping each other to become a better person, if both were willing?
Tanner squeezed his hands around her. “Let’s get out of here, honey.”
He quickly escorted her outside the cabin for some privacy.
But despite Tanner’s efforts for a secluded getaway, the crowd pressed their noses against the glass, including Annie.
“Hannah, honey,” Tanner said, slipping her feet to the floor and nuzzling her neck.
Almost Midnight (sweet contemporary romance) (Colorado Clearbrooks) Page 17
