Constant Risk. Janie Crouch

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СКАЧАТЬ gave the older woman a nod. He didn’t tend to come into town very often, preferring to stay out at the ranch he and Tanner owned together. Noah had his own house on one side of the property and Tanner, with Bree for the past three months, lived in a house on the other side of the two hundred and fifty acres.

      Once Mrs. Andrews was gone, Tanner took a bite of his food. “Look, jackass, I only told you at all because Mom wanted to make sure it was okay with you that I use the ring. If you think you’ll want it for whatever unfortunate sucker you talk into marrying you, then that’s fine. I can pick out a different one.”

      Noah shoveled a forkful of the renowned Sunrise Diner meat loaf into his mouth. He was already shaking his head before Tanner even finished his sentence/insult. “Pretty sure marriage is not in the cards for me. So you go right ahead and use Mom’s ring.”

      “You might be a little closer to marriage if you would actually date anyone.”

      Noah shrugged and kept eating. Tanner didn’t push it. Noah had returned from his years as an Army Green Beret different than when he’d gone in. Stronger. Harder.

       Colder.

      His brother had never offered many details, and Tanner hadn’t demanded them, but Tanner knew Noah had seen and done things in his time overseas that had changed him.

      “So when are you going to ask Bree?” Noah said between bites.

      “I’m not sure.”

      “Because you’re trying to make it all romantic? You know stuff like that just stresses out your little brainiac.”

      Noah was right. Bree was a computer genius, but due to her upbringing—first within a terrorist organization, then almost completely alone and on the run—she wasn’t great at interpersonal interaction. Normal things most people took for granted, like a conversation or casual touch, were often a challenge for her.

      Tanner loved Bree because of this, not in spite of it.

      “I’m only planning on asking a woman to marry me once. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make it special. I want to take her someplace romantic.”

      Noah shook his head and continued his lunch. “You do remember what happened last time you decided you were going to take Bree on a romantic holiday and make things perfect?”

      Tanner rolled his eyes. “Considering I’m still recovering from my wounds and Bree barely made it out of that situation alive herself, yes, I remember it. And that’s the exact reason why I need to make the proposal romantic and special. Get back up on the horse so to speak.”

      Bree had missed out on so much in her young life. She deserved a little romance. Deserved to travel and see somewhere besides a small town in Colorado.

      “You know she loves the ranch more than anywhere else. Hell, brother, the woman just loves you.”

      “And I love her.”

      Noah shook his head. “Believe me, you two are so gooey, the whole town knows. Don’t make the proposal more complicated than it needs to be.”

      They both finished their meal and pushed their plates toward the center of the booth. “I’m not making it complicated. I just want to make it perfect.”

      They both got up from the booth and walked over to pay the bill.

      “It’s on me,” Noah said. “I want to be the one who buys you your last meal as a single man.”

      “I’m trying to keep this under wraps,” Tanner muttered. “You know how the gossip mill is around here. I—”

      Tanner stopped talking as Mrs. Andrews came back through the swinging kitchen door.

      “You boys done?”

      “Yes, ma’am,” Noah said. “I’d like to buy my brother’s lunch.”

      “How about lunch is on the house.” Mrs. Andrews winked at them. “As long as Tanner doesn’t take too long asking Bree to marry him.”

       Damn it.

      He gave the older woman a tight smile. “I’m trying to keep that on the down low, Mrs. Andrews. I don’t want Bree to figure it out.”

      “My lips are sealed. And you know Bree, this is all so new to her she’ll never see it coming.”

      But was she ready? Tanner didn’t have any doubt about their love for each other, but was this the right time to even ask this of her? Maybe she needed more time. A chance to be on her own without anyone chasing after her, trying to trap or kill her. It was all she’d ever known.

      Tanner was ready to start their forever right away, putting all that behind them.

      “Where you heading now?”

      “I’m supposed to meet Bree and Cassandra over at that abandoned office building on the south side of town.”

      “What are they doing over there?”

      “Honestly, I’m not 100 percent sure. Bree just said Cassandra had a plan for expanding.”

      Noah looked at him with concern as they walked out of the diner.

      “You don’t think she’s planning on having another baby, do you?”

      Tanner shook his head. “It’s our sister. Hell if I ever know what she means.”

      “I’m coming with you. In case you need backup.”

      Tanner chuckled. Cassandra had certainly talked the two of them into a number of stupid things over the years. Backup wasn’t a ridiculous idea.

      “Well, for God’s sake don’t mention the engagement ring to Cass,” Tanner said. “You know how close she and Bree have gotten. And Cass definitely can’t keep any sort of secret.”

      Tanner never would’ve thought that his sister and his hopefully soon-to-be fiancée would ever get along so well with one another, particularly after their rocky start a few months ago. Cass, when she found out about Bree’s computer skills, had immediately demanded Bree teach computer classes at Risk Peak’s women’s shelter.

      Bree had laughed at her.

      Cassandra hadn’t understood Bree’s complicated history with computers. How she was both so good with them and terrified of them at the same time.

      But Bree had agreed to try.

      She might’ve been frightened to teach classes at the beginning, but there was no doubt she was incredibly talented when it came to sharing her skills with others. It had basically become her full-time job over the past few months. And Cassandra had become one of Bree’s best friends.

      Risk Peak was not that big, and it didn’t take Tanner and Noah long to walk from the diner to the office building. The building itself had sat empty for nearly a year since the owner had died right at the end of construction, causing legal hassles as the property was left to his children, both of whom were going through СКАЧАТЬ