“This damn sure doesn’t sound like some innocent crush,” Grantsaid. “I’m with you, Tanner. This guy sounds obsessed with your girl.”
Tanner felt that familiar cold rage settle deep in his veins, slow and deadly. He’d burn the whole damn world down before he let anyone terrorize her. “I talked to Preston yesterday and looked the bastard in the eye. I told him to back the fuck off, and what did he do? Played dumb. Smiled and said he was just being friendly.”
Tanner’s jaw tightened until it ached. If Preston thought he could keep coming after what belonged to Tanner, he was about to learn exactly how wrong he was.
Kai gave a low, humorless laugh. “Of course he did. That’s what chameleons do. They become whatever they need to be in the moment. Harmless one second, dangerous the next. Junie can’t trust a word out of that guy’s mouth.”
The room stayed quiet for a long beat. Tanner stared down at the scarred table, jaw working as the full picture settled over him like a cold weight. He’d thought he could handle Preston himself.
It should have been as simple as one conversation. One firm warning and it should be settled. But hearing about the boarding school that had turned a soft, entitled boy into something colder and sharper, combined with the family money and those calculated land grabs, made his gut twist with deep unease.
His Little girl was being stalked by a man who knew how to hide what he really was. Especially from a woman like Junie, who gave everybody the benefit of the doubt.
Boone’s voice cut through the silence, calm but heavy. “You need to pull her in closer, Tanner. I know she lives right outside of Wild River Ranch property, but there’s a hell of a difference between being outside of our ranch and inside.”
“She needs to be closer than the ranch,” Chance said, “and under our full protection until we know exactly what this bastard is capable of.”
Tanner nodded slowly, the weight of it pressing down on hisshoulders. He’d known Preston was a problem. He just hadn’t realized how big or how dangerous the threat truly was.
He looked around the table at his brothers and the men who had become his brothers in every way that mattered. They’d always had his back, and now they’d have Junie’s too.
“Consider it done,” Tanner said, each word carved from pure resolve. “The only man touching my girl is me.”
“Okay. I think it goes without saying that we’re taking this seriously,” Boone said. “Griff, you and Jude keep diving into Lassiter’s financials. I want to know more about how he convinced those ranchers to sell their land.”
“On it,” Jude said.
“Dutch, you work on finding out more about the family. I want to know everything about them, both Preston and his parents.”
Dutch nodded and typed something into his phone.
“Ryker, you and Kai check out the people who know the Lassiters the best, both here and back east. I want to know what happened to the kid who went to that school as well as the things he did while he was there. He had to have gotten into trouble. I want to know what exactly that involved and why. And, Grant, you do whatever it takes to update the ranch security so that we know Tanner’s woman will stay safe. We haven’t had trouble out here for a while, so make sure everything is in order.”
Grant pushed back from the table, grabbing his Stetson. “You got it,” he said before heading out the door with a nod to Tanner.
“We’re here for you, brother,” Chance said.
“It’s not like we haven’t all been through the wringer with our women. But we’ve got her now. You know we’ll love her like she’s one of our own.”
Boone snorted. “It’s not like she hasn’t been one of ours for most of her life. Just not quite like this.”
With the Wild Men gone, the conversation shifted to the ranch. Tanner didn’t listen. He had more important things on his mind. A few minutes later, Boone walked out with Chance and Trace.
Tanner stayed behind for a minute after most of them filed out, staring at the now-empty table as the weight of everything settled deep in his chest. He’d thought confronting Preston would be enough. But Preston wasn’t just some lovesick idiot with a pathetic crush. He was something far more dangerous.
And Tanner would burn the whole damn world down before he let that man get anywhere near his Little girl again.
CHAPTER NINE
Junie sat cross-legged on the living room floor in her softest pajamas, the bright purple clay mask slowly tightening across her cheeks and pulling at the skin around her eyes. The whole room smelled like strawberry sugar scrub, vanilla candles, and the faint buttery scent of the third bag of microwave popcorn Kenzie had popped tonight.
“I’m telling you,” Kenzie said, waving her nail polish brush like a conductor’s baton, “from the way you’ve described it, that kiss was not a ‘just friends’ kiss. That was a ‘you’re mine’ kiss.”
Heat flooded Junie’s face beneath the mask. She hugged her knees tighter to her chest, trying desperately to hide the ridiculous smile that kept tugging at her lips. He’d said, “wish granted,” and given her that deep and hungry kiss, like he couldn’t stop himself.
And he did it right in front of God and everybody. Well, in front of Cherry anyway. Junie couldn’t have scripted it better herself. Her stomach still fluttered every time the memory played through her mind. “Did I tell you guys about how Cherry looked when she walked in on Tanner kissing me?”
“Yes!” Kenzie and Poppy cried out together.
