Tanner stared the man dead in the eye, voice low and deadly calm. “Try to stop me and see what happens.”
The paramedic took one look at his face, swallowed hard, andwisely stepped aside. “Uh… yeah. Okay. But there are no seat belts back there, so if you get injured, that’s on you.”
The ride to the hospital was the longest twenty minutes of Tanner’s life. He held Junie’s hand the entire way, whispering to her, telling her how much he loved her, promising her she was safe now.
She drifted in and out of consciousness, squeezing his fingers weakly when she could. The oxygen mask kept her from speaking, but that was fine. She was here. She was fighting.
When they finally reached the ER, doctors and nurses swarmed her. They rushed her back for triage, checking first for damage to her throat and airway. Tanner fumed when they took her without him.
Belle was brought in next, the woman as pale as a ghost as she asked about her girl.
“They’re taking care of her, Nanabelle. You raised our girl to be quite the fighter. Now let them take care of you too,” Tanner said, squeezing the woman’s fingers gently before releasing them and watching as she too disappeared down the hallway.
When they rolled Preston in, it took Boone, Trace, and two security guards to keep Tanner from ending the man right there in the hallway.
It felt like forever, but only ten minutes later, the doctor came out. “We took an X-ray. The airway didn’t suffer any significant damage. We’ve put her in one of the triage rooms, so you can go back and be with her.”
The doctor put a steadying hand on Tanner’s shoulder. “Besides a sore throat for a while, she’s going to be okay. You’ll find her in room three.”
They were the sweetest words Tanner had ever heard.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Junie sat propped up in the big bed at the cabin, arms crossed, and lips pushed out in a pout that she knew was probably too dramatic. A week had passed since the nightmare at Rainbow’s Edge, and Tanner still hadn’t let anyone visit.
She was tired of resting. She felt fine. Mostly. Her throat only hurt when she swallowed, and the bruises had faded to ugly yellow-green shadows, but she was ready to get out of this bed and do something.
Tanner sat on the edge of the mattress beside her, watching her with that steady, patient look that always made her stomach flutter. “You’re grumpy this morning, babygirl.”
“I’m not grumpy,” she muttered, even though she absolutely was. “I’m bored. And I miss my kitchen. And the girls. And Nanabelle keeps texting me sad-face emojis.”
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering on her cheek, laughing inside at the thought of the elderly woman sending emojis like a teenager. “I know. But you scared the hell out of me, Junie. I almost lost you. So yeah, I’m being a tad overprotective right now. Sue me.”
The softness in his voice melted some of her frustration. She leaned into his touch with a sigh. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Tanner leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I brought you something.”
He disappeared for a moment and returned carrying the biggest, most ridiculous gift basket she had ever seen. It was overflowing with everything a Little girl could want: fancy bath bombs and bubble bath, soft lotions, new coloring books, a giant stuffed bunny, chocolate, and a handwritten note from Ruby and the girls that made her eyes sting.
Junie laughed softly as she dug through it, pulling out a small booklet titledHow to Send Smoke Signals. She wisely kept silent about that one.
“If you promise me you feel all better,” Tanner said, watching her with warm eyes, “you can get up. But we’re not going back to the main house until tomorrow. If you’re up for it, I thought we’d have a picnic. I have a basket all ready, and a blanket and cushions for us to sit on.”
Her heart swelled. “I’d love that.”
They walked outside together, holding hands. The mountain air was cool and fresh, and the sun warmed her skin after days cooped up inside. When she realized where Tanner was leading her, her heart swelled.
“How did you know when I didn’t even get a chance to ask you to go with me?” she asked as Tanner spread out a thick blanket in the middle of the chokecherry thicket.
“Because this is our special place and you are my very special babygirl,” he said as he unpacked the most perfect picnic she had ever seen. He’d brought tiny quiches, asparagus spears, and sparkling grape juice
Then he pulled out her favorite Daddy romance book and read a chapter to her while she ate, his deep voice wrapping around her like a warm hug. For dessert, he picked fresh chokecherries off the trees. He fed her each berry by hand, his fingers brushing her lipswith every bite. They talked about everything and nothing—their future, the ranch, the life they were building together.
When the food was gone, Tanner pulled a small velvet box from his pocket.
Junie’s breath caught.
He opened it to reveal a beautiful ring—simple, elegant, with a sparkling diamond that caught the sunlight perfectly.
