Taylor choked on her wine, and we all dissolved into laughter.
But a small ball of anxiety rolled around in my gut. I didn’t know if I’d ever be strong enough to walk away from Tuck, even if the tides did turn. And what did that say about me?
39
Tuck
I slammed my truck door.A whole lot of nothing was all I had to show for the wild horse case. I’d spent the day visiting with every single rancher who had leased land around Pine Meadow—and found nothing.
Rich, the rancher who’d had a few sheep stolen, had already brought the rest of his flock down for the winter and said he’d been avoiding the area like the plague since all the craziness started. David’s brother, Bill, did his best to make introductions to other ranchers, but the group had closed ranks. None of them were wild horse supporters, so they had to assume that they were on a short list of suspects.
I did my best to be unassuming, to stress that I saw them as potential witnesses and nothing more. None of it helped. Not even Bill vouching for me got the ranchers to open up. I kicked at a piece of gravel.
“What’d that rock ever do to you?”
I looked up to see Jensen crossing the drive. Just the sight of her stole my breath. Her hair flew around her face, a bit wild, just like her. That dark shade of brown bringing out the golden hue of her skin. My chest seized. I wanted her more than my next breath.
Jensen held out a hand and led me around the house. As soon as we were out of sight, her lips were on mine, hungry, seeking, almost desperate. My own returned the frantic need. Tongues dueled, teeth tugged at lips, my hands got lost in her hair then wandered lower, gripping her ass. I needed more. All of her. I wanted to imprint myself on every last cell of her body. I pulled back with a gasp. “Have to stop now, or I won’t.”
Jensen took a few heaving breaths. “That was a hell of a hello, cowboy.”
I grinned. “I like to keep you on your toes.”
“Well, you’ve certainly done that.” She peeked around the side of the house. “We’d better get back inside, or someone might come looking.”
I grabbed her hand, tugging her forward. “Let’s go.”
Just as we headed up the stairs, the front door opened and Walker appeared, brows pulled together. I dropped Jensen’s hand like a hot poker. “Where have you two been?”
Jensen cleared her throat. “I just wanted to get an update on the case before Tuck came inside.”
Walker’s gaze flicked to me. “Anything?”
I shook my head. “Not a damn thing. I swear this guy is a ghost.”
Walker slapped me on the back as I passed. “No one’s a ghost. If anyone can find this guy, it’s you.”
Guilt flooded me. Walker was the brother I’d never had. He trusted me. Believed in me. And here I was, basically lying to his face.Fuck.“Thanks, man.”
“Dinner’s ready,” Sarah called from the kitchen. “Oh, good, you’re here, Tuck.” She studied the table. “I think I might have made too much.”
I grinned and wrapped an arm around her. “I’m happy to help you out with that, Mama Sarah.”
She squeezed my hand. “I’m sending you home with leftovers, too.”
“Twist my arm.”
Jensen pulled out a chair. “I’ll invite Kennedy to come next time.”
Sarah smiled at her daughter while motioning for me to take the seat next to Jensen. “That would be wonderful. That girl is just the kindest, and I hate that she’s so young and all alone here.”
I lowered myself into the chair. “How old is she?”
Jensen rolled her eyes. “She’s twenty-two. The way Mom talks about her, you’d think she was fifteen.”
Sarah took a seat across from us. “Oh, hush. Twenty-two is just a baby.”
Jensen’s gaze went unfocused. “Something tells me she’s wiser than her years.”
