“Y-yes,” she said, carefully laying her rifle and handgun along one side of the sleeping bag, as he had placed his weapons on the other side. Then she raised her hands to her blouse to begin unbuttoning it. It was sheer relief to get out of her trail-grimy clothes. Naked, she picked up the damp towel she had used to dry off at the stream and rubbed her body down once more. Now she felt much cleaner. Tossing the towel aside, she dug into her pack for her long underwear.

Bri was snuggled inside the surprisingly roomy and comfortable bed of sleeping bags when Tanner lifted the flap and stepped inside, ushering Boyo in after him. Murmuring, “Down, boy,” he pulled the zipper around the opening, enclosing the three of them inside.

Bri lifted her head. “Boyo is going to sleep in here with us?” She recognized the relieved tone in her voice.

Tanner’s smile told her he recognized it, as well. “Yeah, it’s getting cold out there and will likely get a lot colder by morning.” With that, he began to undress.

Brianna’s eyes flew wide, and he laughed out loud. “Don’t panic. I’m only stripping to my underwear, and it’s long underwear.”

“I have silk.” The words slipped out without thought. Bri was appalled at herself. She had sounded like a snit, the spoiled brat he had called her.

This time Tanner roared with laughter. “Okay, big deal. So have I.”

Embarrassed, Bri turned onto her side, away from him, groaning softly at the sheer warmth, comfort and sense of protection she was feeling. In the next instant, she stiffened when his body slipped in beside her in the makeshift bed.

“Relax, kid, I’m not going to attack you.”

She laughed; she couldn’t help it. He sounded oh so amused beneath his serious tones. “I’m glad to hear it. I wouldn’t want to have to hurt you.”

His laughter was drowned out by Boyo, who stood, whining.

“I think he needs to go out,” Bri said.

“No kidding,” he grumbled. Getting up, he shrugged into his jacket, pulled on his boots. “Okay, okay,” he said to the dog. “I’m coming.” Unzipping the flap, he let Boyo outside. Pausing at the opening, he said, “I may as well check on the mare while I’m out.”

“Chocolate.”

He turned to stare at her through the dim lantern light. “You want chocolate now?”

“No.” Bri had to laugh this time. “The mare. I’ve temporarily given her the name Chocolate, as I never asked Hawk what her real name is.”

“Oh.” He dipped his head and exited the tent. She heard his chuckle as he walked away.

Tanner was gone for some ten or so minutes, during which Bri shimmied around inside the sleeping bags. Once again she turned onto her side, this time facing the side he’d been sleeping on.

When Tanner did return, he zipped up the opening and shrugged out of his jacket and boots.

After turning around in a circle several times, Boyo settled down across the opening of the tent. If anyone tried to enter during the night, they were going to have to walk over the big dog to do so.

Bri smiled at the very idea of anyone getting past the wolfhound and living to tell about it, possibly even if that someone were a bear. Her thoughts scattered when Tanner, smiling with her, slid in next to her.

“Are you warm enough?”

She nodded. The bed warmed her skin, but Tanner’s smile warmed her body inside and out. “What are you doing?” she blurted when he drew her close to him, cradling her in his arms.

“I just want to hold you, Brianna,” he said, his breath fluttering over her forehead. “Comfortable?”

“Hmm,” she murmured, snuggling closer, so close she could feel his chuckle before she heard it.

“Good. Sleepy?”

“Not really,” Bri said, stifling a yawn. “I’m just happy to stretch out, be warm and relaxed and off the back of a horse for a while.”

This time he laughed aloud. Bri loved the sound of his laughter. It seemed to surround her with a sense of warmth and security.

“So you’re not as tough as you thought you were,” Tanner said, teasing her.

“Yes, I am,” Bri said, pulling her head back to glare at him. “It’s simply that I haven’t been on a horseback trek in some time. I can handle it. It’s only a little stiffness.”

“I never doubted it.” Tanned did his best to look serious. The gleam in his eyes gave him away.

“Yeah, right.” She scowled.

He laughed again, cupped her head to draw her face closer to his and planted a gentle kiss on her temple. “I really didn’t doubt it, Brianna.”

Bri melted. She loved the way he said her name. “Okay, you’re forgiven.” Her temple was tingling where his lips had touched.

“Thank you.” Laughter danced along his voice. “Is that a blanket forgiveness, covering my having left Hawk’s without you?”

She hesitated long moments, smothering the anger she had been nursing since she had discovered him gone. “I suppose so,” she said, giving in, but only because she really wanted to do so.

“Grudging, but I’m grateful for it.”

They were quiet a moment, his breath teasing her skin, sending tingles from her temple to every nerve ending in her body. Desperately hanging on to her desire to have him kiss her, maybe make love to her, Bri raked her mind for something to say to break the feeling of sensual intimacy curling around them, seemingly drawing them closer to the precipice of no return.

To defuse the volatile intimacy, she said, “Tell me about yourself, Tanner, your life.” Her voice sounded ragged even to her own ears.

“Why do I have this sneaky suspicion you don’t trust me?” His tone was drily amused.

“It-it’s not that,” she said. “I do trust you.” Bri realized she truly did, that she would trust him with her life. Odd, she mused, after having known him such a short amount of time. But there it was. Then again, he had saved her life only hours ago.

“If it’s not that,” he said, “what is it?”

“Me.” Bri’s throat felt suddenly parched. “It’s myself I don’t trust, Tanner.”

“I don’t get it.” He sounded more than a little confused. “You don’t trust yourself about what?”

Once again Bri hesitated, unsure if she should explain her feelings. “You. I don’t trust myself with you,” she admitted, glancing up at him, her confidence bolstered by the fact that his face was in the shadows.

She could feel his body go completely still, feel the tautness in his arms around her. What must he be thinking? Had she unwittingly insulted him?

Frustration was sharp in his voice when he spoke. “Brianna, I told you, I won’t-”

“No, Tanner, please listen. You don’t understand,” she said, burrowing closer to him. “I know you won’t.” She sighed. “The problem is I’m not sure I won’t.”

“I see.” Enclosing her again in his arms, this time even more tightly, he kissed her ear, whispering, “You know something, Brianna? You’re a little nuts.”

No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Her reaction began with a giggle and grew from there to laughter that spilled out from deep inside. Burying her face in the curve of his neck, she laughed harder than she could recall having laughed in a very long time. Partly because she thought it funny and partly in sheer relief.

“You know something, Tanner?” she gasped through her dying laughter. “You’re right.”

His lips brushed her cheek. “That’s okay, kid, because I’m a bit nuts, too.”

Eight

She loved this man. The realization flashed through her mind like a sudden bolt of lightning.

Bri’s insides seized. What was she thinking? Love? She couldn’t have fallen in love this quickly. Could she? Abruptly her laughter died in her throat, but she kept her face pressed against his shoulder, inhaling the spicy, male scent of him.

“Amuse you, do I?” Tanner asked, laughter dancing on his own voice. “I really didn’t think it was all that funny.”

“Oh, Tanner, you have no idea.” Bri had to pause to take a breath, collect herself, get her thoughts back in line. “That’s one of the reasons I don’t trust myself with you. You’re so up-front and straightforward. So few people are today, it’s refreshing to find someone who is.” She was chattering, making it up as she rattled on, determinedly blanking all thoughts of Minnich and the L word from her mind. At least that’s what she told herself.

“Despite your PC phrasing, why do I get the idea you’re impugning my gender?”

Bri couldn’t help it; she smiled. If he had been trying to sound offended, he had failed completely.

“I’ll plead the Fifth,” she said, shooting a quick look at him.

“Right now I wish I had a fifth.”

At that, her laughter erupted. Even Boyo lifted his head at the happy sound of it.

Within seconds, Tanner joined her. The sound was music to Bri’s ears.

“What exactly are we laughing at, do you know?” he asked as his laughter subsided.

“At ourselves, I think,” she answered, drawing a deep, sobering breath. “It was fun, though, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Tanner was quiet a moment, doing some deep breathing of his own. “What do you want to know?”

“What?” His sudden question threw her.

“You said before that you wanted to know more about me,” he said. “So what do you want to know?”

“Everything.” The word burst out before she could hold it back.

“Oh, is that all?” He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “That should take no longer than…oh, five, six hours. Of course, if I remember correctly, we went over our respective favorite things at lunch in Durango. Didn’t we?”

“Yes, I know, but I meant…well, other things.”

“Like what?”

“Have you ever been in love?” Oh, damn, why was she having trouble with that darn love word? Nevertheless, she waited, not breathing, for his answer. If he would answer.

He didn’t hesitate. “I thought I was once.” His shoulder shrugged and she breathed again. “I was wrong. Have you?”

Bri wouldn’t allow herself to be less candid than Tanner. She even took it a step further. “Once. I was wrong, too. He was a handsome, charming snake, a cheat and a user.”

“Gee, could you be a bit more specific?” he said, his voice teasing.

“He was a rat,” she said, deadly serious. “I came back to the dorm one night from the library to find him in bed with my roommate. I threw him out first. Then, without a shred of remorse, I used my father’s influence to get her out of the room and into another dorm.”

“You are tough.”

“I was mad.” Memory anger colored her voice. “At least I didn’t do either one of them bodily injury.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “For an instant there I was afraid you were going to tell me you punched her out and took a skinning knife to him.”

“Son of a gun,” Bri deadpanned. “Why didn’t I think of that at the time?”

Tanner let go of a smile right before he brushed his lips over her mouth. “Next question?”

His breath bathed her lips, stole her breath, tangled her thoughts.

“Did you fall asleep?” His lips were now at her ear again, teasing, tormenting.

“No.” It was barely a croak.

“Are you out of questions?”

“No, I’m…thinking.”

“Does it hurt?” His tone was solicitous.

She gave him a look.

He grinned, unrepentant. “We could discuss favorite holidays. Mine’s Thanksgiving. The turkey and trimmings, you know. Anything else?”

“Well…” She hesitated a moment, then took the plunge. “I was wondering about Candy.”

He frowned. “The dark chocolate you’ve been doling out like it was gold?” He licked his lips, stirring a wish inside Bri that it were her lips being laved. “I love it, the darker the better.”

“No.” Bri shook her head in an attempt to shake off the sudden need of his mouth and quickly asked, “Would you like some now?”

“No, thank you.” He chuckled. “Was that one of your questions?”

“No, and I think you know it,” she said, suspicion growing. “I mean Candy of the Hamptons.”

“What about her?” She could almost hear his frown in his voice.

“She seemed…oh, I don’t know, kind of possessive of you. Are you…?”

“I believe I answered that at the time, Brianna.” Impatience rode his tone. “There is not now, nor has there ever been, anything personal between us.”

“I’m sorry.” Bri was quick to back off. “I know it’s none of my business.”

He sighed. “There is no business so far as Candy is concerned. I’m not interested in her the way you mean.”

“Personally, sexually?” Bri asked boldly.

“No, sweetheart, I’m not. Wouldn’t do me any good if I were. She’s engaged to the man who was waiting for her in the restaurant. Besides, she’s not my type. Too forward, too easy.”

Bri frowned. “What does that mean?”

“What you think it means. She’s been with too many men. Not that it’s any of my business. But I’m a lot more particular than some other men.”