Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
I forced a smile. “Oh, I’m not the least bit worried.”
It was a lie. Those old insecurities had a way of creeping back in so fast they nearly left me dizzy. I excused myself and mingled with the people in the room as I made my way toward the hall.
Moments later, I found myself standing outside of Ty Senior’s office. The door was shut, and a sick feeling hit my stomach. Then another emotion pushed that ill feeling away.
Trust.
A calmness washed over my body, and I knew in that moment that Tanner wasn’t going to hurt me. He wasn’t going to sneak off into another room with another woman and cheat on me. For the first time in a very long time, I realized that I trusted someone completely.
I saw the way Tanner looked at me from across a room. The way his eyes met mine when we made love. The way he felt only hours ago inside me, how our passion had been unlike anything I’d ever experienced before in my life. I knew he was upset about what had happened earlier because he cared about me. He always wanted to make me feel cherished, and I loved him for that.
I loved him.
With a smile on my face, I turned and walked back down the hall to the large living room where most everyone was gathered. When I stepped into the room, I saw Tanner. He threw his head back and laughed at something an older woman said. Butterflies danced in my stomach as I watched him flirt with a woman who could be his grandmother. She had a huge smile on her face and was eating up the attention the younger man was giving her.
“Oh, Tanner,” I softly whispered. “I am so in love with you.”
I was about to walk over to him when I felt a hand on my arm. Turning, I smiled when I saw Dirk…and Merit.
“Timberlynn.”
“Dirk, how are you?”
He smiled. “Everything is, um, fine. I was just showing Merit something in Ty senior’s office. Before you run off to find Tanner, I’d like for you to meet Merit Eden. Merit, this is Timberlynn, Tanner’s girlfriend and Kaylee’s cousin. Kaylee is Ty’s wife.”
Merit flashed me a bright smile. She was even more beautiful up close. Her eyes looked almost violet.
“Wow, your eyes!” I shook my head and covered my now-heated cheeks. “That was so rude. I mean, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Merit. Forgive me, I’ve just never seen anyone who had eyes that looked…purple!”
She laughed. “No worries. A lot of people are thrown off by the violet color.”
“They’re stunning.”
Her smile widened, and there was something about her that I immediately liked. “Thank you for your sweet words. They’re definitely a good conversation starter!”
I laughed. “I’m sure they are!”
A hand moved around my waist, and I didn’t even have to look to see who it was. I knew it was Tanner. I could smell his cologne, and with only his touch, my entire body came alive.
My cheeks felt warm and I looked up, only to find him smiling down at me. “Hey, I’ve been looking for you,” he said.
There went that feeling in my chest again, and my stomach flipped and flopped like I was on a carnival ride. “You found me. Dirk was just introducing me to Merit.”
Tanner stared at me for another half second with that breathtaking smile of his before he turned to look at Merit. “Dad said you might be able to help out with a situation I presented him with.”
Merit’s eyes darted over to mine, then back to Tanner. “Yes. It’s simple to do. No different from when they pieced off the two parcels of land for Brock. From the quick look at the survey Dirk just showed me, I’d say the one road used now would work perfectly with your parents still maintaining ownership of it. Just like with Brock’s house now. The piece of land that Ty and Kaylee have is completely separate from the ranch, since it was on the outer edge of the property, but with the land purchased up to the easement and with the next ranch over, you could purchase a parcel of land from them and put in your own road. Although, I don’t see the need for it, and I doubt your parents would either.”
Tanner nodded and pulled me closer to his side. I wasn’t sure if he’d even noticed he’d done it. I couldn’t help but look up at him. His brow was pulled in slightly. Was he planning on building a house on his parents’ ranch?
“That’s what I wanted to hear,” he said.
Merit smiled. “Let me know if you need any help with permits and such. I’m more than happy to help.”
“I will. Thanks, Merit.”
Dirk gave me a wink and then said, “Merit here is a civil engineer.”