Good Enough (Meet Me in Montana #3) - Kelly Elliott Page 0,112

bit of a financial mess, and Merit came home with the intention of fixing it. That farm means everything to her and her brother.”

Kaylee took a sip of her water. “Well, by the look on Dirk’s face when he found out she was back in town, and the way he was staring at her earlier, I’m going to guess there was more to that lose-her-virginity-night than we know, and I intend on finding out what happened.”

“How are you going to find out, Kaylee?” Lincoln asked.

With a slow shake of her head, Kaylee replied, “I don’t know. But I’ll come up with something.”

“Dear God, those are words I do not want to hear come out of my wife’s mouth,” Ty said as he kissed a surprised Kaylee on the lips.

“Ty, did you happen to see where Tanner went?” I asked.

“Yeah, I think he offered to show Merit something my father’s working on. I’m guessing maybe he’s with her in Dad’s office.”

“Oh,” I said as I looked toward the hallway that led to Ty Senior’s office.

Libby touched my arm, and I glanced her way. “Don’t worry.”

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