Read Online Montana Hearts by Darlene Panzera - Free Book Online Page B

appearance with their brown hair and brown eyes and other physical features that he assumed they must be brothers. But not related to the Collinses. Maybe they were close friends of the family, or a ­couple of the ranch hands.
    Bree gestured toward each of them and called, “Ryan, Zach, don’t you want to come meet, Jace Aldridge?”
    Neither of the two men moved, or smiled, and a muscle twitched along the side of the older brother’s jaw revealing some kind of tension. Then after an awkward moment of silence, the one Bree indicated was Ryan informed her, “We know who he is.”
    Jace narrowed his eyes. How did they know him? Had they met somewhere or did they simply mean they were familiar with his name and weren’t fans? He decided to find out. Walking toward them, he stretched out his hand, but dropped it to his side when it became evident they didn’t intend to shake.
    Both Bree and Delaney had followed him, and when they, too, noticed his cold reception, both women looked at each other in surprise. Then Bree went to Ryan’s side and introduced him. “Jace, this is my fiancé, Ryan Tanner.”
    â€œTanner?” Jace studied the two men further. “I have an aunt who lives somewhere around this area who married a Tanner.”
    The younger of the pair, the one he assumed was Zach, said, “Yeah, our mother.”
    Jace did a double take and gasped. “We’re cousins ?”
    Delaney shot her sister an incredulous look. “Bree, did you know about this?”
    Bree shook her head and stared at her fiancé. “Ryan?”
    The muscle along Ryan’s jaw twitched again. “His father was my uncle, my mother’s brother.”
    â€œMy father died when we were young,” Jace said, seeing a family resemblance between them all now in the shape of their jaw. “I don’t remember him.”
    Ryan scowled. “My mother remembers him and she remembers your mother, too—­and what she took from us.”
    Jace stared at him, not having a clue what he was talking about. “What did she take?”
    Ryan didn’t answer but Zach raised his chin and said, “Why don’t you ask her?”
    He would. As soon as her health improved. But for now his mother had enough stress without him adding more to it by peppering her with questions about the past.
    Zach moved closer to Delaney. “Are you busy tonight?”
    She hesitated, cast Jace a quick look, then said in a sweet, soft voice, “Yes, Zach, I am, but maybe we could get together another time.”
    Whoa! Were they dating?
    Zach tipped his hat toward her as he and Ryan made a move to head off toward the open-­sided arena. “I’ll take that as a promise.”
    A promise, my foot! The guy sounded like a fool flirting with her in front of everyone like that. Jace couldn’t be sure but judging from the way Delaney looked at the young man, she wasn’t as taken with him as he was with her. Then again, maybe Delaney wasn’t taken with anyone.
    Delaney didn’t say anything else, but walked past Jace’s truck and unlatched the back of the horse trailer, apparently determined to get Rio out and into a stall before he could change his mind and take the horse back to Bozeman.
    And take his much needed endorsement away with him.

 
    Chapter Four
    W HEW! S H E ’ D M A N A G E D to get Rio unloaded and settled into a stall just in time. From the uncertain look on Jace’s face after his encounter with the Tanners, she hadn’t been sure he’d stay. But he appeared satisfied with the condition of the stable for Rio. And really, with Rio unable to travel, where else could they go? Certainly not to the Tanners’ Triple T ranch, so that gave her the advantage.
    Rio poked his head out over the half door and rubbed noses with the mare in the stall next to him within the first few minutes. “Look,” she said, smiling,