Free In Love With A Cowboy (BWWM Romance) by Tasha Jones, BWWM Crew

he should have said something, right? “All I knew about his life was that his parents died in a car crash. He never mentioned you.”
     
    “We’ve never gotten along very well, but I think that when I ran away I think he thought I was running away from him, too. In nine years we’ve spoken less than ten times. I didn’t know about you, either.”
     
    I took a deep breath, trying to calm my hammering heart. Nothing made sense. I was suddenly lost in the dark, and even though I could hear Tanner’s voice I couldn’t find him, couldn’t find all the light and happiness that had blown into my life when he’d arrived.
     
    “I don’t…” I dropped my head into my hands. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t working very well. I don’t understand it.”
     
    Tanner didn’t get irritated with me or blow out his breath in exasperation or treat me like I was an some babbling fool. Dean did all of that all the time. But then, they were related. How was that possible? They weren’t the same at all. Except… Tanner had the build and the posture Dean had had when I’d met him. And the blue eyes, and the face. He’d felt like coming home when I’d met him.
     
    I was starting to understand why.
     
    “How long have you known that Dean and I were together?” I asked.
     
    “Since you came to the station that one night.”
     
    “And you didn’t tell me?”
     
    “I didn’t know how.”
     
    I tried to piece together the timeline. “Wait a minute, the money, the dinner, the… sex? That was all after you knew?”
     
    He looked like he didn’t want to admit to it, but he nodded.
     
    I couldn’t sit down anymore. I stood up and started pacing. “What the hell, Tanner?” I said and my voice was rising. “What the hell? What am I supposed to do now? I can’t even get rid of Dean on a good day, and now I’ve been dating his brother?”
     
    At the word dating Tanner smiled and looked down at his hands. But I wasn’t going to indulge him. Something suddenly occurred to me.
     
    “Does he know?”
     
    Tanner’s face dropped again, and he nodded.
     
    I put one hand on my hip and one on my forehead.
     
    “This is bad. This is very bad. He won’t just let this one go without a fight.”
     
    “You just said he wouldn’t put up a fight,” Tanner said.
     
    I shook my head. “No, I don’t think that was right. He’s the sheriff. What would you do if you had power and you found out your brother was dating your sweetheart?”
     
    Tanner shrugged and looked uninterested. “Well, why don’t we just look back at our past?” he said and his voice was flat. I got the feeling that I didn’t even have the slightest idea who Dean really was. But what I did know was that I knew at least some part of him. And things could get really ugly.
     
    I closed my eyes, disappeared inside myself for a moment. I had to find the strength to deal with this, the strength to do what I was about to do.
     
    “I’m sorry, Tanner,” I said when I opened my eyes again. I had my armor on, and my heart was neatly packaged away from danger. I could say it to him without batting an eye. “We can’t do this. This isn’t going to work.”
     
    “Are you breaking up with me?” he asked, looking incredulous.
     
    “I’m asking you to walk away. Dean supports Keisha. I need him to help me out at least until I manage to get on my own two feet. If he drops me now I’m screwed.”
     
    “I can take over. I can look after her if that’s what you need. I have more than enough money..."
     
    “I don’t want your money, Tanner,” I said, cutting him off.
     
    “But you’ll take his?”
     
    “Dean is Keisha’s father. It’s his job. It’s not yours. And how am I supposed to explain any of this to Keisha? How am I supposed to even understand it myself?”
     
    He looked angry now. The hurt had faded, replaced by rage, and I couldn’t believe the transformation. It was like Dean had walked in and replaced him. He looked