mom had been superstrict about that. But her mom wasn’t part of the equation anymore. Candy and Tanner were adults now.
When their gazes locked, she began fussing with her clothes, resorting to her nervous habit. Clearly, she was feeling the heat, too.
He tried to think of something to say that would ease the tension. But nothing came to mind.
She started a choppy conversation instead, prattling on about the room: the walk-in closet, the built-in window seat, the French door leading to the backyard.
“It produces a nice breeze,” she hastily said.
“And a beautiful view,” he replied, trying to glance past her and failing. Candy was the beautiful view he was talking about. He admired the way she looked, surrounded by the feminine trappings of her room. A candle was burning in here, too, like in the kitchen. Only it was something floral, a light, fluttery scent mimicking the flowers she grew in her garden. He didn’t know one bee-kissed posy from another, but he remembered giving her a corsage when he’d taken her to his junior prom. But mostly what he remembered was the sweetly sinful dress she’d worn. Red, like the color of fire.
“Where do you live?” she asked suddenly.
Her question threw him off-kilter. “What?”
“You never mentioned where you live now or why you can’t have the nanny and Ivy move in with you there, at least until Meagan comes home.”
He snapped back to reality. “I live at the stables in a bachelor-type pad above my office. I’m going to keep it for when I need a quiet place to be alone.” He quickly added, “Or to date or whatever.”
“That would be better, I suppose.”
“For me, it is.” Curious about her future, he asked, “Are you planning on buying another house?”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t going to mention this, but there’s no point in hiding it. I could never afford another house. After my divorce, I bought this place with a small inheritance from my grandparents, but I got in over my head.” She made a tight face. “I’m starting to fall behind on the payments on my first mortgage, and I owe a balloon payment on my second and don’t have the money for that, either.”
“I’m sorry.” He could see how distressing it was for her. It also explained why her ex wasn’t involved. She hadn’t owned the house with him.
“I’m down to a part-time job now. Enrollment is low at the studio where I work and some of my classes had to be cut. I’ve been looking for another part-time job to make up the difference, but I haven’t found anything yet.”
“I’m sorry,” he said again.
“I’ll get through it. Eric and Dana offered to let me stay with them after this place sells so I can take a little time to get on my feet and not burn through the money. Not that it will be that much. I messed up my equity by taking out that second loan.”
“How close are you to foreclosure?”
“The bank hasn’t started the proceeding yet, so there’s still time. But it concerns me.” She swallowed, as if a lump had formed in her throat. “I never imagined being this broke.”
“I understand. I’ve been through some tough times, too. My mom loaned me the money for the down payment on my stables, and she took a huge risk on me. It was a run-down facility, and building it into a successful operation didn’t happen overnight. It was touch-and-go there for a while. I was really worried that I was going to lose everything, including her investment in it.”
“What’s it like now?”
“It’s everything I envisioned it should be. We offer full-service boarding, riding lessons and trails to Griffith Park. The public can rent horses from us, of course, and go on guided tours of the trails, but we also provide rentals for the movie industry. It’s like the stables I worked at when I was a kid, except way nicer. We cater to both English and Western riders. We host equestrian events, too.”
“It sounds wonderful. I’m glad for you, Tanner.”
“Thanks. I hope things improve for you.”
“For now, I just need to sell my house.”
Deciding to be direct, he said, “I like this place. It has a lot going for it, but I don’t know if I’m going to make an offer. I still have other properties to see.”
“I understand, and I appreciate you letting me know up front. A lot of people have gushed over it, but then they disappear without a word.”
“I’ll let you know, either way.”
“Thank you.”
They exited her bedroom, and she walked him out to the porch.
Neither of them leaned forward for a hug. The emotion connected to this reunion was too heavy for a lighthearted embrace, and they both seemed to know it.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t hunger to take her in his arms or breathe in the scent of her skin or put his mouth against hers. If she was the kind of woman who was prone to affairs, he would seduce her, just to satisfy the longing. But he sensed that Candy wasn’t that kind of woman. That deep inside, she was the same proper girl he’d left behind.
Before the moment got ridiculously quiet, he repeated his promise to keep in touch. “I’ll call when I make a decision.”
“Okay.” Her gaze lit softly on his. “Talk to you later.”
“You, too.” He almost smoothed a strand of hair that blew across her cheek, but he caught himself, keeping his hands at his sides. Saying goodbye shouldn’t be this hard.
He descended the steps and strode out to his truck. By the time he climbed into the cab and glanced back at the house, Candy was no longer on the porch. But it was just as well. Tanner didn’t want to see her standing there, tempting him to feel things he didn’t want to feel.
* * *
Later that evening, Candy sat on the sofa with her legs tucked beneath her and her smartphone on speaker. She and Dana were in the midst of a conversation, with Candy relaying the events of the day.
“Tanner seems the same, but different.” A swoon-worthy boy who’d grown into a powerful man. Her heart was pounding just thinking about him. “It was a gripping reunion, that’s for sure. His life is even more mixed-up than mine.” She repeated his tale, going all the way back to when they were teenagers.
Dana reacted with sympathy. “That’s so awful for his family, to lose a baby. And now his other sister being in prison and being forced to be separated from her child. I can’t imagine how she must feel.”
“You wouldn’t have to imagine it. You wouldn’t have embezzled money from your job. But I feel sorry for her, too. She was such a sweet little girl when I knew her.”
“Tanner certainly must be a decent guy. I mean, let’s face it, not many men would do what he is doing. Eric was petrified of marrying me and becoming a new father, as you well remember. And here Tanner is going to be a father figure to his niece.”
“I
