Taming Tanner Read Free

the summer after we graduated?” he asked her accusingly.
    Sophia was glad Tanner didn’t have eyes in the back of his head, because she honestly felt herself blush. She tucked her face into his hair in an effort to hide from herself and the knowing night stars.
    “Aww, come on, Soapy,” Tanner chuckled. “Why do you think I was butt-naked in that trough, anyway? It sure as hell wasn’t to cool off since that water was pretty hot. I knew you’d be sent to find me.”
     Sophia looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. Confusion and hope laced through her voice when she asked, “Why would you have wanted me to come find you? I don’t understand.”
    “I’d been trying to get your attention for three summers straight. I was in the best shape ever, and since all the other girls were fawning over me—figured maybe you would, too.”
    By the time Tanner finished his little confession, Sophia was both embarrassed and pissed. She gave his hair a sharp tug.
    “You ass. Why didn’t you just say something?” she asked as Tanner lowered her to the ground in front of the porch steps. “I nearly broke my ankle.”
    “Well, if you hadn’t run away, I would’ve said something. By the time I finally caught up to you, your ankle was swollen bigger than all outside and you were trying so hard not to cry. Then when we got to the house, your mom went on a rampage about how you weren’t able to help with all the cleaning and the cost of doctor bills and on and on and on.” Tanner finished his statement and leaned back against the hand rail.
    “Yeah, things pretty much sucked for the rest of that summer. I didn’t see you when you left for college.” She gave a shrug.
    “I spent the rest of that summer working your morning shift at the cafe and helping your mom. You’d already gone south with your aunt before I left for school.”
    “You—wait, huh? You did what?” Sophia couldn’t hide her obvious confusion. Tanner sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
    “I figured it was my fault you’d hurt yourself and your mom was so pissed about it. I went down to the café and ask them to let me work your shift for you. At first, they were against it. It’s illegal to work under someone else’s name, but being shorthanded wasn’t a good option either so she gave in.”
    Sophia felt the hot prick of tears burning her eyes. Other than when Jeramy loaned her the money for her apprenticeship, no one had ever done anything so nice for her. Outside of Jeramy, Tanner was probably the only person in the world who knew what it had been like for her growing up. Her parents weren’t cruel, but like most poor working people, they’d relied heavily on their oldest daughter to help support the family. While they loved her, they’d also heaped the weight of their world on her shoulders from a very young age. Her adolescence hadn’t been the happy-go-lucky existence of fairy tales. That Tanner had done something so selfless for her was astounding.
    “I had no clue,” she whispered, tears threatening to fall.
    “Hey…shit! It’s okay. I didn’t tell you that to make you cry. Granted, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping it would make you feel all mushy and invite me in.”
    Sophia sighed. “Tanner, to be honest, the moment I saw you pull up to the ranch without a date, I knew I was going to invite you in tonight. I’ve grown up a lot since we last saw each other. I’m not the same bashful girl.”
    Sophia extended her free hand to Tanner and smiled. “Won’t you come in and have some…cake?”
    A wide grin split Tanner’s face. “I’d love to come in and have some cake and more importantly…some Sophia.”
    Sophia shot him her best seductive smile. “When you put it like that, I’m sure you can have more than just some, Tanner.”
     

Chapter Two
     
    Sophia was nervous. Hell, if she were honest, she was downright scared. For all the sass she’d been giving Tanner the entire weekend long, she