Page 76 of Let Me Be the One
As Tanner pulled on his shirt and socks, he realized he was smiling, too. Honest to God, he couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be right now. Sitting in a darkened house in a vicious rainstorm, Callie dressed in mismatched clothes and her wet hair drying in clumps, about to eat Addie’s fried chicken by candlelight, yeah, that seemed like the perfect night to him.
“I’m ready,” she sang out, to urge him along.
For now, he was just going to enjoy himself. Pretty sure he couldn’t do anything else. Not when it came to Callie McCallahan.
* * *
FUNNY HOW Awoman could go from a mundane life of contentedly dining at the trendiest restaurants, wearing designer fashions without real appreciation, and hanging with affluent friends who didn’t truly know her all that well, to having far,farmore fun in a rustic kitchen setting with a large, very alpha and often cantankerous guy, eating incredible home-fried chicken with only an unscented candle for light.
Never mind that fear had stripped a year off her life and she was still worried about her goat and his possibly injured leg, not to mention that she’d made a colossal fool of herself in front of all her male neighbors. Somehow, when Tanner was around, even a destructive storm and a terrible experience turned into an incredible day.
The man was pure magic.
It helped that the food was so good. It took her and Tanner little time to consume fair portions of everything. She was still frazzled, her hair was beyond wrecked, and face-burning mortification poked around the periphery of her contentment, but she was no longer hungry or afraid.
Great progress by anyone’s measure.
“What are you thinking?” Tanner asked, his last forkful of potatoes paused in front of his mouth. “You’re just sitting there staring at me.”
Holding back a sigh, she explained, “I can’t help it. You look good in candlelight. All the shadows show off your cheekbones and the golden glow is reflected in your dark eyes.” When he tucked in his chin to scowl at her, she had to grin. “I mean, you always look hot, built as you are and all that.”
He snorted.
“Seriously, Tanner. Do you even realize how off-the-charts gorgeous you are?”
Setting his fork on his plate, he met her gaze. “Are you trying to keep me off balance?”
“No.” She liked that he was the steadiest person she’d ever known. It didn’t seem likely that she could offset him.
“I know what I look like, honey. I’m not an ogre, but I’m rough around the edges, not at all slick like your Sutter.”
That jibe stung. “He’s notmySutter, so don’t say that.”
At her firm tone, he gave a nod. “You get my drift.”
“Sutter is handsome enough, but he’s…”Not you. The realization hit her like another clap of thunder. Her lips parted but nothing came out.
No one else was Tanner.
No one had ever gotten to her like this.
If some other guy had avoided her for a week, she’d have told him to take a hike. She wouldnothave shared dinner with him. She absolutely would not have clung to him for comfort, no matter the situation.
Yet with Tanner, it all felt right.
It wasn’t just that she understood his reasoning for wanting her to move on. She knew he had his own plans for her house—and itwasher house. Now that she loved it so much, no way would she budge, not even for him.
But it was so much more than mere understanding. It was an inferno of spiking sensations—both physical and emotional. Tanner made her feel things that until now—until him—she hadn’t known existed.
Callie shook her head, trying to clear it, but the confusion remained.
Somehow, in a super short time, she’d gotten completely hooked on a guy who would gladly tell her goodbye tomorrow.
Heck, starting tomorrow, he might go back to dodging her.
That thought made her breath catch.
Tanner’s frown intensified. “What?”
