Tanner (Wild River Ranch #5)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Thirteen years ago….

Junie waited at the edge of the chokecherry thicket, heart hammering so hard she was sure the whole county could hear it. This wasn’t the way she’d imagined spending her thirteenth birthday, but for Tanner, she would have done anything.

The mid-autumn sun was dipping low, painting the world in soft gold and pink. Not that she cared about the sunset, at least not today. Today, all she could think about was the text Tanner had sent her an hour ago.

Meet me at the chokecherry thicket. Need to see you.

The chokecherry thicket was special. He’d found her there when she was six years old, hiding from another of her father’s drunken rages.

Seven years later, this little grove of wild trees still felt like the safest place in the world. Because it was theirs, at least that’s how she felt about it.

Junie shifted from foot to foot, tugging at the hem of her favorite sundress.

She’d changed three times before coming out here, which was stupid.

It wasn’t like Tanner ever noticed what she wore.

To him, she was still little Junie Morgan, the tag-along kid who’d been following him around since that night he came and found her.

To him, she was like a little sister; she knew that in her heart. The text he’d sent could mean anything. All she knew was that it sounded very ominous. Racking her brain, she tried to think of something she might have done that would make him angry or upset with her.

In her dreams, he had called her here to confess his undying love and tell her there was a way they could overcome their huge age difference. She looked up at the stars and smiled, indulging her fantasy for a minute or two. It felt so good to pretend.

It sucked not being older. If only she were twenty or even eighteen. Add that to the long list of frustrations and disappointments she’d been going through lately.

She didn’t remember when her feelings toward him had started changing. When she reflected over the last couple of years, it seemed to coincide with a lot of other shifts in her mood and, of course, the yucky girl things happening in her body that came with getting older.

The sound of hoofbeats startled her and made her stomach flip.

She turned just as Tanner rode into view on Halo.

He always kept the big buckskin gelding looking as wild and beautiful as its rider.

Tanner sat in the saddle like he was born there—loose and confident, black Stetson tipped back, that crooked grin already spreading across his face. She waved and smiled back at him.

A rush of relief washed through her. Surely he wouldn’t be grinning like that if something was wrong. Besides, he always looked even more handsome when he smiled. God, it almost hurt to look at him.

“Happy birthday, little sis,” he said, voice warm and low.

She tried to calm her heart and smile normally. “You remembered.”

“Course I did.” He chuckled, as if the idea of forgetting her birthday was the silliest thing he’d ever heard.

He swung down off Halo with easy grace and reached into his saddlebag.

Pulling out a soft, brown paper-wrapped package, he walked straight toward her, those long legs eating up the distance.

At twenty-one, he was all broad shoulders and easy swagger, the kind of man who made girls stupid just by walking into a room. That’s how he affected her anyway.

“Couldn’t let my Junebug’s thirteenth birthday go by without a present, could I?”

Her tummy did a silly little flip at the word “Junebug.” It was his special nickname for her. Nobody else in the world called her that, and she liked it that way.

He handed her the package, and, in her excitement, she jumped up and down. She froze as soon as she realized what she was doing.

Gah! Stop jumping around like a two-year-old. He'll think you're still a kid.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” she said, totally lying, of course.

If he hadn’t remembered her birthday or gotten her a little something, she would have been devastated.

It wouldn’t have mattered what it was. He could have picked a handful of wildflowers on his way to meet her, and she would have loved them.

Like her Nanabelle said, it was the thought that counted.

She untied the string with shaky fingers and pulled out the most adorable honey badger stuffie she’d ever seen. It had tiny, fierce eyes, and there was a little smirk stitched on its face.

She laughed softly, hugging it to her chest. “A honey badger; I just studied these in class. It’s so adorable!”

Tanner rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking almost shy. “Yeah, it reminds me of you.”

“Really? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she teased.

Tanner smiled, but instead of brightening his face, the smile was sad and serious.

“It’s a good thing. You’re just as tenacious and protective as one.

Not to mention downright ornery when you get riled.

Don’t let anybody tell you different, Junebug.

You’ve got fire in you. Always have. Just like honey badgers. ”

She felt her cheeks burn. Some girls would think getting a stuffie for their thirteenth birthday was silly, even childish. But not Junie. If anyone had given her a stuffie, she would’ve enjoyed getting it, but she especially loved this one because it was from Tanner.

He had picked this stuffie out just for her. Standing, she threw her arms around him for a tight hug. “Thank you, Tanner. I love him. I’m gonna name him Nibbles.”

He grinned. “Nibbles? That’s a terrible name for a badass honey badger.”

“It’s perfect,” she argued, hugging the stuffie tighter. “Nibbles the honey badger. Every time I look at him, I’ll think of you.”

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Tanner’s smile faded. He gazed at her for a moment before gesturing to the fallen log they often used as a chair. “Let’s have a seat.”

Something in her chest tightened as uncertainty had her pulse quickening at the tone of his words. She knew him well enough to know their conversation was shifting to something serious. She didn’t know what was on his mind, but suddenly, she was afraid of what he might say next.

“That’s partly why I gave him to you. So you would see him and think of me because… I’m not gonna be around as much for a while.”

There it was. She knew she hadn’t wanted to hear what was on his mind.

“What do you mean?” Swallowing hard, she did her best to control her emotions.

“I’m leaving, Junebug.”

She tried to push down her panic. That might not be so bad. He’d been on trips before. “Okay. When are you heading out and when will you be back?”

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” he said quietly. “Heading out for my first real rodeo on the circuit. I’m probably gonna be gone a while. Months, maybe longer, depending on how it goes.”

The panic bubbled up again, this time filling her whole chest and making it hard to breathe. He was leaving for months? Or even longer?

She stared down at Nibbles, fingers tracing his little ears. Time was needed to swallow the knot in her throat and blink back the tears threatening to blind her. There had to be something she could say that didn’t involve throwing herself at him and begging him to change his mind.

“So… wow,” she choked out. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “You’re really doing it.”

“Yeah.” His voice softened. “It’s what I’ve always wanted, Junie. You know that.”

She did know.

Riding in the rodeo was something he’d talked about forever.

He’d do anything to stay on a horse, even herding cattle, which he loved to do more than any rancher she knew, not that she knew that many.

Everyone knew Tanner Daniels could ride anything with four legs like he was born for it. For him, the rodeo made perfect sense.

But that didn’t make the ache in her chest hurt any less. It was like someone had shoved a hand inside there and ripped out her heart.

“I’ll miss you,” she whispered, still looking down at Nibbles and preening his fluffy ears.

“I’ll miss you too, Junebug.” He dropped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into another hug.

She went willingly, pressing her face against his chest, breathing in the smell of leather, horse, and sunshine that was so perfectly Tanner.

“This is my shot, Junebug. I’ve gotta take it.”

She nodded, squishing Nibbles between them just so she could hug Tanner tightly. She’d give anything to be able to pretend everything was fine. But her pretender must have been broken because the tears had started slipping down her cheeks.

Gritting her teeth, she put on her best brave front. With the brightest fake smile ever, she said, “You’re gonna be amazing. You’re going to win every single rodeo you enter. I just know it.”

He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. “You always did believe in me more than I believed in myself.”

“Because I know you,” she said, pulling back just enough to look up at him and wipe her tears. “You’re the bravest, strongest, most stubborn person I’ve ever met. Not to mention the best rider. You’re going to be a legend, Tanner Daniels.”

Reaching down, he caught some of her tears with his fingers and shook his head. “Don’t waste these, they’re very valuable. One day you’ll find a boy worth shedding these over, Junebug. Anyway, I’ll be back before you know it.”

For a moment, he just looked at her while she tried desperately to stifle her emotions. Something soft and almost sad shone in his storm-blue eyes. Then he ruffled her hair the way he always did. “Promise you’ll text me?” he asked.

“Every day,” she said, brightening her voice. “And you better text back, or I’ll send Nibbles after you.”

They both laughed, and for a second, everything felt almost normal.

But it wasn’t normal. He was leaving. And some part of her was terrified she’d never see him again. She was sure he’d forget all about her and find some beautiful rodeo girl.

He hugged her one more time, long and tight, then swung back up onto Halo.

“You take care of yourself, Juniper Kate Morgan,” he said, looking down at her. “And look after Miss Belle.”

“I will.”

He tipped his hat, gave her that heart-stopping crooked grin one last time, and rode off, back toward Wild River Ranch.

Junie stood in the chokecherry thicket until he disappeared from sight, clutching Nibbles to her chest like a lifeline. Then she walked to her old bicycle, tucking Nibbles securely into the basket.

She cried all the way home.