Second Chance Read Online Free PDF Page A

knife!”
     
    “Well, ma’m, you might have a knife but the blade seems to be missing… And your clothes are missing too, I might add,” he said with a smirk that made me want to smack him.
     
    “Crap,” I muttered as I dropped the knife handle which had broken away from the blade. I quickly grabbed my wine stained dress from the floor and held it in front of me to cover what I could.
     
    “It’s okay, I am not here to hurt you. I live here,” he said walking toward me.
     
    “Stay back! I own this house…” I held up my hand as he approached me slowly.
     
    “You must be Shannon Harris then. I’m Tanner James…” He held his very masculine hand out to shake mine, but I was busy trying not to show him my almost naked body.
     
    “Will you kindly turn around for a moment so that I can put my dress back on?” I asked in an irritated voice.
     
    “Sure thing, but don’t let me mess up your plans for the evening. I sure hate to break up a good dance party…” he said with a low chuckle.
     
    Tanner was tall and had a deep Southern accent that reminded me of Matthew McConaughey from the movies. He had dimples and thick, wavy sunkissed brown hair. He was wearing distressed jeans, cowboy boots and a fitted baby blue t-shirt that hugged his muscles in all the right places. But, his model good looks were not impressing me much at that moment.
     
    “Okay, you can turn around and explain to me why the hell you are in MY home…” I had managed to get the white, wine stained dress back on, but it was clinging to my chest and he immediately noticed it. “Eyes up here, please,” I said pointing to my face.
     
    “Sorry, it’s just hard to talk to you when you have purple spots all over your chest… um, dress…” he said smiling.
     
    “Well, try to focus, okay? Why are you here?”
     
    “As I said, Miss Shannon, I live here. John… your husband, I believe… hired me to manage this property and the horses a couple of years ago. I live in the guest house out back, but I saw lights on in here tonight…” he started.
     
    “First of all, John is no longer my husband. He died a little more than a week ago. Secondly, I didn’t know that he hired someone. I didn’t know a lot of things, actually…” I started to say more, but it didn’t seem relevant. “I don’t think that I will be needing your services, Mr. James. I am here to take care of this place myself now.”
     
    “So you know about horses then?”
     
    “Well, no…”
     
    “And you can plow the field and take care of the fencing?” he asked.
     
    “Um… well, I can hire someone…” I started to say.
     
    “So you want to fire me so you can hire someone else?” he smiled.
     
    “Look, my late husband left me with basically nothing but this place which is not even really mine. I have no money to pay you…”
     
    “No problem. He paid me ahead out of a trust account. I am good for a couple more years, plus I get free housing here. There is nothing you need to do, Miss Shannon… except allow me to stay. I mean, technically you can’t make me leave anyhow. Some man named Parker told me that he would rightfully own the place after Mr. Harris died…”
     
    “Ugh… Parker…”
     
    “Not a fan?” he chuckled.
     
    “Not at the moment, no.”
     
    “You hungry?” Tanner suddenly changed course.
     
    “Yes, I am, but I found an old TV dinner in the fridge that I heated up…” I pointed to the microwave behind me.
     
    “Yuck. You like those things?” he asked turning his nose up.
     
    “Well, not really but beggars can’t be choosers…” I said starting to crack a smile myself.
     
    “I just pulled a nice pot roast out of the oven. Would you like to join me?” he said pointing out at the guest house.
     
    “Oh, no, that’s okay. I’m a mess and tired…” I tried to decline, but pot roast did sound a heck of a lot better than a microwaved TV dinner chicken.
     
    “Why don’t you clean up a bit, change