As my feet crunched against the dirt, there was a moment of silence dotted with an occasional neigh and the distant drum of bass. I nearly asked what I’d done before Candace broke the silence.
“Oh my God Jessica, I love what you did with your eye makeup! You have to show me!”
“It’s just a smoky eye,” I muttered, shuffling toward the group.
“Okay, entrance made, let’s get cracking,” Ty said with a laugh, stepping out of the group and stopping with his arm out and elbow crooked, as if it was 1806. On cue, Candace stepped forward and daintily threaded her hand through his arm. It was too dark to tell, but I had a feeling her face was bright red under her intense layer of makeup.
All eyes turned to me. No one stepped forward. My confidence shrunk by the second.
“What are y’all gawkin’ at?” Tom’s voice wafted into the scene, followed a second later by his body, dapper and suave in plaid and cowboy boots. It was a country suit. “Ah, Jessica, you look lovely. May I escort you?” He held out his arm.
Grateful, I nearly fell into him. “Thank you.”
"You look beautiful, tonight, my dear," he said in gentleman tones. He had been preprogramed by his wife from years of marriage to notice when a woman tried to look good, then comment to that effect. I was grateful to William's mom.
“Why thank you, Tom,” I replied.
Tom patted my hand. “Nonsense. I didn’t think any of the boys would get around to telling you, but they are surely all thinking it. When they get older they will learn to speak up.” I could hear the gentle smile in his voice.
It was a short walk to the dance hall, which was a big tent beyond the rodeo. We got to the ticket booth, and as I reached for my purse, Tom tsked.
“Now, now. The gentleman always pays.”
He took out money and paid for the whole party. Being that no one had reached for wallets but me, everyone was expecting that.
Inside the tent were flimsy round tables dotting the packed dirt floor. Streamer hung limply in blue and white, and the bar, which Tom headed shortly after taking drink orders, was nothing more than plywood and alcohol. There was a stage, which was cool, but the country music they were playing was not. Thank God for beer.
We didn’t even have time for the first topic of conversation before Georgie found me.
“Well, well. If it ain’t the purty lady and her bodyguards...”
Georgie was cleaned up, wearing his own country suit, and confidently standing like I had already consented to go home with him. That slipped a fraction when he met my expression, but bounced back easily. “Well now, boys. You can’t have her all night!”
I turned back to my beer, feeling eyes burning a hole in my head. William was looking at me with a vexed expression. His eyes quickly moving from mine back to Georgie as soon as I made contact.
If he was under the impression I was going to turn back around and suck up to his friends while they mercilessly hit on me, his silver spoon was shoved too far up his backside. With that thought, and also with stubbornness taking over every inch of my fiber, I continued to glare at him as I slowly took a sip of my beer. I waited until his eyes glanced back, then widened in surprise, before I casually looked away.
Suck it! I thought. I was cranky, tired, and had too much of that guy’s crap. All guys, actually. Every one of them. So there.
Candace elbowed me. I hadn’t switched my facial expression, so she got a blast of the same stubborn, hard expression as William. Her face fell in shock.
“Sorry!” she said. “It is just that Georgie asked you to dance and I was getting your attention...”
“Oh sorry, Candace. That wasn’t directed at you--I was thinking about something else.” I stood up and faced Georgie.
He had a big grin on his face, like he won some sort of contest.
I was just about to say my apologies in the nicest way I could, and go find a corner to hide in, when Tom said, “Oh now Georgie, you may be the best bull rider around, save Ty of course, but you need to work on your manners with young ladies. Candace, Jessica--” He bowed to Candace and me in turn. “Would either of you ladies like to dance?”
“I would love to, Tom,” I said, winking at a relieved Candace. She didn’t want Tom to steal Ty’s thunder. I was happy letting him steal Georgie’s.
I took Tom’s arm for the second time that night. As soon as we got out of hearing he said, “Sorry to intrude, but it seemed like you were in a tight spot.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I am in your debt, sir. I was trying to think of the nicest way to say ‘buzz off’.”
He laughed. “You‘ll have plenty of time for that tonight. Looks as though Georgie has taken a liking to you. If I might warn you of one thing: he can be a rascal sometimes. He tries to be a gentleman most times, I think. But sometimes it isn’t as easy as others.”
“Spoken like a rascal.” I laughed as we made the scuffed planking that would pass beautifully for a dance floor.
“We all have to grow up sometime.” He faced me with a grin. “Do you know how to Texas two-step?”
“Texas two-step? Actually, no. I know the Fox Trot and Swing and a lot of ballroom dances, but not the two-step.”
“No matter. It’s easy to learn.”
I grabbed his hand and stepped closer, putting the other hand on his shoulder. He stepped toward me with a quick step. I backed up. He stepped at me with the other foot, also a quick beat. I backed up again, correlating feet with him.
“Step together, walk, walk. Step together, walk, walk,” he helped.
Being a dancer, kinda of, I caught on pretty quick. It wasn’t like there was much to remember. As soon as I got the hang of it, he went faster to match the music. Before I knew it we were headed around the floor with other people doing the same dance, going the same way. It was all very organized!
When we got back to the table there was a second round of beers waiting. Tom walked me to my seat, bowed his head a fraction, and said, “Thank you for the dance.”
Seriously! What. A. Gentleman!
I smiled and tilted my head like a dumb girl. As he walked away I looked around. It was then that I noticed two things.
One. Every woman in that place was eyeing my table. Usually they were staring at William or Adam, but Moose got quite a few looks as well. Sometimes the women would glance my way in indignation, as if I posed some sort of resistance just because I was at the table.
My spirits wilted as I realized Willie Davies could have any woman in this place. Hell, half of them would probably agree to double up with another woman to share him.
Two. Dusty was here. He was on the outskirts, loitering, keeping a low profile, but my face was often in his sights. He was here for revenge, that was certain. I just didn’t know how he was going to get it.
I had a strong urge to run for the door.
“Care to dance?”
Moose was standing behind me solemnly. In confusion, I accented, just to see why the frownie-face. And also not to be rude, of course.
We started the two-step, which seemed to be everyone’s dance of choice here, and I let my gaze travel up to the heavens. I couldn’t get over his size! It was like dancing with a Sasquatch. An attractive one with dark brown, liquid eyes that seemed kind and deep. He had a largish nose, but it worked with his face, which was broad and flat. Behind his easy smile was a set of white, straight teeth.
William had some good-looking friends. Birds of a feather, as they say…
The dance was quiet. Something was bothering him. Worried that it would be about William, or worse, he would ask me out, I didn’t press.
As we were walking back, he said, “If he gives you any trouble, you let one of us know, y’hear?”
“What?”
“Dusty. I saw him gawkin’ at ya. If he gives you any trouble, any at all, you let one of us know. He is from bad stock. We’ll sort him out.”
“Thanks, Moose. That guy seriously creeps me out. How did I find him cute when I first saw him?”
“Well, now, he’s good-lookin’. He’s got his sex appeal, and all the women fall for him one time or another. Especially with alcohol. He takes advantage. Women just don’t know those type of men are hangin’ around until you learn yer lesson. Then you steer clear.”
“Is that why you are single, Moose? Women just haven’t learned their lesson yet?”
He looked like I had slapped his face—something between shock and surprise. It must have been my smile that let him know I was kidding, because he broke into a huge grin to top mine and chuckled. “You had me going for a second there! You say things so dead pan when you’s joking!” He laughed harder. “I suppose that is why I’m single, at that. Just a big creep that all the ladies seen through already!”
As I reached my seat, guess who was waiting for me. Freaking Georgie. Did the guy like being rejected that much?
I held up my hand in Georgie’s face. He opened his mouth to ask me to dance, a bemused smile eating his cheeks, and I just shook my head, reaffirming my “stop” gesture. I snatched my beer and took a big swig. This dancing was getting in the way of my beer drinking. I was behind.
He tried ducking around my hand. “Do you wanna—“
“Nope. I need to drink some beer.”
His face dropped in a puppy dog expression, with big eyes and his lip stuck out. “Please?” he whined, a little grin messing up his perfect pout.
I shook my head, held up my beer, and finished it up. I had another full one waiting, and it was starting to get warm.
He crouched, intending to sit next to me, no doubt trying to wait me out.
“Oh no! No way! This table is for the Davies’ crew. Suitors must sit at another table...” I held up my nose in my best interpretation of a snob, and drank another sip of beer.
Moose sat, instead, flashing Georgie a crooked grin. Adam sat on the other side, leaned way back in his chair, and put his arm on the back of my chair, sporting the same cock-eyed smirk.
“Sorry, man,” Adam said, “this side of the table’s all full up.”
Moose chuckled.
I would have thought Georgie would get in a huff and stock away. To his credit, he started laughing and slapped the table. “Alright boys, have it your way. Help her play hard to get! I am on it like a coon dog, though, and I always tree my coon!”
He looked at me, winked, and tipped his big cowboy hat. “Ma’am, I’ll see you on the dance floor yet!” He walked away laughing.
“Did he just call me a raccoon? I mean really, do I look like a mean, rabid creature?” All the guys turned to me. I paused. Then held up my finger. “Don’t answer that.”
About that time Candace bounded back. She crinkled her eyebrows at the boys sitting next to me, then had a moment of indecisiveness. She obviously wanted to talk to me but two lumps of muscle blocked her way. She hovered for a moment, shifting on her feet.
“Here, sit right here,” Moose said, jumping up. Adam was up just as fast.
“Jez, what do I stink or something?” I huffed. “Don’t answer that, either!”
“Oh my God, Jessica! Oh. My. God!” Candace exclaimed in a hushed voice, looking all around to make sure she wasn’t heard. “He kissed me! He kissed me!”
“Wait. What?!”
“He kissed me!”
“Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean? Where? When? Details, woman, details!”
She took a big breath. “Okay. Well, we danced, right? Then we danced to the next song. We got a beer and talked. He is so easy to talk to. I wouldn’t shut up! And we danced again. He is such a great dancer. He wanted to go for a walk to have a smoke then, and I asked if I could join him.”
She paused to take a dramatic breath, pure excitement bubbling up. “Then,” she gushed, a smile taking over her face, “we were walking outside and he smoked his cigarette. I didn’t smoke one because...well...I don’t smoke. But he did. And we talked about nothing. Everything, actually. But nothing important. And we were just about to turn to come back in and he turned to me all serious. My heart was about to explode, Jessica! He leaned in then and kissed me!”
She giggled a little and did an excited squirm in her seat. I was grinning like a fool.
“I felt it from my head to my toes. I did!” She giggled again, and I joined her. First kisses were so exciting!
She was about to go on when someone took the other chair beside me. At first I wasn’t concerned because I half thought it would be Ty coming for his beauty, but when I turned, my smile twisted off my face.
Dusty’s brown eyes were kindled with an unnatural light. A sickly smile wormed its way onto his face. “Hey ya, darlin’. How’s the night goin’?”
Fear twisted in my gut.
“We were talking,” Candace said haughtily, leaning forward to meet his eyes across me.
Dusty didn’t miss a beat. “You were talking. Get lost now. I have some things I need to say to her.” He clutched my shoulder with flesh covered claws. The knife of fear wrenched harder.
I pleaded Candace for help with my eyes, not knowing what to do. She looked back, her eyes just as wild. Just as fear streaked. Then her stare turned hard, assessing, and she was gone. I could only hope it was to get help.
I summoned strength and confidence. He couldn’t hurt me here in the middle of the dance hall with people everywhere. I needed to embody Lump. Missing her wouldn’t help me now. I needed to be her. Hell, or Claire or Flem. Anyone stronger than myself.
I shrugged off his hand and turned to him with my guard up. He met that with an animalistic glare.
I barely stopped myself from gulping before I asked, “What’s up, Dusty?”