Kidnapped By An Outlaw (Emerald Falls Book 1)
Page 20
She smiled just the same. "Good place to stop in for a drink."
The tip of his hat jerked as he nodded. "Yeah. Nice town. You live here?"
She shook her head, letting the mischievous tickle within her seep into her eyes. "I'm just passing through."
He cracked a grin, and her heart fluttered.
The rim of his bottle connected with his lips, and he tilted his head back to let the rest of his beer roll down his throat. She couldn't help but stare at the strong muscles in his neck as he did so. She continued to gaze at him as she took another long pull of her beer.
When his eyes met hers again, they were a little more clouded but certainly had a twinkle in them.
Ginny's body warmed beneath the surface. A spark of excitement flashed in her stomach, something she certainly was not accustomed to. Her fingers tingled, and the toe of her boot tapped along with the piano tune.
"There is one thing I do like about Emerald Falls though," she said.
He perked an eyebrow, the edge of his mouth twitching upward.
"They have some damn good music." She set her beer down and pushed off the bar. He blinked in surprise as she sidled up closer to him and offered him a hand. "Dance with me, cowboy."
He hesitated, glancing out to the open space in the middle of the floor where only one other couple was spinning around. His lips pressed together, a small shake in his head.
"I don't really―"
She grabbed his hand resting on the bar and gave him a tug.
"Oh, come on. It's fun!"
Despite the unsure look on his face, the cowboy allowed her to pull him out onto the dance floor.
She was surprised to find that he was much taller than her when he wasn't slumped against the bar, maybe an entire foot, and she had to lean her head back to see him. She fit her hand into his and gave his shoulder a squeeze as they lined up.
His free hand hovered near her body as he gave her a look over, his lips pursed and eyes searching.
She gave a hearty laugh as she snagged his fingers and pressed them to her waist.
"I won't bite you or nothin'. Can't you dance?"
His eyes darkened as he cleared his throat. "It's been a long time."
Despite the edge in his gaze, his smoldering look set her breath tripping, and she couldn't help the intrigued bounce in her eyebrows.
"Well, here's a refresher for you," she said, pressing his hand in tighter to her waist before her grip slid back up to his shoulder.
Then she set them off, moving to the music.
The piano notes bounced, and they stepped lively along with them. The cowboy's body was stiff under her hands, but he could keep up. She grinned at him, his eyes down on their feet more than they were on her.
Her mother had taught her to dance as a girl, but it wasn't something she practiced often. Dancing wasn't typically what men came to the brothel for.
During a dip in the music, Ginny slid out from under his hand on her waist and twirled beneath his arm. She bumped his chest when she faced him again and giggled as she readjusted them.
He blinked those cool blue eyes at her, a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.
She leaned in closer and spoke over the drumming piano keys behind them. "I'm Ginny, by the way."
He leaned in too, the edge of his cowboy hat covering her head and that tantalizing smell she'd passed earlier was trapped in her space. She took a deep, appreciative breath.
"Noah."
As the beat of the song picked up a notch, she moved faster.
Or at least she tried to. She could unlatch for a twirl and come back or even add an extra little wiggle of her hips as they moved, but Noah didn't seem to be into adding any flourish to his steps. As a matter of fact, he was still rather stiff in the arms, and she wondered if she even saw his lips move as he counted the steps beneath them.
As the music came to an end, she hung against his shoulder with a chuckle. "You need to have another beer before the next one. Loosen up."
The corner of his lip disappeared in his teeth with a solemn nod. "That would probably help, but I'm done for the night. I gotta be up early in the morning."
The excitement of the evening dropped out of her sails with an uncomfortable rush. She detached herself from him as nonchalantly as she could manage, smoothing her hands down her dress and rubbing her thumb along her jaw.
She'd just thrown herself at that guy, and to what end? She wasn't sure what she wanted. She didn't usually go looking for men. She never had to.
But she'd also never wanted to.
Disappointment stung in her chest, and she nodded.
"Sure. Of course. Got to beat the sun out of here, huh?"
He tilted his head with a slow smile, and already she was hooked again, leaning in closer to hear what he had to say.
"I've got to help make a delivery in the morning. I don't make my run, I don't get paid. I don't get paid, and I can't afford any more beer."
There was a teasing spark in his eye, and it lit her up more than she cared to admit. She grinned and giggled under her breath.
"Guess that makes sense. Nothing on the house around here."
"Never." Then his fingers brushed her elbow as he took a step back. "Nice to meet you, Ginny."
Then he was gone, walking toward the front of the saloon, and she stood on the dance floor watching his back disappear into a throng of people. His shoulders were wide and tapered down in a slim waist and a firm bottom beneath a tight pair of trousers.
She narrowed her eyes as she drank it in, producing a rumble of appreciation in her chest. A man that could wear pants like that spent his day on horseback.
She wished she could be up in the saddle with him.
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Acknowledgments
I dabble in writing many different genres, but I truly love romance. I love the hope I find in them. No matter what stressful things happen in the middle of the story, I know magic will happen by the end.
My biggest thanks goes to my best friend Simone. You’ve kept me working hard and are the best soundboard for all my plotting ideas. We’ve turned our writing adventure into a well-oiled machine, and I couldn’t have done it without you! I’m so stoked for our adventure into the writing world together. You rock! Plus, you showed up right when I needed you the most. How’d you do that? No matter. I’m so glad you did!
Also a big thanks to my mother, even if I’m going to pretend she doesn’t read my steamy books. She kept a huge bookcase of romance novels in our house when I was growing up. I’m sure she turned an equally blind eye that I was sneaking off with them as a teen and devouring them.
Also by Ivy McAdams
Emerald Falls Series
Kidnapped by an Outlaw
Seduced by a Wrangler
Captivated by a Gunslinger
Emerald Falls Novella
Rescued by a Desperado (prequel)
About the Author
Ivy McAdams wants to be a cowgirl when she grows up.
She may reside on the beaches of Florida, but her heart lives in the wide open spaces of Wyoming. She grew up dreaming of horses, playing cowboys and indians on her grandfather’s farm, and curling up on the couch with him to watch westerns. Cowboys have been her heroes ever since.
Ivy loves the warm feelings and happily ever afters of a romance novel and has married her passions together to bring you historical western romance stories.
When not writing, she’s taking care of two beautiful girls and teaching them to adore books as much as she did growing up. She can’t wait until they’re big enough to dress in cowboy hats and ride horses with her.
https://ivymcadams.com
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