He groaned. “All right. If Jack is there, I’ll ask him. Jesus. I can’t believe I just agreed to do that.”
“You won’t be sorry.”
“I’m already sorry.”
Meg smiled to herself. This week was turning out to be the most interesting one of her life.
11
RAFE PRAYED THAT MEG had been wrong and Jack wouldn’t be coming to dinner, after all. But his luck didn’t hold out. Jack, Josie and their seven-month-old son, Archie, sat down at the family dining table, along with Josie’s brother Alex, who was the marketing director for the ranch, and his wife, Tyler, who organized seasonal events for the town of Shoshone.
Rafe was glad to meet Alex and Tyler, who hadn’t made it the night before. He could see the family resemblance between Alex and Josie, who were both tall and blond. Tyler was a little brunette firecracker who used to work as a cruise ship activities director.
Tyler would be another good candidate as a dance teacher, Rafe thought. In fact, almost anybody would be better for the job than Jack Chance, in Rafe’s opinion.
As they all gathered, Sarah explained that Nick and Dominique, along with Lester, were working on a framing project for Dominique’s new show opening next week and couldn’t take time to come up to the house for dinner. Wyatt and Olivia were in town visiting Olivia’s father, an inventor who had a new gizmo to show them. Sarah’s other daughter-in-law, Morgan, thought that she was catching a cold, so Gabe was home feeding her chicken soup and making sure little Sarah Bianca didn’t get sick, too.
Rafe didn’t wish sickness on anyone, but he wouldn’t have minded if Jack had caught a cold instead of Morgan. While Rafe listened with half an ear to the dinner chitchat, he pictured Jack doubling over in a fit of laughter when he heard Rafe’s request. That malachite stone Meg wore must have messed with his brain or he never would have agreed to this.
Everyone at the table admired the necklace, of course, and Rafe could feel speculation coming from all quarters. This family would understand what a necklace from Silver Reflections was worth, and the fact he’d bought it for Meg made a definite statement about how he felt toward her. He hadn’t factored that in, but he still didn’t regret buying it.
No, he only had one regret at the moment, and that was his idiotic promise to ask Jack to turn him into a twinkle toes on the dance floor. Sheesh. If only he could hit the delete button on that part of today’s conversation with Meg.
She wasn’t likely to let him off the hook, either. After only knowing her a short time, he realized that she was one determined woman. But he procrastinated all through dinner in hopes that maybe, after a glass of wine, she’d decide not to force the issue. Dessert was nearly over, and he was beginning to think maybe he’d avoid this humiliation, after all.
Then Alex, who was once a DJ and would perform that job during the reception, turned the conversation in a direction that was sure to cause Rafe trouble. “I’m still working on the playlist for Saturday night,” Alex said. “I’m going for a mix of tunes because we’ll have all ages there, and I’ve already consulted with Olivia and Wyatt on their favorites. But I’ll take requests from this group, too.”
“I hope you’ll play ‘Electric Boogie,’” Meg said. “The Electric Slide is the one line dance I’ve totally figured out.”
“Already included,” Alex said. “It’s a classic and a crowd pleaser. Anything else?”
“‘This Kiss’ by Faith Hill,” Josie said. “I love dancing with Jack to that song.”
“Speaking of that,” Meg said.
Rafe held his breath. Here it comes.
“Rafe and I were talking about the whole dancing thing, and it turns out he isn’t all that familiar with country dancing. Jack’s the expert in the family, so—”
“So,” Rafe said, interrupting her, “I’d appreciate it, Jack, if you’d give me some pointers.” If he had to do this, he might as well man up and ask the question himself.
For a split second everyone at the table was completely silent. In that split second Rafe began to sweat bullets.
“Be glad to,” Jack said. His eyes crinkled at the corners as if he wanted to laugh, but to his credit, he didn’t. “No time like the present.” He pushed back his chair. “Let’s head for the living room and move some furniture. I suggest we start with the Electric Slide.”
At that moment Mary Lou, the ranch cook, bustled into the dining room with a carafe in her hand. “Who needs more coffee?”
Jack stood. “You know what, Mary Lou? Instead of coffee, Rafe and I could use a six-pack of beer. I’m about to teach him to dance.”
The cook stopped in her tracks. A fiftysomething woman with flyaway gray hair, she’d recently married a ranch hand who went by the single name of Watkins. “Let me get Watkins,” she said. “He’s gotta see this.”
“No bystanders,” Jack said. “Anybody who shows up in the living room has to dance.”
Rafe sent Jack a look of gratitude. A lesson would be tough enough without an audience.
Mary Lou grinned. “No problem. Watkins is one hell of a dancer.”
“I can do the footwork while I’m holding Archie.” Josie extricated the baby from his high chair. “Is that good enough, Mr. Dance Instructor?”
Jack smiled at her. “You bet.”
“That’s great,” Josie said, “because I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“I’m in,” Alex said. “And, Rafe, buddy, I feel your pain. I didn’t know squat about this stuff when I came here from Chicago two years ago.”
Jack laughed. “And despite our best efforts, he still resists adopting the country way.”
“Alex is an awesome dancer,” Tyler said. “He just marches to a different drummer.”
“Yeah.” Josie winked at her brother. “I think it’s that Animal dude from The Muppet Show.”
“Nice, sis.” Alex made a face at Josie.
Rafe glanced across the table. “Take heart, Alex. There’s a new city boy in town.”
“You’ll be fine,” Jack said. “Especially if Mary Lou remembers to bring us some beer.”
Ten minutes later, a space in the living room had been cleared of chairs, end tables and lamps. Music was arranged with help from a set of speakers out of Sarah’s bedroom, and Josie contributed her downloaded tunes.
While Sarah and Josie searched for “Electric Boogie” on Josie’s iPod, Rafe accepted the beer Jack handed him and took several healthy swallows.
“I have to say, I admire your guts,” Jack said. “It’s not easy to come into this situation as a greenhorn.”
“Thanks, and no, it’s not.”
“Wyatt warned me that this kind of life isn’t your style and you might be standoffish.”
Rafe met his gaze. Each time he looked at Jack, he had the eerie sensation he was looking in a mirror. “To be honest, that was my original plan. It hasn’t worked out that way.”
Jack glanced over at Meg, who was practicing some line dancing steps with Tyler. “Women have a way of changing things.”
“Yeah.” Rafe drank some more beer.
“That’s a nice necklace you bought her.”
Rafe shrugged. “Well, like she said at dinner, it’s her birthstone.” He knew that was a really lame excuse for such an extravagant purchase, but he wasn’t going into any more detail with Jack.
“Hey, I’m not questioning the decision. I’ve made a damned fool of myself over Josie plenty of times. Once you feel t
hat connection, it’s all over.”
Rafe shook his head. “It’s not like that with us.”
“Not like what?”
“Neither one of us is looking for anything permanent.”
“I see.” Jack took a sip of his beer before glancing over at Rafe. “Let me get this straight. You’re not interested in a commitment, but you bought her a valuable necklace that she’ll cherish for the rest of her life. I have to tell you, that’s…”
“Stupid?”
“I wasn’t going to say that, but it makes no sense whatsoever.”
“I know.”
Jack laughed and clapped him on the back. “At least you admit that you’re totally screwed. Come on, let’s dance.”
After one more fortifying swig of his beer, Rafe lined up between Meg and Tyler, with Alex on Tyler’s far side and Mary Lou beside Alex. Jack, Josie, Sarah and her fiancé, Pete, stood in front of them, along with Mary Lou’s new husband, Watkins, a barrel-chested guy with a handlebar mustache.
“We’ll walk it through without music first,” Jack said. “Rafe, copy what I do when you can see me, but there’s turning involved, so sometimes you’ll have to be copying Meg or Tyler.”
“Don’t copy me,” Meg said. “I’ve been responsible for several Electric Slide train wrecks.”
“That information does nothing to raise my confidence.” Rafe tried not to anticipate disaster as he listened to Jack’s instructions. Then he stumbled his way through something called a grapevine step. The forward and back part wasn’t too bad, and eventually he had a general idea of which way to pivot and when to stomp and clap. But when Sarah switched on the music, everything he’d learned disappeared from his brain.
Watching Meg move through the steps and wiggle her adorable ass didn’t help his concentration, either. Bumping into her and then slamming into Tyler was bad enough, but colliding head-on with Jack so that they practically embraced was damned embarrassing. Before the song was over, he’d managed to step on every set of toes within range at least once.
“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” Jack said. “Let’s take a beer break and try it again.”
“Great idea.” Rafe located his beer and drained the bottle. When he came up for air, there was Meg, smiling at him.
“See? You’re doing it.”
“If you mean making a fool of myself, then yes, ma’am, I certainly am.”
“No, you’re not. You did great for your first time. One more run-through and you’ll have it.”
“You sure look good out there. You have a great sense of rhythm.” He was trying desperately not to imagine how that would translate to sex. That thought had the power to derail him completely.
Her pink cheeks turned even pinker. “Thanks, but I still have to think about every step. I’ll be glad when it’s automatic and I can just go with the music.”
“Everybody back in line,” Jack called out. “We have a lot more work ahead of us.”
Rafe took his position and mentally reviewed the steps the way he used to when he was first learning karate. As he did that, something clicked in his brain. Suddenly the movements fell into a logical pattern, one he could execute with barely a misstep, just as he’d done with karate.
When the music ended, Jack stuck his thumbs in his belt loops and surveyed Rafe with obvious satisfaction. “Either I’m a hell of a teacher, or you’re a hell of a pupil. That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone learn a line dance.”
Rafe couldn’t help smiling. “Thanks.”
“Don’t go getting all full of yourself, though. That was the easy part. Next you’re going to learn the Texas Two-Step, and that’s a whole other ball game.”
Sarah glanced at Jack. “Want me to be Rafe’s partner?”
“No.” A look of pure devilment lit Jack’s eyes. “He’ll learn faster if I’m his partner.”
Rafe’s smile faded. “I think I need another beer.”
* * *
MEG HAD BEEN IMPRESSED with Rafe’s willingness to stumble through a line dance until he caught on, but she’d expected him to balk at Jack’s plan to partner him in the two-step.
Instead he took a couple of swallows of beer and then walked over to stand in front of Jack, arms spread. “I’m all yours.”
“Lucky me.” But Jack looked at Rafe with a new gleam of respect in his dark eyes. Meg had the feeling he was testing his half brother to see what he was made of.
“Okay, here’s how we’ll do it,” Jack said. “I’m going to take the woman’s part and you’ll take the man’s. Have you done any ballroom dancing?”
Rafe nodded. “Some.”
“Then you know how that works. You lead and I follow. Here’s your basic step.” He moved through it as Rafe watched his feet. “Got that?”
“One more time.”
Jack repeated the steps. “Okay?”
“Yep. Got it.” His expression was completely deadpan as he gazed at Jack. “May I have this dance, you gorgeous thing?”
Jack grinned. “Just keep your hands where they belong, cowboy. I may be gorgeous, but I’m not easy. Mom, start the music.”
Sarah was laughing so hard she had trouble getting the music going, but eventually a country tune filled the living room. Meg stared in fascination as Rafe placed his right hand at Jack’s waist and Jack rested his left hand on Rafe’s shoulder. Then they joined their right and left hands together and began to dance.
By rights, Rafe should have had to look down at his feet, but instead he kept his attention on Jack’s face as the two men moved smoothly around the room.
“Woo!” Josie called out. “Sign these guys up for Dancing with the Stars.”
“Hey,” Alex said. “That looks like fun. Can I cut in?”
Jack started to laugh. “Dream on, Alex.”
“Now I’m feeling jealous,” Watkins said. “You’ve never asked me to dance, Jack. For all you know, I could be your ideal partner.”
“Back off, you guys,” Rafe said. “Jack’s with me.”
After that comment, Jack totally lost it. The two men staggered away from each other doubled over with laughter. Then Alex started dancing with Watkins, and the women paired up, too. By the end of the song, everyone was gasping for breath and wiping tears from their eyes.
Meg ended up dancing with Tyler, and after the music stopped, Tyler gave her a hug. “That was hysterical. You put Rafe up to that, didn’t you?”
“I suggested he might ask Jack to teach him, but I never envisioned Jack actually dancing with him.”
“Didn’t surprise me at all. When I first met Jack he was kind of a stick-in-the-mud, but everyone told me he used to be a real character. He seems back to his old self these days.”
“Obviously. I think I’m in love with this family.”
“How could you not be? I thank my lucky stars that I met Alex and then had the good sense to give up the cruise business and settle down here with him.”
“Do I remember right that you two have a house on Chance land?”
“We do.” Tyler’s dark eyes sparkled. “Sarah thinks of Alex as one of her sons, and she insisted that we should live out here, especially because Alex is such a big part of the marketing end of the business. I wasn’t about to object to having a house built here. It’s beautiful, and it’s almost like our own little community since Jack, Gabe and Nick all have houses on the property, too.”
Meg checked to see if Sarah was within earshot. “Olivia said Sarah wanted to deed s
ome land over to Wyatt, but he said no.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I can understand it. He’s so afraid someone will think he came here to cash in on the Chance money. Besides, Olivia has that cute little house in Shoshone, and her dad’s right around the corner. I think she wants to stay in town.”
“If I were in her shoes, I’d want to be out here,” Meg said. “There’s something magical about this ranch.”
“I agree.”
“And yet Rafe and Wyatt’s mother—Jack’s mother, too, come to think of it—couldn’t wait to give it up.” Meg shook her head. “I don’t understand that.”
“So have you heard anything? Is she coming to the wedding?”
“I don’t think Rafe knows. I don’t think anyone knows. I hate that she’s holding everybody hostage like this.”
“From what I’ve heard, she’s not a very nice person.”
“And yet her sons are terrific.” Meg glanced over at Rafe, who was drinking beer and laughing with Jack. “I don’t know what’s for the best, but everyone’s getting along so well. It almost seems better if she doesn’t show up. I can picture her ruining everything.”
12
DESPITE HAVING A GREAT TIME with Jack and the others, Rafe kept thinking about his plans for tonight, which didn’t include anyone except Meg. But they had to wait for the evening to wind down. They couldn’t exactly announce that they were going upstairs…together.
After all the talk about the necklace, especially his conversation with Jack, Rafe didn’t have any illusions about what the family suspected. Nobody would be the least bit surprised to know what Rafe had in mind once everyone retired for the evening. He didn’t really care if they knew.
But he kept thinking about Jack’s response to the situation. Jack was convinced that Rafe and Meg were headed for some kind of happily-ever-after. Glancing around the room, Rafe could see why he would think so.
Everywhere Rafe looked were happy couples—Jack and Josie, Alex and Tyler, Mary Lou and Watkins, Sarah and Pete. The Last Chance seemed to foster healthy, loving relationships, except in one significant case. His mother had not been blissfully happy here.
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