by Vivian Arend
“Gang related—her dad was involved in moving pharmaceuticals. When they found out about his record, her invitation was rescinded.” Josiah shook his head even as he reached for the door of the truck.
“It’s not her fault what her dad was up to,” Luke pointed out.
“He paid for her training. She knew.”
Luke joined Josiah on the wooden steps leading to the entrance of Rough Cut. He’d been spending more time with the man in recent days even though it used to be Caleb who hung out with Josiah.
Caleb having the girls and Tamara to keep him busy had put a serious damper on his social life. And yet his big brother had never seemed happier. Luke was honestly thrilled for him.
And as Josiah pushed through the doors of the pub and was greeted cheerfully, Luke had to admit it wasn’t a bad situation, getting to spend time around the popular man.
They paused to the side of the door. Josiah glanced around, checking who was already on the floor. “Perfect. I see at least a half-dozen women who are craving my attention.”
Luke smacked him on the shoulder and sent Josiah rocking. “Hound dog.”
“That implies I’m following them around, sniffing for a chance. Nothing of the sort,” Josiah told him, raising his voice to be heard over the chaos.
“It implies that you keep sinking your teeth into a new bone every time, and at some point, they’re going to turn around and rattle your bones.”
Josiah shared a wide grin as he ran his fingers through his blond hair. “Grrrr.”
Luke stood where he was as Josiah wove his way across the dance floor. He stopped and tapped the shoulder of a tall man who was enthusiastically two-stepping with a shorter woman. The man stepped back with a shrug, and Luke recognized him as one of their hands.
It was a little less entertaining when he realized the woman Josiah was now twirling quickly across the floor was Kelli, her long braids flying as she twisted, smiling at the veterinarian.
Luke watched for a minute. He could certainly understand why Josiah wanted to dance with her. They moved smoothly with none of that awkward back-and-forth that happened when a woman figured she knew how to dance better than her partner.
It was one thing when a guy couldn’t dance, but the bullshit thing Penny used to pull on him, trying to subtly lead when he didn’t need any help—chaos. And fucking annoying.
Josiah was definitely the one in charge, his leadership apparent when he changed directions at the last second to avoid crashing into a less competent dance couple. The rapid motion twirled Kelli closer, her braid flying out like a helicopter blade, her body snugged against Josiah as she laughed.
A moment later they were farther across the floor, talking as they moved. She was definitely light on her feet on the dance floor.
A strange twitch hit the back of his brain. Why did that seem so surprising? Luke thought it over hard until the truth struck.
Had he really never danced with Kelli?
Then again, why would he? He’d never danced with any of the other hands, but as he watched them, something tugged at his insides.
It didn’t sit right to see them cozied up and chatting happily.
It was nerves, Luke decided. It was thinking about Josiah’s comments and the possibility that even though the gala had been offered, it could still be taken from his hands.
Heck, what was he worrying about? Silver Stone was squeaky clean, and always had been. From the time his parents had established it with their best friends, all the way through until now, there’d never been a peep of gossip.
He supposed Caleb’s disastrous first wife could be considered a blunt on the strong family values chart, but considering he’d recently re-married, and he and Tamara were expecting a child— Plus Tamara’s family were rock-solid members of their community. There were no skeletons in the Stone closet, so Luke could push that worry aside.
Yup, it was nerves and restlessness.
That had to be why he found his feet moving toward Kelli. He didn’t have any concerns about her dancing skills, or his own, but it’d be a good idea for them to practice a bit as a couple.
The music changed as he reached their side.
Kelli’s chest rocked as she took deep breaths. “Damn, that was fun. Thanks, Josiah.”
He bumped knuckles with her and offered a wink. “No problem.”
She turned to walk away, ignoring Luke and the fact he was right there, waiting his turn.
What the hell?
“Kelli. Stop.” He pushed past Josiah and stepped closer. “Let’s dance.”
Her jaw dropped slightly, and something flashed across her face before she rolled her eyes. “Smartass.”
She whirled on her heel and kept walking, dodging between couples who’d started a fast-paced reel swirling around them. He would’ve damn near had to run to catch her.
Someone cleared their throat behind him. Luke turned to find Josiah staring at him as if he had mud on his face, both of them standing motionless in the middle of the crowded dance floor.
“What are you doing?” Josiah asked.
Luke thought it was apparent. “I asked her to dance.”
Confusion lit Josiah’s face. He tilted his head toward the side of the room before marching away so rapidly Luke had no choice but to follow. They found a place at a table with two chairs and barely any room.
It was like cloak-and-dagger bullshit as Josiah leaned in to speak quietly. Well, as quietly as he could, considering the volume of music. “Why did you ask her to dance?”
“Because—” Oh. He hadn’t mentioned this part. “I said Kelli would be coming with me to the event. I figure at some point we’ll have to dance, and I figured a practice run would be good.”
Josiah looked shocked. “Kelli. With you. To the gala.”
His exasperation was rising. “Do I need to use smaller words? Who else would I take? Neither Caleb or Walker can go, and Dustin would be fairly useless. Ashton would kick my ass if I asked him to attend something like this. Kelli will do awesome.”
His friend was staring as if he was still working on the first part of Luke’s statement. Then Josiah shook it off, amusement spreading over his face. “Fine. You’re right, Kelli will do awesome. But…you didn’t tell her about the gala yet, did you?”
“Of course not. You pointed out not even thirty minutes ago that’s not a good idea until I get the official acceptance.”
Josiah nodded slowly. “Then take a word of advice. Don’t start any weird shit until it’s time.”
Luke thought about it before sighing in exasperation. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.” Josiah raised a brow. “You do know what you’re doing?”
“Look. I need somebody with me who will impress the hell out of people who know horses, and Kelli fits the bill. We can make up the rest of it as we go along.”
“Just seems to me— Never mind.” The twist to his lips said Josiah was holding back some sarcastic comment.
Luke folded his arms over his chest, now thoroughly annoyed. “Kelli and I have spent tons of time together. We get along like a house on fire.”
His friend raised a hand, motioning for one of the waitresses to come take their order. “Yeah, because burning shit down is definitely the way to impress people.”
Luke laughed, staring across the room at Kelli a little more intently than before. Josiah had made a good point about waiting.
But as soon as Luke got the official word, he’d make sure she was fully on board. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Kelli was fun to be with, and they would have a ton to talk about with all the rest of the horse-loving crew.
Josiah poked him to get his attention. Luke gave the waitress his order, then he and his friend fell into a friendly debate over which were better, red-hot wings or sweet Thai chili.
His gaze drifted over the room, keeping an eye on things. And if he happened to end up checking where Kelli was a few times, there was no harm in that.
The itchy sensation at the b
ack of his neck was nerves. That’s it, nerves. He lifted his beer and drank deeply, while over the edge of the glass rim his gaze returned again to a slim cowgirl who never seemed to stand still.
3
Something was seriously wrong. Kelli peered around her friend Tansy, jerking back before he spotted her, but there was no denying the truth. Luke Stone was watching her.
“Girlfriend, if you bump my beer arm one more time, you’ll be wearing it,” Tansy warned.
“Sorry.” Kelli peeled her eyes away from the tempting man, twisting her body toward the other side of the room so he was nowhere in her line of vision.
Tansy’s sister Rose leaned in close to examine her. “You feeling okay? You look flushed.”
Good grief. The two of them were like bloodhounds wanting to sniff out everything Kelli definitely did not want to talk about. She deliberately raised a brow and gave Rose a dirty look. “You seemed flushed when you finished dancing with a certain tall, dark cowboy.”
Rose smirked but she didn’t look away. “Dancing is a vigorous exercise if you do it right.”
“So’s sex,” Tansy quipped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot who I was talking to.”
A snort escaped before Kelli could stop it.
Rose turned an evil eye on her sister. “Do you mind?”
Tansy just grinned then turned her attention back on Kelli. “Don’t spill my beer, but if there’s anything on your mind you want to talk about…”
An opening Kelli was unwilling to take. Her obsessive thoughts about a certain man would not see the light of day until she was ready to move. It had been the only way to survive the years of shattered hopes—she didn’t need her friends knowing she was a hopeless romantic.
She scrambled to find something else to distract them. “Luke says he might let me help train Chili Pepper.”
The sisters exchanged glances before letting out huge sighs and turning back to the dance floor. “And on that change of topic, Kelli is once again back to discussing all things horsey.”
“Horses are awesome,” Kelli insisted.
“They are, but you don’t need to talk about them twenty-four/seven,” Tansy pointed out. “I don’t talk nonstop about the red-hot chili peppers in my life, do I?”
Kelli gave a smirk. “You’re a chef. I expect you to talk about food.”
“And you’re a cowboy, but good grief, girlfriend, you need something outside of Silver Stone and those horses to keep you entertained.”
Rose nodded in agreement, and the two of them dove into an old argument, suggesting different things to broaden Kelli’s horizons. It was kind of entertaining.
Definitely distracting, and not wanting to turn around and check out where Luke was improved her mood. Kelli leaned back against the wall and let her gaze drift as her friends suggested activities they could try at their upcoming girls-night-out gathering.
Not all of them sounded terrible, but Kelli wasn’t about to apologize for loving horses. Working with them had been her dream since she was young. The ranch where she’d grown up was similar to Silver Stone, although her mom had been on staff as a cook, not a hand.
Hanging out near the horses had been like breathing to Kelli. And the day she’d climbed on the back of her first horse had been a revelation. The creature had looked over his shoulder at her, and it had been love at first sight.
Her daydreaming was interrupted as Alex returned, another tall cowboy at his elbow. He winked at Kelli before the two of them turned their gazes determinedly on her friends.
Tansy checked with Kelli before answering the cowboys’ request. “You okay on your own?” she asked. “Because we can say no.”
Kelli made a rude noise. “Good grief, go dance. I’m good.” She stepped back and let amusement slip in as she was temporarily abandoned.
She watched as Rose and Tansy slid into strong arms and were twirled away. Something satisfying stole in at seeing people she loved enjoying themselves.
Her gaze drifted onward, over familiar friends and neighbours until she noticed something across the room less happy-making than dancing and drinking was going down. Voices were raised briefly, loud enough to be heard over the music. A woman ducked her head and slid back from her date, out of fist range.
Kelli moved instinctively, her feet carrying her through the crowd. Her smaller size made it easier for her to weave through the narrow gaps between bodies all the way to where the couple now stood.
Not being foolish, she paused before rushing in. It took a single glance to realize the woman’s forearm was being held so tightly her knuckles were going white. Kelli shot forward the final distance.
She smashed the side of her hand sharply on the man’s wrist, twisting her body and knocking him off-balance as she pushed the woman behind her to safety. A second later she was back up on her toes, twisting her mouth into a lopsided smile, playing it up as an accident.
“Sorry. I’m a little tipsy,” she offered, backing against the woman who was whimpering softly.
The man in front of her glared. “Chelsey, get your ass over here.”
Kelli twirled on the spot, rocking slightly as she grabbed hold of the other woman as if she were hugging her simply to find her balance. “If you need help,” she said quietly, “go to the bar and order a white angel.”
She squeezed the woman’s shoulders briefly before staggering back, angling her body so she slammed into the angry man, blocking his path.
He caught her by the arms, his grip tighter than polite.
“You don’t look very happy,” she slurred at the man, raising her voice and swaying drunkenly. In her peripheral vision, she saw Chelsey slip safely into the crowd.
The man tried to look around Kelli, but she raised her palms to his face to keep his attention focused forward. “Grumpy man. You need to smile more.”
“Don’t mess with things that aren’t your business,” he snarled, shoving her aside.
Or at least that’s what he intended. But Kelli had spent too much time dealing with beasts that outweighed her to be put where she didn’t want to go. She caught hold of his arm and used momentum to swing around his bulk, feet raised before driving them against the back of his knee.
As he staggered, Kelli climbed upward, the change of weight sending him farther off balance until his feet slipped from under him. He landed with a crash, taking out a couple of nearby dancers.
Kelli hit the dance floor as well, rolling to take the impact. Bouncing to vertical as quickly as she could, her fake smile gone.
Chelsey had vanished, but the asshole who’d been manhandling her was on his feet, glaring at Kelli with anger in his eyes.
His gaze slipped behind her, rising higher.
The noise faded slightly in the area directly around them. Kelli was street smart enough to realize what was happening, so when a hand landed on her shoulder she was able to hold back the instinct to jab an elbow into whoever had moved up against her back.
The jerk in front of her edged away slowly after sending one final snarl her direction.
Kelli didn’t look away. Didn’t give the idiot a chance to make a lunge, because bullies like him were the type who could be stupid right up to the final second.
When the side door closed behind him, that was good.
Bad—? Even as the asshole left the vicinity, the owner of the bar was fast approaching, and the good looking Asian-Canadian was scowling hard.
“Shit.” Kelli took a deep breath and straightened, easing away from the oversized presence at her back far enough to twist her head and confirm her suspicions.
Yup. Luke was glaring at her. “What the fuck were you doing?” he demanded, pulling her toward an open space at the side of the room.
“Kelli.” Ryan Zhao addressed her sharply as he intercepted them. He lowered his voice as he looked around, making sure no one was close enough to overhear. “We set up safe words for a reason.”
Kelli threw her hands in the air, snapping her head back and forth betwe
en the two of them. “Hey, I’m not the bad guy here.” She glanced over Ryan’s shoulder. “Did Chelsey get away okay?”
“She’s in my office,” Ryan confirmed. “But that doesn’t answer the question of why you were acting as my self-appointed bouncer.”
Luke folded his arms across his chest and glared at her as if she were a leftover pile of manure in a stall.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she began.
Luke pressed a hand to her lower back to guide her from the room. “I’ll take care of this, if you don’t mind, Ryan.”
“Fine. Kelli, call me later,” Ryan snapped, and then Kelli couldn’t see anything because she was being ushered out the front door with zero recourse. Her overreacting protector wasn’t being rough, but she couldn’t turn around unless she wanted to pull some self-defense moves.
The fact Josiah left the building hard on their heels made the whole situation that much more awkward.
“Good grief, you guys. We don’t need to empty the dance floor.” She checked the area quickly, but the overgrown ass from the bar was nowhere in sight.
“Shut up, Kelli,” Josiah said softly before turning to Luke and laying a hand on his arm. “Take a slow breath,” he warned. “She doesn’t need you going off the deep end.”
Luke’s hand was plastered to her lower back, and he was damn near vibrating. “She deliberately stepped into a situation where she could’ve gotten hurt.”
“She knew what she was doing,” Kelli snapped. “Come on, Luke. That guy was hurting her.”
He tugged her to face him, pivoting her so fast her braid whirled over her shoulder. “Which is exactly the type of guy who could have hurt you. If I hadn’t been watching, what do you think he would’ve done?”
“What any bully does when confronted by a woman in a crowded place. He would’ve made some rude comment and then left. Mean words won’t break me,” she told him forcefully.
The two of them glared daggers at each other until Josiah broke the standoff. “You both need a timeout. Luke, she did it for a good reason, although, honey, your acting needs a little work. Drunks can’t turn off a stagger that fast.”