“You’re not gonna regret this,” he promised, leading her to the dance floor.
She laughed. “Let’s hope you don’t regret it.” She probably should’ve had him sign a waiver or something.
“Not possible,” he insisted, taking her hand in his and guiding her in front of him. He wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her close, but thankfully left a respectable distance intact.
The song was slow and twangy. Surprisingly, Levi made it very easy to follow his moves.
“You’re a good dancer,” she said, grinning up at him as he swayed her around the floor.
“I find that dancing only helps my chance at winning a woman’s heart,” he replied good-naturedly.
“I find that dancing only increases my potential for a lawsuit,” she confided.
He laughed. “Not when you’re dancing with the right person.” In perfect rhythm with the music, he twirled her, then reeled her back in and dipped her low. With her head upside down, she caught a view of Lance, who still sat at the bar, but he’d turned around and made it no secret that he was watching her. The dangerous look on his face dried up her mouth.
Levi pulled her back up and resumed their graceful two-step.
Not even the look on Lance’s face could deter her from finishing this dance. It actually gave her the perfect opportunity to figure out what was going on between the brothers. She smiled at Levi. “Things seem a little tense between you guys.”
“Do they?” he asked, spinning her again.
“Yeah. Did you all have some big fight or something?” she asked innocently. They must’ve had some kind of falling out. If she could figure out what happened, maybe she could help them get past it.
His charming grin dimmed. “Let’s just say some of us have moved on from the past and others are stuck in it.”
“You mean—”
“Mind if I cut in?” Lance had left his post at the bar and somehow sneaked up behind her.
“Course not,” Levi said, opening his arms to let her go. “She’s all yours.”
There was never a truer statement spoken in the English language. Seeing Lance, hearing him ask to dance with her, kindled that familiar music in her heart, and yes, right now she did belong to him.
He stepped against her, resting that large skilled hand on the very small of her back, pressing her close to him, not leaving any of the respectable space intact. His other hand swallowed hers, but instead of holding it loosely the way Levi had, Lance threaded his fingers through hers and fused their palms together.
The heat from his body seemed to flow into hers as he moved against her, sparking her lower half until she wasn’t sure she could keep her feet from stumbling.
The song was something sweet and light. Lance moved with the music effortlessly, not carefree and entertaining like Levi had been but deliberate and precise.
There were a few other couples on the floor, but now they seemed so far away under the power of Lance holding her.
“I can’t stand seeing you dance with my brother,” he said against her hair, as though he was too afraid to look into her eyes.
Jessa could hardly find her voice. “Your brother was the only one talking to me.” Somehow the words managed to hold a good amount of attitude, which was impressive, seeing as how all she wanted to do was melt into him.
“I was surprised,” he said, pulling back to look at her. His eyes were serious but they held glimmers of light. “Shocked. And I wasn’t the only one.” He turned to gaze across the room to the table where Lucas and Naomi sat.
“I didn’t think about that,” she murmured. “I was only thinking about your dad. About how much he seemed to regret what happened with Lucas. I wanted to help.”
He smiled, and that smile had the power to change the world. Or at least her world.
“I know,” he said, sliding his hand up her back, caressing in a way that made her want to arch into him. “And things’ll be fine.” He said it like he might be trying to convince himself.
“Why aren’t things fine now?” she asked.
His hand slipped low to her waist again, guiding her as they swayed to the music. “It’s complicated.”
“Families usually are.” Or at least, that’s how she imagined a family would be. “But even with the complications, I’d give anything to have a family.” She’d always longed for that, a place where she fit. And he might not be willing to tell her any secrets, but she’d give up all of hers if it helped him smooth things over with his family.
Lance stopped moving and gazed down at her. “Don’t you have your mom?”
“She’s all I have.” Not that she could complain, but… “I always wanted brothers and sisters.” She used to beg her mother to have another baby. Or adopt.
He pulled her close again, and now his gaze strayed. “Yeah, well, having siblings isn’t always easy. Trust me.”
“I do trust you.” But he didn’t trust her. Lance was good at kissing her, touching her, and, let’s face it, giving her more pleasure than she’d experienced with any man, ever. But when it came to trusting…that wasn’t exactly his strength. “No matter what it is, you guys can work through—”
“Jessa?” Cassidy tapped her on the shoulder. “Can I have a word with you real quick?”
“Oh.” She hesitated. They were finally getting somewhere with a real conversation. “Right now?” she asked, hoping her friend would give her a minute.
“Yeah,” Cassidy said apologetically. She leaned closer. “We have a situation.”
The gravity in her tone forced Jessa to pry herself away from the luxurious warmth of Lance’s body. “Be right back?”
He nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand.
Cassidy pulled her away, in the direction of the ladies’ room.
She almost had to jog to keep up. “What’s wrong?”
“Naomi. We need to get her out of here.”
“Why—”
As they neared the ladies’ room, the sound of sobbing echoed.
Jessa turned the jog into a sprint. “Good God, what happened?”
“Not exactly sure,” Cassidy said as they pushed through the door.
Jessa ran to the open stall and found Naomi sitting on a vacant stool with her face buried in her hands. “I can’t do this,” she wailed. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t prepared to see him.”
Lucas. Jessa sank to her knees in front of her friend. “Oh, honey. I’m the one who’s sorry. I should’ve told you he was coming.” She knew how much Naomi still thought about him. She should’ve prepared her for this.
“I loved him so much,” Naomi sniffled. “We never had any closure. And he’s the same. Kind and thoughtful.” She swiped at the tears on her face. “God, I could’ve married him. We would’ve been happy. Instead I made a mess of my life with Mark.”
“You didn’t make a mess of anything,” Cassidy insisted, squeezing into the stall with them. “You have a beautiful daughter.”
“Exactly,” Jessa agreed, squeezing Naomi’s hand. This had obviously been a bit too much for her. “Don’t worry. We’ll take you home. You don’t have to stay.”
They could stop by Darla’s place and calm her down with some wine and chocolate. That always seemed to do the trick when one of them was upset about something.
“Okay,” Naomi said, tearing off a piece of toilet paper to dry her eyes. “Just give me a minute to get myself together.”
“Take your time, honey.” Jessa sighed, her heart aching. Looked like a conversation with Lance would have to wait.
Chapter Seventeen
Lance moseyed over to where Lucas sat at a table. Last he saw, Naomi had been sitting with him, but she seemed to have disappeared. “Hey.” He pulled out the chair across from his brother. He’d seen him only a few times since he’d left town. They’d met in Denver, just for a quick lunch or dinner if one of them was going through, but they’d always tried to avoid the subject they now had to discuss. And after they’d avoided it so long, he al
most didn’t know how to bring it up. “Where’d Naomi go?” he asked. Wouldn’t hurt to keep avoiding it a little longer.
“Not sure.” Lucas stared blankly at the full beer bottle that sat in front of him. “Didn’t realize how much I’d missed her until I saw her.”
“Yeah, I wondered about that.” Couldn’t have been easy for Naomi, either. Back in high school the two of them were pretty hot and heavy, and then one day Lucas was just gone. From all of their lives.
“She looks good,” his brother said, taking a drink.
“You never ended up with anyone else.” And Lucas could’ve found someone by now. He didn’t seem to carry the baggage Lance did, even after prison. He wasn’t bitter about any of it. Their mother leaving, the heavy-handed sentence he’d received…
“I’ve gone out with plenty of women,” Lucas said, staring at his hands.
Guilt bore down on Lance once again. If they hadn’t thought up that plan to protect Levi, he had no doubt Naomi and Lucas would be together right now.
“Wasn’t in the cards,” his brother said with a shrug.
“Because we wrote the cards.” He’d never regretted it more than he did right now. When Lucas was gone, he didn’t have to think about it, didn’t have to face the consequences of covering for Levi. “I’m glad you’re back.” That surprised him. The shock had worn off and now, sitting across from him, he could see having Lucas around again. Once they waded through the shitstorm that would surely hit.
“Nice try.” His brother took another sip.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you. But Jessa’s right. Maybe it’s time.” Maybe he wouldn’t be able to move forward until he’d dealt with some things from his past. Something about dancing with Jessa, kissing Jessa, making love to Jessa, made him want to move forward.
“I’m not staying long.”
That might be his fault. “You can stay. We’ll figure out how to tell Dad everything. We’ll fix it.” Or at least they could try.
Lucas stared past him. “It’s not worth going back. Not now.”
One hour ago, Lance’d thought the same thing. But Jessa had changed his mind. “He should know the truth.”
“And what would that mean for Levi?”
Lance glared over at their younger brother, who now had yet another woman out on the dance floor. What did that make? Four in the span of a half hour? Their little secret obviously didn’t weigh on him. Likely because they’d always protected him. He’d never dealt with the consequences for anything.
“What would the truth mean for you?” Lance asked, looking at Lucas directly. It’d mean he’d be exonerated. At least in the eyes of the people who still despised him, who still held the fire against him. Hell, he’d noticed the whispering when people had started to trickle into the bar. The pointing. They’d all taken tables far away from Lucas—the hellion who’d burned down the stables and managed to kill the town’s dreams of ever hosting another rodeo.
People in small towns like this held grudges. They wouldn’t forget.
“We should keep things the way they are.” Lucas had never been one to stir up trouble. “I’ll stay for a while, spend some time with Dad, and lay low. Then I’ll go back to work.”
Except Lance couldn’t get Jessa’s words out of his head. She’d give anything to have a family—to have siblings—and his were right here, but he couldn’t stay connected with them. “We have plenty of work around the ranch. Been leaning toward starting our own stock contracting operation.” Once he retired, it would be a natural next step. “There’d be a place for you, too.” Given that Lucas had gotten the McGowens’ operation out of financial ruin and made it one of the most lucrative in the region, his brother could probably run things a hell of a lot better than he could.
Lucas smirked at him. “No one in this town wants me back. You know it as well as I do.”
“That would change if everyone knew the truth.”
“Then they’d go after Levi. That’s why we protected him. And Dad.” He leaned forward, his eyes never looking so much like their father’s. “I knew what I was doing, Lance. And I’d do it again, too.”
Of course he would. But if he had it to do over again, Lance wouldn’t let him. He wouldn’t let someone take the fall for something he didn’t do. For something he never would’ve done. “I think we should tell Dad at least. Even if no one else ever knows.”
“Not now. Not this trip.” His brother looked over at their father, who was arguing with Gil about something. “Maybe I’ll pop back in before winter for a few days.” He shifted his gaze to Lance. “Jessa seems to think something’s not right with him.”
“He’s fine.” Lance brushed aside his concerns. “Just getting ornerier in his old age, that’s all. He seemed happy to see you—”
“Look at you guys.” Levi bounded over and grabbed a chair, turning it backward, then straddling it. “Why aren’t you dancing? Plenty of women to go around.”
“Not really in the mood to dance,” Lance shot back. Unless it was with Jessa, but she’d been gone a while now.
“So…” Levi eyed him. “You and Jessa, huh? Should’ve picked up on that earlier. I wouldn’t have asked her to dance if I’d known.”
Nope. Not going there with Levi. He’d been gone all these years, had hardly called at all, and now he thought they could talk about Lance’s personal life. They had a hell of a lot to work through before they got there. “There’s nothing to know,” he said with a look that would hopefully shut him down.
“Right,” Levi mocked. “I saw how you were dancing with her. It was a lot different from the way I danced with her.”
“Maybe you suck at dancing.” He attempted to slip a warning into his tone.
“I definitely don’t suck.” Confidence had never been one of Levi’s weaknesses.
“Are you two together?” he pressed.
“No.” Technically they were not together. Not that they’d had any time to discuss their status…
“Do you want to be together?”
None of your damn business. But he went with the easier answer. “No.”
“Sure seems like there’s something there to me,” Levi taunted. His brother had never known when to quit.
“We hooked up once. It was nothing.” Classic code for I’m not discussing this with you. Especially when he hadn’t even discussed it with her.
“So you wouldn’t mind if I asked her out?” Levi clearly knew the answer to that question, judging from the smart-ass grin on his face. “’Cause she was into me once. We made out behind the barn the summer of our sophomore year, you know.”
“Actually, Levi, it was behind your garage.”
Shit. Lance checked over his shoulder and sure enough, Jessa stood behind them, no longer looking soft and sweet. Nice of Lucas to alert him to the fact that the woman they were talking about stood a mere four feet away. How long had she been there?
She stayed where she was, keeping her distance from the table. “I just came to tell you I have to go.” The words sounded hollow. “See you later,” she said to no one in particular, then spun and met Naomi, Cassidy, and Darla near the doors.
“You might want to follow her,” Levi said, clapping Lance on the shoulder. “She seems pretty pissed.”
Thanks to him. Instead of indulging his brother’s arrogance, he leaned back into the chair. “She’s fine.” He hoped. Not much he could do about it after he’d told them he wasn’t interested. He’d talk to her later. Right now… “We have to figure out how we’re gonna tell Dad the truth about the fire.”
That got Levi’s attention. His back went straight as a fence post. “What do you mean?” Yeah, now he wasn’t playing the funny, spoiled-boy role. He looked worried.
“We’re not telling anyone anything,” Lucas said, as if that was the end of the discussion.
But it wasn’t. Not if Lance had anything to say about it.
* * *
She really should’ve seen that coming.
J
essa tuned out her friends’ chatter and sipped her wine, fighting to keep her expression neutral. Difficult, considering the humiliation still burned inside. Of course Lance wasn’t interested in her. She’d known that in her head. To be fair, her judgment had been severely compromised by that heated passion they’d shared in the kitchen, but still. This was Lance Cortez. Self-professed commitment-a-phobe. So it was silly that a tiny seed of hope had embedded itself so deeply in the overly fertile lands of her heart. Silly and not a mistake she would make again. Lance seemed to excel in sending mixed signals, but she wasn’t up for games anymore. And she would not wait around for a man to figure out what he wanted.
“How was it seeing Levi again?” Darla asked Cassidy. They’d all gotten settled back at the Chocolate Therapist, Naomi squished between Jessa and Cassidy on the comfy couch.
“He hardly said two words to me.” Cassidy laughed. “I think he’s afraid of me.”
“He hasn’t changed at all,” Naomi chimed in. “He was always the party boy. Always the center of attention. Never wanted to deal with anything real.”
Though Cassidy was a few years younger than them, Jessa had always wondered about her and Levi. At one time, he’d been so close to her family. “You two never dated?” she asked. Out of everyone here, she had the least background information, seeing as how she’d been around only in the summer.
“God, no.” Cassidy’s nose wrinkled with disgust. “I thought Levi was hot. Like every other girl in town. But Cash wouldn’t let me near him. He was over at our place all the time. Especially after his mom took off. But after the accident…” The words trailed off.
“You want my opinion, I think he took Cash’s death hard.” Darla leaned over and topped off all of their glasses. “It seemed like he blamed himself.”
Cassidy’s expression darkened. “It wasn’t his fault. It’s the sport. It shouldn’t even be legal.” Since her brother had been killed during a competition, Cassidy despised bull riding, though on a normal night—a sober night—she rarely talked about it.
Luckiest Cowboy of All--Two full books for the price of one Page 45