“My old friend, Captain Morgan.” He grinned from one side of his mouth.
“Never met the guy.” No doubt a kind of alcohol. “Please tell me it doesn’t contain any barley?”
“It’s rum.” He scrolled his phone. “Nope, just molasses.”
She checked her wrist emblem anyway. No greenish tint. Keeping her wits sharp, she readied herself for her mission.
“What’d my brother do now?” Rhett appeared next to her and looked into her cup.
“Gave her a hot toddy.” Michael flashed an I'm-so-innocent smile.
“Probably a good idea. She’s wound tight.”
And alcohol would cure her ails? Not likely.
Lori waddled over, holding three cups in her hands. “Couldn’t find water,” she said to Cami. “Want one, Michael? Rhett?”
“You’re a sweetheart?” Rhett took a beer, and so did Michael.
“To Valentine’s Day.” Lori held up her cup.
The corners of Rhett’s mouth dropped—agitation flared in his eyes. What caused him to despise Valentine’s Day? If only she could access his past relationship records, but her mistake locked the system.
The crackle of piped-in music stopped. “Howdy folks.” A white-haired man spoke into a microphone. It took a moment to realize the man’s location up in the loft.
The audience’s chitchat diminished to silence.
“Let’s give a round of thanks to Frank and Lilly Holloway. Not only are they hosting this wonderful shindig, but they’re also celebrating their thirtieth wedding anniversary.”
The couple waved from the side, and the crowd clapped, whooped, and hollered.
Lori scooted next to Rhett and gazed at him like he was a delectable cheesecake drizzled with caramel. For some reason, the gaze irked Cami.
“Grab your partner for our first number, “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.”
“Let’s show the folks how it’s done.” Lori leaned her torso toward Rhett and playfully hit his arm.
“That’s okay.” Rhett quickly glanced over at Cami.
“Please.” She gave him a mock frown.
“Go on,” Michael said. “It’s not polite to leave a woman waiting.”
“Fine.” Rhett followed Lori. Together they weaved to the dance floor.
Lori was personable, pretty, and tall. Rhett charming, handsome, tall. They looked like soulmates.
Michael offered his hand. “Wanna dance?”
“I need to serve refreshments.” She didn’t want to draw attention to herself here. She could waltz and cha-cha, knew a few popular dances but not many country ones.
He tilted his head. “What’s the real story?”
“Don’t know how.” That should get him to leave.
“I’ll show you.” Michael led her to the floor, assumed the position, his right arm elevated, his left reaching for her waist. “It’s easy, step together step, walk, walk. You’ll be going backwards. Start with your right and shift with your left.”
It didn’t sound difficult. “I suppose I could try.” Cami put her left hand on his right shoulder. Her right hand clasped with his left. The position similar to a waltz.
“Think quick, quick, slow, slow.” Michael kept his voice low.
The fiddler played. Michael stepped forward with his right foot, and she her left. She said the steps in her head a few times. He turned her under his arm and spun her into an older couple.
“Sorry,” she said to the couple, and whispered to Michael, “You did that on purpose.”
“Who me?” His tone was not the least bit innocent.
Rhett and Lori moved past. Cami couldn’t deny the couple had charisma.
The music stopped. “Thanks for the dance.” Michael bowed.
“Sure.” She pivoted to head for the refreshment table and ran into a solid wall.
Rhett laughed, his eyes lit with interest or more like curiosity. “May I have the honor?”
She tried to get around him. “I need to get more cookies from the house.”
“Dance first.” He put a hand on her shoulder and heat coursed along her spine.
“Our next number is a two-step favorite, “Holdin’ Heaven,” the band announced.
A favorite in Cupid’s Corner, at least Cami knew the steps.
Rhett’s grin widened as he held her right hand and looped his arm to grasp her left. Sparks shot through her heart emblem. She heard her friend, Serenity, talk about how her last boyfriend made her all quivery inside. That couldn’t be happening to Cami. Not with this mortal.
“See, this isn’t so bad.” He brought her closer reminding her of last night.
Their bodies touched and formed strange tingles deep in her womanly core. “It’s okay.” She glanced at his strong chin highlighted by a five o’clock shadow.
His mouth turned up at the corners. “You’re different tonight.” His deep voice soothed. “You mad about the kiss?”
“No.” The kiss had her heart fluttering, and as much as she’d liked it the contact had been a major gaffe.
“Good. I’d like us to stay friends.”
Friends don’t kiss each other on the mouth, but if he could remain unaffected, so could she. “Fine with me.” She didn’t dare look at him and quickly changed the subject. “Lori’s nice.”
“Yep.” He spun her under his arm, and again they were side by side.
“Relax,” he whispered as they did a fancy double and several clogover vines.
“I am.”
He laughed. “No, you’re not.”
“Are you always so bossy?”
“Most of the time.” Again, he spun her under his arm. “You’re a good dancer for a city gal.”
“Thanks.” She felt her cheeks warm.
“I like it when you blush. You look pretty.”
Holy Zeus. He should be noticing Lori and not flirting with her.
The song ended. He tipped his hat. “Thanks for the dance.”
She couldn’t help watching him walk away. The man had a well-sculpted body. His shoulders were broad, his hips narrow.
Then the devil looked over his shoulder at her.
~ ~ ~
Rhett got in the keg line behind his buddy, Ace.
His stocky friend smiled. “Who’s the new gal?” He motioned to the other side of the barn where Cami chatted with an older couple. Her golden hair coiled down to the middle of her back. Rhett imagined trailing his fingers through her soft curls.
“My new housekeeper.”
“Really.” Ace handed Rhett a beer. “Bro, she’s hot. What’s her name?”
“Cami.”
“Think she’d go out with me?”
“Don’t know?” Rhett shrugged and listened to the band play, “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.”
“You like her?”
“She’s my employee. That’s it.” He didn’t want to admit that the woman drove him to distraction.
Violet and Lori coerced Cami to the dance floor, and they joined in a line dance. Cami did a quarter turn in the wrong direction. She caught her error and pivoted, stepped forward and back, hitched up her knee and stomped her foot. Sexy as hell.
The song ended, and people clapped.
“You’ve gotta introduce me to Cami.” Ace put his empty cup on the table.
Cami had hearts and flowers written all over her. With blonde hair and blue eyes, she spelled heartache to any man, yet, she seemed to be reeling him in. That kiss they shared had been oh-so-wrong, primarily since she was his employee. “Fine. But you have to promise to be on your best behavior. Cami’s a good cook. Don’t do anything to scare her off.”
“Why are you so huffy? I just want to meet her.”
“Fine.” He and Ace maneuvered through the crowd to the dance floor.
Lori’s eyes brightened as Rhett stopped near her. “Hey, Rhett. Ace.”
Cami glanced up. Rhett tried not to get lost in her bewitching eyes. It was as if the woman cast a spell over him.
Ace nudged Rhett�
�s shoulder.
“Ace, this is Cami.”
“Hello.” Cami rocked on her heels for some odd reason.
The band announced another two-step number.
“Would you honor me with this dance?” Ace tipped his hat and gave her a ten-dollar smile.
“Go on,” Lori said, “He’s a good guy.”
Ace whisked Cami off to the dance floor. Being shorter than Rhett, Ace and Cami’s heights were a good match. Rhett’s stomach twisted. This fixation on his housekeeper was crazy.
He noticed Lori next to him. Just the distraction he needed. “Care to dance?”
“Absolutely.” Lori didn't hesitate.
He took her hand. Only a few inches shorter than him, her height complimented his. He should be attracted to the leggy brunette, but when he spotted Cami in Ace’s arms smiling, Rhett wanted to snatch her away from his friend.
Air, fresh air would clear his mind. “It’s stuffy in here,” he said to Lori. “Wanna step outside for a minute?”
“All right.” She moved closer and smiled a bit too broadly.
Based on the enamored look she gave him, he might have been too quick with his offer. He took her hand, moved around people to the open barn door, and didn’t once glance back at Cami. Outside, he breathed in the cold, crisp night.
Lori shivered in her thin coat.
“You’re freezing. Take my jacket.” He draped it over her shoulders. “How’s the Arabian’s training going?”
“The ligament injury below the hock is slowly healing. Heard your dad’s new mare’s quite a find. Let's go see her.”
“Absolutely. This noisy party might unsettle her.”
Lori was smart. A natural with horses making their conversation easy.
They strolled to the stables kitty-corner to the barn. He unlatched the door, glad to be away from the smothering crowd at the party. Horses made sense. The smell of hay and manure calmed him.
“I forgot how big this place is.” Lori looped her arm through his elbow.
A bald-faced roan leaned its head over the top of the stall. “Hello, General.” Lori rubbed her hand along his forehead. “See you’re still as handsome as ever.”
“Why thank you.” Rhett laughed.
“You feeling neglected, handsome?” She kissed his cheek.
He tried to muster desire for her, but it wasn’t there. He had taken her out a couple of times, liked her enough, but she didn’t make his pulse sped or his heart pound.
He thought of Cami—and all that pink.
~ ~ ~
Lori and Rhett were together, arm-in-arm, heading outside. An excellent sign.
Cami ignored the lump in her throat. If fate was on her side, they’d find an isolated spot. She tried to forget his tantalizing kiss, tried to concentrate on her task.
Tapping her pocket, she felt the pouch. Still there. The antidote arrow would correct her mistake. Due to the crowded room, she cut to the right and a man stepped on her toe. A little girl ran straight into her leg and held on until her mother pulled her off. A young couple stopped in front of her. She darted around them and made it outside. The cold wind seeped through her thin blouse sending a chill clear through to her bones. She couldn’t waste this perfect opportunity to fix her mistake because she was cold.
Cami kept close to the wall as she pursued Rhett and Lori. They ducked into the stables, and she followed them inside. The first stall stood open and empty. She went in, shutting the gate in case anyone else was in the vicinity.
Rhett’s voice carried from several yards away, “Our new mare’s three stalls down.”
Cami sat ontop of a haystack, carefully opened her pouch and placed her bow and quiver on her shoulder. She gripped the vial and sprinkled dust over herself. Fuchsia sparkles swirled around her. Her body shrunk and her borrowed clothing dropped to the hay. A long silvery gown swirled around her body and her glittering wings formed. She jetted up to the rafters.
Patience and precision. Patience and precision. Patience and precision. I can do this.
“Is the mare a stock quarter horse?” Lori’s voice wafted up clearly.
“Yep.” Rhett smiled. Even from this distance, his smile made Cami’s heartbeat quicken.
Lori stroked his arm.
Quit dallying and complete the task.
Rhett and Lori were facing each other. Lori’s love-light glowed a deep ruby. Cami circled, floating down to secure a clear shot. She nocked her arrow, checked her aim and released. It hit Rhett straight through his heart.
“Ouch.” He slapped his hand over his chest.
Cami thought she saw a glowing light through his fingers. She almost shouted, “Success!”
“You okay?” Lori gazed at him.
“Had the weirdest feeling like something lodged in my torso.”
“Poor thing. I can make it better.” Lori roped her arms around Rhett’s neck and the two kissed. He’d found his soulmate.
A sense of melancholy hit her as she flew back to the stall. The barn seemed dark and gloomy like her mood. There’d be no more searing kisses. The mortal belonged to another.
A horse snorted, reminding her she was still inside the stables. With her job finished, she sat at the edge of the haystack and counted her blessings. She’d grown up in an affluent archer family with plenty of privileges and lots of friends.
Her legs swung back and forth. They could pass as toothpicks. At fourteen-inches, the straw reminded her of elongated chopsticks. The human clothing could fit a giant. Her Cupid body made her feel small and insignificant.
Quit pondering. Someone could walk in and catcher her wallowing in her personal pity party. She carefully added her bow and arrow into the pouch, clutched the edge of her jeans and blouse, and sprinkled the remaining dust over her head. The swirling magic transformed her into a five-foot-two woman. Brushing off straw with her hand, her size fit the space—her boots touched the ground.
She liked being a human. She liked the people. They were friendly and welcoming. She’d been taught that Cupids were superior to humans. Based on her few days on Earth, magical powers seemed to be the only advantage Cupids possessed.
Once she completed her task, she’d have to say her goodbyes. This irritated her because she had just started to fit in.
She opened the stall’s gate and peeked her head down the aisle. Rhett had his back to her on the other end of the stable, so she sprinted out the door and kept going until she reached the barn’s entrance.
The band played, “Home on the Range,” as she went inside.
Home on the ranch. That’s what she’d found here. Her eyes blurred with tears.
~ ~ ~
Rhett couldn't believe Lori locked lips with him. Normally, he enjoyed an aggressive woman, but not tonight and not with her. For the past year, he’d socialized with Lori at parties or town events. The leggy brunette was fun and spirited and smart. A couple of weeks ago, he’d taken her out to dinner. Sparks on his side never fully surfaced.
It’d been a mistake to take a breather with her. The truth was seeing Ace holding Cami as they danced had him riled. When he got riled, his brain misfired.
He pulled away. “Guess we’d best head on back.”
“We don’t have to.” She batted her lashes, took a step closer.
He took two back. “I was counting on another dance with you.” Of all the times to be tactful? He should say he wasn’t interested period.
She sighed a wistful sigh and took his arm. “In that case, let’s go, cowboy.”
As they crossed the courtyard, he spotted Cami slipping inside the door leading into the barn dance. The bitty female shouldn’t stir him. He stifled a groan and turned his focus to Lori. “You’re good with horses. Have you ever thought about starting your own business?”
“At one time. Yesterday, I was accepted into vet school,” Lori said.
“Congratulations.” Okay, this was his chance. What should he say? Seeing as you’ll be leaving, there’s no sense in dating agai
n. Yeah, right. What if she caused a scene and ruined his parents’ party?
“You’ll have to visit me.” She coyly smiled. “There’s lots to do.”
“Doubt I’d have time.” Rhett had no inclination to see her in another state.
He caught her eyes misting. Dammit. Rhett hated tears. They made it to the dance floor when the band announced, “That’s it for tonight. Me ’n’ the Brahma Busters want to thank everyone. Catch us at the Boot Scoot every Friday and Saturday. Come on out and say, ‘Howdy.’”
She took off his jacket and handed it back. “We on for the Boot Scoot Saturday?’
“Look, Lori, I don’t think—” Someone grasped his calf. He glimpsed down and spotted his toddling youngest nephew. “Hey, fella.”
His brother-in-law walked up shaking his head. “Seems Jamie’s found his favorite uncle.”
“I’m his favorite.” Michael clapped Rhett on the shoulder.
“You’ve been eating locoweed, bro.”
“Speak for yourself,” Michael chuckled.
Lori cleared her throat. “I’m gonna help Violet clear tables. See ya guys later.” She stomped toward the front of the barn.
“What’s up with her?”
Rhett shrugged.
Folks headed for the door. People he’d known all his life like the pastor’s family, Old Doc Findley, friends from grade school, most married with families. Several of the remaining men stacked hay in the corner. Others loaded chairs on wheeled carts. Rhett and Michael folded tables and set them off to the side. Once they were done, Michael headed toward Violet.
Lori approached Rhett. “I’m leaving.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
Lori wove her arm through his. “Tonight was fun.”
At her Chevy pickup, Rhett opened her door. “I don’t want to mislead you, especially since your leaving for Colorado, but in my experience long distance dating doesn’t work.”
“If you say so.” Her lip quivered. She started her truck and zoomed off.
Inside the barn, he stacked the remaining tables.
“What’d those tables do to you?” Michael’s voice startled him. “Is this about Lori?”
“Guess I hurt her feelings. It’s this blasted Valentine’s Party.” He could wrestle the toughest calf to the ground with his bare hands. Corral the most cantankerous Brahma bull. Hold his own in a barroom brawl. But when it came to this holiday, he became as useless as a newborn kitten.
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