Mexico. Even though she would have preferred going back to the ranch after the rodeo, being in the midst of a crowd of strangers dancing, talking and laughing was still better than the pity and well-intended coddling she would get from her family if she went home. She needed more time to prepare to deal with that every bit as much as for dealing with returning to work and possibly running into Michael.
She scanned the crowd, spotting a few familiar faces. Chloe’s friends India and Skyler were laughing in the opposite corner with someone else Linnea didn’t know. Garrett and Wyatt were standing at the end of the bar holding bottles of beer. But, no surprise, Owen was right in the middle of the action on the dance floor, smiling at the girl he was dancing with, not the same one who’d accosted him at the door. Linnea realized she’d been staring at him for too long, appreciating the way he moved and how nice he looked in a clean, dark blue, button-up shirt and jeans that weren’t caked with a day’s work.
“Did you hear me?”
Linnea jerked her attention back to Chloe. “What?”
Chloe looked toward the dance floor. “What were you watching so intently?”
“Nothing. Just got lost in my thoughts.” Let Chloe assume she was still dwelling on what Michael had done. It was better than admitting that she had been thinking about Chloe’s little brother in a way she shouldn’t be, especially only days before she had been scheduled to walk down the aisle to marry another man. What the heck was wrong with her?
Chloe didn’t look as if she quite believed her, but she didn’t question her further. She did look back at the dancers, however, and shook her head. “I swear, one of these days my brother is going to grow up and stop acting like a college frat boy.”
“Holding your breath on that one?”
Chloe laughed. “No. Don’t really want to turn blue and pass out.”
Linnea chanced another glance at Owen. “It’s not like he’s over the hill.” Far from it. He was a man in his prime, one she needed to stop watching before she gave herself away. There shouldn’t even be anything to give away. Or maybe she was just overreacting because her nerves were so on edge.
“Would you like to dance?”
It took Linnea a moment to realize she was the one a tall cowboy was talking to. He was nice-looking in a rough-around-the-edges sort of way. He just had the misfortune of asking her to dance at the wrong time in her life.
“No, but thank you.”
“You sure?”
She offered him a smile that she hoped was kind but not encouraging. “Yes, I am.”
The song ended, and Owen parted from his latest dance partner. As if he could sense they were talking about him, he headed straight for them. He eyed the retreating cowboy.
“That guy bothering you?” he asked.
Linnea shook her head. “No. Just asked me to dance.”
The band struck up another tune, a cover of a Jason Aldean song. Linnea was more of a pop-music fan, but you couldn’t live in Texas and not be familiar on some level with country music.
“Not a bad idea,” Owen said, and extended his hand to her.
She stared at his hand for a moment. “I don’t think so.”
He placed his other hand over his heart. “You’re going to shoot me down? The guy who saved you from the side of the road.”
“Oh, you’re milking that for all it’s worth.”
“Go on,” Chloe said, motioning toward the dance floor. “Save my brother from his legions of adoring fangirls.”
Linnea had the strongest urge to click her heels together three times to see if she’d be transported back to the ranch. Something tightened inside her, telling her that dancing with Owen wasn’t a good idea. Mentally calling herself a fool for worrying over nothing, she sighed. “Okay, one dance.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “Unless you can’t pull yourself away.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
