Nora gave her hair one last spritz of hairspray the next night, then declared herself ready for the dance. The weather had been gorgeous all day as the group of them worked on setting up the ranch for that night’s festivities.
She’d gotten another weird text from Geoff that morning. He’d blown her off for months and now was suddenly texting to say how much he missed her and that he still loved her. She didn’t know what was going on with the guy, and she didn’t want to know. She’d ignored the text, like she’d done the other ones. She didn’t have time for Geoff and whatever drama he was trying to pull her into. She was having too much fun.
Even though they’d worked all day—Bryn had a list a mile long—Nora had still had a great time. She loved being with the group, and even though she hadn’t known them all for very long, she still considered them friends. Yes, she and Elle had known each other for years, but she just seemed to click with Bryn and Jillian as well. And Aunt Sassy was like the bonus cherry on top of the friendship cake. The older woman had brought out sandwiches for lunch, and they’d finished right on schedule, giving them all a chance to clean up and get dressed before the food truck and the band arrived.
She figured Allie got in plenty of stretching and moving as she helped with the evening’s preparations, but Nora still tried to sneak in a physical therapy session after they’d finished. The teenager was too antsy and excited for the dance though, so they just went through some deep stretches and a few light exercises before heading off to shower.
Nora had a little jean jacket that paired perfectly with the teal-and-dusty-rose floral sundress. The teal in the dress also matched the blue in her boots, and she happened to have brought a layered necklace with teal stones that worked perfectly with the dress. She’d spent a little extra time curling her hair, wearing it loose around her shoulders.
“Wow. You look gorgeous,” Cade said when she stepped out onto the porch a few minutes later. He tipped his hat back as his gaze traveled over her.
“You look pretty gorgeous yourself,” she told him. He was dressed in jeans, boots, and a pressed blue button-up shirt. The ends of his hair were still damp as they curled around his collar. “How’s Allie doing? Does she need any more help?” The girl had come over earlier to get ready with Nora, and they’d had a great time while Nora helped her apply a little makeup and curl and braid her hair.
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t let me see her until she was all ready,” Cade said, then his eyes widened as the screen door opened and Allie wheeled out. “Gosh. You look beautiful, Allie-Cat.”
The teenager did a little curtsy. “Thank you. Nora helped me with my hair.” Allie had found a picture of a loose braided updo, and Nora had done her best to replicate it. They’d finished the look by tucking a few small sprigs of lavender into the braid.
“You do look beautiful,” Nora told her. “That dress is perfect on you.”
Cade cleared his throat, and Allie narrowed her eyes at him as he rubbed the back of his hand next to his eye. “Are you crying?”
“No. I just got something in my eye.” He offered her a sheepish smile. “You just look so grown-up.” He stood and held out his elbows. “And I’m really proud to be escorting the two most beautiful women in the world to the dance tonight.”
“You’re a dork,” she said, but she took his arm anyway.
The sound of a guitar riff ripped through the air as the band warmed up, and Nora’s pulse raced with excitement for the fun night ahead. The ranch looked magical, with candles flickering on the array of tables and lights strung out from the barn over the dance floor. Scents of barbecued pork and french fries filled the air, wafting from the food truck already set up behind the tables.
Nora and Elle had made gallons of lemonade and iced tea that afternoon and created a cute drink station using the workbench in the barn. The feed store had donated a couple of new horse troughs to the ranch, and they’d filled them with ice and bottled water and pop. Across from the drink station, checkered tablecloths covered two tables ready to be filled with baked goods and the pies they’d made the night before.
Bryn had created a schedule, so between their group and some of the other horse rescue volunteers, the different tables would all be manned throughout the night. Nora, Allie, and Cade were scheduled to cover the drinks booth for the first hour, then the other kids would help them bus tables the second hour, then they were free the rest of the night. As the night got busier and more cars arrived, Nora was surprised at how many people she’d already met from the Creedence community.
She recognized the woman from the dress shop and some of the other employees from the diner where Bryn worked. There were Theresa and Bob, who she’d helped with physical therapy sessions, and she spotted the couple who ran the grocery and Sam from the feed store. Aunt Sassy introduced her to Doc Hunter, the retired pediatrician who was her date for the evening, and she met Jillian’s sister, Carley. The two women had different hair colors and styles, Carley sporting a perfectly coiffed blond mane that she’d probably had blown out at her beauty salon that afternoon, but the family resemblance was there in their smiles and around their eyes.
“You look amazing,” Nora told Jillian as she and Milo showed up to take over for them at the drinks booth. The librarian wore a soft-pink sundress that showed off her tanned shoulders and her hair was loose and curled in soft waves down her back. “That dress is gorgeous on you,” she told her as she traded places with Milo, then stepped away from the booth so the two women could talk.
Jillian waved away her compliment. “Thanks. It’s one of my sister’s. She made me wear it, and she did my hair tonight too. I made the mistake of telling her about Ethan, er, Deputy Rayburn, and she begged me to let her do my hair and makeup.”
“Well, Deputy Rayburn is not going to know what hit him,” Nora said with a wink.
The other woman shook her head. “It’s just one dance. And he probably doesn’t even remember asking me.”
“You’re about to find out,” Nora said, turning Jillian around to face the barn door where the handsome deputy had just entered. He was dressed in jeans and boots, but wore a black button-down shirt and a gray felt cowboy hat instead of his sheriff’s uniform. “Holy cow. A man who looks that good should be against the law.” She nudged her friend. “See what I did there?”
Jillian shushed her. “Yes, I get it.”
Ethan scanned the barn as if looking for someone, then his face broke into a grin when he saw Jillian. He strode toward her. “Wow. You look incredible,” he said, then shook his head as if to clear it. “I mean, hi.” He pointed awkwardly at himself. “It’s Ethan from the other day.”
Jillian grinned. “Yes, I remember.”
Relief flooded his face. “Whew. Thank goodness. I mean, yeah, of course.”
“I have to say, I was tempted to act like I’d forgotten you,” she told him. “Just to give you a hard time.”
“But you took pity on me because I’d already made it awkward enough?” He chuckled as he adorably ducked his head. “I’m usually much cooler under pressure.” He jerked a thumb toward the band. “Music is pretty good. You still up for that dance?”
“Told you he remembered,” Nora whispered quietly from behind Jillian’s back.
“Yeah, sure,” Jillian said. “But I can’t yet. Milo and I are scheduled to take over the drinks booth for the next hour.”
“You need an extra hand?” he asked before Nora had a chance to offer to stay in the booth longer so they could go dance. “I’d be glad to help.”
“Yeah, sure. That would be great.”
“I’m at your service,” he said, already unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them up. “Just tell me what to do.”
“It looks like you’ve got this handled,” Nora said, giving Jillian’s side a discreet nudge. “I’ll check in with you later. Have fun.” She waved, then headed off to find her own handsome cowboy.
***
“You having fun?” Cade asked Allie several hours later as they plowed their way through a plate of fries.
“Yeah, I am,” Allie told him. “And I’m really glad for Bryn that it was such a great turnout.”
“Me too.” Cade looked out across the sea of people wandering through the barn and laughing on the dance floor. The line at the food truck had been steady all night, and he’d heard Nora say all the pies had sold for at least thirty dollars each. “I hope they raised a lot of money.”
“I know the goal is to find homes for the rescued horses, but is it bad if I’m hoping no one wants to buy Daisy?” She dug a small circle in the dirt with the toe of her boot. “I know she’s not really my horse, but I love her, and I’d really miss her if she were gone.”
“Nah, it’s not bad. It’s obvious you have a special bond with her.”
“Speaking of special bonds,” she said, nudging his leg. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed what’s been going on with you and Nora.”
Heat warmed his cheeks, and he hoped it was dark enough that Allie couldn’t see it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come on. I see the little looks you guys give each other. And I know you had your arm around her the other night when I came out on the porch.” She put her hand on his arm. “I just want you to know that I really love Nora, and I’m okay if you want to ask her on a date or out for drinks or whatever weird thing adults do when they like each other.”
A knot of tension eased in his shoulders. “I do like Nora. She’s smart and pretty and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Which makes it a real mystery why she’d even be interested in a dope like me.”
“You have a few good points.”
“Yeah?”
“Sure. You’re tall and superstrong, you’re sort of funny in a dorky way, you’re always on time, and you know how to braid hair.”
“That does sound like an impressive dating résumé.”
She giggled as she teased him. “See? You’re like the whole dating package.” She nodded to the barn doors Nora was just walking out of. “So are you going to ask her to dance or what?”
He shook his head. “No way. I’m busy hanging out with you. Do you want to dance with me?”
She pointed to her booted foot. “That would be a little tough with this bad boy.”
He shrugged. “You could stand on my feet like you used to do when you were little.”
She furrowed her brow. “Did I really used to do that? I don’t remember.”
“Yeah, you really did.”
“Whew, what a night,” Nora said, dropping into the seat on the other side of Cade. Her cheeks were flushed, but she looked happy as she shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it on the table. “I think this is the first time I’ve sat down. But it seems to be going really well. Everyone’s having so much fun. I can’t believe it’s almost over. Sorry if I’ve been ignoring you guys.”
“We’re fine.”
A boy who looked to be about Allie’s age hesitantly approached their table. Cade had seen him start to come over a couple of times, then change direction, as if he couldn’t get up the nerve. “Hey,” he said to Allie, raising his hand in a little wave.
“Hey,” Allie said.
“You having fun?”
Allie shrugged. “Sure.” Cade cleared his throat, and she tilted her head toward him. “This is my dad, Cade Callahan. And our friend Nora Fisher.”
The boy stuck his hand out and gripped Cade’s in a solid handshake. “Good to meet ya. I’m Luke Johnson. My folks have a small farm on the other side of town.”
“I just met them earlier tonight. I think they bought a cherry pie,” Nora told him. “Nice to meet you, Luke.”
Cade nodded in greeting but wasn’t ready to roll out the red carpet for some young buck who was sniffing around his daughter.
The boy turned his attention back to Allie. His neck was turning red as he pulled at the collar of his shirt. “So, uh, do you want to dance? With me?”
Allie shook her head. “No, I can’t.”
His eager expression fell, and he lifted his shoulders like it was no big deal. “Oh yeah. Sure. No problem.”
“No, it’s not that I don’t want to.” She pointed to her booted foot and held up her sling. “I mean I can’t. Not with all this. But if I didn’t have it, I would totally want to. Dance with you, I mean.”
His lips curved in a goofy grin, and he gestured to the empty chair next to her. “How about if I just sit with you for a bit then?”
“That would be okay.” He pulled over an empty chair, then sat down beside Allie.
Cade turned to Nora and held out his hand. “I think this would be my cue to ask you to dance.”
“I would love to,” she said, taking his hand and letting him lead her out onto the dance floor.
She felt so good, so right, as he pulled her into his arms and swayed her to the music. Her perfume swirled around him, and he bent his head to speak quietly into her ear. “So I think we got busted.”
“Busted?”
He nodded, trying not to be distracted by the bare skin of her shoulders. “Allie told me she knows I like you.”
Nora pulled her head back to look up at him. “Is she okay with that? With you liking me?”
He grinned. “Apparently. She encouraged me to ask you on a date or for drinks or for whatever weird thing adults do when they like each other.”
Nora’s grin had heat surging up his spine. “We’ve already done that thing. A few times now.”
“Speaking of which, I seem to recall you mentioning last night something about wanting to invite me over for some crazy, hot, sexy times.” He slid his hand lower on her waist, thinking about how good it had felt lying next to her and brushing his fingers over her lush curves.
Her eyes widened as she cringed. “I said that?”
He nodded and wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh yeah, you did.”
She buried her face in his neck. “Oh my gosh, I’m so embarrassed. Remind me never to let Elle mix the margaritas again.”
He chuckled as he pulled her closer. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’m just hoping that offer’s still on the table.”
Her fingers tickled the back of his neck as they tangled in his hair. “Oh, it’s still on the table, all right. Like a giant floral centerpiece taking up too much space.” She shook her head. “That was a weird analogy. I don’t know why I said that.”
“I kind of liked it. I can’t wait to check out your flowers.” He cringed. “Yeah, this is getting worse.”
She laughed and the sound of it filled up an empty space inside him. The rest of the dance floor fell away as he peered down at her. The sundress showed off her shoulders, and her bare skin was like a feast for his carnal hunger. He’d never felt this way about another woman—he wanted her with everything in him, but he also just wanted to be with her. He loved spending time with her, talking to her, or just being in the same room.
He tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Her hair brushed his cheek as he lowered his mouth to her ear. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”
Her shoulders raised as a slight shiver ran through her, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “Yes, but tell me again.”
He pulled back, just far enough to look into her eyes. “Sometimes I look at you and I think you’re so damn beautiful that it makes my chest hurt, and I can’t quite catch my breath.”
“Oh,” she whispered on a gasp, and he had a hard time not leaning down to kiss that perfect circle of her lips. Peering up at him from under her lashes, her gaze was sincere as she whispered, “You sure are making it hard for me not to fall in love with you, Cade Callahan.”
His throat tightened at her words, and he leaned in to kiss her. He didn’t care who saw them. Let the gossips of Creedence go crazy. He had to kiss her.
The song ended just as his lips brushed hers. She pressed her lips to his, a quick press of contact before she stepped away and joined in the round of applause for the band. It was a soft kiss but full of promise of something more to come.
“That’s it for us, folks,” the band leader was saying. “But we thank you all for coming out tonight and for supporting the Heaven Can Wait Horse Rescue. It’s not too late to donate. If you’ve got anything left in your pockets, we’ll be happy to take it off your hands.” He held up one of the donation jars that had been set on the edge of the stage. “Remember every dollar you donate goes to helping these poor animals in need.”
With the music over, people got up from the tables and wandered off the dance floor. It didn’t take long for the crowd to disperse as they headed for their cars. Cade was glad to see several people step forward and drop bills into the jar before they left.
He and Nora stood at the edge of the barn door and watched people hugging and laughing as they left. Nora slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. Her smile was radiant as she beamed up at him. “Gosh, what a fun night.”
“It was. But now the real fun is going to start.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said, turning around to look into the barn. “Now Bryn’s gonna make us clean all this up.”
“True.” She laughed with him, then her eyes caught something behind him and the color drained from her face. Her shoulders went stiff as she took a shuddering breath. “What the hell is he doing here?”