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Sarah had done an exceptional job with her. The gift shop at the lodge was lacking, so Sarah insisted they visit the outlet stores in the next town over. The denim button-down shirt she bought was tucked into a gauzy, cream skirt that hit right above her knee. She finished with an oversize brown leather belt and rhinestone cowgirl boots. Sarah tried to convince her she needed a cowboy hat as well, but the woman at the salon had painstakingly curled Lucy’s hair. Lucy loved the curls entirely too much to even consider smashing them with a hat. Even the kickass one Sarah had found.
“Where’d you go?” she asked.
“Had an emergency. My attorney called. We had papers to sign, and some Crestone stuff came up she needed to talk to me about. I’m sorry it interfered with everything.” He sat next to her and pulled her against his side.
In that moment, Lucy didn’t particularly care where he’d been because something about the familiar touch drove her slightly crazy.
“It’s remarkably hard to stay pissy at you,” she huffed.
He squeezed her hand. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She tucked a curl behind her ear.
“How’d things go today?” His finger tapped along with the country song coming over the speakers.
“Well… I’m glad you asked. I met a lovely family with two kids who had a watch go missing from their room the other day. They were kayaking at the time.”
The watch turned out to be fairly expensive and had been left in their suitcase—a gift from his grandfather.
The music blared louder. Will leaned closer. “Any leads?”
“They said they told the front desk, but I couldn’t find a police report or anything.” She had to yell over the music. “Front desk said if it wasn’t in the safe, there’s nothing they can do. I asked around at the spa, too, to see if anyone there had similar stories. Nothing on that front. But I got my massage.” She shrugged. “So not a total loss.”
He grinned her way.
“Oh, and Sarah and Max were asked to give a little incentive to the front desk in order to transfer our suite to them.” She dropped the bomb and twirled a curl with her finger like what she’d said was no big deal.
His mouth dropped. “That’s amazing. Looks like we have a story.” His expression softened. “You’re amazing.”
Dolly began singing about why someone would come in here lookin’ like that. William tugged at Lucy’s hand.
“Spent the day cleaning up messes. Now, I’ve got a promise to keep.” He pulled her to the side of the dance floor. Lifting her hand in his, he adjusted her palm on his shoulder before running his hand along her back to her waist. Traces of cedar and the earthy smell of straw hay-bales amplified the woodsy scent that was his alone.
He nudged her backward, “Relax and follow me, yeah?”
She stepped on his foot.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“It’s fine. Relax. I’ll do the work.” He stepped forward as she stepped forward, knocking into him.
“Sorry,” she repeated. Geez, this is exactly why she never went to dances in high school. This, and the fact no one ever asked her.
“Take a breath. Watch my eyes, go backward, and don’t worry about your feet. They’ll follow.”
She couldn’t meet his gaze, not plastered this close against him. His thigh brushed intimately against hers, the movement pushing her along, his hand at her back to guide her.
Counting as he moved with her, she wouldn’t meet his eyes. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, “I confess my day got a whole lot better when I walked into a barn in the middle of nowhere to find you all dressed up.”
The barn was warm, but she shivered. He tucked her closer.
Nice.
“A natural,” he whispered.
She leaned her head back and grinned. He traced a hand along the curve of her back as one song blended into another, and another. Damn. Maybe she should have found someone to take her to a dance in high school. She clearly had no idea what she’d missed out on. He held her tight, her cheek resting against his chest.
For the first time in a long time, she found peace. Peace that had come in a loud, drafty barn filled to the brim with what appeared to be the entire population of Twin Lakes.
