“Probably not.”
We stayed like that for the next two songs, laughing and twirling until Josie’s cheeks were tinged with pink under the bright neon lights. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed myself so much.
For the first time in years, I felt like I belonged somewhere. I didn’t have much growing up. My family life had been shit. I didn’t have anyone I really considered a friend. I’d only had Frank and a few of his rodeo buddies that joined him at the bar every night.
Pinecrest had always been a place I could rest my head, butAshwood—and Black Springs Ranch—was a place I knew I could call home. In the span of a day, everything I thought I’d never have was within reach. The job, the ranch, the family… Now, all I needed was the woman, and she was nestled securely in my arms.
As the last song came to an end, the house band slowed down, playing a rendition of Keith Whitley’s When You Say Nothing at All. Bishop and Cleo made their way back to the table, quickly followed by a red-faced Lennox.
“What do you think, darlin’? Are we staying or going?” I asked, pulling away slightly to gauge her reaction.
Josie hesitated only for a moment, looking over her shoulder to where her sisters were watching. They were trying to be coy, but Lennox didn’t have a covert bone in her body. When she swung her gaze back to me, she slid her hand from my shoulder to my neck and ran her fingertips along my bare skin.
I took that as all the sign I needed to sweep her into a languid half-step.
“It’s strange seeing you here,” I said after a beat. We’d settled into a gentle silence, enjoying the other’s company and the lull of the music. “I guess it’s hard to see you in any bar but my own.”
Josie chewed on her bottom lip, and I fought the urge to lean forward and pull it free with my teeth. God, I loved it when she did that. It was distracting and adorable and fucking everything. “Well, maybe if Frank’s had a dancefloor…”
I laughed. “Was that what it would’ve taken to make you stay? Hell, if I would’ve known that?—”
“What would you have done?” she asked, looking up at me with carefully guarded curiosity.
For some reason, the moment felt heavy. We weren’t talking about a stupid dance floor anymore. We were talking about us, about a future, about a whole damn life.
I couldn’t help it. I pulled Josie closer, eliminating the sliver of space between our bodies. She was warm in my hands, a whiskeyflush creeping up her neck and coloring those pretty cheeks. “I would’ve cleared out every goddamn table in that place. I would’ve done whatever you asked. Only for you.”
“Why?” Her voice was low, as though she didn’t want to ask the question.
I stayed silent momentarily, trying to figure out how to say what I felt without crossing too many lines. “If I told you I didn’t have a good answer, would you believe me?” She shook her head, and I laughed. “Thought not.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you,” she quickly clarified. “I just don’t really understand what this is either. I mean, I’ve read my fair share of romance books where the characters say they have this crazy connection, but experiencing it is different. It makes me wonder if this is real, or if you’ll tuck and run when you realize being with me isn’t as great as you believe.”
I understood what she meant. Our connection did feel crazy when I stopped to think about it. Most guys wouldn’t have thought twice if the woman they’d spent five days with had up and left. Normally, I’d have done the same—just chalked it up to a great time and went on my way.
I hadn’t been able to do that with her. From the moment I’d woken up that morning, something felt wrong. It’d felt like I’d lost something, and I’d been sick to my stomach wondering if I’d ever get it back.
My thumb stroked her soft skin, enjoying the way she trembled in my arms. “I don’t have much, Josie. I’m a simple man with simple needs. And for the longest time, I thought I’d be okay living alone. Frank had done it, and I thought he’d fared well, but then I met you. Something just clicked.” She rolled her eyes, but I tightened my hold. “I know it sounds cliché, and maybe it feels like a cop-out, but dammit, Josie… I don’t think I fully understand it either. All I know is some things are certain—the sun will set, it’ll rise again, and you’re it for me. That’s just the truth.” I took a deep breath and laid down my last card. “And I think you feel it too—otherwise, you wouldn’t have told your sisters it would always be me.”
Her lips fell open like she was going to protest, but she didn’t say a thing. The song had come to an end, but she was still in my arms, staring up at me. And it broke me in that moment to know that she’d never been cared for in the way she’d deserved.
Some might call me crazy, and honestly, I wouldn’t argue. Who falls in love after five days? But this woman had completely wrecked me, and I wasn’t about to fight it.
I’d overheard her conversation with her sisters before we left for the bar. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help myself. I was damn glad I hadn’t spoken up sooner.
Josie deserved so much more than a handful of meager words. I’d done my best, but I wasn’t a damn poet. I hated that I couldn’t explain why I felt the things I did. My love for her had become part of who I was, stitched into the fabric of my soul. It ran as deep as the oceans, as pure as freshly fallen snow. It existed and was tangible and beautiful, just like her.
And yet, she didn’t see what I could. She didn’t see how worthy she was. I could see it in the way she was staring at me now—the subtle way she averted her eyes and tensed beneath the weight of my words.
My god, everyone around her loved her. The amount of people who smiled and went out of their way to talk to her as she walked by was staggering. It didn’t look like she’d ever met a stranger.
But I wanted to tell her. I wanted her to know my feelings without a shadow of doubt. I wanted to run on stage and grab the microphone away from the balding man in the house band and tell this whole damn town how much I loved Josephine Hayes.
“Josie, I?—”
My heart fell as she shook her head and stepped out of my arms. “No, don’t,” she whispered. “Not yet.”
Not yet?What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was there a good time to do this sort of shit? I mean, maybe waiting until she didn’t have a boyfriend would’ve been a good start, but I’d done my fair share of waiting.
