Her blue eyes gaze up at me, wary but wanting, her loose curls framing her beautiful face, and something in my chest tightens. I flash her a grin, letting my dimples show because I know what they do to women. But with Hallie, it feels different. Less like a move and more like... hope.
“You look beautiful tonight,” I say, and mean it more than I should.
She bites her full lip, and I catch the hesitation there. She’s thinking about my reputation; I can see it written all over her face. The buckle bunnies, the circuit hookups, the fact that I’ve spent ten years making it clear I’m not the settling-down type.
But damn. If I were actually on the market, wouldn’t I deserve a chance?
Over her shoulder, I spot Liz dancing with Nate. She’s smiling at Brooke’s bachelor date, really smiling, not that calculated thing she used to do in high school. Her face is soft, genuine, and he’s looking at her like she hung the moon.
Good. Maybe she’s finally found what she was looking for. Gawd knows it wasn’t me.
“What’s on your mind, Cupcake?” I brush a strand of strawberry-blonde hair away from her face, unable to resist touching her.
“Oh, just a wedding cake I have to assemble this week. It’s a contemporary multi-tiered fondant.” The lie comes too quickly, and we both know it.
“Did The Kindly Crumb make the cake pops?” At the sweets table is a giant tree-shaped cake pop tower.
“We did. The red ones are strawberry, and the white ones are either chocolate or vanilla.”
I pull her closer, our bodies swaying together in perfect rhythm. She feels right here, pressed against me, her hand warm in mine. Like we’ve been doing this for years instead of minutes.
But something shifts in her expression, sadness, maybe, or resignation, and it hits me like a hoof to the gut. She believes this is temporary. That I’m temporary.
And maybe she’s right to assume that. I haven’t wanted a woman in my life for a long time.
But holding Hallie Emory on this dance floor, with Christmas lights twinkling overhead and her vanilla scent wrapping around me, I’m starting to think I want to be different.
Maybe I want to be the kind of man who stays.
Problem is, I’ve spent ten years convincing everyone, including myself, that I’m not.
Chapter 9
Hallie
Each year, the first date for bachelor auction participants is working for the nonprofit in some capacity. This year, volunteers are prepping senior homes for winter freezes. We are tackling honey-do items for seniors in need, from changing out air filters to securing gutters to winterizing property.
One group is working with a skilled nursing facility to build a memorial garden plus a gazebo for residents to sit under.
Brooke and I opted for the skilled nursing build and arrived early with cups of cocoa in hand. Two of our Magnolia sisters are in charge of the gazebo project today, so we wait near the supply tables for our dates to show up. Eight couples are working on the gazebo build today, including Liz and Colt. Sigh.
I don’t really want to see Liz, but the thought of seeing the handsome cowboy makes everything else fade into background noise.
“Hi, ladies.” Nate approaches holding up a cardboard carrier with three coffee cups. “Grabbed lattes on the way. Thought you might need extra caffeine.”
We thank him and chat for a few until Liz walks up. Her face lights up as soon as she sees him, and I swear she almost looks human when accepting his latte. She doesn’t even snark at me or Brooke.
The time passes quickly, with all of us working hard to make improvements to the nursing facility. I’m supposed to be focusing on nailing boards, but my attention keeps drifting to a certain cowboy I’d like to nail instead.
Have you ever watched one of those movies where the camera slowly pans over a shirtless man, his muscles gleaming while throwing bales of hay or washing a fire truck? That’s what it’s like watching Colt Sawyer haul deck boards across the grass. Granted, he’s not shirtless, but he might as well be.
It’s a mild December day, roughly sixty-five degrees, and it’s is flying by. At high noon, the sun is blazing. Drenched in sweat, he’s put himself in charge of the whole project—from design changes to who is doing what.
The nursing facility has a large live oak in the center of its circular drive. So, in addition to a gazebo off to the side, Colt recommended we create a stone pathway and small seating area so that residents and patients can enjoy the shade of the tree. Brilliant idea.
So we divided into two teams: the deck and gazebo builders, and the stone patio builders. Sawyer Farms donated all the stone for the sitting area, which made my lady parts wake up instantly.
Colt decided that our weird little crew was on gazebo duty with him, which makes sense given the weird couple dynamics at play. All of us have a crush on someone else.
