McKenna rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. I’m not buying what you’re selling. I suspect it would take more than a few words from me to shake your confidence.”
She waved her hand around the room. “There are countless women who’d oblige you with a dance. Ones who aren’t working.” She clasped her hands together in front of her and smiled, but it failed to reach her eyes. She smiled the way an irritated salesclerk did at a person with a pile of returns on December twenty-sixth. One that said, she was reminding herself she couldn’t blast him with both barrels. “Now, I have a clogged sink to deal with. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Then she turned and stalked away, while he stood there with his mouth hanging open, shaking his head in amazement. The woman put him in his place, and damned if he hadn’t enjoyed the tussle and admired her for it.
She was something. Being hit with the cork and a bloody nose hadn’t slowed her down one step. No, sir. She kept on going, not shedding a tear. Most women he knew would be crying in the emergency room, demanding to see a plastic surgeon. They’d also say to hell with work. Let someone else worry about it, but not McKenna.
“Did that go as bad as it looked like it did from where we were?” Cooper asked as he thumped Zane on the back.
Though AJ and Ty were still dancing, when they spotted him looking in their direction, they grinned and chuckled. Zane shoved his hands in his front pockets as his ears grew hot. He’d hoped his friends hadn’t witnessed McKenna’s brush-off, but he should’ve known they’d be keeping an eye on him. This was prime entertainment, probably rating right up there with Aggie football.
“Hitting her in the face with a champagne cork was a great way to get her attention. From the looks of it, you dang near broke her nose,” Cooper said.
“That was bad luck, but I’ll make a comeback.”
“Not from the irritated look I saw, you won’t.”
Dang. If Cooper, the least perceptive of his friends, noticed how ticked McKenna was, Zane was hip deep in trouble.
“If I hadn’t seen it, I never would’ve believed you could bomb that bad. Maybe tonight’s not your night. Want to cut your losses and pay now?” Cooper asked.
The ribbing he would take over his friends being right while he’d been wrong would sting more than losing the money, and they’d hold it over his head for a good while. But Coop’s comment made the bet a matter of pride.
“No way. The night’s still young, and bad luck can turn around in an instant.” A confidence Zane didn’t feel rang in his voice.
“I’m surprised. You’ve never been a glutton for punishment.”
“I’ve never been one to walk away from a challenge either.” And if nothing else, McKenna Stinson was a challenge. “The big issue is she’s working. The way to eliminate that is to hang around after the party’s over.”
A phone dinged and they both pulled theirs out to check. “It’s mine,” Coop said, his voice resigned. “Cheyenne can’t find me, and it’s in all caps.”
“Sounds like you’ve got groveling to do.” Zane chuckled at his friend’s discomfort.
“But I’m still in better shape than you are with McKenna.”
*
When the partyended, Zane wandered to the old barn. He missed the Lucky Stars the way it had been as a cattle ranch. A few head still roamed through the fields, making him smile. He and Ginny couldn’t bring themselves to sell the last few after his grandfather died.
He smiled thinking of when he’d designedCowboys and Zombies. Because he’d set the game on a fictional version of this ranch, he had traveled back in time and restored Lucky Stars to its former glory. He’d also kept a part of his Grandpa Paul alive by memorializing him in a character.
Where were these maudlin thoughts coming from? He’d never felt them before when he visited Wishing.
But this visit was different, as were his friends. The fact had hit Zane again tonight with them paired up.
Change made Zane nervous. How often had he found it to be a good thing? Rarely. Would his friends moving on to a different phase of life turn out the way other change had for him?
A moment of stark panic shot through him. What if his buddies grew so busy with their own families they didn’t have time for him? What if he couldn’t call and find them there for him no matter what he needed?
No, that wouldn’t happen. Married or single. Kids or not. No matter what life threw his way, they’d be there for each other through hell and high water as they always had been.
They’d still be hanging out and tossing out bets.
Figuring he’d waited long enough for folks to clear out, Zane returned to the event barn, his plan in place. He’d offer to help McKenna clean up, and once finished, he’d pull out his phone, put on a slow ballad, and ask her to dance. No sweat.
When he opened the large barn door and stepped inside, a sexy, feminine, and haunting voice swirled around him. Strong, yet ethereal, the rich tone captivated him singing “With a Song in My Heart.” The throaty rendition poured through him like honeyed gravel. Who could be singing his grandmother’s favorite song?
Zane closed his eyes as memories of his life with his grandparents rippled over him. His earliest memories were of Ginny singing that song when she worked in the house or on the ranch. Visions of him following them around, helping with chores, soaking up their attention flowed over him. Sometimes his grandfather would pull out an old vinyl record of either the Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald version and ask Ginny to dance. Zane smiled, remembering his grandparents dancing. How happy he’d been. How he’d felt loved and part of a family.
