Page 61 of Sunrise & Serenity

“How could I?” She smiles up at him. “Not sure my toes have recovered from the last time you two-stepped all over them.”

“Lies.” Grinning, he places the beers he’s carrying on the table.

“Pretty sure I saw the bruises the next day.” Chance smirks as he snags one of the bottles.

“Don’t worry,” Taryn says. “Sage and I have your back, don’t we?”

I’ve been watching them with a smile, enjoying the easy way they give each other shit. “Oh, uh, I’ve never danced to country music before, but I’ll do my best.”

“Enthusiasm is the only requirement,” Riley says.

Quinn slings an arm around her shoulders. “You want a drink, Riles? A little hydration before hitting the dance floor?”

She surveys the cocktail glasses Taryn and I are holding. “I wouldn’t mind joining in on the mojitos.”

“Sit your cute ass down, then. I’ll be back in a minute.”

While he’s gone, Chance introduces me to Knox. After Taryn’s reaction to his name earlier, I take a closer look. He’s wearing a cap pulled low over his eyes, and his square jaw is covered in heavy stubble. He might be intimidating if it wasn’t for the relaxed smile he gives me.

Taryn is busy talking to Riley, as if she’s barely noticed Knox, so maybe that reaction was just my imagination. Probably a good thing, because Knox has to be in his late twenties, like Chance, which is way too old for Taryn.

When Quinn returns with a mojito for Riley, she takes it with a smile. “My hero.”

“Always.” With a wink at her, he flops onto the couch next to Knox, then tips his beer back.

I sip my own mojito, laughing as the people around me rib each other. It’s fun, but an annoying little niggle in the back of my mind wishes Holden were here too. When Taryn invited me, she mentioned that there was a chance he might join us, but warned me not to hold my breath.

And she was right. When Quinn’s truck came bouncing up the road, Holden walked out onto his porch, coffee mug in hand, and merely watched as I climbed in alongside his sister.

Taryn leaned over me and lowered the window. “We’ve got space if you want to come.”

He only shook his head. “Have fun. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“But you said to have fun,” she called back with a grin as Quinn made a U-turn.

Disappointment had landed with surprising weight in my stomach. I can’t deny that I may have put a little extra effort into my appearance, knowing there was a chance Holden would be here. My red sundress is short, with a tiered skirt and a fitted bodice. With my hair down and my new cowboy boots, I feel sexy in a completely different way than I used to when I went out in the city.

Pointless, I know, but I couldn’t help myself.

Once again catching myself thinking about Holden, I shake my head. Who needs a too-hot, grumpy-but-not-as-grumpy-as-I-originally-thought cowboy when there are so many smiley ones here tonight?

Across from me, Riley sits next to Quinn, who has his arm casually draped over the back of the couch behind her. They look so comfortable together. Taryn mentioned they were best friends, but I can’t help wondering if they’ve ever been more.

She catches my eye and leans forward so I can hear her. “Ready to dance yet?”

I hold up my almost-empty glass. “Let me finish this, and I’ll be ready to give it a go.”

Quinn shakes his head. “Not sure the three of us will be enough to keep you out of trouble after all.”

Riley flashes him a wicked grin. “Challenge accepted.”

I squint out at the dance floor, where a dozen or so patrons have formed lines and are moving in sync. Should have known there’d be line dancing.

Oh well. There’s no one here I need to worry about making a fool of myself in front of. The moment I set my empty glass down, Taryn jumps up and tugs me to my feet. “Come on, let’s go.”

Without waiting for me to respond, she drags me toward the dance floor, with Riley on our heels.

“Just copy me,” she calls over the music. “The moves repeat. When we turn around, copy Riley or the person in front of you. And relax,” she emphasizes. “No one cares if you’re not perfectly in time. They just care that you’re having fun.”