Page 1 of Second Chance Saloon

CHAPTER ONE

August, fourteen years ago

Mitch

Mitch didn’t remember his suitcase being this heavy. He winced as he swapped hands, cursing his past self for not heeding his mother’s advice about purchasing one with wheels. It had been fine on the journey here, but now that he had gotten lost twice trying to find his dorm, it seemed to weigh a ton.

He stepped off the path to let a loud group go past and then dumped the offending luggage on the neatly trimmed grass. August sun warmed the back of his neck, and he scratched it, feeling heat coming off his skin. His mother’s voice rang in his ears: “Don’t forget to put the sunscreen on!”, which of course, he had forgotten. Oh well. He could sport a tan for the first week of classes. He’d heard girls liked tanned guys.

Maybe one would finally like him, too.

Sighing, he pushed his fingers through his blond hair, damp with sweat. It wasn’t important. He’d sort himself out once he’d managed to locate his freaking dorm and get the key to his room. Deciding to admit semi-defeat, he took a folded map from his shoulder bag. He’d managed to get to Austin from Portland all on his own; he could do this too. His mother had wanted to come with him, but his father thought it was time he “became a man”, whatever that meant.

Mitch vowed he wouldn’t be telling his parents about getting lost on campus when they called later.

Map open in front of him, he stepped back onto the path, trailing a finger over the legend at the bottom of the page.

“Watch it!” A guy wearing green shorts zoomed past Mitch on a skateboard, almost knocking him over.

Mitch tripped over his suitcase. His arms flapped wildly in the air, like the wings of a big bird, as he tried to regain his balance. Then, somebody clasped his hand and held him steady.

“Might wanna watch out. Not the best impression to roll into class all banged up.”

Mitch blinked against the sun’s unnerving glare, his green eyes focusing on his savior: a tall girl, with black waves cascading down her back and eyes so blue they made him think of the clearest ocean. She wore a light denim dress and a pair of scuffed black sneakers.

He couldn’t tear his gaze away. She might’ve been the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

She tilted her head. “It’d be a shame to scratch that handsome face.”

Mitch opened and closed his mouth. He wanted to give her a disarming smile, but all he managed was something between a grin and a wince.

Focus, idiot, you aren’t a damn goldfish. Use words.

“Thanks for helping me,” he croaked.

She laughed, and his heart skipped a beat. “Let me guess, you’re not from around here?”

“That obvious, huh?”

Eyebrows raised, she looked down at his boots. “These are brand new. No dirt, no scuff marks. You bought them before coming here, to fit in.” She bit her bottom lip. “I bet you also have a cowboy hat, still in a box, smelling like anything but horses or cattle.”

“I wanted to buy a hat once I arrived, didn’t want it to get damaged on the plane.” His cheeks went pink. “You’re right about the boots, though.”

Only now Mitch noticed she was almost as tall as his six feet. His gaze traveled down, hitching on her long, bare legs. He gulped, heat spreading from his cheeks to his neck.

“Where are you from?” She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes snapping from his boots to his face.

Every nerve in his body tingled as their gazes locked.

“Oregon. Portland.” He pushed his hands into his jeans pockets, rocking on his heels. “I got a swimming scholarship here.”

The girl let out a low whistle, glee dancing in her eyes. “A swimmer … impressive.”

“I’m Mitch.” He raked his hand through his hair, even damper now.

She took a step forward, their chests almost touching. “Jackie.” She worried her lip between her teeth. “You gonna ask me out, Mitch?”

Mitch swallowed hard; his feet felt melded to the hot ground. The cogs in his mind worked hard, churning and turning all sorts of rapid-fire thoughts. Surely, she was just being nice. She couldn’t have meant that.