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“Perfect because the girls will have wanted to sit close to where all the cowboys are lined up by the shoot. Then, when we see them, we can sit over on the left side.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
* * *
With beer in hand,Jordon lead them around the back of the bleachers after they’d located the girls, who sat in the front row on the far right and hung over the railing, flirting with the cowboys while his buddies sat watching the bronc rides. She felt sorry for those guys because her roommates were relentless buckle bunnies.
She’d tried not to notice, but Jordan could actually give those cowboys a run for their money as far as rear ends went. His was, like, basically perfect in a pair of jeans. He had a pretty sexy but subtle swagger, too. “I wonder if he does that on purpose?” She’d been focused on his rear when he suddenly stopped and turned around.
“Oh, goodness.” She giggled. Caught red handed. Yikes.
“Did you say something? Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you by stopping.”
“Oh, no. No problem. Sorry, I was just mumbling to myself…uh, you know, about getting payback and all that.” Jesus, what a cluster.Shut up and just smile before you get caught doing stupid things you shouldn’t.
“No worries. Let’s go find us a good spot to sit.”
“Yes, up high please? So, we can keep an eye on them.”And the cool night breeze can knock the stupid out of me.
The seats Jordon squeezed them into toward the top of the grandstand turned out to be amazing. They were able to see the entire riding arena and keep an eye on the troublesome foursome. They’d laughed at the rodeo clowns during their halftime show and rooted on the bull riders when they’d striven toward their eight second rides. Lacey had even buried her face into his shoulder once or twice when a cowboy or two took a hard throw from one of those seventeen hundred-pound bulls. She was also the first to encourage him when they asked for crowd participation for the greased pig races, however they agreed it wasn’t a good idea to put him out where everyone could see if they were trying to keep a low profile.
Who knows whether he considered this a date or not—she definitely would have denied it if she ran into anybody she knew but what she couldn’t deny was that she’d actually had a good time. Come to think of it, there wasn’t really a time she could remember having that much fun on a non-date Lacey wasn’t sure if she should be happy about that fact or worried. He was a nice guy—but still a cowboy in the grand scheme of things.
Jordon and Lacey stayed back after everything was over and made sure their friends were gone before they left the stands and headed back to his truck. She’d gotten a couple missed calls on her cell from her roommates but she wasn’t worried. They could stew about it until she saw them next.
* * *
“So, where to now?”Jordon unlocked and held the door for Lacey. He was afraid to assume they would do anything else together.
“I guess home.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I am a little hungry, though. I suppose we could stop at the Watering Hole and get food if you want. Shouldn’t be too busy with everyone at the dance.”
“Sure, works for me.” He wondered though; did she want to go to the dance? He had two left feet so he didn’t like those types of events, but he would take her if she wanted to go. “You didn’t want to go to the dance did you? I don’t mind taking you.”
Her response, however, was quick. “No, I hate dances. Sorry.”
“Don’t be, I hate to dance. Food is a better choice.”
“Great. Then we have something else in common.” Her genuine smile lit up her face and he felt he’d just taken one more baby step in the right direction.
Chapter Seven
“Is there anything else I can get you two? Maybe another beer?” The waitress cleared away everything from the two-top set back in the corner by the dance floor, except a plate of steak fries that Lacey was still working on.
“Mags I would love another beer and can you ask the DJ to play Cotton Eyed Joe?” She giggled when Jordon made a horrifying face at her.
“Sure, thing Lacey, I love that one, too.” The woman turned to Jordon. “Another for you too, sweetie?”
He nodded his head in agreement and turned toward Lacey. “Please tell me what the cotton Joe thing is because that’s worrying me just a little.”
“Oh, pish posh. You’ll be fine. We’re going to do a line dance. It’s one of my favorites, too.” Lacey took the last swig from her bottle, handed it to the waitress, and took the new one from her. “I’ll teach you—you’ll be fine.”
“But Lacey, I really don’t dance well. I promise you, it’s a scary thing.” He downed a big gulp of the brown ale he was drinking.
“Will you just trust me? It’s not like close up, slow dancing. You’ll do great. There’s hardly anyone in here, anyway, and who knows you in town? Do you see anyone besides me that you know?”
Jordon shook his head in response but he still looked worried. She just needed to pull him out there and get him right into it.
“Alright, then. Let’s go, it’s starting.” She took her beer in one hand and grabbed Jordon with the other and skipped out to the wooden dance floor. She positioned him an arm’s length away from her to the side and explained to him the first couple steps he’d do but then with the terrified look on his face, just told him to watch her feet instead.
