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This whole experience tonight was surreal. It couldn’t be happening. She wasn’t supposed to serve her sentence here in some tiny town and end up finding a guy. Something was off. She’d get comfortable, and then the rug would get ripped out from under her.
But the logical part of her brain that knew all of that to be the truth was being overruled by her heart. She wanted to believe that maybe karma had decided she’d had enough. She’d slung horse manure, worked until her palms were blistered and cracked, and those dang chickens.
Yes, those murderous chickens who seemed to hate only her should have made it possible to shorten her community service alone.
As much as she had wanted to leave this place and go back home to start fresh, lately she found she wanted to stay more than she wanted to go. Copper Creek and the cowboys at Slate Rock Ranch had shown her that there was more beyond college parties and fitting in with a popular crowd.
She’d learned to work hard, befriend people who were more down-to-earth, and all because she’d made mistakes first.
It didn’t seem fair that she was finally settling in after all the trouble she’d caused.
Her thoughts shifted to Kenneth and a chill crawled up her spine. No, everything hadn’t been wrapped up in a pretty little bow. He was still out there somewhere, and there was a very real possibility that he could come looking for her. He’d served at least a few months in jail, and he was bound to be upset with her for outing him.
She forced her breathing to remain steady. Dax would be able to sense her discomfort if she wasn’t careful. Besides, Kenneth had no reason to come looking for herhere. The country club would be the last place she would think to look if she was searching for someone who had gotten in trouble with the law.
Sarah shook off the strange feeling that she shouldn’t let her guard down. She shouldn’t let these thoughts ruin her night with Dax, but she most certainly should remain alert.
Finding Dax’s gaze on her, she basked in the way he could set her insides aflame with just one look. His hand was around her waist, holding her near. His other hand held hers as they danced like he was about to sweep her across the floor. He may not be a prince and she wasn’t a princess, but tonight she might indulge just a little and pretend.
“I’m surprised you wanted to take me out.” It was the first sentence that had popped into her head, and she immediately regretted it. She sounded like an utter fool.
He chuckled. “Well, maybe I’m surprised you accepted.”
“Why?”
Dax spun her around and put her into a dip, leaning over her with a boyish grin. “Because we got off to quite a rocky start.”
She bit back the impulse to giggle. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I’m glad things changed.”
“Me too.” She let him continue leading her through some basic dance steps, nothing like the two-step sway that most people did when they slow danced at weddings or concerts. “Who knew a cowboy could dance so well?”
His beaming smile turned everything inside out. “There’s a lot about me that you don’t know.” The moment those words left his mouth, his smile faltered. “I guess there’s a lot about you that I don’t know as well.”
Guilt.
Hot and uncomfortable roiled within, dousing the happy, giddy flame that had once danced in its place. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
“Do you think we’ll get to a point where that’s something we don’t mind sharing?”
“I hope so.” But probably not. She cringed to think of what Dax might do when he found out just what she was involved in. She also had no idea what he might do if he realized who her family was. It was best to keep that sort of thing private. Yes, she felt there were parts of his life that he purposefully hid from her, but she wasn’t in any place to even ask about them.
“Okay, tell me more about you—things like your interests and hobbies. Friends or siblings.”
“I can do that.” Sarah tilted her head and grinned at him. “Even though I never wanted for anything, my favorite food is something that my family can’t stand.”
“What is that?”
She made a face. “I love Spam. And it isn’t even a little bit. In college, I would buy and eat it at least once a day. My specialty is Spam tacos.”
This time he grimaced. “Okay, I can get Spam with potatoes. Buttacos?” He chuckled. “That was definitely an unexpected confession.”
Sarah laughed. “Don’t knock it ’til you try it.” She let her thoughts wander some more. “I told you I took a lot of finance classes in college.”
“Right, and you don’t know if you want to go into that.”
“Correct. I think I’ve figured out what I would do if I didn’t go back to that.”
