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Brielle
Brielle used to love this.
The music.
Watching the couples who were clearly on their first dates.
And loving those who were seasoned in their relationships.
Once upon a time, she’d been right there on the dance floor, allowing herself to be swept up in the madness of romance.
That was until she met Shane.
She’d almost thought that he might’ve been the one she could tell all her secrets to. She’d nearly done just that one night when they were together. But something held her back. Shane was too good for her. He had this lavish life, and he had a reputation that he needed to uphold. There was one too many skeletons in her closet, and she wasn’t about to bare all to the world—definitely not her family.
Another slow song came on, and Shane approached Eloise just like he had planned. He’d dressed in one of his nicer suits which was saying something. There was no pretending a proposal wasn’t right around the corner. Actually, she wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up asking Eloise tonight. Why else was he so anxious?
A twinge of pain sliced through her chest, and she had to force herself to turn away from the happy couple on the dance floor.
She was thrilled for them,really.
Why wouldn’t she be? It wasn’t like she was available anyway. She had so much baggage, and it wasn’t about to be resolved any time soon.
Brielle let out a sigh and then weaved through the crowd of people, bumping into those who were visiting in larger groups. It had been a long time since she’d been out dancing by herself, and tonight wouldn’t be the end of her streak.
At last, the window for her escape had opened. She’d get out of here and let Eloise tell her what had happened.
A cowboy and his date stepped in front of her, seemingly oblivious to her desire for a reprieve, and she came up short. The cowboy glanced in her direction and then returned to his conversation with his date.
She groaned, stepping around them like it was the most annoying thing she had to do today. Finally arriving at the door, she glanced over her shoulder once more to find that Shane and Eloise had disappeared. Good for them. They deserved their happiness.
Brielle faced the door, then gasped and stumbled back a few steps, her heel catching. A strong and calloused hand shot out and grasped her wrist, yanking her upright and saving her from falling on her behind.
She blinked, heart twittering like it wanted its own escape from the ribs that kept it caged. “Wade,” she said, breathless. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.” If she had, she might have changed her mind about helping Shane with his little project. Brielle pulled away from him, hating how even his touch could elicit a response deep within her bones. She rubbed where he’d touched her, but it didn’t rid her of the tingling sensation.
Wade’s eyes dipped to where her hand rubbed at her wrist. She could already imagine what he might be thinking. They’d been on a few dates, but recently she’d focused on avoiding him altogether. He’d been persistent.
And now he’d finally caught up with her.
“It’s nice to run into you.” Wade shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. Of course he didn’t dress up. If there was a family in Copper Creek who represented the most backwoods of cowboys, it was the Keagans. A smile tugged at one side of his mouth. “And here I thought you were avoiding me.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of avoiding you.”
“Good. Then you wouldn’t mind dancing with me.”
Brielle’s knees went weak almost immediately.
Nope.
That was a very bad idea. She’d figured that out when she’d dated Shane. Attachments were getting harder to avoid. It didn’t matter how many dates she went on; she found herself longing for more—to find something like her sisters had.
She swallowed hard, her focus shifting to the door. If only she hadn’t looked back, then she would have made it outside. “I don’t think—”
“It’s the least you could do after all we’ve been through.”
One of her brows lifted. “All thatwe’vebeen through? You can’t be referring to what happened with Shane and his cousins, are you? Because I’d hardly say that happened to either one of us.” Her eyes darted once more to the door. Maybe she could dodge him and finally get out of there.
