Her Cowboy Groom

Linnea noticed Owen turn his attention to his brother beside him. “How did talking about rodeo lead to a discussion about clothes?”

“Get two women together, and talk always turns toward clothes,” Garrett said with a matter-of-fact tone. “Or shoes.”

Chloe reached back and slugged him in the side of the leg.

“Ow. Wyatt, control your wife.”

“Oh, hell no,” Wyatt said, putting his hands in the air. “Not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.”

“Smart boy,” Wayne said from where he sat on the other side of Garrett.

“What is up with women needing so many shoes?” Owen asked.

“Because we have pretty feet,” Chloe said.

“I’ll have you know I have gorgeous feet,” he tossed back.

“Boy, the only time you had anything other than ugly feet was when you were born.”

Linnea found herself smiling at the good-natured family teasing. Owen had been right. It felt good to get out of the house and do something around other people, even if every time she saw a couple holding hands it sent a sharp pain through her heart.

By the time the rodeo was over, she was ready to retreat to the guest room, however. She was proud of herself for taking a step toward moving on, but she’d worn a smile for about as long as she could manage for one night.

So when Owen pulled into the parking lot for the Blue Falls Music Hall, a flutter of panic hit her. “I thought we were heading back to the house.”

“Later.”

Before she could protest, he slipped out of the truck and headed around the front. Not willing to let him get the door for her as if it were a date, she opened her own door and got out before he could reach her. Thankfully, he didn’t comment on her blocking his attempt at chivalry.

“Sure you don’t want to skip this?” she asked.

“You haven’t been to the music hall in a long time. And the Teagues of Texas, a local band, is playing tonight. They’re pretty good considering it’s not what they do for a living.”

Not wanting to put a damper on Owen’s fun, she accompanied him inside. Though she wasn’t his date, it was obvious that they’d arrived together. But it didn’t seem to matter. They were approximately half a dozen steps inside when a cute little brunette grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the dance floor. He looked back at Linnea with a smile and a shrug, causing her to laugh a little under her breath.

“Oh, good, you came,” Chloe said as she looped her arm with Linnea’s and dragged her toward the bar.

“Not much of a choice. Seems all my options for a ride back to the ranch stopped here.” She could have driven herself, should have, but it had seemed silly to take yet another vehicle at the time when they were all going to and coming back to the same place. But now she was stuck in the middle of a beehive of humanity having a good time.

After they sat at the bar and ordered drinks, Chloe spun toward Linnea. “How are you doing?”

“Great. Never better.”

“Sorry. We were hoping getting out would give you a boost.”

She took a breath. “It did.” When Chloe looked skeptical, Linnea continued. “Really.”

Even if she was feeling as if her meager reserve of happiness was running out like the sand rushing through an hourglass, she needed to be grateful that she had friends so ready to try to help her. But maybe it was time to go home and continue trying to heal there.

But she thought about how differently her family would handle things. While they were wonderful and loving, too, she knew her mother would want to hug and protect her, to talk about all the minute details of what had happened. The very thought made Linnea want to run screaming across the border into Mexico. Even though she would have preferred going back to the ranch after the rodeo, being in the midst of a crowd of strangers dancing, talking and laughing was still better than the pity and well-intended coddling she would get from her family if she went home. She needed more time to prepare to deal with that every bit as much as for dealing with returning to work and possibly running into Michael.

She scanned the crowd, spotting a few familiar faces. Chloe’s friends India and Skyler were laughing in the opposite corner with someone else Linnea didn’t know. Garrett and Wyatt were standing at the end of the bar holding bottles of beer. But, no surprise, Owen was right in the middle of the action on the dance floor, smiling at the girl he was dancing with, not the same one who’d accosted him at the door. Linnea realized she’d been staring at him for too long, appreciating the way he moved and how nice he looked in a clean, dark blue, button-up shirt and jeans that weren’t caked with a day’s work.

“Did you hear me?”

Linnea jerked her attention back to Chloe. “What?”

Chloe looked toward the dance floor. “What were you watching so intently?”

“Nothing. Just got lost in my thoughts.” Let Chloe assume she was still dwelling on what Michael had done. It was better than admitting that she had been thinking about Chloe’s little brother in a way she shouldn’t be, especially only days before she had been scheduled to walk down the aisle to marry another man. What the heck was wrong with her?

Chloe didn’t look as if she quite believed her, but she didn’t question her further. She did look back at the dancers, however, and shook her head. “I swear, one of these days my brother is going to grow up and stop acting like a college frat boy.”

“Holding your breath on that one?”

Chloe laughed. “No. Don’t really want to turn blue and pass out.”

Linnea chanced another glance at Owen. “It’s not like he’s over the hill.” Far from it. He was a man in his prime, one she needed to stop watching before she gave herself away. There shouldn’t even be anything to give away. Or maybe she was just overreacting because her nerves were so on edge.

“Would you like to dance?”

It took Linnea a moment to realize she was the one a tall cowboy was talking to. He was nice-looking in a rough-around-the-edges sort of way. He just had the misfortune of asking her to dance at the wrong time in her life.

“No, but thank you.”

“You sure?”

She offered him a smile that she hoped was kind but not encouraging. “Yes, I am.”

The song ended, and Owen parted from his latest dance partner. As if he could sense they were talking about him, he headed straight for them. He eyed the retreating cowboy.

“That guy bothering you?” he asked.

Linnea shook her head. “No. Just asked me to dance.”

The band struck up another tune, a cover of a Jason Aldean song. Linnea was more of a pop-music fan, but you couldn’t live in Texas and not be familiar on some level with country music.

“Not a bad idea,” Owen said, and extended his hand to her.

She stared at his hand for a moment. “I don’t think so.”

He placed his other hand over his heart. “You’re going to shoot me down? The guy who saved you from the side of the road.”

“Oh, you’re milking that for all it’s worth.”

“Go on,” Chloe said, motioning toward the dance floor. “Save my brother from his legions of adoring fangirls.”

Linnea had the strongest urge to click her heels together three times to see if she’d be transported back to the ranch. Something tightened inside her, telling her that dancing with Owen wasn’t a good idea. Mentally calling herself a fool for worrying over nothing, she sighed. “Okay, one dance.”