Page 45 of Second Chance with the Rancher

Then he did a spin during their grapevine, followed by an elaborate stomp when they all stomped. He was still smiling.

Her grin grew wider and the next time they did a grapevine, she spun, as well, meeting his glittering blue eyes as he turned around, too. They both stomped. A couple more kicks, another grapevine with a turn, a scuff, and the song was over.

The dancers and the crowd clapped and Mieka, whose goofy grin hurt her face, was about to step back down and return to her seat when Nate grabbed her arm and another song started up on the speakers. Dancer and locals obviously knew what it was because they hooted and hollered and the dance floor got full fast.

“You can’t not dance to Copperhead Road, Minx,” Nate said, taking her arm and pulling her closer to him so more people could join their line. “It’s sacrilege. Only Asher can get away with it because everyone knows he’s a grump.”

She snorted and watched as the music picked up tempo and the people around her and in front of her moved to the beat.

The lyrics started and the total mass of them began to move. It only took her watching the person in front of her for twenty seconds before she picked up the moves and danced to the beat. It was a great song to dance to, and she liked this style better than the one before. There was more kicking and stomping, and the energy on the dance floor was electric and contagious.

She got right into it, stomping with vigor, whooping when others whooped and dipping her hips and shoulders as enthusiastically as everyone else.

Her heart sunk the moment the song ended and everyone on stage dissipated back into the crowd. A warm, calloused hand found hers and linked their fingers, tugging her off stage and toward the table with Asher and Triss.

She was a little out of breath, but not too much. Asher handed her a freshly poured beer, and she sipped it with vigor.

“Looks like you hated every minute of that,” Asher said cheekily. “People are talking about your deep scowl and the way you just trudged like a sloth through the moves.”

Mieka snorted and shoved her brother-in-law playfully on the shoulder. “Shut up.”

“I knew this would cheer you up,” Triss said, sipping her ginger ale. She also had a plate of fries in front of her. Mieka stole one. “Dance is part of your soul.”

“And her soul moves beautifully,” Nate added. “They do this every Friday and Saturday night, Minx. There’s even a class on Wednesday nights if you’re looking to learn new moves.”

Swirling and confusing emotions crashed through Mieka and she stood up from her seat abruptly. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Just past the bar, on the left,” Asher said.

She nodded, then left, having to slalom her way through people and tables. Thankfully, there was only a short line, and she was in and out of her stall in a fairly reasonable amount of time. She hadn’t actually needed to go, she just needed the space, but once she was there, she figured she may as well relieve herself. There were three sinks, so she didn’t feel too bad standing in front of one, just staring at herself in the mirror for a few minutes. A couple of women gave her curious looks, but nobody said anything to her.

She barely recognized herself.

Sure, she looked the same. Caramel-brown hair, brown eyes with the gold flecks, high cheekbones, and slightly olive complexion thanks to her eastern European roots. She was the Mieka Young she saw in the mirror every morning and evening, but the vacancy in her eyes, the loss of confidence and identity that she felt all the way to her marrow oozed out of her, making her unrecognizable even to herself. Who was she if she wasn’t a dancer? How was she supposed to introduce herself? What was interesting about her outside of the fact that she’d danced her entire life and on cruise ships? Add in the loss of validation, the loss of praise and that nightly applause that made her smile grow wider and her heart swell.

Who was she?

“You’re a great dancer,” came a soft voice behind her.

She blinked out of her trance, threw on a smile and turned around to face the woman who’d just spoke. “Oh, uh, thanks.”

“Are you with Nate Harris?”

“My sister is married to his brother. I’m just visiting for a bit.”

Her green eyes went wide with excitement. “Oh! You’re Triss’s sister? We love Triss. She’s helping my nephew with his speech impediment. She’s done wonders with him. And she’s just so lovely. Honestly one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

Mieka smiled. “That she is.”

“What do you do?”

Mieka swallowed. What did she do? A lot of nothing at the moment.

The woman’s head cocked to the side, waiting for Mieka to answer.

“I uh … I was a dancer.” She lifted up her broken arm. “Not dancing at the moment, though.”

The woman’s mouth dipped into a frown. “That looks like a nasty break.”

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