Page 31 of Barbed Wire Hearts

It’s only as I stop and push my hair from my face that I realize I’m not alone.

Dakota is standing in front of me, a frown twisting his features as he stares at the phone I’d just stomped into the ground. There’s not much left of it, the tiny plastic pieces scattered in the dirt.

“What are you doing?” he asks before adjusting his hat and looking back up at me.

“Nothing,” I lie too quickly, knowing it makes me look guilty, but my heartrate is still too high to think clearly. “I. . . It’s nothing,” I add, thinking that’ll help. “Just realized I hated that phone.”

He studies me, his head tilting to the side. His small beard is in need of a trim today, but he doesn’t look unkempt. If anything, he looks more appealing because of it. When he speaks again, his words are measured and carefully selected.

“You in trouble with the law back where you’re from?” he asks, watching me closely. I realize he’s trying to get a read on me.

I shake my head. “No, but you could easily Google any crimes I’ve committed.”

“I have,” he muses. “Background check, remember? I know where you’re from and that you have a parking ticket from three years ago.”

Watching him carefully, I stoop to pick up the pieces that survived my stomping. “And yet you’ve never told the others about where I’m from or anything?”

Wiley still doesn’t know. I’m certain of that because he asks me all the time. If he knew, he’s the type to hint that he does. And Levi, well, we rarely talk. I doubt he’d care to know anything at all.

“Not my business,” Dakota answers, coming over to help me pick up the pieces. “My business was checking for felonies. Anything else doesn’t matter.”

I hum under my breath. “Rest assured I’ve never murdered anyone.”

However, my murder may be coming soon if that message is anything to go by. After all, I’m not going to let them take me without a fight. Who would take care of William if they took me? The only option is to make sure they can’t ever find me.

When I’ve got all the pieces, I stand back up and look over at Dakota. He’s smiling for once, a rare sight that makes my stomach flip. He’s really a beautiful man when he smiles.

“Glad to hear you’re not a murderer,” he muses. He turns as if to walk away but turns back when he changes his mind. “We’re going into town tonight.”

My brows raise. “Oh?”

He nods. “Everyone is invited. I was coming out to tell you before. . .” He gestures to the phone and I grimace at the reminder. I’ll have to get another phone soon. Georgia will be upset if she can’t send me the best cat videos she finds.

“Where are we going?” I ask, because of course I’m going. If everyone is invited, I wanna be a part of it.

“The Boot Scoot.” At my look of confusion, he adds, “it’s a bar. They have a live band on Saturday nights so there’s line dancin’ and everything. Figured it would be good for morale.”

“Line dancing?” I grin, suddenly excited to see exactly that. “You dance?”

“If the mood strikes,” he answers honestly, his smile still on his face.

“Well then, save a dance for me,” I tease. What sort of man is Dakota Steele? He’s so stoic, I can’t imagine him dancing.

He blinks in surprise. “I’ll think about it,” he answers, and I know he probably won’t dance with me, but the thought is there. When I ask him later, I expect him to war with himself over it. Almost as an afterthought, he says, “You can ride with us.”

“Embarrassed of my car?” I ask with a grin.

He glances at my purple BMW. “Can’t all fit in that thing. Besides, trucks are better,” he says with a wink, finally turning to leave.

As he goes, I realize I’m breathless and it’s no longer because of the mysterious text message.

It’s because of Dakota Steele and that goddamned smile.

ChapterTwenty-Six

Kate

What does one wear to a Honky Tonk? As I stare at my closet full of clothing that doesn’t seem appropriate, I ultimately decide nothing I own will work. When Naomi appears at my door a few minutes later, her arms full of clothing, I breathe a sigh of relief.

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