Page 51 of The Cowboy's Second Chance Bride

SABRINA

The community center was almost empty. Some people had stayed behind, including Meredith, Hannah, Cori, Cricket, Fort, Cal, and I. We were cleaning up when Jace walked in. It was the first time in a decade that I had been in the same room with Jace and Cal. Jace walked up to me and gave me a hug.

“This is kinda weird for me,” he said, pointing between me and Cal. “Having you both in the same room.”

“Remember when it used to be normal?”

“Barely.” After he was done hugging me, he reached for his wife, grabbed her by the arm, and snaked her into his.

“Where are the children?” she asked after giving him a longer-than-normal casual kiss on the lips.

“Who knows? They’ve taken over the ranch. I packed our things. We should go on the lam now before they catch up with us an make us come home.” He buried his face in her hair. “I’m so scared of them. Hold me.”

Cal chuckled and slapped Jace on the back. “We should all get some dinner together.”

I had a glimpse into what my life might have been like had Cal and I not broken up. But maybe that was just wishful thinking or the imagination of a girl who liked romance novels. Real life was clearly not always so pretty.

“Oh, that sounds fun,” Cori said.

Cricket shook her head. “The diner had to close early because they are hosting a rehearsal dinner, so the only place that’s got good food is Bruno’s bar. And tonight just happens to be line dancing night.”

Bruno’s used to be a titty bar, but during the COVID-19 pandemic it had become more family friendly. Cricket said Bruno made more money now than he had before, which was why he kept the family-friendly theme.

Had I been a cat, my ear would have perked up and twitched. Reflexively I looked at Cal, who was looking at me, a question in his eyes. Someone groaned.

“No,” Jace said, pointing at both of us. “Nope. No. No way.”

“Is it country-music line dancing?” I asked.

“Or a variety of music genres?” Cal asked.

“There are some things that should be left in the past, and this is one of them.” Jace was still pointing fingers at us, his voice uncharacteristically loud.

I waved a dismissive hand in his direction. “Oh, come on. You act like we tortured you with line dancing. You had fun.” I turned to Cal. “He’s totally overreacting.”

“He might be acting that way because the last time I went line dancing was with him, and he drank too much, then threw up all down the front of his shirt.”

“Gross.” Meredith gave her husband a grimace.

Jace pointed to Cal. “I got sick because this asshole turned it into a drinking game.”

“It’s not my fault you have two left feet and you can’t say no to a bet.” Cal stuffed his hands into his pockets and beamed at Jace.

The change in him was stunning really. Even if he put on his suit and dress shoes, he would still look different from the Cal I saw that first day in his office. His face was softer, his shoulders were more relaxed, and he was quicker to joke and smile.

Meredith held up a hand to pause the conversation. She turned to her husband. “Are you saying all this time we’ve been together, you could line dance, but haven’t ever taken me?”

Jace pointed to Cal. “Didn’t you hear what he said? I had to drink because I was so bad at it.”

“He confuses his left and right,” I fake-whispered.

“I do not,” Jace said.

Cricket held up two hands. “Hold on a sec. Are you telling me that you, Sabrina, and you, Cal”—she pointed to each of us—“like to line dance?”

“He loooves it,” I said, jerking my thumb in Cal’s direction. Sure, I’d taught him, but the student had become the teacher.

Cal shrugged. “Big guys often don’t look good dancing club style, but a guy of any size can pull off a line dance. But I don’t really do it anymore.”

---