Page 40 of Devoted Enough

“No. I don’t think so!” Totally oblivious to my snide remark.

“Do you want a beer?” I asked Candice. “The waitress just came over, but I can go to the bar and get you one.”

Candice placed her purse on the table and reached for my hand. “Let’s go together.”

I stood and we were soon making our way around the dance floor and to the bar. Once we were far enough from the table, Candice said, “I don’t think I would have come if I’d known Lizzy would be here. Rosie didn’t mention she was going to be in town.”

Glancing back over my shoulder, I couldn’t see our table anymore. “To be fair, Rosie didn’t know she was in town. She’s here to tell her family she’s engaged.”

Candice lifted her brows. “Is she? Wonder who the unlucky guy is.”

Bumping her arm and laughing, I said, “Candy, don’t be that way. It was a long time ago.”

“Was it?” she asked, looking at me as we approached the bar.

I thought for a moment. “Yeah, five or six years ago.”

Candice rolled her eyes. “Wild, seems just like yesterday. I still don’t think I will ever be able to forgive her for sleeping with Matt.”

Matt and Candice had been dating for three years in high school. During our junior year, Candice found them in an empty classroom. Matt was screwing Lizzy from behind as she was bent over the teacher’s desk. Needless to say, she broke up with Matt and vowed to hate Lizzy for the rest of her life.

“She did you a favor. Matt was a jerk, and you wouldn’t have known it if she hadn’t arranged for you to find them.”

“I’ll take Bud Light, please,” Candice said to the bartender before focusing back on me. “I forgot she was the one who told me to meet her there.”

“Maybe she wanted you to see what a dick he was—all while seeing his dick in the process.”

Candice thought about it for a minute and then laughed. “Lizzy doing something good for another woman? Please.”

I tried not to laugh but failed. “That’s so true.”

After Candice got her beer, we turned to head back to the table when I heard my name. Goose bumps raced across my body when I realized I knew that voice. Turning, I saw Nate walking over to us, two guys following closely behind him. They looked familiar, but I couldn’t place them.

Smiling, I said, “Nate, fancy meeting you here.”

His bright smile made my heart trip over itself. “Some of the guys from the ranch wanted to go out tonight.”

Turning, he pointed to the first one. He was a bit older than us, maybe mid-thirties, with short, dark hair and beautiful blue eyes. “Haven, this is Clay, one of the ranch hands. And this guy, this is Bounty, another ranch hand.”

Bounty looked to be in his mid-twenties. His dark blonde hair and hazel eyes took both Candice and me in. Candice stepped forward and held out her hand to Bounty.

“Candice Livingston. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bounty.” She turned to Clay. “And Clay.”

“Pleasure,” Clay said as he tipped his hat.

Bounty, on the other hand, took Candice’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Please tell me you’re available for a dance—with me—for the rest of the night?”

Blushing, Candice handed me her bottle of beer. “Let’s see what you’ve got, cowboy.”

And just like that, they made their way to the dance floor.

“That was quick,” Nate and I both said simultaneously.

Laughing, I looked at him and was once again struck by how he could glance my way and my breath was instantly stolen from my lungs.

Clay slapped Nate’s back. “Gonna go find the other guys.”

Without taking his eyes off of me, Nate nodded. “Sounds good.”

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