Page 10 of The Cowboy's Surprise Return

If that was the case, then Jackie was the evidence. Because despite his attempts at change, he was ready to throw it all away for a chance to be with her. He would have taken her to bed last night if she hadn’t shown him the door.

He rubbed the heel of his hand over the tight spot in his chest. The dismissal still hurt.

It had just been a kiss.

And boy, had they kissed. It had been hotter than the lava that had chased him while guiding hikers down a Hawaiian volcano.

As Daisy-Mae pressed closer, whispering something in his ear, his gaze caught on a pair of sparkling eyes across the room—eyes that quickly looked away. Jackie’s.

He sighed and dragged a hand over his jaw again, fighting the instinct to go to her. It was going to take a while to stop thinking about her and last night.

Maybe it really had been a mistake to kiss her, because it sure hadn’t answered any of his questions about whatever it was she was hiding from the world. Instead, it had only created more.

Daisy-Mae laughed, having no doubt read how tortured he was about Jackie. “Go get her,” she whispered, then winked over her shoulder as she sashayed away.

He let out a breath and turned, only to find Violet Granger facing him, a plastic glass of punch extended his way.

“Whoa!” he said, stopping short of being splashed with the orange drink. “Almost ran you over.”

“Would you like one?” She waved her plastic cup of juice in front of him, her eyes bright and hopeful.

“No, thanks.”

The only thing he wanted was to clear away whatever caused Jackie the sadness he saw in her eyes—even though he figured she was perfectly capable of doing it herself.

Wow. He really needed to get that woman out of his mind.

“This is quite the party, isn’t it?” Violet said. She shifted so she was standing beside him, her arm pressing against his. “So tell me about your adventures.” She leaned a little closer and curled the fingers of her free hand around his biceps. “I hear you were away for a few years.”

She was sweet, she really was. He gently peeled her fingers from his arm. “Sorry, hon. I’m, uh…”

He didn’t know how to get out of this smoothly. Violet’s expression was already crumbling. It was ridiculous, but all he could think of was how Jackie might feel about him having another woman flirt with him.

No, it wasn’t about Jackie. It was about turning over a new leaf, wasn’t it? About making it clear to the town that he’d returned for his family and that they were his priority.

Across the building, Jackie was chatting with people, moving among the crowd gathered at the edge of the dance floor. Was she leaving? They hadn’t even said hello.

No, she was doing a slow loop of the room and soon might cross his path.

Violet quirked her lips in resignation. “I heard she’s been waiting for you since you left.”

Cole gave himself a shake, trying to focus. “What’s that?”

“Jackie.”

“Pretty sure she hasn’t.”

She’d called kissing him a mistake, had she not?

He spun away when Violet reached for him again, and bumped into someone who’d come up behind him. His arms instinctively went around the woman, keeping her from tumbling backward. She felt familiar, safe, and a stir of longing swirled within him.

Jackie.

He was momentarily rendered speechless as their eyes connected, her fingers gripping the front of his shirt as if they’d just broken a hot, steamy kiss and she craved more. Her lower lip was red from being chewed, and he found it impossible to break his gaze.

“I thought we weren’t doing this any longer,” she said, amusement in her breathy voice. She hadn’t loosened her grip, and her body was taut in his embrace. His hands had started their own exploring, edging from her narrow waist to her shoulder blades as if he was preparing to brace her for the demanding kiss his heart was pounding for.

He abruptly loosened his grip and shuffled backward, putting space between them. “Sorry,” he said, unable to keep from eyeing her outfit’s tucks and curves. She was wearing cowboy boots. Jeans that hugged her thighs like a bull rider waiting to leave the gate. A black Western shirt with pearly snaps up the front, and delicate white stitching detail that spread over the shoulders and down to where she’d left the top two snaps open. His gaze arrested, he didn’t notice what she’d done with her hair.

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