Page 24 of His Tenth Dance

He worked to calm his temper, even going so far as to press his eyes closed. He drew a long breath in through his nose and did what the pastor had talked about at church today: He went still.

The sermon hadn’t been about anger management, but the pastor had spoken about taking time to be silent and still, so he could hear and feel God in his life.

But the tactic worked to calm Mission’s ire too, and he added a prayer for good measure.Lord, I like this woman, probably too much. Help me to be patient and not jump to conclusions.

He opened his eyes and looked at his accusatory text.

Oh, and if I could control my tongue better, that would be nice too.

His phone buzzed—he was smart enough to turn off the sound, so everyone else wouldn’t know when he got a message—and he looked down at Kristie’s text.

I’m super disappointed about missing out on the mini doughnuts, she said.But the dancing made up for it, and the handsome cowboy I was with didn’t hurt either.

Mission’s heart rate sped, his annoyance completely gone. He glanced up to make sure no one was paying attention to him, but everyone seemed engrossed in Tucker’s stories about Rosiedown in Texas. Normally, he would be too—anything that kept the spotlight off him.

How’s your Sunday going?He sent the text and reached for his nearly empty glass of lemonade and finished it.

Quiet. Just catching up on sleep and paperwork. You?

At a lunch at Opal and Tag’s. They just announced they’re having a baby.

Oh, that’s great. Tell them congratulations from me.

Mission’s thumbs hovered over the keyboard.Just ask her, he told himself. The worst she could say was no. And based on last night and this conversation, he didn’t think she would.

Would you like to go out again sometime? I bet they sell mini doughnuts other places besides the Summer Stroll.

He sent the message before he could overthink it, then set his phone down and forced himself to his feet. He didn’t want to be on this deck, with these people.

He wanted to head over to Kristie’s.

Yeah, I’d like that, she said.And you know, I still have your cheesecake. We never did make it to dessert last night.

Relief and excitement washed through him in equal measure.Maybe I could come by for dessert tonight.

I’m home and not planning on going anywhere.

Mission grinned, and he looked up to find Deacon watching him with a raised eyebrow. “Important business?”

Mission burst out laughing. “I look like Steele, don’t I?” Moony eyed and grinning at his phone.

Deacon grinned too. “You really do.”

“Coffee’s almost done,” Opal called from the back doorway. “And we have vanilla ice cream to go with the pie.”

Panic built beneath Mission’s breastbone. He sank back onto the bench and met his best friend’s eye. “Could you catch a ride with someone else?”

Deacon’s eyebrows went up. “You’re turning down Opal’s apple pie?”

“I know, it’s practically a sin,” Mission said with a small smile. “But I’ve got some things I need to take care of tonight.”

“Things, sure.” Deacon grinned at him. “I’m sure I can get a ride back to the farm. Go.”

Mission wasted no time in getting to his feet again and striding into the house. He moved right over to Opal and hugged her. “Lunch was delicious. Thank you for having me. And congratulations again on the baby.”

Opal’s eyes flickered with surprised, but she smiled. “It was good to see you, Mish. You’ve got something to do on the farm?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Deacon said he could get a ride back with someone.”

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