Page 100 of His Tenth Dance

She knew that intellectually, but her heart squirmed and pinched and cried, and she swiped angrily at the tears that spilled out of her right eye again.

“Let’s go,” Mission said quietly, and she stood up. “Hey, sorry, guys.” He gave a tight smile to Mike and Gerty, Keith and Lindsay, and Steele and Hazel. Kristie hadn’t even looked at or spoken to any of them.

“We have to go,” Mission said. No further explanation. He looped his arm through Kristie’s and gave her a small smile.

Everyone looked at her with wide, worried eyes, and it felt like the whole world knew of her inadequacies and indiscretions.

“It’s fine,” Gerty said. She jumped to her feet and hugged Kristie, who stood there unyielding before she realized how cold she was coming across. Gerty stepped back before Kristie could hug her back. “Go. I’ll call you later to come look at Dusty.” She tried to smile, but it didn’t sit right on her face.

And why should it? Now Gerty knew Kristie wasn’t a good vet.Of courseshe wouldn’t really call for her to come look at Dusty. She’d only said that to be nice.

Mission led her out of the stands, where everyone seemed to be staring at the two of them. A few people even whispered. In the parking lot, Kristie caught up to the situation. “Where—? How are we going to get home?”

“I called my granddad,” he said. “He’s here, and he won’t ask any questions.”

Great, because Kristie was asking plenty.

Had she done something wrong on Carl’s farm? His cattle had the same sickness that was sweeping through the area. She’d treated them, given him the medicine, and taught him how to administer it.

What else was she supposed to do?

Was her burden as a veterinarian more than that?

Should she have canceled her plans with her boyfriend, on his birthday, to go check on a non-life-threatening sickness in cattle she’d already treated?

She let Mission put her in the backseat of his grandfather’s truck, and she leaned her forehead against the window as they left the auction.

None of it matters, she told herself. She’d ruined Mission’s birthday all the same, and she just wanted to go home.

When she looked at Mission, he nodded, leaned forward and said, “We have to drop Kristie at her house, Granddad, okay?She lives just north of that park where you had the drum festival.”

“Okay, son,” his granddad said, and Kristie let herself weep silently on the rest of the ride to her house.

“Thank you,” she said to Ted, and she got out of the truck on her own. But she was delusional if she thought Mission would let her escape into the house by herself.

Oh, no. He came with her, and Kristie paused near the end table where she’d set his gifts.

“I’m so sorry, Mission,” she said.

“Don’t be.” He took her hand and led her down the hallway to her bedroom. “I can stay,” he offered.

She shook her head, because while she appreciated what Mission was trying to do, she really just wanted to be alone.

She grabbed onto him and sobbed into his chest while he held her. “I’ll be okay,” she said. “I just need….”

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said, and he pulled back her blanket, and Kristie simply climbed into bed, let him tuck her in, and she managed to wait until she heard her front door snap closed before she started to cry again.

thirty-three

Mission kept his head down as he went back to his cabin for lunch, mostly to keep the wind from stinging his eyes.

But not really.

He kept his chin pointed at the ground lately, because he didn’t want anyone to see him. He didn’t want to talk about Kristie and the lack of her presence in his life.

No, he hadn’t told her he loved her on her birthday—and he’d been proud of his self-restraint.

Now, it felt like a lost opportunity, and he kept going back to it. Perhaps if he had, she wouldn’t have iced him out over something silly and untrue.

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