Page 75 of The Kiss Keeper
Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. “Did the bazillion tiny paper cowboy hats you hung from the rafters in the barn not clue you in?”
Tonight, her grandparents had planned a good old-fashioned barn dance with fiddles and square dancing to boot. While everyone had gone into town earlier to purchase western wear, she and Jake had offered to stay behind, haul out all the sports equipment stored inside the barn, and set up for the event. It only made sense. The camp was going to be their responsibility soon. A thought that a week ago would have terrified her. But with Jake by her side, it felt right. With her background as an educator and his business and real estate knowledge, everything seemed to be fitting into place.
He came to her side next to a display of belt buckles and looked her up and down.
“What?” she asked, checking her little denim skirt and red plaid cowgirl top.
“You better step into the dressing room so I can fix your shirt,” he replied with a twist of a grin.
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked, darting into the tight space. Had she missed a button? Was her bra showing?
She tied the tails of the shirt into a little bow in the front and thought she’d nailed barn dance casual.
“It’s on,” he said, his gaze darkening as he pressed her back against the dressing room mirror and undid her top button.
“Slow down, cowboy. We have a barn full of people to get back to. And there’s no way I’m missing out on dancing in these,” she added, kicking up her heel to reveal a cowgirl boot.
He turned his attention to her footwear. “Do you remember how I said that your stilettos were my favorite?”
“Yes.”
“Now, I have two favorites,” he answered, then leaned in to kiss her when the brims of their hats bumped.
“That’s a sign,” she said with a chuckle.
“That you need to be wearing nothing but those boots?” he threw back.
She adjusted his hat. “No, that we need to get back to camp. We’ll save the boots for later tonight.”
“I like that plan,” he replied with a wicked grin, then glanced down at his outfit. “Should I change back into my regular clothes?”
They’d driven into town, but they were a good twenty minutes away, and the barn dance was due to start in half an hour.
Natalie glanced at her watch. “No time. We should wear them back and head straight to the barn.”
Jake paid for their outfits, and they stepped out onto the small town’s Main Street, where they got a few odd looks.
“Not too many New England cowboys,” he said, tipping his hat to an elderly couple who hurried past them.
She hooked her arm with his. “Luckily, the one western shop in the area isn’t too far from us, and it is a Camp—”
“Woolwich tradition,” he finished as they strolled back to the camp van.
“It’s not such a stretch that the same place that hosts a lobster bake luau could also put on a western barn dance night,” she countered.
“We could add a pirate night when we take over. Who doesn’t love a pirate? Or an alien night,” Jake offered.
“An alien night?” she questioned.
He shrugged. “Yeah, everyone could dress up as little green men. We could get a laser machine and put on a show at the waterfront. It would be great!”
She tightened her hold on his arm. Her boyfriend’s arm. Her partner’s arm. She was about to embark on a life-changing endeavor, and she wasn’t alone. She leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around her. Her string of terrible Jakes had led her to the one good one out there.
“We’ll see about the lasers,” she said when a familiar voice called out from behind them.
“Look, it’s Adam, the cowboy!”
They turned to see the retired sisters from the convent who’d come to the camp for the art lesson.
