Chapter 4

“Where’s Chad? Don’t tell me he left you alone, all dressed up so fancy like you are!” Jake looked Jamie up and down. She wore an Idyllwind brown-and-white cow-print dress that fell slightly above her knees and featured short, off-the-shoulder sleeves. In keeping with the western theme, she’d also purchased a new pair of brown ostrich cowboy boots.

Jamie smiled, a little embarrassed by the attention. “Yes, I’m here on my own. Chad thinks dancing is dumb, especially line dancing.” He was up in their room, on his phone, attempting to persuade his clients to purchase stock. It seemed like his phone hadn’t left his hand since they arrived, and she was beginning to wonder why he had agreed to come here with her at all.

She gave Jake a quick once-over. “You clean up pretty nice yourself there, cowboy.” He wore a blue-and-white checkered cowboy shirt, a pair of blue Wrangler jeans that were held up with a belt, and a large silver belt buckle that he’d won in a rodeo many years ago. A very clean and very white Stetson sat atop his head.

“Well, he doesn’t know what he’s missing, does he?”

She smiled. “No, he definitely doesn’t.”

Jake spent the next several minutes showing Jamie the steps for the Cowboy Boogie line dance. They were really quite easy, and she picked them up quickly. When they heard Brooks and Dunn’s Boot Scootin’ Boogie begin to play, they made their way to the middle of the great room and were joined by most of the other guests and the cowboys too; they were there to provide assistance and encouragement to the other dancers. As everyone moved around to the synchronized moves, she realized just how much fun this was. Jake was a fantastic dancer, always on the beat and never missing a step. She actually felt a little sad because she would have loved sharing this experience with Chad had he only been willing to take a little risk and try something new.

Jamie learned a few more songs with Jake’s help and finally needed a break after the surprising workout she’d received. Jake followed her off the floor. “Can I interest you in getting a drink with me, little lady? Anything you want, I’m buyin’.”

She chuckled because it was all-inclusive; she had already paid for her drinks, and he knew it. But she wanted to play along. “Well, that would just tickle me to death, pardner!” she said in her best faux-Southern drawl, which made him smile. He put his arm on the small of her back and guided her over to the bar. Jake ordered a beer and she requested a Cosmopolitan, which wasn’t really a country drink but had always been her favorite.

“Cheers!” she said.

“Giddy up,” Jake replied. She smiled at his goofiness. “So, where are you from?” he asked.

“I grew up in Glendale, California, but we live in Costa Mesa now,” she said after taking a sip of her drink.

“Wow, Los Angeles, way too many people for me.”

“Hey, we have cowboys in LA,” she said playfully.

“You have urban cowboys, not the same thing at all.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s not.” She paused for a moment. “So, you’re telling me that you’re the real deal, huh?”

“Yes, Ma’am, I am. I was born in Texas, but really, I’ve been all around. I’ve been a full-fledged cowboy for only about twenty years, though. But I’ve been ridin’ since I was about two.”

She wished she could have conversations like this with Chad, just simple exchanges without any hidden agendas or overt drama. So much of the time, she had to work at relating to Chad, and this felt nothing like that. “So you can really do all of that cowboy stuff?”

“I can. I can rope, ride, and I love taking care of animals. I guess I’ve pretty much done it all at one time or another.”

“The last time I was on a horse, I was here, with my parents.”

There was a little longing in her voice that he easily picked up on. “I hope next time ‘round you’ll bring them with you.”

“They passed away in a car accident a few years back,” she said. She could feel her eyes get misty as she thought of them.

He quickly reached out, took her hand, and squeezed it. “I’m truly sorry about that, Jamie,” he said sincerely.

“It’s okay. This place brings back so many good memories. I’ve wanted to get back here for so long, and I’m glad I finally got the opportunity.”

There were about a million more questions that he wanted to ask about her life, but he held back. She was a guest, after all, not to mention engaged, and he decided not to overstep his bounds. They’d finished their drinks, and the song that was playing ended. “So, now that you’re a seasoned pro with line dancing, you ready to try the two-step?”