Taking the Bull by the Horns (3 page)

Aaron was so focused on the pony, he only nodded.

"Aaron, your manners,” Monica chided.

"Thank you, Mr. Craig,” he said without turning around.

Taylor grinned at Lavender. “Let's head on back, then. Nice to meet you, Monica."

He rested his fingers at the small of Lavender's back, sending a shiver through her as he guided her across the yard to the truck. At the same time she wanted to lean back into his touch, wanted to see what he'd do. He held the door open and she slid in, self-conscious of his attention on her.

A few moments passed while she sought the balance she'd had on the way out here. Surely just that little touch, that little show of possession hadn't thrown her off so far. “You were really good with him."

"I like kids. Wait, that didn't come out right.” He flashed her a grin.

She smiled. “I know what you meant. But it has me wondering what you did before you decided on amateur rodeo."

His grin dimmed. “Lots of different things."

"Nothing you could settle on.” Like that was a surprise. She knew his type way too well.

"Nothing that made me happy."

"And rodeo does?"

"So far."

"That's good. It's important to be happy.” But like her mother, he'd probably always be chasing it. She settled back in her seat and wondered why the idea made her so sad.

When he pulled up beside her Toyota, he repeated his dinner invitation.

"I can't,” she said, too aware that he essentially had her trapped in the truck, and that she didn't really know him, and that the parking lot was mostly empty, usual for the end of the school year when teachers started yearning for summer.

"Someone waiting at home?” he asked.

She wondered why he hadn't considered that before. No ring, maybe, but now she latched onto the excuse. “Yes. I'm sorry. I have to get home."

Something tightened in his face, something more than disappointment that she refused. More like disappointment in her. Her stomach twisted. She'd experienced that often enough.

He shoved open the door and climbed out. This time he didn't reach in to help her out. And when she said goodbye, she didn't meet his eyes, only murmured a thank you before darting into the school to straighten her room for the next day. Regret was heavy in her heart that she'd let him believe she was taken. It had seemed the right thing to do, and going to dinner with him would only prolong her hopes, wouldn't it?

"Hey, Lavender, who was that you were talking to out there?” Jerri, one of the two third-grade teachers asked. She and the other third-grade teacher, Melissa, and the second-grade teacher, Laurie, stood in the hall by Laurie's room.

Had they been waiting for her? Surely they didn't stay an hour after school every day, unless it was to visit. Lavender hated that they intimidated her. They were young and beautiful and free, everything she wasn't.

"Just a guy I met today on the field trip."

"From the rodeo?"

"Mm, yeah."

"What was he doing here?"

"Aaron left his cowboy hat behind and Mr. Craig brought it over to return it."

"Mr. Craig, hm? Well wasn't that sweet?” Laurie asked. “And you took it out to Aaron together? That's quite a ride."

"Aaron was upset about the hat, and Mr. Craig had made such an impression on him, I thought Aaron would like to thank him in person."

"Ah. So you took a forty-five-minute round trip."

Put like that, maybe it was a little foolish.

"Was the field trip fun?” Jerri asked.

Lavender rolled her eyes, grateful for the change in subject. “Are they ever?"

"If you meet guys like that, they are,” Laurie sighed.

Lord, how much of Taylor had they seen?

"I need to get ready for tomorrow.” Lavender headed down the hall toward her room.

"We're going out to the Blue Bug tonight,” Laurie said to her retreating back. “It's kind of a tradition during rodeo season. Do you want to come?"

Lavender turned slowly to give Jerri and Melissa enough time to give Laurie dirty looks or jabs or whatever. Lavender had stopped accepting social invitations long ago and so people had stopped inviting her. Didn't Laurie know that? In the time it took her to turn, she played all the reasons her grandmother would give for her not to go: it was a Thursday, she was too tired from her field trip, teachers going to a honky-tonk was trashy, her grandmother needed her.

But when she opened her mouth to make a more polite excuse, she pictured Taylor. She'd have a better chance of seeing him again there than by sitting home watching TV. Running into him in a dance hall wasn't the same as making plans to eat dinner with him, was it? And that little touch on the small of her back had awakened longings she'd forgotten. Yes, he would leave. Yes, it would hurt if she let it.

So instead of the, “No, thanks,” she said, “What time?"

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Lavender hadn't been to the Blue Bug in maybe ten years, but it hadn't changed much in that time. Still, she was shaking as she searched the crowd for Laurie and her friends, also scanning for Taylor. Wow, there were a lot of cowboy hats and faded jeans. The bar was hidden behind rows of them, and harried waitresses rushed around with trays full of long necks. Every instinct told her to pivot and go home to her grandmother, curl up and watch TV while she recovered from the field trip.

Then she looked down the hall into the pool room and saw Taylor. He was propped against a pool cue, studying the pool table while another cowboy leaned in for a shot. He wasn't wearing his hat and his jaw-length brown hair gleamed in the dim light. He swigged a beer then stretched out for his own shot, all delicious lean grace.

While the balls still rolled on the table, he looked up and saw her. Surprise brightened those pretty eyes, then he winked.

The ball went into the pocket and Taylor straightened with a victorious grin.

Lavender heard her name. She turned to see Laurie, Melissa and Jerri waving from a table in the middle of the main room. She edged through the crowd toward them, heart pounding. Anxiety at stepping out of her comfort zone had her nervous, not the way Taylor Craig had looked at her.

"Hey.” She draped her purse over the back of the empty chair and sat, checking out the bottles on the table—three empties and three half empty. “Been here long?"

"About half an hour. We thought you wouldn't come,” Jerri said.

Lavender tried not to read anything into that. “No, I wanted to. It's nice to get out."

The three women considered her a moment before Melissa leaned back to signal a waitress for another round.

"Your cowboy's here,” Jerri said with a wave of her hand. “I saw him dancing earlier. He's got moves."

"He's so cute,” Melissa sighed. “Too young for me, though."

Which meant too young for her by far. Lavender stiffened defensively. “He's not my cowboy.” At least they couldn't see her blush in the dim light.

The band started playing a popular line dance song and the tables emptied. Her three companions popped out of their seats to join the throng on the floor. Laurie turned back to her.

"Do you know this one?"

"Um, it's been awhile. I'll watch, see if I remember."

"You're not going to remember by watching. Come on.” Laurie took her hand and pulled.

But once on the dance floor, Lavender lost her as more people crowded the floor, and she tried to follow her neighbor's feet.

Strong hands closed on her hips, turning her with the crowd, and Taylor moved up beside her before releasing her. “Watch me,” he advised.

She did, studying his feet in the battered brown boots before she had to turn her back to him and follow someone else's steps, all the while self-conscious of Taylor behind her seeing her stumble, or maybe watching her big butt. Great. Her grandmother had told her the jeans were too tight.

The moves had her turning again, with Taylor to her left this time. She was finally getting it, and then the moves had him turning his back to her. She stumbled when her gaze wandered to his butt and she jerked her attention away before he turned and saw.

He grinned anyway, as if he'd known. She stuttered for a minute, then fell into step with him. The synchronicity felt good, made her feel connected to him and the dancers around, and she let the music wash through her as she turned her back to him. When they were facing the same direction again, she admired his grace once more. He was light on his feet, and interpreted the rhythm more deeply than just following steps, his knees bending deeper, his hips swiveling. He even added a couple of skipping steps but kept with the beat. God, she wished she could dance like that.

The song ended just when she was starting to feel the burn in her thighs, but still she regretted leaving the floor, leaving his side. The crowd thinned as another upbeat song played and Taylor turned to her, hand outstretched, eyebrows lifted hopefully.

She backed away in horror at the fast beat. “I can't."

Regret slackened his features, and she was sorry to disappoint him. Then she saw one of the most graceful women in town at the edge of the dance floor, surrounded by men pleading for a dance, and Lavender pointed Taylor in Roxie's direction.

"She's a good dancer. Go ask her."

He looked skeptical, but apparently the music was getting to him, so he strolled over, reached through the crowd of men for Roxie and pulled her through them to swing into his arms.

Lavender burned with jealousy that she couldn't be Roxie, and then she just watched.

Roxie was as tall as Taylor, gorgeous and built, the snug clothes she wore following the line of her perfect body, her long red hair swinging behind her. Taylor curved his hand just above her waist and took her hand in his other, feet already moving in quick steps. Roxie matched him for only a few measures before Taylor took her in a series of quick spins in the middle of the floor before whipping her out and then back into his arms. Roxie threw back her head and laughed, and he rolled her away again, guiding her in complicated turns before pulling her back and circling with her around the floor. Their feet moved in perfect time, perfect rhythm, and Lavender marveled at how well they read each other. The floor had cleared significantly, many dancers joining her on the edge to watch. She couldn't tear her eyes away. He swung Roxie around and tucked her against his side so they circled facing the same direction before he whirled her back to face him just as the song ended.

Lavender was breathless, just watching them, and they parted, grinning. Taylor held out his hand to invite her for another dance, but Roxie shook her head.

"Roxie's rules. Only one dance,” the redhead said, but Lavender thought there was regret in her friend's eyes when she turned to another partner.

Taylor turned toward Lavender then, and she realized with a jolt that he must think she was waiting for him. It was too late now to bolt back to her seat, though, so she stood, mortified, till he reached her.

"You dance so well,” she managed.

"Thanks. Makes me thirsty.” He tucked his hand at the small of her back and guided her to the bar.

She cast a wild-eyed glance at her colleagues, who all gave her double-thumbs up. Approval was not what she was looking for. She needed rescue.

Taylor edged sideways through the crush at the bar, anchored his elbow on the edge and looked back at her. “What'll you have?"

"I left my purse.” She motioned to her table and sent another “help me” look to Laurie, who just grinned.

"I've got it.” His tone was a touch impatient. “What do you want?"

When was the last time she'd even had alcohol? She had no idea what to order. She tried to remember what the other ladies were drinking but her mind was blank.

"Whatever you're having,” she said finally.

He nodded his approval and ordered two Shiners. He paid and extricated himself from the crowd before handing her a bottle. “You don't want a glass or anything, do you?"

She shook her head and took a sip of the cool dark beer. No tables were available, and she didn't want to take him back to the table with the other teachers, so she leaned against a post and wondered how to escape.

"I didn't think I'd see you here,” he said. “I thought you had someone waiting for you at home.” His attention turned to suspicion. “It's not a cat or something, is it? And you just used it as an excuse not to have dinner with me?"

She lowered her gaze guiltily. “My grandmother. Why? Do I look like a cat lady?"

He reached over and brushed some cat hair off her fitted dark top.

"I thought I got all that,” she murmured, and was surprised she didn't feel embarrassed that he saw her lack of perfection. “I didn't plan to come, but some of my friends invited me. And after a field trip, this is really good.” She motioned with her beer and took another sip.

A corner of his mouth twitched. She really liked that twitch. “Want to dance?” he asked.

"Oh, I'm not—you saw me out there."

"Yeah, but this is the two-step. You're a Texas girl, right? You know how to two-step."

"Really, not well."

But he didn't take no for an answer. He took her beer and set it on a shelf on the post she'd been leaning on, then folded her hand in his and led her to the floor. Her heart hammered. This would not be good. She was going to make a fool of herself in front of everyone. She sucked in a breath as Taylor turned her into his arms, his hand settling lower than it had on Roxie.

Which meant their bodies were closer and she could smell him, warm and musky and male and
good
. Then they started moving and while she tried to picture herself as Roxie, she just couldn't match his steps, even though this song was nowhere near the speed of the one he'd shared with the redhead.

"Why don't you let me lead?” he bent his head to ask, a teasing note in his voice.

Embarrassment flooded her in a wave.

"Feel my hand. Let your feet follow."

Easier said than done. She stumbled after him. He slowed and simplified his steps, but the damage was done. She was mortified, but he wouldn't let her escape. His patience only made it worse.