Single-Dad Cowboy by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Chapter Eight
Nell told herself it was just a dance, no big deal. But the minute he drew her into his arms, she gave up that lie. She wanted way more than a dance with him.
She’d fought a visceral urge to claim him for a dance ever since she’d glimpsed him out on the floor with someone else.
She didn’t discount the power of cleavage, either. He’d struggled against his normal male tendency to ogle. She gave him points for that.
But if the low-cut blouse had helped inspire him to dance with her, she’d take the advantage and run with it. Or dance with it.
John Pardi’s Head Over Boots combined nicely with Zeke’s mellow two-step. He was taking it easy on her and she didn’t stumble once. When he flashed a smile at her as they made their way around the floor, she returned it.
His palm warmed the middle of her back, the pressure firm, confident. His dark gaze locked with hers. Zing. Oh, yeah, they had chemistry. She hadn’t been wrong about that.
Her skirt swirled around her bare knees and her hips swayed in time to the music. Just dancing. Yeah, right. They were talking to each other in the subtle language of lovers. Every note, every word of the tender song wove a spell, surrounding them in a private bubble.
The song ended long before she was ready for the dance to be over.
He stopped dancing but didn’t let go. “Thank you.”
“I loved it.”
“So did I. I’m glad you suggested it.” She wouldn’t mind another dance, but she was here to party with her fellow teachers and dinner should be arriving any minute. She glanced up at Zeke. “I’d like to do this again, but my meal’s probably waiting. I should—”
“I’ll walk you back.” He slipped a hand around her waist.
And didn’t she enjoy the heck out of that? Evidently she wasn’t the only one affected by the dance. She savored the possessive gesture.
“I have no right to ask,” he murmured, “but I’d like to dance with you again, and now that you’ve been out there, I guarantee other guys will—”
“What if I say I’ve promised all my dances to you?”
“You’d do that?” He started to smile, but it turned into a frown. “This is probably not how you intended your evening to go, but—”
“My evening is going fine. I was worried that I’d be rusty, but dancing with you is a terrific confidence booster. I want to try it again and see what happens if you throw in some complicated moves.”
“Alrighty, then. I’ll give you a chance to eat before I show up at your table.”
“Don’t wait too long. To tell the truth, I’d rather dance than eat.”
“Good. Me, too.”
When they reached her seat at the table, he helped her into her chair. Then he straightened and met Val’s curious gaze. “Hey, Valerie.”
“Hey there, Zeke.”
“Nell said you’d like to take lessons with the girls.”
“Only if it won’t be a problem.”
“Not at all. Glad to have you.”
“Wow, that’s great! Thanks.”
He turned back to Nell. “See you soon.”
“Looking forward to it.”
“Ladies.” He tipped his hat and headed off to rejoin the Buckskin gang.
Valerie leaned in close. “What’s going on, girlfriend?”
Nell gave her a quick rundown.
Val kept her voice low. “Just dancing, huh? I’m not buying it. I saw the way he looked at you while you were out there. He’s into you.”
“Even if you’re right, he doesn’t want to do anything about it.”
“Think you can change his mind?”
* * *
Would tonight’s unexpected encounter make Zeke consider a relationship with her? The jury was still out, but Nell gave herself excellent odds of becoming his current favorite dance partner. He certainly was hers.
They stayed out on the floor as the band picked up the pace with several fast numbers in a row. When Zeke threw in some tricky steps, she kept up with him. Did his sexy hip movements make her fantasize how much fun they could have in her bedroom? Hey, she was only human.
When the band announced The Electric Slide, everyone in the Buckskin gang got in on it. Jake made sure Zeke and Nell were tucked into their part of the formation.
Then he took the spot next to Nell. “You haven’t met my—” The music blasted, cutting him off as the group moved in unison.
“I’m Millie!” the redhead beside him called out as she pivoted. “Jake’s wife!”
“Nice to meet you!”
“And that’s Kate!” Jake pointed to a blonde dancing next to Rafe.
Kate waved in acknowledgment.
“Hey, this works.” Jake proceeded to turn the Electric Slide into a meet-and-greet, gesturing to each of the women Nell hadn’t met and calling out a name. Then he tested her, pointing at each of them and lifting his eyebrows.
She was giggling by the end of the dance.
Jake gave her a thumbs-up. “You nailed it. I’m impressed.”
“Me, too,” Millie said. “Excellent multi-tasking.”
“Remembering names is what I do, but I’ve never tried it while line dancing.”
“Hey, Jake.” Rafe showed up with the blonde woman Nell could now identify as his wife Kate. “Way to put Nell on the spot, bro.”
“Got the job done.”
“And she handled it.” Zeke slid his arm around her waist.
The gesture was lovely. The affection in his voice was even better. “And now I know everybody’s name. Nice to meet you, Millie and Kate. I—”
“We’ll be taking a short break, folks!” The lead singer’s voice flowed from the speakers on the bandstand. “We’ll be back after the cake.”
Zeke frowned. “Cake?”
“Val told me Ben wheels out a huge chocolate cake with a candle for each year Harland’s been principal.”
“Here’s an idea, Jake.” Matt came over with Lucy. “We’ll use this break to introduce our—oh, wait. You already did the complicated thing, instead.”
“My idea was more fun.”
“Way more.” Nell sent him a smile. His creative effort said a lot about the guy. He clearly wanted her to feel welcome. She was growing fond of Zeke’s big brother.
Zeke glanced at her. “You’ll need to go back over to the table for the cake thing.”
“Right.” But it meant interrupting the dynamic she had going with Zeke and her new friends.
“After the break, we can—”
The squeal of a microphone preceded another announcement. “I’ve been told everybody’s invited to have a piece of cake, including the band. And whoa, I can see why. That’s one ginormous pastry. And a heck of a lot of candles! See you over there, folks.”
“We get cake, too?” Nick stood on the fringes of the group, his arm around Eva, his fiancé. “We should come to this every year.”
Rafe gave him a look. “So that we can pay our respects to Apple Grove’s teachers, right, Nicholas?”
“Well, sure.” Nick rubbed his flat stomach. “And help them eat that big ol’ cake.”
Nell laughed. “Then by all means, let’s head over there.” Easy to see why Claire talked about her aunts and uncles with such affection. They were a lovable bunch. Hanging out with Zeke came with several perks and the Buckskin gang was one of them.
