Chapter 4
FOUR
JESSE
The place is alive when we walk in.
Not overwhelming. Not Strip-chaotic. Just loud enough to feel electric. Boots on wood floors. Laughter rolling over the music. Neon beer signs glowing against knotty pine walls. The band on stage tuning up a fiddle and a steel guitar.
Mindy stops just inside the entrance and turns to me with an expression I’m starting to recognize as trouble.
“We need to do something first.”
I lift a brow. “Already?”
“Wardrobe change.”
I glance down at myself. Black T-shirt. Dark jeans. Boots. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Nothing.” Her eyes sweep over me in a way that makes my chest tighten. “But if we’re doing this properly, we need hats.”
“Hats.”
“Yes.”
She grabs my wrist and drags me toward a display wall near the bar. Cowboy hats in every shade imaginable line the rack.
“You’re taking this very seriously.”
“I don’t half-commit,” she says. “You should know that by now.”
I watch her scan the rack like it’s a life-or-death decision. She pulls down a classic black felt hat and holds it up to my head.
“No,” she says immediately.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“You look like you’re about to rob a train.”
I laugh.
She replaces it and grabs a tan one. Tilts it. Squints.
“Better,” she murmurs. “Turn.”
I turn slowly.
She circles me, inspecting like I’m livestock at auction.
“Wow,” I say. “Should I be nervous?”
“Yes,” she says sweetly.
She adjusts the brim, then steps back.
“Okay,” she declares. “That’s the one.”
“What about you?”
She shrugs out of her jacket, revealing a fitted top that hugs every curve I’ve been trying very hard not to stare at all night. My throat goes dry.
“Your turn,” she says.
I reach for a hat without thinking—white this time. She plops it on her head and strikes a pose.
“Well?”
I pretend to consider. “You look like you’re about to headline your own country tour.”
She beams.
“Try this one,” I say, swapping it for a deep chocolate brown.
She looks up at me through her lashes as I adjust it gently. My fingers brush her hairline.
“That’s the one,” I say, softer than I intended.
She twirls.
“You approve?”
“Very much.”
For a moment we just look at each other. Something unspoken building between us.
Then the music kicks up.
Her eyes light.
“Ready?”
I swallow. “Define ready.”
She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the dance floor.
I have faced down bar fights.
I have negotiated supplier contracts.
I have rebuilt a carburetor with nothing but a YouTube tutorial and stubbornness.
I am not prepared for line dancing.
Mindy turns to face me in the middle of the floor, hands on her hips.
“Okay,” she says. “Basic step first.”
“Be gentle.”
“No promises.”
She positions my feet.
“Right foot forward. Left together. Right back.”
I move.
Badly.
She laughs—not mean, not mocking. Just delighted.
“You look like you’re trying to stomp out a fire.”
“Very helpful.”
“Relax,” she says, stepping closer. “Feel the rhythm.”
“That’s vague.”
She takes my hands.
“Follow me.”
And I do.
It’s clumsy at first. I miss a step. Nearly trip over my own boots. But she doesn’t let go. She adjusts, corrects, encourages.
“You’ve got it,” she says. “Don’t overthink it.”
“I always overthink it.”
“Not tonight.”
There’s something about the way she says it that settles in my chest.
The music swells. We start moving in sync with the group. A turn. A kick. A slide.
And suddenly, I’m not counting steps anymore.
I’m watching her.
The way she laughs when she spins.
The way her hair slips over her shoulder.
The way she looks at me like I’m not failing—I’m learning.
I can’t remember the last time someone looked at me like that.
By the second song, I’m not terrible.
By the third, I’m actually having fun.
She throws her hands up.
“See? You’re a natural.”
“Let’s not get carried away.”
The band’s lead singer squints out over the crowd.
“Well I’ll be damned,” he calls out. “We got ourselves a new couple who looks like they know what they’re doing.”
Mindy freezes.
I freeze.
“Up here!” someone shouts.
Before I can object, hands are gently nudging us toward the small stage.
“Wait,” I murmur. “We did not agree to this.”
She squeezes my hand.
“Be brave.”
I huff a laugh. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Absolutely.”
We climb onto the stage.
The band launches into a faster number.
Mindy leans close. “Just mirror me.”
“I’m going to embarrass us.”
“You’re doing great.”
The spotlight is warm. The crowd cheers when we hit a turn in sync.
It’s crazy to admit, but this is fun.
When we step off the stage, flushed and laughing, a guy in a denim shirt and far too much confidence slides up beside us.
“Mind if I cut in?”
My spine goes still.
He’s not threatening. Just cocky.
Mindy looks between us.
I don’t move.
I don’t stake a claim.
I don’t grip her tighter.
Instead, I look at her and say calmly, “Your call.”
She blinks.
“You don’t mind?”
“I’m not here to tell you what to do.”
The other guy smirks.
She studies me for a second.
Then, almost imperceptibly, she gives me the smallest look.
A plea.
Not dramatic. Not damsel-in-distress.
Just… choose me.
And that’s all I need.
I step forward smoothly, offering the guy an easy smile that doesn’t reach my eyes.
“Sorry, man. She’s mid-lesson.”
The guy hesitates, reads the room, then backs off with a shrug.
“Another time.”
“Sure,” I say.
When he’s gone, Mindy exhales.
“Thank you.”
“You didn’t want to?”
She shakes her head. “Not even a little.”
Relief punches through me harder than it should.
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You could’ve said no.”
“I know.” She smiles softly. “But I liked that you asked.”
My chest tightens.
She leans up.
This kiss is different again.
Not tentative.
Not exploratory.
Certain.
Her fingers curl into my shirt. Mine settle at her waist.
The world fades.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, something dangerous clicks into place.
I am falling for her.
Fast.
When we pull apart, breathless, I brush my forehead against hers.
“What next?” I ask quietly.
Her smile turns wicked.
“Never have I ever played craps.”
I blink.
“Craps?”
“We’re in Vegas,” she says. “It’s practically a civic duty.”
I grin slowly.
“Then I guess we’re not done yet.”
She takes my hand again.
And I let her lead.