Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“J ace Carson can still dance.” Noelle sighed. “It’s a darn shame he’s off limits.”
Hallie kept her gaze away from the dance floor and on the thick slice of wedding cake she was eating. She had never been good at hiding her emotions, and her emotions were still all over the board where Jace Carson was concerned. She was greatly relieved he’d agreed the morning they had spent together had been a mistake and was best forgotten.
And yet, there was a small part of her that also felt a little annoyed.
Which was completely ridiculous.
She didn’t want Jace to remember that morning. She didn’t want to remember it either . . . and yet, every time she closed her eyes, the images were right there. Images of strong hands, with calloused fingers from gripping a football, gliding over her skin and caressing her hips and cradling her breasts and slipping between her—
“Dammit!” Hallie hadn’t planned on voicing the curse aloud. Noelle startled and sloshed champagne on her dress and all the people standing close to them turned and stared. Hallie pinned on a smile. “Pardon me. I just heard the Texas Rangers lost their last game.”
“The Texas Rang—?” Noelle started, but Hallie shot her a warning look that cut her off. She brushed at the droplets of champagne clinging to the bodice of her too-tight dress and smiled at the people staring. “Yes. The poor Texas Rangers lost. What a shame. I was hoping we’d win that basketball game.”
Hallie hissed under her breath, “Baseball.”
“Right. Baseball.” Once everyone had returned to their conversations, Noelle lowered her voice and spoke. “What was that all about, Hal? You’ve been acting weird all day.”
“I’m just tired of listening to you salivate over Jace Carson. I thought you were in love with Kenny.”
“I am, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good-lookin’ man. Kenny is as cute as a bug’s ear, but he’s no Jace Carson.”
She had a point.
Very few men could compete with Jace.
Not only could he throw a football with the accuracy of a bullet, but he could also make a three-pointer from half court and pitch a no-hitter. And he wasn’t just a gifted athlete. He was a nice guy. The type of guy who would help little old ladies cross the street, always stop to pet a dog or scratch a cat, and never seemed to mind when his girlfriend’s little sister tagged along behind him during those summers when he worked at the Holiday Ranch.
Then there were his looks.
His hair went from platinum blond to rusty penny brown like the colors cast by a tall glass of beer in full sunlight. His eyes looked soft baby blue in full sun and sexy smoky gray in shadow. His features were a mix of rugged man and boyish charm. Charm that could lure a snake right out of his skin . . . or a woman right out of her panties.
“So what do you think he’s doing here?” Noelle asked.
Hallie couldn’t keep her gaze from going to the dance floor where Jace was two-stepping with the mayor. He even two-stepped better than any man on the floor. Although he didn’t look like he was having a good time. No doubt because the mayor was talking a mile a minute. If the pained look on Jace’s face was any indication, it was about football.
Hallie couldn’t help the pang of sympathy that settled in her stomach. She had gotten after him for feeling sorry for himself, but she understood why he was so depressed. She knew what it was like to have something taken from you when you thought you’d have it forever.
She looked away and answered her sister. “This is his hometown, Elle. Why wouldn’t he come back? His cousin lives here.”
“I don’t think he came back to see Decker.”
Hallie tensed. “What makes you say that?”
“Because Decker stole the love of his life.”
Hallie relaxed. “I’m sure Jace is over Sweetie as much as Sweetie is over Jace. If he had been that in love with her, he wouldn’t have let her go so easily.”
“Oh, Hallie, your inexperience with men is showing. Men have extremely delicate egos. Sweetie broke up with him. He couldn’t chase after her and save any kind of face with the folks of Wilder. Why, they would have pitied him until his dying day. So he had to act like he didn’t care. But I bet he’s still pining for her.” Noelle sighed. “That’s just how true love works.”
Hallie snorted. “Really? You’ve been in love with at least a dozen guys, Elle, and I don’t see you pining away for any of them.”
“Because it wasn’t true love. True love is different than regular old love. I think Jace truly loved Sweetie. Otherwise he’d be married by now. Or at least have a girlfriend. But I follow him on social media, and while he doesn’t post, there are a lot of women who tag him. From what I can tell, he’s not serious about any of them. They are just his sex buddies.”
Hallie choked on the bite of cake she’d just taken.
“Oh, come on, Hal.” Noelle thumped her on the back. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of sex buddies.”
She set down her plate and picked up Noelle’s glass of champagne and took a big gulp. She shivered as the bubbly alcohol slid down her throat. She hated champagne with a passion.
“I’ve heard about sex buddies. I just didn’t think my virgin sister had.”
Noelle’s eyes widened as she glanced around. “Would you hush up? I don’t want the entire town knowing I still have my blossom.”
Hallie rolled her eyes. “For the love of Pete, Elle. Would you stop calling your virginity that? What are you, thirteen?”
Before Noelle could answer, Mama came hustling up. Mama was always hustling. The woman never sat still. She pulled Hallie into her arms for a tight hug. Darla Holiday gave the best hugs, but Hallie didn’t know why her mama was hugging her like she’d just arrived, until she spoke.
“Mimi told me about you moving home. I’m tickled pink, honey. Just tickled pink.”
“Wait a second.” Noelle said. “You’re moving home?”
“Not forever.” Hallie wanted to make that perfectly clear. “Just for a few weeks.”
Mama gave her a sly smile. “Unless we can talk you into staying longer.”
“I’m not staying longer, Mama. Daddy and I don’t get along.”
Mama’s green eyes turned sad and Hallie wished she’d kept her big mouth shut. “That wasn’t always true. You used to be his little shadow.”
“That’s the point. I don’t want to be someone’s shadow. I want to make my own way in the world.”
“Well, of course you do. And you will.” Mama patted her cheek. “You’re a strong, capable woman who can do anything you set your mind to.” While her daddy sucked at making his daughters feel confident, Mama never had.
“Thank you, Mama. I hope you don’t mind me using the cellar to brew my beer.”
“As long as Mimi doesn’t mind sharing the space, I don’t have a problem with it.” She hesitated. “But you might want to run it by your daddy.”
“I doubt he’ll go along with it. Daddy has never been happy with my chosen career.”
“Because he always thought you’d be the one who took over the ranch.”
Hallie couldn’t help losing her temper. “That’s bull, Mama, and you know it. Daddy never wanted his girls to take over the ranch. He wanted our husbands to.” When Hallie had finally figured that out, it had been the worst day of her life.
Before Mama could reply, Belle and Corbin walked up. Belle looked like she’d had one too many sips of champagne. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes twinkled, and there seemed to be a permanent dopey smile on her face.
Corbin had the same goofy smile.
“You two are just so cute,” Noelle said. “Aren’t they, Hal?”
She was going to say sickeningly so , but decided that probably wouldn’t ingratiate her to Corbin. “Just too cute.”
The slight smirk Corbin sent her said he didn’t believe her for a second. Which made her realize that kissing up to him might be harder than she thought.
“So what are y’all talking about so intently?” Belle asked.
“Hallie was pointing out that Daddy never wanted us girls to run the ranch as much as our husbands,” Noelle said. “Which explained why he got so mad at Sweetie for dumping Jace.” She glanced at Corbin. “You probably don’t remember Jace, Cory, since you and Sunny showed up after he left for college. He used to date Sweetie until she broke up with him their senior year of high school. Which about killed Daddy since he’d been spending every summer since Jace was fourteen grooming him to take over the ranch.”
Corbin’s gaze narrowed on Jace who was now dancing with Mrs. Stokes. Since he still had that pained expression, Hallie figured he was still getting a walk down football memory lane. “I didn’t realize Jace was a cowboy. I thought he was a football player.”
“He was until recently.” Mama shook her head. “I talked to his mama just the other day and she told me the entire story about him being kicked off his team. She’s worried sick about him. Says he’s going through a major depression. Which was why I was so surprised when he showed up. His mama never mentioned him coming to Wilder.”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Noelle said. “Hallie seems to think he stopped by to see his cousin. But as far as I can tell, he hasn’t spent much time talking with Decker. In fact, it looks like he’s been avoiding Decker and Sweetie like the plague.” She glanced at Hallie with a knowing look. “Just another reason to think his heart is broken.”
“I doubt that, Noelle,” Mama said. “It’s been twelve years since Sweetie and Jace were together. I’m sure that’s water under the bridge.”
“What’s water under the bridge?” Mimi walked up.
Hallie sighed. Just one more family member to talk about Jace.
In the crook of Mimi’s arm slept a tiny striped kitten. Tay-Tay was Corbin’s kitten, but Mimi was just as attached to the cat as Corbin and loved having her visit the ranch.
“Jace still being sweet on Sweetie,” Noelle answered Mimi’s question. “Mama thinks it’s water under the bridge. I don’t.”
Mimi looked at the dance floor. “You might be right, Noelle. But the best way to get over hurt is to deal with it head on. Hopefully, that’s what Jace is here to do. Wilder is his hometown. He should be able to come back and enjoy seeing his family and friends without harboring any bad feelings . . . or having to listen to a bunch of people rehash old football stories.” She looked at Hallie. “Halloween, go rescue him from Fiona Stokes.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. Is there a problem with that?”
There was. While she had rather enjoyed chatting with Jace in the hayloft, it had left her with too many vivid memories of things she’d just as soon forget.
“My feet are hurting. Why don’t you do it, Elle?”
“Because Kenny would break up with me if word got back to him that I danced the night away with a handsome ex-football player. And since when do cowboy boots hurt your feet, Hal? You do everything in them.”
She opened her mouth to continue arguing, but closed it again when she noticed Mimi watching her intently. All she needed was her matchmaking grandma figuring out something was going on between her and Jace. Mimi might have accepted Hallie wasn’t interested in getting married, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t jump on the chance to see Hallie hitched. Sisters’ oaths meant nothing to Mimi.
She pinned on a smile. “You’re right. Dancing with a handsome cowboy is worth a little foot pain.” She turned and headed toward the dance floor. Sure enough, when she weaved her way through the dancers, she heard Mrs. Stokes in full-out small-town football mode.
“. . . that final touchdown pass you made to win the game was so damn beautiful, Jace, that there wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium. That just goes to show you how football can touch a person’s heart. It’s not just a game. It’s a religion. And you, my boy, were the preacher that saved our souls.”
Hallie rolled her eyes before she reached out and tapped Mrs. Stokes on her ratty mink stole. “Excuse me, Ms. Stokes. Do you mind if I cut in? I haven’t seen Jace in forever and wanted to chat with him before he disappears on us again.”
Mrs. Stokes shot a glance at Jace. “You do have a habit of disappearing, Jace Carson.”
Jace shrugged. “So many places to see and so little time, Ms. Stokes.”
Mrs. Stokes snorted. “Ignorant young folks.” She pointed at Hallie. “You need to learn from this one. She went and sowed her wild oats, but now she’s coming back home where she belongs.”
“Only for—”
Mrs. Stokes cut her off. “I need a cigarette. Hopefully, I can sneak one without Corbin catching me. That boy is too controlling for his own good.” She released an exasperated huff before she turned and weaved through the dancers.
Once she was gone, Jace didn’t hesitate to pull Hallie into his arms and join in with the other people two-stepping in a wide circle. If she’d thought talking to him had brought up images, it was nothing compared to having his hand curved around her waist and his warm fingers cradling hers. It took strong willpower to push those images out and concentrate on following his lead.
“Thanks for saving me,” he said as he skillfully maneuvered her around a couple.
“It wasn’t me. It was Mimi who sent me. I figured a big, bad ex-football player could handle a woman half his size.”
Jace looked down at her and grinned. “I’ve never been able to handle teeny weeny women.”
She scowled. “I’m not that teeny.”
“Says the woman who doesn’t even reach my chin.”
Before she could argue the point, a pointless point since she didn’t reach his chin, the song ended and a much slower song began. She thought that would be the end of their dancing, but Jace pulled her closer and changed his steps to a waltz. She had never been a perfume or cologne girl so she didn’t know her scents, but Jace smelled good. Real good. His skin gave off an earthy scent that reminded her of fresh-cut hay and lazy late summer days.
“Be sure to tell Mimi I owe her.” His voice rumbled close to her ear, sending a shiver of awareness through her.
She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before answering. “You can’t tell her that. Owing my grandmother is a sure way to end up doing something you don’t want to do.”
He laughed, the heat of his breath ruffling her hair. “So you’re moving back to Wilder?”
“Just for a little while.”
He nodded, his chin brushing her head. “You belong here.”
“Now you sound like Mrs. Stokes.”
“No, really. You love the ranch. Anyone with eyes can see that.”
Her daddy never had, but she wasn’t about to go there. “And where do you belong? And don’t give me that song and dance you gave Mrs. Stokes about so many places to see and so little time. You never talked about living anywhere but Wilder after you were finished with your dream of playing pro football.”
“Dreams change.” Suddenly, his shoulder muscles stiffened and she drew back to see a pained look in his eyes as he stared at something behind them. She followed his gaze and saw Sweetie and Decker dancing only a few feet away. They were looking into each other’s eyes, not paying any attention to the other dancers around them.
Or to the man watching them with hurt . . . and envy.
Hallie’s eyes widened as the truth hit her.
She turned back to Jace. “You are still in love with my sister.”