by Seton, Cora
Ella was right, she hadn’t called Mia back. If she wasn’t going to go into the store, she’d need to call Belinda, too. She knew the other woman would be disappointed if she didn’t show up today. “I was really busy yesterday and I still have so much to do. I shouldn’t take any time off…”
“Come on, Storm. We’ve barely gotten to know you yet. Here’s our chance.” Regan smiled sweetly. “Play hooky from work just this once. We’ll help you make up for it tomorrow.”
Storm only hesitated a minute. She couldn’t resist the invitation without risking them finding out she’d hired Belinda. She wasn’t ready for that yet. Besides, she couldn’t remember when she’d last spent time shopping and having fun with girlfriends. She’d call Belinda and put her off. She’d get in touch with Mia tomorrow. “Okay.”
Belinda was disappointed, but Storm promised to be back to work the next day. That difficult call over, she changed into her best outfit and prepared to enjoy herself. The drive to Billings turned out to be a lot of fun, with Regan and Ella chattering at her. They told her all about their time at the ranch to date, and Storm couldn’t believe some of the things that had happened to them.
She wished she would get the chance to know them better. It pained her to know she’d have to leave all of this in late November, but she was determined to enjoy every minute she had here, especially the ones with Zane.
When they got to the first store, Regan immediately took charge. “You’ve got a pair of boots,” she said. “You’ll need a hat to go with them, at the very least.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. I’m not a country girl—I don’t want to pretend I am.”
Regan rolled her eyes. “I spent the last decade in New York City. Ella spent it in Los Angeles. Look at us now. What makes you any different?”
“I’m just not sure it’s me.”
Ella chuckled. “It better be you. You’re a Hall, now—or you will be soon enough. You’d better start looking like one.”
“This is where I got mine,” Ella said. “Look—this one would be perfect on you.”
“It would make me look ridiculous.”
But she let them bully her into trying one on, secretly liking the attention. She liked the hat too once she had it on. It made her look sassy and sexy and a little bit bad. She just couldn’t imagine where she would wear it.
“I need a dress,” Regan said. “Something that covers this belly of mine, but still makes me look hot.” She sighed. “I’m glad I’m pregnant, but I just don’t look the same in a miniskirt, you know?”
“Mason adores you whatever you wear and you know it,” Ella said. “I’ll be in the same boat in a few months. Don’t worry, we’ll find you something. I want something new too now that we’re here.”
Each place they went to, they brought armfuls of clothing into the fitting rooms and traded them back and forth. It reminded Storm of being with her sisters, if her sisters were closer in age. Soon her stiffness and uncertainty had dissolved and she was joking and laughing along with the other two.
“That looks amazing,” Ella said when she pulled on a light blue, barely there dress. With a gathered neckline and a baby-doll skirt she looked both young and sensuous.
“What do you guys think about this one?” Regan came out of her fitting room in a short denim skirt with a white ruffled sleeveless shirt that covered the small mound of her belly.
“I love it!” Storm looked her over again. “Sexy, but not in a sleazy way, you know?”
Ella disappeared inside a room and a moment later came out in a curve-hugging minidress with black and white color blocks that emphasized every one of her attributes.
“You’re going to stop traffic in that dress,” Regan said. “You need a cherry-red pair of stiletto heels.”
“Hmm. Maybe.”
Storm suddenly felt underdressed. She looked down at her outfit. Regan caught her. “Uh-uh, don’t even think about changing. Trust me—pairing a simple little dress with some cowboy boots will make any country boy swoon.”
“If you say so.”
By the time they were shopped-out, hunger had kicked in. Regan whipped out her cell phone. “I have an app that finds vegetarian restaurants.” They chose a little bistro and were charmed by the cozy ambience. Sharing a platter of hummus and naan to start, they dined on salads and Tex-Mex vegan tacos.
“I’ve had so much fun today,” Storm declared as they climbed back into the truck at the end of their meal.
“I’m glad,” Regan said earnestly as she got in the driver’s seat. “I was afraid you didn’t like us.”
“I thought you wouldn’t like me,” Storm confessed. “And the two of you were like superwomen, getting the chores done before breakfast and all that.”
“Well, we wanted to impress you.” Ella squeezed in beside her on the front bench seat and Regan started the truck’s engine. “Couldn’t look like a pair of slackers when the new wife arrives, you know?”
Regan snorted as she backed out of the parking space. “You make it sound like we’re sharing one man between us. This isn’t Utah.”
“We do kind of live on a compound, though. And let’s face it—Storm’s husband and mine look exactly the same. That’s kind of weird, right?”
“They don’t look exactly the same.” But Storm was giggling, because it was weird now that Ella mentioned it.
“What if it was dark?” Regan asked driving toward the highway back to Chance Creek. “Would you be able to tell if they switched places?”
“God, I hope so.” Ella stared at Storm in horror. “Austin would never do that.”
“Zane wouldn’t either.” But a thought occurred to Storm. “Do you think they ever did when they were teenagers?”
“Should we ask them?”
All three of them dissolved in laughter.
“Austin would be completely shocked. He’s so upright.”
“A very good quality in a man,” Storm observed.
“I can’t take you two anywhere,” Regan said, rolling her eyes.
“You can take us to the Dancing Boot,” Ella declared. “It’s time to get this party started.”
“It’s a little early. Besides, we need to change.”
“I know!” Ella thumped her hand on the dashboard. “The Turners. We’ll stop at their ranch, get changed and drag Maya and Stella out with us. It’ll be fun. A little mini girls’ night out before the guys get there.”
“Now that’s what I call a plan,” Regan said. “Storm, hold onto your brand new hat, baby. It’s going to get a little crazy tonight.”
Chapter Twelve
‡
“I’m always up for a night on the town, but is there a reason you chose tonight?” Austin asked Zane as they hurried through their evening chores. They’d been gone all day and when they got home there was no sign of the women. They’d decided they’d better get ready to head to the Dancing Boot sooner rather than later.
“I want Storm to like this place as much as I do.”
“You got any worries on that score?”
“Not exactly.” He searched for the right thing to say. “It’s complicated. It’s not that I don’t want her to climb mountains anymore…”
“It’s just that you don’t want her to climb mountains anymore,” Austin finished for him. “Listen, you can’t start a relationship wanting to change the other person.”
“I don’t want to change her. It’ll just be hard to let her go. I mean… what she does is dangerous.”
“We better get a move on,” Mason hollered, stepping through the barn door.
“What’s the rush?”
Mason held out his cell phone. “The girls beat us to the bar. Looks like they’re having a little too much fun.”
Zane took the phone and grinned at the photo which showed Storm and Ella dancing with Maya and Stella Turner and Camilla Torres, a friend who rented a house on the Turners’ ranch. “You’re right; we’d better get over there before someone else horns in on our wom
en.”
“No one better touch my woman,” Austin said. “Let’s go.”
“That was pathetic,” Storm exclaimed, sitting down on the barstool with a thump.
“That was awesome,” Ella said, sitting down next to her.
“I can’t believe how many people are here tonight.” Storm also couldn’t believe she’d just tried line-dancing. In public. She’d tripped herself up on her own feet so many times she’d lost count.
“I know, right?” Regan rejoined them after stepping outside to make a call.
There wasn’t a band tonight, but the sound system was blasting favorite dance tunes and the floor saw a continual flow of couples and groups having fun. Two booths in the corner were filled with an uproarious crowd of cowboys who seemed to be celebrating something, although Storm couldn’t tell what it was. She recognized Darren among them, and avoided making eye contact. She didn’t recognize any of the others. A number of single men were drinking at the bar and the door opened to admit another trio of women who looked ready to enjoy themselves.
“I need a drink,” Maya Turner cried and the rest of them joined in with a chorus of “Me, too’s!” They kept the bartender busy for the next few minutes, Ella and Regan with non-alcoholic choices and the rest of them with beer and mixed drinks. Storm jumped when she felt a man’s hand rest proprietarily on her hip.
“Hello there, honey. I don’t recognize you.”
She looked up to see a man in his late twenties with dark curly hair, a day or two’s worth of stubble on his jaw, and sharp gray eyes.
“I’m new to town,” she said, trying to extricate herself from his grip.
“Well, I’m not new, but I’ve just returned from a long absence. I’d forgotten how beautiful the women are around here. The name’s Steel. Steel Cooper.”
Storm glanced around her for help, but Ella and Regan were deep in conversation several feet away with a couple she didn’t recognize, and Maya and Stella had left their drinks on the bar and headed toward the ladies’ room.
“It’s customary to return the favor when someone introduces himself.” The man moved closer.
“I’m Kenna North,” she said reluctantly. “Look, I’m waiting for my fiancé.” She wasn’t sure she liked the looks of this man and she definitely didn’t want his hand on her waist.
He captured her hand in his and lifted it. “I don’t see a ring… Kenna.”
Kenna’s name in his mouth made her even more uncomfortable. “I have to go.”
“Now, hold up a minute.” He didn’t let go of her hand when she tried to walk away. Instead he tugged her toward the dance floor. “I’m only trying to be friendly.” She tried to stand her ground, but he was far too strong for her to resist. In another moment she found herself pressed against the cowboy, his arms tightening around her waist.
If Zane was the one holding her, she’d be all too happy to be there, but she didn’t like this man or the smell of liquor on his breath. She didn’t like the way he kept looking back at the other cowboys in the corner booth and grinning like he’d done something to be proud of. When she glanced over at them she saw Darren laughing.
“I don’t want to dance.”
“Loosen up a little, baby. I’m just having fun.”
“No. I want—”
“Let her go.” Suddenly Zane was between them, his broad shoulders forming a barrier between her and the drunken man.
“Says who?”
“Come on, Storm,” Regan appeared at her side and led her away from the confrontation, but Storm didn’t go too far. It was her fault Zane was facing off with Steel.
“Shouldn’t we call the police?”
“Zane will handle it. And if he needs help, Mason and Austin will stand in.” Regan’s tone told her she didn’t think Zane would need any help.
“Says me.” Zane was quiet but firm. Around them the other couples on the floor moved away from the cowboys. “That’s my woman, and she doesn’t want to dance with you.”
“Hell, she wants to do more than dance. Did you see the way she was looking at my—”
Zane’s fist connected with Steel’s cheek with a crack that silenced the bar. Steel lobbed back a punch that glanced off Zane’s shoulder.
“Ohmygod!” Storm searched the rest of the crowd. Wasn’t anyone going to stop them?
Zane struck back with another crushing blow that sent Steel sprawling to the ground. The corner booth erupted with angry cowboys and in a second the dance floor was overrun with men making a beeline toward Zane. Mason and Austin jumped into the fray to meet them, followed closely by more cowboys she didn’t recognize.
“It’s the Turners! Maya and Stella’s brothers and cousins!” Regan pointed at the melee, pulling Storm back even further.
Storm narrowed her eyes when she saw Darren moving against the tide. What was he doing? For a moment she thought he meant to take advantage of the crowd to score an unfair hit or two on one of the Halls, but she quickly realized he meant to slip away out of the club altogether.
Good riddance.
Storm lost sight of him, and understood Regan meant the Turners were the extra cowboys who were fighting on Zane’s side. Twisting around, she saw the bartender punching numbers into his cellphone and she hoped he was calling the police, even as she feared if he was, Zane and his brothers would end up in trouble.
She shrieked when someone threw a chair and it splintered against the wall.
“Get back,” Ella cried, grabbing both of them and pushing them along the bar into the rear part of the club. “This is out of control.”
“Do they do this a lot?” Storm shouted over the din.
“I’ve never seen them do it before,” Regan said. “Mason’s broken up a couple of fights, but he’s never been in one.”
Storm didn’t like this one bit. “What if they’re hurt?”
Ella just shook her head and the three of them clung together while all around them chaos reigned. When several men in uniform burst in a few moments later, Storm gasped with relief. The shouting continued between the two parties of men, but the officers separated them and put a stop to the fighting.
“Well, this is going to take forever to sort out,” Ella said with the air of someone who’d seen a barroom brawl before. “We might as well find a table. I’ll grab you another drink, Storm.”
Her prediction turned out to be right. They sat for another hour before the Sheriff’s deputies sorted out the mess, collared a few of the men to take to the station and let the rest go. Zane shuffled over, battered but triumphant. “Steel will think twice before he tries that again.”
Storm just shook her head. His lip was split, his cheek bruised, and his knuckles were swelling. “I can’t believe you fought them.”
“What did you want me to do, stand back and watch him paw you?” He held up a hand and a passing waitress came by. “Get me a beer, would you?”
“Sure thing. Nice work, Zane.”
“Thanks.”
Storm rolled her eyes. “Nice work?”
“Honey, this is the country. It’s not all rules and etiquette here. Sometimes we just throw down and sort things out the old-fashioned way.”
“Been a long time since I was in a good fight,” Mason said. He looked downright cheerful, even though he was sporting a black eye.
“Wedding photos,” Regan suddenly cried. “Oh, my goodness—look at the lot of you. You’ll look a mess in those photos and you’re paying a pretty penny for them, Zane.”
Zane laughed. “That’s weeks away. We’ll be fine by then, and if not, we’ll just look manly in them.”
“Did someone say manly?” A cowboy Storm didn’t know pulled up a seat and joined them, trailed by several other men, and Maya and Stella.
“Storm, these are the Turner boys,” Zane said. “Noah and Liam are Maya and Stella’s brothers. Eli, Brody and Alex are cousins who’ve come to help run their ranch.”
“Hi.” Storm did her best to memorize their faces and names,
but she’d had several drinks tonight and a moment later she couldn’t remember which of the tall, blue-eyed, dark haired men was Liam and which was Noah. Eli’s sandy-brown hair and mischievous smirk made more of an impression, but as for Brody and Alex—she’d already forgotten who was whom. Her head was spinning and she was feeling a bit unsteady. She noticed the music had come back on and couples were taking to the dance floor again. Eli glanced that way, then back at Storm. His grin broadened and he drawled, “Want to dance, little lady?”
Zane slugged him good-naturedly in the shoulder. “Back off, Turner. I think I’ve made it clear tonight she’s all mine.” He held out his hand to Storm. She took it and let him lead her to the floor. When he put his arms around her, she sagged against him.
“I think I’ve had a little too much to drink,” she confessed, pressing her cheek against his chest. She liked it here. Liked him holding her tight.
He drew her closer. “You’re perfect.”
Storm smiled against the fabric of his cotton shirt. “I can barely stand up.”
“You don’t have to do a thing. Just let me do all the work.”
He did, too, weaving them around the floor slowly, swaying in time to the beat, rocking her back and forth until Storm grew sleepy. Sometime later he murmured, “I think it’s time to get you home.”
“Mmm. Sounds good.”
He scooped her right up in his arms. Storm cuddled against him happily as he made his way back toward the rest of their party. “We’re out of here. See you all back at the ranch.”
“Night! See you later!” A chorus of good-byes washed over her, and then Zane turned toward the front door. Someone held it open for them and when they got outside, Zane helped her to a truck she recognized as Mason’s. He deposited her in her seat, got in on his own side and then pulled her close against him. She liked riding like this through the country night, her head resting on Zane’s shoulder. He felt strong and safe next to her. Trustworthy. The thought of ever leaving Chance Creek felt like it would break her heart.
