by Taylor Hart
She gasped. “Shut up!”
He laughed, and she found herself smiling as well. “I spoke with Professor Talbot today, and he said he may have a former student willing to put up the money to get some trials going.”
“Oh my gosh!” She couldn’t believe it. Professor Talbot was the professor known for being connected to fundraising possibilities. It was one thing to talk about her theory and gather past results, but to get to do something real made all of her hard work feel worth it.
He let out another round of laughter. “Yes, I am quite magnificent, if I do say so myself.”
Rolling her eyes at his narcissism, she laughed. “Thank you.” She finished up putting away the cleaning supplies and stared at her spotless cottage. She couldn’t believe it, he’d really come through for her. “I wish you were here to celebrate.”
“Me too.”
She finally felt brave enough to ask the question she really wanted to ask. “So what was happening when I called earlier?”
“A student had swung by the office, and we were heading out to class.”
Feeling like a complete fool, she peered at herself in the shiny surface of the oven. Her reflection was distorted, but she could see that her bun had stray wisps of hair. “Oh.”
“We’re talking serious money for your project, Katherine.”
For a second, the proper way Steven always treated her felt funny. Katherine. It was a stark contrast to how Cam had been with her. The mention of Cam in her thoughts brought his image into the forefront of her mind. Guilt pulsed through her. She pushed it away, proud of herself for slapping him. He’d get the message now. She had a boyfriend.
“Katherine?”
Jerked out of her thoughts, warmth spread through her as she thought about Professor Talbot helping them fundraise. “Thank you for helping me.”
“You’re welcome.” He hesitated for a moment, and she thought she heard a door click. “I have to run. I’ll see you next week.”
“Okay.” Something didn’t feel right, but she ignored it, not letting the worry get her down.
She ended the call and headed to her room, deciding not to think about any of it. She would go out with Jet and the others tonight. Yes. She would go dancing and not think about him—Cam, that is. Of course she would think about Steven. She would put back on her fake engagement ring too. Just as a precaution.
* * *
As Kat wove her way through The Boar, she cringed at the sound of the whiny country music playing. It wasn’t that she minded the music. Her grandfather had loved country music and played it incessantly when she visited.
Unfortunately, this band was horrible. She frowned and rose on her tiptoes to look for Jet and Frankie, who’d made a miraculous recovery from his early-morning sickness.
But she couldn’t find them. Checking her phone, she noted that it was almost nine o’clock, and they were supposed to be here at eight thirty. She sent off a text to Jet: Where are you guys?
Less than thirty seconds later, he fired a text back: Did you come out? Come over to the Moose.
Kat didn’t like this at all. While The Boar was known more for being a “dancing” hangout, The Moose was known for drinking. Hard drinking. It surprised her that the group chose to go there. The Boar had a younger, twenty-ish crowd. Looking around at the amount of cowboy hats and people doing country dancing, she reconsidered. She knew how to country dance, but she didn’t have a partner.
Making a fast decision, she texted Jet back: On my way.
As she maneuvered back to the door, a man in a black cowboy hat pushed his way in. Immediately, she recognized Cam.
He looked different. In addition to his black hat, he wore a flashy gold belt buckle, not to mention the black boots. Her stomach fluttered. Dang, he looked good.
Behind him came another guy, a bit shorter. He wore a white hat and almost the same kind of buckle. The guy caught her eye immediately, and a huge grin spread across his face. He muttered something to Cam and started toward her. Cam reached out, jerking the guy back.
Her and Cam’s eyes locked. Crazy, hyper butterflies fluttered through her system. She felt herself go weak in the knees—which was insane, because she wasn’t a weak-in-the-knees kind of woman.
Pushing forward three steps, Cam closed the gap between them. He lifted his eyebrows. “I thought you were working on your dissertation?”
Her heart pounded so hard in her ears, she could barely hear his voice. She cleared her throat. A mixture of irritation and anxiety stirred within her, but she kept her cool, narrowing her eyes. “Looks like the slap didn’t deter you from coming near me.”
His blue eyes sparkled, and he touched his cheek. “If you knew me, you’d know I can take a hit and keep on coming. You have to hit a lot harder to deter me.”
Unwillingly, she felt herself grin, and a light laugh escaped her. “So cocky.”
He didn’t move, still holding her gaze. Nervous butterflies circled in her stomach.
The other man, the one in the white hat, appeared next to Cam. Kat immediately noticed the playful look on his face. “Cam, you have to introduce me.” It looked like he wanted to laugh out loud at Cam’s annoyance.
Rolling his eyes, Cam put on a fake smile. “Katherine Foster, meet Hunter James.”
Hunter’s hand was out, taking hers, pulling it in, and before she could stop him, giving the back of it a quick kiss. His eyes were a deep chocolate brown, and his eyebrows were thick and looked almost perfect, like he’d had a stylist do them. Quickly, he released her hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Foster.” A quick grin filled his face, and he glanced at Cam. “I’ve heard you’re good at keeping the riffraff at bay.”
Perplexed, Kat raised her eyebrow. “Okay.”
At that, Hunter James threw back his head and laughed.
Cam nudged Hunter, his expression fierce. “Niceties are over. Why don’t you go find someone to dance with?”
Hunter appeared unfazed by this. If anything, he looked more mischievous. He glanced at Kat. “Would you—”
He was cut off by another, much harder nudge from Cam. “Another lady.”
Hunter guffawed, but he moved away from them, winking at Kat. “Let me know if you need a real dance partner.” He started making his way through the crowd as the music transitioned into an old Bon Jovi song.
Kat couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy. Both guys, really. She stared after Hunter James in a state of complete confusion.
Cam put his hand out, shaking his head disdainfully. “Obviously I can’t take him anywhere.”
Kat eyed his hand. “I thought you didn’t have any friends in Jackson.”
Cam kept his hand out, and his lip twitched. “Met Hunter today.”
“Today?”
His grin widened. “Why, Katherine Foster, did you think I was completely ruined after that slap earlier?”
Ignoring him, she averted his gaze.
Without asking, he took a step closer and picked up her hand, moving her into some dance steps. She recognized the song as one of her favorites. It was an acoustic ballad and the kind of music perfectly suited for a slow dance.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Wiggling his eyebrows, he perfunctorily stopped and put her hand firmly on his shoulder. He took up her other hand and moved them in an easy two-step. “We’re dancing, of course.”
Not stopping them, she felt the previous butterflies and anxiety melting away. “You know I’m—”
“Fake engaged,” he filled in for her. He flashed another grin, spun her wide, brought her back into him, and whispered in her ear, “You’ve told me.”
Chapter 12
Cam couldn’t deny that running right into Kat a stroke of fortune. He felt even luckier now that she was dancing with him. It wouldn’t have suited to have her simply slap him again and run off.
Normally he wouldn’t have cared either way. There was always a steady stream of girls that would give a lot to talk with him, let alone
dance with him.
But they weren’t Kat. There was something about this woman, something that he’d felt since the first time he met her. That something had exploded between them this afternoon, but it wasn’t just the physical attraction. Though there was definitely that.
No, there was something deeper. Something …
“This can’t happen, Cam,” she whispered.
Feeling her breath against his cheek startled him. He drew back and smiled. “What, Kat? We’re just friends,” he insisted, knowing it was a bald-faced lie. At least, it was a lie on his part.
A smile softened her lips. He took a second to stare at her. She was decked out in full makeup, but she hadn’t gone overboard—just mascara and lip gloss. Her long, straight blond hair was pushed back in a sequined hairband. She wore a white halter-top sundress that accentuated the sun she’d gotten that morning. But what he really liked were those brown knee-high boots.
“Nice boots.” He grinned.
“Nice hat.” She looked up at him. Her eyes moved down his face and stopped at his shirt. “A Western shirt? I wouldn’t have figured you for the type.”
Liking that she was commenting on his appearance, he pulled her in and twirled her in a succession of quick turns. “I told you I’m a ranch guy.”
“Right. A cowboy?” She grinned.
He grinned. “Of sorts.” A light strawberry scent filled his senses. She also smelled of some kind of other fruit that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Maybe if he could get closer and smell her hair better … He calmed himself. Simply having her in his arms was enough. More than he could have hoped for earlier today.
His mind whirled with questions, but he didn’t want to ruin this moment. He took her back into a slow two-step, and she grinned up at him.
He noticed the hand he was holding was her left hand, and inspected the ostentatious ring. “Has Steven even seen the ring?” It was out before he could stop himself.
“Oh.” She looked caught. “No, he doesn’t know I say he’s my fiancé, but I did tell him you kissed me.”
Taken by surprise, Cam searched her face. “You did?”
“I did. We tell each other everything.”
“When you’re on.”
“What?”
“You said you’d been on-again, off-again.”
“Did I say that?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we’re on.” She looked away.
“Does he want to be your real fiancé?” Dang it, he couldn’t quit with the boyfriend questions.
Kat didn’t look at him. “I don’t know. Do you want to be a real cowboy?”
He ignored the barb. “Has he talked about getting married?”
She leveled him with a glare.
“Okay, I’ll stop.”
Another song began. Both of them just stood there in some kind of face-off.
He put his hand out and cocked an eyebrow in challenge. “Another dance? To be friendly? I’m sure your relationship with the Professor can handle one more dance?” He knew he was taunting her, but he couldn’t stop.
Something flashed in her eyes, something that told him she was up for the challenge. “Of course.”
She took his hand, and then both of them were flying around the dance floor. Cam took her into some complicated steps, and to her credit, she kept up with him.
“You know how to dance,” she said between breaths when he slowed them down.
Nodding, he grinned. “So do you.”
She simply lifted her eyebrows at him. “So tell me about songwriting.”
His heart skipped a beat, because she didn’t know who he was and he liked thinking of himself as a songwriter. “What do you want to know?”
Lifting one shoulder, she let out a puff of breath. “Is it as hard as I think it’d be?”
He kept dancing, trying to ignore the way her scent would get stronger every time he spun her and brought her back. “Yes.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I can imagine. I’m only writing a technical piece, and it feels overwhelming. But with music … it’s poetry.”
Liking the idea that they had something kind of in common, he agreed. “It’s pressure.” He winked at her. “Maybe that’s why I can’t seem to find the right words.”
“But you’ve found the right notes?”
It was hard to explain the songwriting process, probably even harder because he hadn’t done that much of it. But he wouldn’t tell her that. In a flash of inspiration, he knew how to explain it to her. “You know that moment when you’re canoeing down the river and it all just flows?”
Briefly, she pulled back, evaluating him more sharply. “Yes.”
“That’s how songwriting is. When it flows … it flows.”
She gave a shake of her head. “And when you crash, you crash?”
His thoughts flitted to earlier—the knee-jerk reaction he’d had to get her free from the rock. The way he’d felt so protective of her. He cleared his throat. “Yep.”
They fell into a comfortable quiet as they danced.
After a bit he asked, “So, you and the professor have lived apart since last year?”
Giving him a reluctant look, she nodded. “Yep.”
He grinned. “I mean, you said he went to CU to teach for the summer, but you came here. So you haven’t just hung out and stuff?”
“We did in London,” she protested.
“Last year.”
“What’s your point?” She asked. “I fell in love with him, okay? Is that a crime?”
“You never told me how you met.” He knew he should stop asking questions, but he couldn’t help himself.
For a brief moment she glared at him. “I don’t have to answer all your questions.”
“Whoa.” He kept his hand on her hip and held her hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you going to tell me about all the girls you’ve ‘put back on the shelf’?” There was a bit of venom in the statement.
He still couldn’t believe he’d said that. Why did being around her make him feel like a teenager? “Okay, okay, I get the hint. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Fine.” Her eyes went to his belt buckle. “Nice belt buckle.” She peered closer. “Did you use to bronc ride or something?”
Without hesitating, he took it off. There was a smaller one under it; the big one that Hunter had given him had fit right over it. He held it out to her. “Since you like it so much, you should have it.” He took her hand and put it inside her palm.
“What?” She tried to hand it back to him, but he refused.
“Nope. You take it to remember me by, Kat.”
A silly smile washed over her face. “So this would be what you’d want me to remember you by? A horrendously gaudy belt buckle?” She studied it.
Not breaking stride, he nodded. “There could be worse things.”
A wicked grin spread across her face. She put it inside the pocket of her dress. “Okay, I’m gonna make you put up or shut up. I’m keeping the belt buckle because it has a horse on it, and I have a weakness for horses.”
He grinned. “I’d be offended if you didn’t keep it.” He didn’t know what he was going to tell Hunter about the awful thing. He’d just pay him for it or something. “You like horses?” That made him immensely happy.
“Yes. I do.” She stopped dancing. “Cam, I should probably go.”
No. She couldn’t go, not yet. Feeling ludicrous, Cam did the only thing he could think of; he reached out his hand in a professional handshake kind of way. “Let’s start over. If all I can have is friends with you, Katherine Foster, that’s what we’ll be. Deal?”
For a few seconds, he wondered if she would bolt, but she just let out a sigh and shook his hand. She had a nice grip. “Fine. Friends.” She rolled her eyes. “It appears you have two friends in Jackson now.”
He laughed. “Guess so. Can we be dancing friends?” Another song came on, and he reached out for her hand.
Clearly unable to resist him
, she smiled. “For a bit.”
So for the next few songs, they simply danced. The country dancing was the kind of dancing he’d grown up on, and it felt natural. Plus, if he did say so himself, he was pretty good. He’d taken some swing classes at the university, and even though he hadn’t had a chance to use his skills for the past few years, they came back quickly.
They didn’t speak as they danced, almost as if they’d agreed not to speak, but Cam couldn’t deny that every spin, turn, and silly swing move made him more certain that he absolutely wanted more than this. The way she laughed after some complicated move or when he picked her up and spun her made him want the song to go on forever.
Needless to say, Cameron was blindsided when he felt a heavy tap on his shoulder. “Excuse me, can I have this dance?”
It was the guy from the rafting place. “Jet?” Cam asked.
Scrunching up his face in a ticked-off way, Jet nodded and gave Kat a scathing look. “You were supposed to come to The Moose forty-five minutes ago.”
Quickly tugging out of Cam’s embrace, Kat looked caught. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry.” She glanced from Cam to Jet. “I didn’t realize the time.”
Putting his hands at his sides, and hating the way he felt almost cold when she took a step back from him, Cam focused on Jet. “Oh, you guys were supposed to meet up?”
Jet held Cam’s gaze, recognition sparking in his eyes. “Wait, you’re the guy from the shop earlier. Who are you?”
Cam laughed, not wanting to be recognized. If that happened, the merciless cameras would start up. He’d come here to get away from that. “See ya, Kat.”
He turned, searching for Hunter, who he found with some brunette in the corner. The night suddenly got a lot less interesting.
Chapter 13
Kat woke the next morning, checking her phone and loving that she’d been able to sleep in until eight thirty. She never worked at the guide place on Fridays. She had promised herself it would be a day she would use for her dissertation.
