“Dance with me?”
Her throat tightened at the unexpected invitation. They’d danced before, on that neon-drenched street in Vegas, a performance for no one but themselves. This felt different—intentional, intimate. She nodded, unable to find her voice.
Kade led her to the dance floor, his fingers threaded through hers, the warmth of his palm against her skin a grounding presence. When he turned to face her, drawing her into his arms, the world condensed to just this moment, just this man. One hand settled on the small of her back, a firm, warm pressure, the heat of it seeping through the thin fabric of her shirt. His other hand held hers, his thumb drawing slow, idle circles over her knuckles. They were dancing closer than was strictly necessary, closer than they’d been since that night she couldn’t fully remember. They moved slowly across the floor, finding their rhythm without effort.
With every step, she was hyper-aware of everything: the solid feel of his chest so close to hers, the faint, clean scent of his soap, the way his breath stirred the hair at her temple as he leaned in slightly. The pretend walls she’d been trying so hard to maintain were dissolving, melting away with every heartwarming beat of the old tune. This wasn’t an act. This feeling, this dizzying, terrifying, wonderful feeling, was very real.
She risked a glance up at him and found him already watching her, his expression serious, intense. The laughter was gone from his eyes, replaced by a raw vulnerability that mirrored her own. The rest of the bar, his family, the music—it all faded away, leaving only the two of them. They moved in slow circles,her body fitting against his with a rightness that frightened her. This wasn’t part of their arrangement, this warmth spreading through her chest, this feeling of coming home. She hadn’t agreed to this part. And yet, she wouldn’t change her mind for all the tea in China. No, for now, for tonight, she was simply going to lean into this mountain of a man and accept the gift God had given her for however many more days it was meant to be. Even if it meant breaking her heart when it came time to leave.
“Well, look at that.” Grinning from ear to ear, Rachel pointed at the dance floor with her chin.
“At what?” Garret shifted to face his sister, his gaze following hers. “The dance floor?”
Rolling her eyes, Jillian shook her head, then playfully smacked her brother. “Not the dance floor. The dancers.”
The way their brother focused, eyes narrowed, Rachel hoped he was a better school teacher than observer. If not, the future of America was doomed. “Kade and Cassie.”
Like a comic strip in an old Sunday newspaper, Garret’s eyes circled round, his jaw dropped slightly open and Rachel could almost see the light bulb turning on above his head.
“I’ll be…” Preston followed everyone’s gaze.
Carson burst out laughing. “Ten bucks says the marriage sticks.”
“I’m in on that.” his wife Jess smiled at him. “Just look at them.”
“At what?” This time the obtuse one was Preston. “They’re dancing. People dance all the time.”
“My husband, the romantic.” Sarah Sue sighed. “Honey, take a closer look. If they stood any closer, you wouldn’t be able to slip a sheet of paper between them.”
“And the way he’s gazing into her eyes,” Jackie added.
Jess chuckled. “Like she was a banana split with whipped cream and extra cherries on top.”
This time Carson nodded. “Or a Napoleon brandy about to be uncorked.”
“I think it’s sweet.” Jillian sat back, still watching the dancing couple as Kade slowly spun her around before pulling Cassie back into the circle of his arms. “No pun intended.”
“You gotta admit, the fates seem to be on our side.” Garret kept his eyes on the two dancing as well. “Five of us made marriage deals and five of us found the love of our lives. Our perfect soul mates.”
“And it looks like fate has done it again,” Rachel chimed in. “I’d bet the ranch those two are going to stay married.”
“Don’t go there,” Preston teased, then laughed. “But I do agree. They’ve got that sparkle in their eyes, and frankly, they look about ready to self-combust.”
“So no one’s betting against?” Rachel asked.
All the heads at the table turned left then right.
“Do you think,” Rachel shifted her attention from the couple on the floor to the happily married couples at the table, “we’ll ever tell Mom how the six of us wound up married?”
In complete choral unison, the voices at the table instantly echoed, “No!” then burst into laughter. Fate really did have an interesting sense of humor, didn’t she?
Chapter Thirteen
Lunch was always a crapshoot at the Sweet Ranch. Some days the kitchen overflowed with siblings and now their spouses, other days the midday mealtime was quieter and less chaotic. Today was somewhere in the middle. Kade leaned against the counter, watching as his mother bustled between the stove and the table, refusing help from anyone who offered. He couldn’t help but smile at Cassie who, ignoring his mother, was setting the table. Every time Alice Sweet told her to sit and relax, Cassie merely smiled and replied, “Yes, ma’am,” then continued in search of silverware and plates while Rachel brought pitchers of tea and lemonade from the extra fridge.
At the table, Preston and Sarah Sue sat side by side, their heads together in a familiar private conversation that made him want to smile even wider. He loved how this family was growing. And a growing part of him wished he could be here more often.
“All right. That’s it.” His mom set a platter of leftover pork chops in front of his brother. The table was pretty much overflowing with a potluck of the week’s family dinners—or what was left of them.
