Justin was downright smitten at first sight. He didn’t do much hunting, but by damn if he didn’t reach out and lift the puppy off the boy’s lap and ask, “What’s his name?”
Bear—his loyal companion for ten years. And he knew every time Justin was having a nightmare. He was an unofficial therapy dog, better than any trained one at its best. He reached his arm over Bear’s belly, closed his eyes, and tried to fall back to sleep.
BLYTHE
She swiped up on her screen and read his message.
Justin: Sugar, I’ll country swing you into next week. How does Saturday night sound?
A girlish grin made its way to her lips. It’d been ages since she’d been spun around a dance floor. If there was dancing of any kind at the functions Max dragged her to, it was slow swaying with champagne trays floating around on the arms of sophisticated pretty boys in tuxedos.Ugh.She silently reproved herself for the hundredth time, since the night she realized her entire relationship with Max was a lie. How could she have been so stupid and oblivious?
She tapped her keyboard and responded.
Blythe: Sounds like I’ll be going into town to find something to wear! ;)
The day after Justin saved her, Chris had called one of his mechanic buddies in town to come look at her car. It was a quick fix, and everything was running smoothly. However, Friday rolled around, and Blythe still hadn’t gone out to get her outfit for Saturday. She started to feel anxious, so she stopped folding the towel she was holding and turned to look at Adelaide, folding next to her.
“Want to go shopping with me? Justin is taking me dancing tomorrow night, and I need a cute dress…”
The ten-year-old’s eyes lit up like sparklers. “You mean it? I’d love to!”
“Go grab your shoes and your sister and let’s go.” They both stood up and Addie raced upstairs.
Blythe picked up her purse and reached inside to find her keys. While she was feeling around, Addie and Evie zoomed past her and out the kitchen door. They would be honest. They didn’tknow how to be any other way. Taking them with her would guarantee she wouldn’t leave the store with anything ridiculous.
She followed them out and pulled the driver’s seat forward so both girls could climb inside. Her Cutlass was a coupe, and getting in the back seat was a pain. But beauty is pain, and her car was beautiful.
They drove the usual thirty minutes into town and found the local equivalent ofBoot Barn.A bell on the door rang as she pushed it open and let each girl walk in front of her. They were greeted by a sweet looking man who seemed to be aged somewhere in his sixties. He was dressed in a checkered shirt and glasses. His upper lip wore a grey mustache, and a content smile was positioned perfectly on his face.
“How can I help you three beautiful ladies today?” He moved from behind the counter and started walking toward them. Blythe started to speak but her words were quickly squashed by Evie’s excitement.
“She’s going out tomorrow night, and she needs a dancing dress!” Evolette twirled around and cupped her cheeks, accidentally bumping into her sister.
“Evie!” Adelaide grunted.
The man offering to help them gave another grin and introduced himself as Bob. He turned and motioned for everyone to follow him. When they reached the section they needed at the back of the store, Blythe felt a rush of overwhelm. It had been so long since she’d been dancing, and she’d never worn a skirt with boots before…but that’s what she was looking at. She wanted something different and out of her norm. She thought of just wearing her normal jeans and a tank top—that would’ve been cute and comfy. But if she was being honest, she wanted to feel like a total ten, and that’s why she was there.
Stepping out of her comfort zone, she walked up to a brown ruffled skirt hanging in the middle. “How does this one look?”
She held it out, looking for approval from her two little friends staring up at her. They both agreed it looked fun, and she picked a couple more colors to try on. She snatched a few tops that looked like they would go with the skirts, then went into the dressing room. The girls sat outside the door on two little seat cushions to wait for her.
She quietly stared at herself in the vertical mirror, shifting in every angle possible to make sure everything looked good. She needed a skirt that wouldn’t try to cling to her butt weird. She tried them all on, one by one, then settled on a jean ruffled skirt that hung about mid thigh. She paired it with a white short sleeve, scoop neck top—that did in fact cling to her every curve. And not in a bad way, either. She slid the latch on the dressing room door and flung it open, striking a pose.
“How fabulous do I look?” She lifted her chin high and shifted her knees one over the other. Both girls lit up and announced how much they loved the color combo.
“Spin around, Lythie!” Evie was such a cheerleader, and that’s what Blythe needed today.
Max had been there to approve of every outfit since he slid that stupid ring on her finger. At the time, she’d felt it endearing. She’d wanted to please him and wear what he thought was beautiful. How did she lose herself in such a short amount of time?
She twirled, watching Evolette grin. Both girls giggled, and she didn’t feel the need to search or try on anything else. She liked the outfit, and so did the two opinions that mattered most to her. She was doing this for herself, knowing whatever she chose, Justin would love it, too.
Now she needed a tall pair of boots. Her lace ups wouldn’t do, and she wasn’t going to wear sneakers. She walked back into the dressing room and changed into her regular clothes. Exiting thestall, she took Addie and Evie each by the hand and said, “Let's go find me the proper footwear to go with this outfit, okay?”
She tried on at least ten pairs of boots, and none of them looked or felt right on her. She was beginning to think that she was shit outta luck. She took one last sweep with her eyes over the rack and noticed there was a light tan pair with pretty stitching on the toe and up the sides. She hadn’t caught those before. Reaching up, she pinched them between her fingers and lifted them off and down to the floor. She sat on the short stool positioned next to her, and pulled each boot on her feet, one at a time. She stood and gazed at herself in the mirror attached to the wall—they were perfection.
Well, call me Cinderella…
She smiled. This was who she was inside.
