Beau bared his teeth at Sawyer, who did the same.
“So when I say go, you go,” Dee said.
“Well, it wouldn’t be stop, now, would it?” Red needled his wife.
“You shut yours, Reddy Bear,” she said, jabbing a finger in his direction.
“Yeah, Reddy Bear,” Dan mimicked her.
“Hey, Bluebird, come and drink with us!” Fox called from his place in the line. “We need another.”
He lunged for her, and she tried to shake free when his fingers tightened around her wrist.
“Let her go, Fox,” Jay said. When the man didn’t do what he asked, he added, “Now.”
Something in his tone had the man shooting him a look and then raising his hands into the air quickly.
Jay ignored the looks the Dukes were shooting each other and instead focused on Dee as he tried to cool the rage charging through his body.
“3,2,1, go!” Dee called.
Sawyer beat Beau, Brody lost, and there was a change in who was winning down the table until it reached him. Jay threw back his drink and slammed down the glass with more force than necessary, and his eyes locked on Blue, who was watching. She turned and walked back to the bar.
“Team Duke is the winner!” Dee called.
“Losers, more like,” Beau said.
Asher Dans saw his oldest nephew’s intent to retaliate and stepped in to stop him just as the music started blaring outside from the speakers dotted around town.
“Is he shitting me right now?” Sheriff Dans spun in a full circle, looking for their mayor. “We said not on girls’ or boys’ night. Too volatile.”
There was no sign of Tripp.
“You all behave,” he added, glaring at everyone, including Jay.
“Hey, I’m the good boy here, remember?”
“Everyone cuts loose now and again, Jay. I’m just ensuring tonight is not that night,” the lawman said.
They followed the others, moaning, out of the Rollaway. Whoever was still in town at—Jay checked his watch—10:00 p.m. was out in the street, forming groups for the Grapevine Twist.
Many years ago, when Shelly Lyntacky, a relative of the current mayor, had been training for the square-dancing nationals, they played music for her to dance in the streets. When she died unexpectedly, that continued as a tribute to her.
Jay had thought it weird and annoying for years, but then as an adult, he’d realized it was a way of uniting the town. It gave people a chance to talk and keep an eye on each other.
Right now, however, it just pissed him off, and he wasn’t entirely sure why. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Blue appear. With her were a couple of men he didn’t know. Tourists, he thought. And behind her were the Keller brothers.
He was moving before he could stop himself.
“Where’s he going?”
“Hell if I know, but if he doesn’t get into a group, I can arrest him.”
Ignoring Dan’s words, he stepped between Blue and the two men he didn’t know. He then took her hand in his.
“What are you doing?” Blue whispered in his ear.
He didn’t have an answer for that, and maybe it was the alcohol clouding his head, so instead of answering, he danced,something he’d been doing since his first day of school. Tomorrow he’d think about the rage and jealousy he felt at seeing Blue being touched by another man.
