“We probably shouldn’t keep Dixie waiting for much longer or she’ll start dealing the cards for us. And she cheats, just soyouknow.”
Tara briefly looked away before she giggled again. “Good thing I’m wearing long sleeves so I can slip in a cardortwo.”
Beau gave a playful groan as he closed the door behind him. “Oh, no. Not anothercheater.”
* * *
Tara and Danielhad walked out of the house several minutes ago, and Beau’s hands were busy washing the dishes from dinner. It was the only thing he could do to distract himself from running to the window the wayDixiehad.
The evening couldn’t have gone better. Dixie was more than excited to teach Tara Texas Hold ‘Em and in turn, she learned just as quickly. If they had been playing with real money instead of Monopoly money, the guys would have been cleaned out within the first three games. The girlsdominated.
Dinner went just as smoothly and Beau couldn’t remember a time when there had been as much conversation and laughter at the table. They talked about everything from the ranch to Tara’s job at the dentist to their old high school days. Old gossip about classmates, teachers, and winning football games were the most exciting topics. Dixie was in for a real treat when they broke out a stack of dusty yearbooks to leaf through. There was a kind of nostalgic pain when they looked to fellow classmates who were voted most likely to succeed or something related, only to find that their lives after high school were so totally different than any of them hadimagined.
But the fun feeling was rekindled when they came upon the old line dancing club photos. He had never noticed Tara’s picture there before. When he pointed to the photo of her swinging her hips and tapping a pair of boots on a dance floor, she shrugged it off as something she did after school for a while. The picture of her holding a trophy told a different story. Beau watched the way she colored when he said that he’d love to watch her dance sometime. Maybe that was the next step in getting her and Danielcloser.
Talking with Tara was easy. Even Daniel opened up and Beau was sure his brother hadn’t been that happy since before the funeral. Everything was falling into place, but Beau’s chest continued to ache. Yeah, everything was going according to his secret plans, but that might as well have been a disaster for him. Tara won his heart just as quickly and seamlessly as she had won Dixie’s and Daniel’s in the timespan of two evenings. How could a woman so perfect and beautiful not be taken already? He couldn’t even recall her dating in highschool.
If they had a moment alone, he would have asked just that. But, it was his brother’s turn to have a moment. If he could have talked to his seventeen-year-old self, he would have threatened him to ask Tara out while he had thechance.
“Do you think daddy’s going to ask her out?” Dixie cried from thelivingroom.
Those words were like a branding iron straight through his chest. He dried his hands and went to the front window where Dixie had pulled up a chair to sit in while she spied on her dad. Beau squatted beside her and pulled back the curtain a little more to takeapeek.
“Well?” she squealed, practically bouncing inherseat.
Instead of giving his true opinion on the matter, he looked to his niece and asked, “Do you want him to askherout?”
Dixie grinned and now he knew from whom she inherited that devilish look in her eye. Him. “I do. Daddy laughed a lot tonight. I want him to laugh more and if Tara can do that, I want him to askherout.”
Beau swallowed hard and looked back outside. Tara and Daniel were quietly talking by her car and though it was too dark to make out their faces, he knew they were standing rather close to oneanother.
He wished he could have been out there, saying goodnight to her. He would take her hands in his, tell her that he had an amazing night, and ask her to share so many more nights with him. He’d kiss those soft, full lips and breathe in the scent of the lavender body wash she had used a few hours ago. If things went well enough, he would have pinned her to the car and made out with her like he wanted to the night before when they stood in the parking lot outside thecarnival.
He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a longbreath.
“Are you ok, Uncle Beau?” Dixie asked, her voice pulling him back toreality.
Of course he wasn’t all right. Tara wasn’t his and wouldn’t be, if everything wentright.
* * *
“So, I was thinking,”Daniel began. “If you’re up for it, maybe you could stop by every now and again to spend some time withDixie.”
Tara smiled, though she really wanted to scream. Dixie was a wonderful girl and a bundle of fun when they were playing cards. She couldn’t remember a time when she'd had such a great time, besides maybe the carnival the night before. This night, however, was even more special because she got to sit across from Beau. They occasionally looked up and when their gazes met, it was like fireworks. Every single time. She was falling headlong for Beau, so when it was Daniel who offered to escort her to her car, she wanted to demand that his brother do it instead. That would have been rude, though, so she just politelynodded.
Coming by to play with Dixie every once and a while wasn’t such a bad idea, when she thought about it a little more. If she came to the ranch, maybe she’d get a chance to see Beau again. She could stay for dinner more often. She had to twist these things around or else she’d get totallydisheartened.
Tara nodded. “I wouldn’t mind. I’m sure she’d like thecompany.”
Daniel’s hands were tucked deep into his pockets, almost up to his wrists. Strange that they had just been talking about how Daniel scored so many winning touchdowns, but he seemed so nervous around her. “Great. Beau has your number,right?”
“Yep, and I’ve got his,” she replied. “I can also look up your number in our patient directory, so I can get your number that way.” Honestly, she didn’t want to spend another moment standing by her car. She wanted to hurry home and lose herself in the magical book for a few hours so she could relive the night all overagain.
Daniel nodded and something akin to hope sparked in his eyes, but she couldn’t figure why. “Okay, that sounds good.” He paused, but she could tell by the way he made such solid eye-contact and how his lips parted just a bit, that he had something else he wanted to say. The words just weren’t coming out quick enough. “I’m really glad Beau met you, and I hope this hasn’t been too awkwardatall.”
Awkward? How could going on two indirect dates with a guy using the excuse of entertaining his niece ever seem awkward? Tara laughed it off. “Oh, it’s fine. Dixie’s a great kid and you guys have been so nice, even after I totally embarrassed myself on Magpieearlier.”
Daniel smiled, his teeth slightly reflecting the porch light behind her. “I’m sorry about that too. I’m sure after a few more rides, you’ll get the hangofit.”
