Chapter 26

What does one wear to a Honky Tonk? As I stare at my closet full of clothing that doesn’t seem appropriate, I ultimately decide nothing I own will work. When Naomi appears at my door a few minutes later, her arms full of clothing, I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Girl, I knew you wouldn’t have anything for tonight, so I came to the rescue,” she announces with a grin. She also holds up a bottle of wine. “Also thought we could start the party early.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” I tell her, inviting her inside. “Seriously.”

She nods and dumps her pile on the couch. “I know you prefer black, so I brought some darker things, but unfortunately for you, I’m like a literal rainbow of color, so I had limited supply. Luckily, we seem like the same size.” She holds up a dark blue denim pantsuit. “Though I think your hips might be a bit too bangin’ for this thing. I’d kill to have those hips. My momma used to call ‘em child bearing hips. I just call ‘em a good time,” she says with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

I laugh before taking the wine bottle she passes to me. It’s been so long since I’ve had something like this. Naomi immediately treated me like family since I got here. She’s been a delight the entire time, and now she’s literally saving my life.

“We gotta make sure you look drop dead gorgeous,” she muses as she digs through the pile of clothing. “Especially since I’ve seen the way Wiley looks at you. That man would lick gum off your boot.”

“Are we supposed to be casual for tonight or dressy?” I ask. “I’ve never been to a country bar.”

“Whatever floats your boat,” she answers. “You wanna be comfy, wear cut off shorts. You wanna have easy access to your hoo-ha so Wiley can flip up your skirt, wear a sundress.”

I flush. “Comfy is probably okay.”

She winks. “Comfy it is.” She pulls out a pair of cut off shorts. “You got a tank top?”

I nod and move over to my closet to find a black one. She tosses the shorts to me and I catch them. Moving into my room, I pull them on and come back out.

Naomi nods and taps her lip. “Now, we just gotta country you up.” She reaches for a large sparkly belt and loops it around my hips. “Wear your boots and your hat. But to make it better. . .”

She reaches for a bandana and shoves it in my back pocket, leaving it to hang out. “There!” she declares. “Now you look like you’re ready. And with that badonkadonk, you’re gonna have men eating out of your palm before the end of the night.”

“Is this what you’re wearing?” I ask, looking at her jeans and button-down shirt.

“God, no,” she laughs. “I gotta go change real quick. I’ll be wearing a sundress.” She winks. “Easy access is important.”

And then she takes another swig of the wine and flounces out of my cabin, leaving me to stare after her with a silly grin. I’d felt like an imposter before. Now, I feel like I fit right in, but I’m definitely gonna have to get some more clothing if this is going to be a normal thing.

Once I’m ready, I pat William goodbye and reassure him I’ll be back later before stepping outside. Dakota and Wiley are already waiting by Dakota’s large pickup truck. Wiley is leaning on the hood and Dakota is leaning against the door. Both of them are wearing clean jeans and nicer button-down shirts rolled up to reveal their forearms. Both sport their cowboy hats and boots. They look damn good, and it makes me self-conscious of what I’m wearing. Maybe I should have gone with the dress after all.

“Is this okay?” I ask with a grimace, gesturing down to my own outfit.

Wiley grins. “Lookin’ like a witchy woman in a country bar like a spooky snack!”

Dakota tilts his head. “I like it.”

I flush and smile at the both of them. “Is it just us three?”

“Levi’s coming, too,” Wiley muses. “He likes to sit in the corner and drink beer.”

As if he summoned him, Levi appears and, without saying a word, hops in the back seat of the truck. Dakota frowns over at him but shrugs and climbs into the driver seat.

“Hop on up in the front, Kate,” Wiley instructs before opening the door for me. “I’ll ride in the back with Grumpy McGrumperson.”

“Fuck you,” Levi shoots, but he doesn’t argue. He simply settles into his seat and stares out the window.

I climb into the front seat. Wiley helps me up into the tall truck, his hand helping lift and adding in an extra grope of my ass as he does it. I glare at him as he winks and closes my door before going to the backseat with Levi.

I haven’t been into town often enough to know where everything is, but I’m still surprised to find that the Boot Scoot is on Main Street, and it’s already packed when we arrive. Cars are parked everywhere, along the street, filling up the parking lot at the court house on the other side, and any other spot they can find. Luckily, there’s a parking spot right in front of the courthouse that Dakota squeezes his truck into. He backs it into the spot with expert precision and smiles as we all climb out.

The front of the building is unassuming, just a wood fa?ade with neon lights claiming it’s the Boot Scoot. Once we’re inside, I blink around at the inside. It’s all completely done up how I’d expect a country bar to look. There’s a large dance floor in the center of the building, wooden railings separating it from the tables and bar that surround the edges. As soon as we walk inside, some of the other ranch workers wave to us where they already claimed a table in the back.

At first, I’m not sure where I fit into everything. They’re a family and I’m just the city girl they hired to help out, so I linger back. Wiley loops his arm through mine though before I can wander too far and drags me forward.

“Don’t be nervous,” he whispers. “It’s just a bar.”

“It feels more important somehow,” I admit, looking up into his eyes.

He smiles and boops me on the nose. “Save a dance for me, yeah?”

And then he releases me to get comfortable. It’s a trait I appreciate about Wiley. He’s always there if I need him, but he gives me the space to do things on my own, too. For a golden retriever, it’s a powerful trait I’ve never seen before. It’s hard to imagine he was once in the military. I can’t imagine the Wiley I know with a buzzcut following orders without complaint. He’s mentioned he’d seen war, and yet I never see him not wearing a smile. It makes me thinks there’s more hiding beneath that smile than he lets down.

The Boot Scoot fills up fast. The bar is busy, but we still somehow manage to get drinks brought over. When Dakota grins at the bartender, I realize it’s probably because of who he is. Sometimes I forget that the ranch is a big part of this town, and that Dakota comes from old money. Hell, the town is named after his family, and at one point, a lot of the town was owned by them. I don’t know the ranch’s finances now, but I assume it’s pretty decent. Dakota’s truck certainly doesn’t look like it came cheap.

A song comes on over the bar and a bunch of the women scream before rushing to the dance floor and lining up. I frown and glance over at Naomi to my right where she’s currently throwing back shot of tequila. “What’s wrong with them?”

She laughs as she slams the shot glass back down. “Girl, haven’t ever heard Morgan Wallen?”

“Who?” I ask, furrowing my brows. “I don’t know much country.”

She shakes her head. “Come on. We can’t have you working on a ranch and not having your first Morgan Wallen experience.”

She stands and drags me to the dance floor with the other women, putting us at the end of the line. “Just watch the steps,” she instructs. “It’s all in how you move. Once you get the steps, you can add in your own flare.”

She starts to move, two steps to the right, two to the left, crisscross, kick, kick. It takes me a few times of watching her to be able to try it myself. I jump in and laugh when I miss the step and nearly bump into her, but after a few tries, I’m doing the basic steps.

Wiley whoops from the sidelines. “Get it, city girl!”

I flush and glare at him. “I don’t see you out here.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” he says, handing his beer off to someone and rushing onto the dance floor. “It’s Morgan Wallen, ladies!”

The women around me cheer and laugh as he jumps in and does the steps without hesitation. He shakes his butt and drops it low, and I snort and lose my step. He has everyone eating out of the palm of his hand as he dances around and has a good time, including me. When the song ends and switches to a slower one, he grabs my hips and jerks me against him.

“Put your arms around me, witchy woman,” he teases. “Let me dance you real slow.”

Giggling, I let him hold me close and sway to the music with him. He keeps his hands respectable around everyone, but wiggles his eyebrows, letting me know he wishes he could run his hands up under the edges of my short shorts. The song ends three minutes later, and Naomi reappears at my side.

“Sorry, Wiley. She’s coming with me!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” I laugh. “I need to grab a drink first. I’ll be right back.”

Wiley stays on the dance floor, continuing to make those around him laugh as he dances around expertly to the music. Meanwhile, I head on over to the table and find my drink. They’ve all been watched by someone but this time, It’s only Levi sitting at the table alone. His eyes focus on me as I take a sip and fan myself. At first, I think about not saying anything to him. But I’ve been drinking and I’m having fun, and he looks so lonely over here.

“You don’t wanna come dance?” I ask, grinning at him.

He raises his brow. “No.”

“Come on, Levi. Have fun a little,” I goad, offering my hand to him. “Dance with me?”

He looks down at my hand and then back up to my eyes. “I don’t dance like Wiley.”

The song switches to another slow one and I grin. “Then we can dance slow.” When he still hesitates, I add, “please.”

Something flashes in his eyes and I think he’s about to tell me no again. I won’t keep bothering him. If he says no again, I’ll leave and let him sit over here all alone. But to my surprise, he tips back his beer bottle and sets it back down on the table empty. Then he shuffles off his stool and comes around the table. He doesn’t take my hand though, so I drop it back to my side and follow him to the dance floor. He doesn’t go deep into the center like Wiley does. Instead, he stops just on the edge and a little in the darker side of the dance floor before he turns to me. He hesitates when I stop in front of him and smile. Levi is much taller than me, taller than any of the others even. His shoulders are wide and strong, intimidating when I’m as short as I am, but I’ve never felt safer when around him. Except for his prickly personality.

“Can I touch you?” he asks, holding his hands up.

“Of course,” I muse, guiding his hands to my hips and settling my own hands on his chest. I’m too short to loop my arms around his neck.

We begin to sway from side to side and the entire time, I’m just surprised that he agreed to dance with me. After his last blow up, we’ve hardly said two words to each other, let alone get to this level. We don’t say anything to each other now, just sway side to side, keeping a respectable distance between us. I’d normally think it awkward, but it isn’t. It’s comfortable despite our silence.

When the song ends and another lively one starts up, he releases me and steps back.

He clears his throat. “Thanks for the dance.”

And then he turns without waiting for me to reply, obviously intending to leave the dance floor.

“You’re welcome. . . I guess,” I murmur, not really knowing what to do. I’m about to turn and find Naomi when a hand comes from nowhere and slides up my thigh to grope my ass. “Hey!” I grunt, turning to find a man I don’t know grinning lewdly at me. “What the fuck?”

“I saw you dancing out there,” he says. “How about dancin’ with a real man instead of that cripple?”

He’s dressed in jeans and a button down with the sleeves cut off. He’s far less clean cut than the men I’m used to, and he reeks of whiskey despite it still being relatively early in the night. He has his hair cut in a mullet and sports a mustache an eighties pornstar would be proud of, but his comment about Levi bothers me the most. What the fuck does he mean by “cripple”?

“No, thank you,” I growl, pissed that he still continues to try and touch me. “And don’t fucking touch women without their consent, asshole.”

“Come on,” he grunts. “Don’t be a frigid bitch.” He reaches for me again, this time grabbing a handful of tit.

“Get the fuck away from me!” I growl, kicking at him. “You fucking piece of?—”

I never get to finish my sentence. I’d been seconds away from kicking him in the balls. I have no sympathy for dudes like this. They always slink around clubs, overstepping boundaries and not taking no for an answer. Apparently, it doesn’t matter if that club is in the country or not. Skeevy dudes are everywhere.

But before I can do anything else, a fist comes out of nowhere and slams into the douchebag’s nose. He goes reeling back, slamming into a few other dancers who shout and move out of the way. Only when I blink down at his suddenly bleeding nose do I look over at the source of the fist.

Levi stands with a dark look on his face, his eyes narrowed and angry. “She said to leave her the fuck alone,” he heaves, his shoulders tense.

The man is either too drunk to realize the situation or he’s an idiot, because he scowls and stands up. “Nobody asked for your opinion, ranch cripple. Just because you got your buddy’s money behind you doesn’t mean you get to claim bitches, too.” He gets to his feet and faces off against Levi.

I blink in surprise. I thought everyone liked the Steele Mountain ranch.

“She said don’t touch her,” Levi repeats. “So go on before you do something you’re gonna regret.”

Everyone is watching now. They’re backing away from us, giving us space, and I glance around nervously. Where the fuck is Wiley and Dakota?

I rest my hand on his bicep. “Come on, Levi. He’s not worth it,” I try, thinking maybe I can keep this from turning into a full-on bar fight.

Levi glances down at me, and that’s when the other asshole decides to attack. He throws himself at Levi, tackling him to the ground. The movement shoves me backward and I trip, falling to my tailbone and smacking my head against the railing.

“Ow!” I grunt, pressing a hand to my head with a wince. But I don’t have long to focus on my own pain. The asshole gets a good hit across Levi’s chin before Levi throws him off.

“You okay?” he asks as he rolls to his feet. I don’t miss the wince of pain from him and the slow way he gets his leg beneath him. I’d noticed his limp before but hadn’t realized he may have some sort of injury to watch out for.

“I’m fine,” I rasp, but before he can get up, the asshole comes rushing back. “Levi, watch out!”

Levi turns just in time to block the guy’s fist before bopping him in the nose again. The crunch is satisfying even as I realize someone is calling through the crowd to knock it off.

“You fucking cripple!” the man shouts as he holds his nose. “That bull shoulda finished you off!”

Levi freezes and goes preternaturally still. “What did you just say?”

The man spits blood at Levi’s feet. “Your daddy didn’t beat you up enough and that bull didn’t get you through the heart like I’d have preferred. All three of you bastards belong in the ground with your daddies,” he grunts.

He dives for Levi, but Levi doesn’t move, not at first. Things move in slow motion, and I shout at Levi as the man comes flying closer. My scream seems to get him out of his stupor. He dives to the left and slams his shoulder into the man’s face, sending him sprawling across the floor. And then he turns into a man I’ve never seen before.

He slams his fist into the man’s face, once, twice, three times, and I gasp and cover my mouth as he starts hitting everywhere else. Blood sprays across the wood floor and the man stops moving, no longer fighting back, but Levi doesn’t stop. He continues to hit, his face pinched with hatred, his body pinning the man down. No one steps forward. No one tries to stop Levi, as if they’re afraid to.

Wiley and Dakota appear then, both of them dragging Levi back by his arms and away, shouting at him to stop, that the man is down. Red and blue lights flash outside the front door, dancing around the bar, and there’s an audible groan from everyone. I hadn’t even realized the lights came on at some point. I stare at everything with surprise, the blood on the floor around the man, the look of fear in many faces, the others from Steele Mountain rushing forward.

Levi shrugs them off and snarls, “I’m fine! Check on Kate. She hit her head.”

Wiley glances over at me worriedly, but Dakota shoves Levi toward him. “You take Levi outside for a walk,” Dakota instructs. “I’ll take care of Kate.”

Wiley nods and leads Levi outside toward the flashing lights before Dakota comes over and kneels before me. “You good? Where are you hurt?”

“I just hit my head when that guy divebombed Levi,” I murmur. I press my fingers to the sore spot and wince.

Dakota reaches up and gingerly presses the same spot, careful not to press too hard when I wince again. “Oh, yeah, that’s gonna be a goose egg for sure. Can you stand?”

I nod. “I’m fine. I didn’t hit it that hard. I know what day it is, and I know who the president is,” I tease. When he helps me to my feet, I sigh and shake out the aches as he leads me away from the man when what look like paramedics come in. “What the fuck just happened?”

Dakota glances toward the flashing lights reflecting at the entrance and sighs. “I’ll explain outside. First, I gotta talk to the cops. Come on.”

The Steele Sheriff is waiting outside with crossed arms when we appear. He eyes me for a moment before looking back at Dakota. “Why is it always your people in trouble, Dakota?”

“It wasn’t Levi’s fault,” I interject. “The guy assaulted me and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Levi was just protecting me.”

The Sheriff levels his eyes on me. “I see.” The sigh he lets out is two parts frustrated and one point annoyed. “What have I told you about bringing Levi into these sorts of situations, Dakota?”

“He’s fine,” Dakota grunts. “Maybe if you did your job and give those douchebags a ticket for cutting our fencing, this would never be a problem.”

“The law doesn’t work like that, and you know it. You have no evidence?—”

“Except their admission,” Dakota grunts. “Regardless, we’re fine, thanks. The guy inside probably needs medical to look him over.”

The Sheriff shakes his head. “I bet he does. You better hope he doesn’t press charges, Dakota.” He tips his hat to me. “Ma’am,” before stepping inside.

Other people start streaming out, the party apparently over.

“Come on,” Dakota sighs, pulling me toward the truck. “We’ll just wait for everyone over here.”

He presses a button on his remote and the truck starts automatically and the windows roll down. The radio flicks on and music starts coming from it as he lowers the tailgate and lifts me onto it without asking. He studies my expression which I’m sure still looks confused and awestruck. Briefly, I wonder if Levi is okay. I’d seen his wince of pain as he stood up.

“You sure you’re gonna be okay?” Dakota asks, looking me over. “I’m sorry you had to see that side of Levi.”

I shake my head. “He was protecting me. I don’t blame him.” I tilt my head. “But what was that asshole talking about?”

Dakota grimaces. “Which part?”

“All of it. The bull? The cripple comment? The. . . remarks about his dad,” I murmur.

His grimace only deepens. “It’s not really my history to tell, Kate, but. . . you deserve to know at least a little of what happened, I suppose.” He sighs. “Levi was a bull rider about five years ago, on the road to stardom. He was making waves across the states, winning money at all the rodeos. We thought he was gonna be big, and Levi, well, he was planning on it. When he sets his mind to something, he sees it all the way through.”

“And what happened?” I ask because he’s not a bull rider now. Clearly, something happened between then and now.

“Kill Dozer happened,” Dakota murmurs.

“The bull in the pasture?”

Dakota nods. “He was considered unrideable. No one had ever lasted the eight seconds and Levi was determined to be the first one.” He chuckles. “And damned if he didn’t do it, but it cost him. . . everything.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, my fingers clenching on my thigh. I know his next words won’t be pleasant. I can feel it, this build up.

“He hit eight seconds, the first ever to do so, sealing his name into infamy, but when it came time to dismount, Kill Dozer decided he didn’t much like that. The rodeo clowns weren’t fast enough, and I suppose they wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Dozer set his sights on Levi and there ain’t no outrunning a bull when he’s mad. He. . . got hurt. Real bad. Almost died. I was there in the stands. We all were. I thought I was losing one of my best friends that night.” He shakes his head. “Broken spine. Broken ribs. He was skewered through the stomach by Dozer’s horn. It took him months to recover, and even longer to learn how to walk again. I try and tell him to take it easy, but Levi is Levi.”

I stare at him in horror as he recounts the memory. “What?” I rasp.

“He can’t bull ride anymore because of the injuries. One wrong move and he’ll be paralyzed forever. It’s a wonder he wasn’t the first time,” Dakota continues. “If you ever see him lifting them calves, tell him not to.”

“He does it all the time!” I say, flabbergasted. “Literally all the time! What the fuck?”

Dakota sighs. “Levi has his way of doing things and he doesn’t like to admit he has to be careful. He’s a brute, but he cares.”

“Why have the bull there at the ranch?” I ask, horrified that I’d made him get into the pasture with him again. “Why keep his monster?”

“That, you’ll have to ask him,” Dakota says. “I’ve already said too much but you should know. That fall to the floor likely agitated his old wounds, too. I can’t imagine how he’ll feel tomorrow so maybe stay away from him in the meantime.”

I run a hand through my hair and set my hat to the side with a sigh. “I didn’t expect. . . fuck. I’m sorry if I’ve caused any trouble being here.”

“Nonsense,” Dakota grunts. “You’re a great help. And now that you know what you’re doin’, you’re even pretty fast,” he teases. “Don’t let this one thing discourage you. You did nothing wrong.”

“Kind of feels that way,” I mumble, looking down at my hands.

The radio starts playing a song I recognize from the windows of his truck, one my mom used to listen to. I perk up. “Garth Brooks,” I say, looking over my shoulder at the truck. “My mom loved this song.”

Dakota grins. “I knew there was some country in you somewhere.” He holds out his hand. “I believe I promised you a dance.”

I blink. “Here? But. . .”

“What’s wrong, city girl?” he teases. “No one’s ever danced with you in a parking lot?”

I hesitate. “No.”

“Then I’m happy to be your first.”

He looks at me expectantly and I find myself slipping my hand into his despite everything I’ve learned and all that happened. I let him pull me from the tailgate and pull me close. Unlike Levi, he doesn’t keep distance between us, but he doesn’t press so tightly to me like Wiley does. His hands gently rest on my hips as we start to sway side to side, and the tension in my body slowly melts away. When he steps back and spins me, I’ve decided that I’m officially in trouble. Wiley’s charm won me over quickly, but Dakota is a medium burn, his eyes telling me everything he wants to do but hiding behind a stoic posture and expression. Levi is a slow burn, a raging inferno that won’t let me get too close without getting injured. Dakota is quicksand, gently pulling me under, but in no hurry. And Wiley? Wiley is a hurricane. Either way, they’re all disasters to my heart.

“This is nice,” I whisper.

The sound of other cars starting and driving away behind us only seems to add to the atmosphere as we slow dance to Garth Brooks on his radio.

“It is,” he says, looking down at me with a smile.

When our eyes meet, our dancing slows, and we just stare at each other. The tension between us shoots high so suddenly, it nearly steals my breath. When he leans down, I don’t even think twice about standing on my tiptoes. He presses a soft kiss against my lips, his beard brushing against my face. It’s commanding but gentle, all-consuming, and I get lost in the feeling.

Someone clears their throat and I pull back with a blink, staring up at him with wide eyes before looking over where Wiley stands with a grin.

“Well, now, if I’d have known we were kissing out here, I’d have hurried back,” he teases, looking anything but angry despite the fact I’d just been kissing Dakota.

I flush. “I. . .uh. . .”

“Relax, witchy woman,” Wiley teases, coming over to press a kiss against my knuckles. Dakota lets him, his eyes sparking when he releases me. “If I minded you kissing my besties, I’d let you know.” He leans down. “Besides, now I’m thinking about how hot it’d be if Dakota bent you over this tailgate and fucked you out here where anyone could see. I’d really like to watch that.”

My blush deepens. “What?”

He grins and kisses me on the forehead. “Come on. Levi started walking back to clear his head. We’ll pick him up on the way.”

And then because I’m still shell shocked, he lifts me and carries me to the front seat, getting me inside before hopping in the back. I glance over at Dakota when he hops in the driver seat before he plops my hat back on my head. I must have left it on the tailgate. I don’t even remember. When he catches me staring, he winks, mischief in his eyes, before he throws the truck into gear, and we leave.

What. . . have I just gotten myself into?