Big Girls Don’t Cry (Dundee, Idaho #6)(55)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Did you like the puppy?” he asked.

Clearing her throat, she let go of her lip. “He was cute,” she said, but she kept her eyes on the other dancers, the old scuffed boots lining the high shelf going around the room, the lassos and beer-slogan mirrors hanging on the gray wood walls.

Isaac shifted slightly, turning her. But again she found things to look at besides his face: Bear, the bartender, serving up drinks; Jon Small talking low but anxiously to Keith; the constant influx of people coming or going at the door.

“Are you going to adopt him?” he asked.

His voice was just deep enough to resonate below the music. “No,” she said simply.

He leaned back so she had to look up at him. “Why not? I think it’d be a good distraction for the girls. Bailey can’t last much longer.”

“I know, but…” She didn’t want to tell him she couldn’t afford the fees. “Maybe later.”

“Would you rather get a different kind of puppy?”

“No.”

He frowned slightly as they went back to dancing, and Reenie glanced over his shoulder to see Beth cozying up with Alex. Beth and Alex had only danced twice so far, but they were definitely making the most of the chance to get intimate. From what Reenie could tell, neither of them wanted to go home alone tonight.

She wondered if that meant she’d be able to borrow Beth’s car. Of all nights for her friend to finally catch Alex’s interest.

“What’s wrong?” Isaac asked.

“Nothing.”

“What didn’t you like about the puppy?”

“Would you give up on the puppy?” she said. “I loved him! I just…I can’t afford him right now, okay?”

“He’s at a shelter.”

“The fees still amount to a hundred sixty dollars. But…I’ll get a new dog, someday.”

He tried to move her closer, but she resisted and, finally, he sighed. “You know, you’re going to put my back out if you don’t relax.”

“You were expecting a warmer reception?” she asked.

“Maybe not warm, exactly. But I thought dancing with you would be a little more fun than holding a cardboard cutout.”

“I’m not that stiff!”

He cocked a doubtful eyebrow at her.

“If you were someone else, I wouldn’t be like this,” she said.

“Prove it.”

“How?”

“Pretend I am someone else.”

Reenie saw Keith waiting at the edge of the dance floor with Jon, his new shadow. She knew her ex-husband would harangue her again as soon as Isaac let her go.

At the moment, she didn’t have any better option than to make the most of the situation. Telling herself to relax, she let the music carry her away and, a moment later, she had her head tucked under Isaac’s chin, her lips not far from the pulse at his neck. She could feel his hard chest against her own, his hips moving in an erotic rhythm with hers.

She thought he might tease her about getting a little more than he’d bargained for, but he didn’t. He didn’t talk at all. His hands were at the small of her back, strong and sure as he guided her along, and she could smell cologne on his nice cotton sweater.

Closing her eyes, she let herself nuzzle closer. God, he felt good. And she was so weary, weary of the hurt and disappointment, weary of the responsibility, weary of trying to look into the future far enough to decide what would be best for her little family. For right now, she only wanted to feel the music and forget.

When the song ended and Isaac stepped away, the loss of his body heat felt as though someone had stripped her of a warm blanket.

Reenie told herself to thank him for his help with Keith and walk off, to forget the way he’d held her. She missed having a man in her life way too much.

But her ex-husband hadn’t given up his vigil at the edge of the dance floor. And Alex had his arm draped around Beth, his head bent to hers. Already they were in their own little world. But it was still early, and Beth probably wouldn’t be presumptuous enough to let Reenie borrow her car.

Instinctively, Reenie grabbed Isaac’s arm before he could walk away. “Will you take me home?”

The question had come out of nowhere and obviously took him off guard. “Are you ready to go now?”

She nodded.

Evidently Celine Dion had a big fan in the crowd because the theme song from Titanic came on next—another slow one.

“On second thought, after this dance,” she said, and slipped into his arms before he could even respond. She didn’t care if she was being too bold. He’d told her to pretend he was someone else—and it was working. For some reason, she felt as though she could dance with him all night.

AS HE DROVE HER HOME, the memory of Reenie clinging to him on the dance floor swirled through Isaac’s blood like an aphrodisiac, making his nerves hum with sexual awareness. He hadn’t held a woman so closely since he’d left the Congo. There, he’d enjoyed the company of a female field assistant, had even spent a few nights in her bed. But their interaction had been casual. In fact just dancing with Reenie felt like a more intimate experience.

“You have a sitter for the girls?” he asked conversationally. He hoped small talk might help him keep his thoughts moving in the right direction because, even if Reenie would allow it, he couldn’t get involved with her. It’d be too hard on Liz. Plus he knew Reenie wasn’t the type to welcome a brief affair, and he’d be leaving as soon as his grant came through.

“No,” she said. “They’re in Texas with their grandparents.” She stretched her chest restraint as though she might turn to face him but continued to stare out the window instead.

“Why Texas?”

“They’re visiting Keith’s brother.”

“At Baylor?”

She nodded and finally looked over at him—and he couldn’t help admiring the sweep of her long lashes. He loved her eyes, thought they had to be the most beautiful pair he’d ever seen.

An unbidden picture suddenly flashed through his mind—Reenie looking up at him, those eyes filled with desire as he stripped off her shirt—

He cleared his throat. “Have you ever been to Texas?”

“No.”

They came to the stoplight where he needed to turn in order to go to her house, but he didn’t give his truck any gas even after the light turned green. He squinted into his side mirror. Unless he was mistaken, the headlights behind him belonged to a Jeep.