Cowgirls Don't Cry(109)

“God. Jess. You’re breakin’ my heart. What can I do?”


“Let’s do something. Anything. Go to a movie, or go out dancing, or go play pool, just get me out of this house and out of my head for a few hours.”


That’s when Brandt understood Jessie would be okay. For the first time all day the tight feeling in his chest loosened a little. “Great idea. We’ll hit Applebee’s in Spearfish for supper first and then we’ll slip on our dancin’ shoes at the Rockin’ R outside Beulah.”


“That sounds perfect.”


“It’s my lucky night, finding Brandt McKay at the bar first thing.”


“Hello, Lydia.”


“Howdy, stranger. I haven’t seen you in ages.”


He shrugged, keeping his eye on the door and not on Lydia’s display of cleavage. “I’ve been busy.”


“I’m glad you’re here,” she cooed. “I worried you might’ve found Jesus and were shunning honkytonks and temptations of the flesh or something noble.”


“Not hardly.” He’d given into the temptations of Jessie’s flesh more times than he could count. In more ways than he could count. That thought brought a smile to his face.

“Lord, that sexy grin of yours still makes me weak kneed.” Lydia leaned in, toying with the buttons on his shirt. “I remember putting a smile like that on your face a time or ten.”


“Old news, Lydia.”


“You know what they say…everything old can be new again.”


Brandt laughed. Hard to believe he used to find this type of hardcore desperation attractive. He finished his beer and set the empty on the bar. “Nice talkin’ to you. See you around.” He started to leave.

But Lydia wrapped her arms around his waist. “Don’t run off. Lemme buy you another beer for old times’ sake.”


“I don’t think—”


“Fine. Then dance with me. Please? None of these guys dance as good as you. You could go for hours without getting tired.”


Lydia could be very persuasive and sadly, Brandt wasn’t immune to her flattery. Besides, Jessie had just stepped outside to take a call from her mom about what’d happened with Landon today. “Okay, one dance. That’s it.”


They zigzagged through the crowd on the dance floor. Lydia spun into his arms, like she’d done dozens of times when they’d been dating, but the flirty move annoyed him. He clasped her hand and started two-stepping. At least the fast tune would keep them from talking.

Unfortunately, Lydia wasn’t deterred by the music’s pace. “So whatcha been up to?”


“Ranch work.” He twirled her, resetting the distance between their bodies.

“Aren’t you gonna ask me what I’ve been up to?”


“No good, probably,” he muttered and twirled her again.

“Bein’ bad feels so good, doesn’t it. You used to think so, too, cowboy.” She spun herself and brushed her ass against his groin. “Or do you need a little reminder?”


This had been a mistake. Lydia had gone from persuasive to conniving. He managed a curt, “Behave.”


Another laugh. “With the uptight way you’re acting, I believe you might’ve found religion after all.”


No. He’d found something better. Jessie.

Brandt tuned out Lydia’s suggestive comments, maintaining a bland expression as his eyes kept darting toward the exit. What could be taking Jessie so long?