suggesting it.”
The jukebox swung into a slow dance and more couples packed the tiny dance floor. Billy Joe glanced at Ronnie, then elevated an eyebrow in a low-grade lady killer expression. On Ronnie’s other side Brendan’s jaw firmed.
Monica closed her eyes. All she wanted to do was eat her burger and sip her margarita. She really didn’t want to start breaking up fights over Ronnie.
“Can I have this dance, ma’am?”
Monica’s eyes popped open. The man standing in front of Ronnie looked like a local—tall, lean, wearing jeans and a faded plaid shirt. If she’d been casting somebody for Salt of the Earth, he’d have been in the top five.
Ronnie blinked, then glanced at Monica. “Okay?” she mouthed.
Okay? Geez, since when had she become Ronnie’s caretaker? Probably since she’d let Ronnie take over her life. She nodded quickly. “Sure.”
Ronnie awarded the new guy with one of her smiles and gave him her hand. Billy Joe and Brendan were wearing the same expression for once—general annoyance.
“So what are we supposed to do?” Billy Joe snarled once Ronnie was on the dance floor with her new partner. “Just sit here?”
“You could always ask someone to dance with you,” Monica said through her teeth. Then she watched Billy Joe’s expression morph from annoyed to appalled.
“Not me for Pete’s sake,” she snapped. “The room’s full of girls. Go.”
He gave her one more sardonic smile and then headed for the bar. Brendan stayed glued to his seat.
“It doesn’t seem right,” he muttered.
“What doesn’t?”
“We’re here for Ronnie. We shouldn’t be out dancing with other women. That’s not right.” He scowled at her, increasing his resemblance to a cranky five-year-old.
“Brendan,” she said gently, “there are no cameras here. This isn’t part of the show. You can do what you want. Have a nice evening.”
Brendan gave her a searching look, then turned to Paul. “You understand what I’m saying, right?”
“Yeah, I do. But Monica’s right about this. Take the evening off. Enjoy yourself. When we get to Elkhorn Run, you can go back to chasing Ronnie.”
“You too,” Brendan said, his brow furrowing.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re chasing her too. I mean, you’re one of her bachelors.”
Paul stared down at the remains of his fish and chips. “Yeah, me too. That’s right.”
Brendan still looked vaguely confused. Monica managed to paste on a bright smile. “Go on, Brendan. Go talk to the people at the bar. Try a couple of dances. Relax.”
Brendan glanced back and forth between them again, then shrugged. “Okay. You should dance too.”
“We will,” Monica said quickly. “Later. I’m still eating.”
She watched him saunter toward the dance floor where Ronnie was doing the two-step.
Paul slumped back in his seat, sighing. “Does it occur to you that this has been a particularly lightning-struck show so far? You lose a bachelor. You get stuck with me. We all end up in Salt Box. Do you find yourself wincing as you wait for another shoe to drop?”
“I wouldn’t describe it as ‘stuck with you,’” she said briskly. “So far today you’re the only thing that’s kept me sane.” She felt her cheeks heat up. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to see her blush in the darkness.
His grin was slightly crooked, although still gorgeous as hell. “Glad to oblige, ma’am.”
She leaned back in her chair again, telling her hormones to knock it off. They were skating much too close to thin ice. “Lot of people in here. More than I expected at a ski resort.”
He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s the summer high season for tourists. They’ve got lots of outdoor stuff to do and good scenery. Even in the summer, Colorado still draws them in.”
“Did you do this when you were growing up here?”
One of his eyebrows arched up. “What? Dance?”
She shook her head. “No, I mean the outdoor stuff—camping and fishing and skiing. All of that.”
He
The jukebox swung into a slow dance and more couples packed the tiny dance floor. Billy Joe glanced at Ronnie, then elevated an eyebrow in a low-grade lady killer expression. On Ronnie’s other side Brendan’s jaw firmed.
Monica closed her eyes. All she wanted to do was eat her burger and sip her margarita. She really didn’t want to start breaking up fights over Ronnie.
“Can I have this dance, ma’am?”
Monica’s eyes popped open. The man standing in front of Ronnie looked like a local—tall, lean, wearing jeans and a faded plaid shirt. If she’d been casting somebody for Salt of the Earth, he’d have been in the top five.
Ronnie blinked, then glanced at Monica. “Okay?” she mouthed.
Okay? Geez, since when had she become Ronnie’s caretaker? Probably since she’d let Ronnie take over her life. She nodded quickly. “Sure.”
Ronnie awarded the new guy with one of her smiles and gave him her hand. Billy Joe and Brendan were wearing the same expression for once—general annoyance.
“So what are we supposed to do?” Billy Joe snarled once Ronnie was on the dance floor with her new partner. “Just sit here?”
“You could always ask someone to dance with you,” Monica said through her teeth. Then she watched Billy Joe’s expression morph from annoyed to appalled.
“Not me for Pete’s sake,” she snapped. “The room’s full of girls. Go.”
He gave her one more sardonic smile and then headed for the bar. Brendan stayed glued to his seat.
“It doesn’t seem right,” he muttered.
“What doesn’t?”
“We’re here for Ronnie. We shouldn’t be out dancing with other women. That’s not right.” He scowled at her, increasing his resemblance to a cranky five-year-old.
“Brendan,” she said gently, “there are no cameras here. This isn’t part of the show. You can do what you want. Have a nice evening.”
Brendan gave her a searching look, then turned to Paul. “You understand what I’m saying, right?”
“Yeah, I do. But Monica’s right about this. Take the evening off. Enjoy yourself. When we get to Elkhorn Run, you can go back to chasing Ronnie.”
“You too,” Brendan said, his brow furrowing.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re chasing her too. I mean, you’re one of her bachelors.”
Paul stared down at the remains of his fish and chips. “Yeah, me too. That’s right.”
Brendan still looked vaguely confused. Monica managed to paste on a bright smile. “Go on, Brendan. Go talk to the people at the bar. Try a couple of dances. Relax.”
Brendan glanced back and forth between them again, then shrugged. “Okay. You should dance too.”
“We will,” Monica said quickly. “Later. I’m still eating.”
She watched him saunter toward the dance floor where Ronnie was doing the two-step.
Paul slumped back in his seat, sighing. “Does it occur to you that this has been a particularly lightning-struck show so far? You lose a bachelor. You get stuck with me. We all end up in Salt Box. Do you find yourself wincing as you wait for another shoe to drop?”
“I wouldn’t describe it as ‘stuck with you,’” she said briskly. “So far today you’re the only thing that’s kept me sane.” She felt her cheeks heat up. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to see her blush in the darkness.
His grin was slightly crooked, although still gorgeous as hell. “Glad to oblige, ma’am.”
She leaned back in her chair again, telling her hormones to knock it off. They were skating much too close to thin ice. “Lot of people in here. More than I expected at a ski resort.”
He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s the summer high season for tourists. They’ve got lots of outdoor stuff to do and good scenery. Even in the summer, Colorado still draws them in.”
“Did you do this when you were growing up here?”
One of his eyebrows arched up. “What? Dance?”
She shook her head. “No, I mean the outdoor stuff—camping and fishing and skiing. All of that.”
He
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