Page 64 of The Cowboy and the Baby

Panting, I looked up at him.

His smile turned from raw enjoyment to primal study. Gingerly, he brought me up, but his hand didn’t release.

“You good?”

His query was breathless. His shoulders worked up and down, though not as much as mine. Lips pressed, I nodded.

“Yeah. Good.”

A lone fiddle cut into the room, setting a fast tune that worked with greater speed in mere moments. Excitement lit up his eyes.

“Wanna go again?”

“Please never stop.”

I couldn’t remember how many minutes we pirouetted, laughed, sashayed, stomped. At first, I failed at every line dance I attempted, but Cade patiently taught me each step. By the time an hour had passed, I thought it had been minutes.

“Hoss!”

Cody came up behind Cade, whacked him on the shoulder. It stalled us mid-dance, but didn’t ruffle Cade. He paused, kept a hold of my hand, and half-spun toward Cody.

“Looking good, old man!” Cody cried, then tipped his hat to me. “You as well, Miss Noelle. You’re a natural out on the floor. Doesn’t hurt when the old grand champion is here to throw you around.”

He slammed a fist into Cade’s shoulder, and my interest piqued.

Grand champion?

Before the question could cross my lips, and at the exact moment a murderous glare formed in Cade’s eyes, another hand grabbed my free one, tugged, and twirled me away. I had my arm curled around an unknown shoulder before I recognized Wyatt’s devilish smile.

“Evening, Miss Noelle,” he called, spinning me fast away from an astonished and chagrined Cade. “I didn’t think that would actually work!”

I laughed, recognizing the setup for what it was. Wyatt spun me into a whirl almost as impressive as Cade’s. I pirouetted and returned to Wyatt’s side. He grinned, cutting me a quick wink.

“Fancy meeting you here. Smile big. No, better yet, laugh!”

“What are you doing?”

He had to shout over the crowd. “Making Ol’ Hoss angry!”

He tipped his head to punctuate the point, and I caught a glimpse of Cade’s irritated expression in between another couple. But he didn’t charge in after me, and it was rather adorable that Wyatt looked so pleased with himself. Wyatt was an experienced country dancer, but he lacked Cade’s confidence and raw power.

“How long have you been dancing?” I asked in between spins.

“Just a year or two. Cade brought us here to teach us how to speak to women. Cody needs the practice.”

His grin widened. Wyatt certainly didn’t need any help in the confidence arena.

“Doesn’t Cade dance anymore?”

Wyatt shook his head. “Too busy.”

Despite the less-than-ideal atmosphere, I couldn’t help shouting, “He was a grand champion of what?”

“This place used to host different kinds of dancing competitions,” he called over a particularly fast guitar solo. “He won all of them. Twice!”

The tidbit felt like a golden nugget in my hand. Quiet, calm, steady Cade had a love for something completely outside my idea of him. It was novel, discovering this new facet. If possible, he delighted me more.

Unwittingly, I sought Cade out of the crowd, eager to see him in this new light. But I could only make out a very quick glimpse. Several women surrounded him, clustering along the edges. Cody stood at his side, attempting to blend into the wall.