Then Ross was gone, tearing down the dirt road like a bat out of hell. A minute later, there was no trace of him and his lackeys except for a few swirling dust clouds.
Ross had wanted Wild West rules, and Beck had just handed his ass to him.
Sierra couldn’t be more satisfied by the whole situation.
With adrenaline still pumping through her veins, she stepped out onto the porch.
“I don’t care if we can’t go into town for the dance. That was awesome. Beck, you’re incredible!”
Beck shook his head obstinately. “Oh no, sweetheart. You’ll go to that dance and dance as much as your pretty little heart desires. No one will ever scare you again, not while I’m here.”
Sierra stepped into his arms and laid her head against his beautiful, hard chest.
Safe. She was safe with this big, strong, handsome man. At least while he was here.
She’d said last night that she didn’t care about the future, that she only wanted this moment with him. But after sleeping with him, having him fight for her and call her his, she wasn’t sure if her heart could be satisfied with just this moment.
Not while I’m here.
She’d kinda wanted to hear that he would always be around.
“I think you were asking me something, missy, before we were so rudely interrupted,” Beck said, cocking an eyebrow at her.
She nodded, smiling up at him hopefully. “Be my partner for dancing tonight?”
His eyes gleamed as he leaned down to take her lips with his. “It would be my pleasure.”
12
That evening, after they’d both gotten ready, Beck took Sierra to the hoedown she’d brought up at breakfast.
In the back of his head, he wondered if this counted as a date or not. Granted, dancing had never been the mountain dragon’s thing, though Clancy had dragged him to a few community socials a long, long time ago.
Jealousy burned in his chest thinking about whether Clancy would be there, and as they pulled up to a big, freshly painted barn where the dance was being held, Beck was silent. Around them, dozens of cars were parked, and people were filtering in and out of the well-lit building. Inside, he could hear a live band with a fiddle playing, punctuated by shouts and cheers.
Beck had never been good with people. But he was especially bad with crowds. He’d never fit in, and thus far in his life, he didn’t much care about that anymore.
But as he looked over at Sierra, her blue eyes beaming as she bounced a little in her seat with excitement, he realized that he’d rather have the chance at spending more precious time with this small woman that was becoming his everything than giving a damn about what the world thought.
“Let’s go. You’re coming, right?” Her hand was on his, tugging him eagerly, and he tried to hold back the small grin that seemed intent on creeping up his lips whenever she was near him.
“‘Course I am,” he said, getting out and coming around to open Sierra’s door and help her down onto the ground.
She was utterly beautiful tonight with her hair done in soft waves. She had on blue jeans and cute little boots and a light-red flannel shirt over a white tank top that hugged her curves perfectly.
He wanted to take her home right now and show her all the things he wanted to do with his gorgeous cowgirl, but this was their evening together.
Beck hesitated as he stared up at the barn, hearing the hollering and clapping to the rhythm of the music.
Then he felt Sierra’s hand clasp his, and she tugged him forward with the barest effort as he followed her inside.
Once they came through the big, wide double doors of the barn, bright lights shone down on them both. The barn had been decorated with twinkly lights that hung from the rafters, and there were hay bales set up along the walls where small groups of people chatted and watched and drank.
At the back, there was a table where snacks and beverages had been set, and there was a small stage where a live band was playing a lively song.
And in the center of the room, a space had been cleared where there were currently thirty or so people moving in unison. They clapped their hands at different intervals while they stepped, leaned, waved, and made other gestures with their bodies in time to the music, and it was all so homey and rustic that Beck felt a strange nostalgia for this human tradition that had been going on for much longer than any of these people had lived.
“Want a drink?” Beck asked, feeling like a giant in a room full of ants.
Sierra looked up and nodded, and hand in hand, they went over to the back table where he bought two beers for them. Then they made their way over to an empty haybale and sat down on it, enjoying the refreshing taste while Beck considered what the hell he was going to do next.
“More people here than I expected.” Sierra sat right next to Beck, hip to hip, and it warmed him to think she still wasn’t scared of him even now.
“Expected?” he asked, downing the rest of his beer in nervousness.
“Oh yeah, there’s some family in the area hosting a dance or get-together like this every month or so. I like the excuse to get out, be around people because it gets so quiet back at the ranch.” She watched the small throng move as she spoke.
Beck smiled inwardly. They’d been anything but quiet lately.
“That makes sense. Good to be out and around your kind, I suppose.”
“You mean our kind?” she asked playfully, then laughed. “The way you talk sometimes, it’s like you don’t even count yourself as a person.”
He didn’t. But she didn’t need to know that. “I mean out with other folk. Not alone.”
“Well, I used to come to these alone. But I have to admit it’s nice to come with someone I like.” She flushed.
“I think we’re far past the likin’ part,” he said low so no one else could hear, and she giggled in response.
They were interrupted by a host of titters and gasps, and Beck looked up to see Clancy strutting into the barn, dressed to the nines in his nicest western apparel. Clancy looked out over the crowd as all eyes that weren’t dancing in the line seemed to go to him. Then his green eyes fell on Beck and Sierra.
Clancy tipped his hat, then winked directly at Beck before moving toward a small group of women that were already fawning and looking ready to faint at any moment.
Beck felt the beer in his hand crack, and he set it down before he shattered the damn thing and made a fool out of himself.
“Does he show up to these often?” Beck asked with a grimace. He didn’t know what had gotten into him lately. Clancy was his friend.
But whenever he was near Sierra, it was like Beck’s dragon didn’t remember that fact.
“Once in a while, I think I’ve seen him,” Sierra said. “But we were never introduced.”
Beck growled.
Of course Clancy was out strutting around like a peacock, probably breaking women’s hearts wherever he went.
But that wasn’t fair, he realized. It was Clancy’s choice to do whatever he wanted. Just because Beck was a monster didn’t mean he wasn’t jealous of the ease with which his longtime friend dealt with people.
Kinda like TJ.
The music started to slow. Then the song stopped as the room clapped for an encore. There was a pause, and then a new song immediately started, a little faster and livelier than the last.