Page 55 of Huckleberry Hill
“Declan.”
“I don’t know, Hadley. The rodeo circuit didn’t really allow for long-lasting relationships and I wasn’t really looking for one either. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You were engaged, so clearly that was serious. And what about Wade?”
I looked at my high school boyfriend who was currently helping a customer before glancing back at Declan. I shook my head. “No. It wasn’t serious. It was high school.”
“Some high school relationships last.”
“Yeah, but not ours. It was amicable. We were together until graduation, but that summer I left with Salem to move to New York.”
“He still carries a torch for you.”
“I wish he wouldn’t.”
“So you don’t have any unresolved feelings for him?”
I raised my brows. “I was going to marry another man. I do not have any unresolved feelings for my high school boyfriend.”
“Good to know.”
My gaze narrowed.
A customer walked up to the jukebox and pressed a few buttons. When the song didn’t change, he kicked the side of it. With a warble, an old-school country song blasted from the speakers.
“Come on,” Declan said, scooting out of the booth.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re going to dance.”
“You dance?” I asked in surprise.
“Guess you’ll find out.” He held his hand out to me.
I looked at it for a moment and then took it. He helped me up and led me toward the dance floor.
He pulled me close, one hand splaying across my back, his other hand holding mine. I tripped over my own two feet, but Declan didn’t laugh at me. And soon the nerves disappeared. He twirled and whirled me, keeping a strong, firm grip.
His flannel shirt was soft beneath my fingertips and when he pulled me close, I could smell the saddle soap and hay clinging to his skin.
The song changed to a slower one, but Declan didn’t release me. Instead, his large hand pressed against the small of my back and urged me closer.
Our hips brushed against one another, and quivers of longing sparked in my belly. A startled gasp escaped my lips.
My head whipped back so I could stare at him. He was looking down at me, his blue eyes banked with heat. His head dipped . . .
I shoved away from him, almost colliding with another couple on the floor.
“Air,” I blurted out.
I ran for the front door and yanked it open. After stepping outside, I bent over, placed my hands on my thighs, and gulped like my life depended on it.
The door opened and I turned my head. Declan strode outside, holding my coat.
“Thought you might be cold,” he said.
