Page 42 of Second Chance Saloon

She shook off the biting whisper in her ear and drew in a steadying breath.

Mitch downed the rest of his wine and finally looked at her. “Clearly, it wasn’t meant to be.”

“I’m sorry,” Jackie tried, but the words leaving her lips sounded hollow even to her own ears.

He tilted his head, twisting the stem of his wineglass between his fingers. “It is what it is.”

“How long were you together?”

“About three years, give or take.” He bit down on his lip, averting his gaze again. “And before you ask how we met, she brought an injured deer into my practice.”

Jackie beamed at him. “So, you are a vet. Like you’ve always wanted.”

Mitch mustered a smile and nodded. “I am. Equine veterinarian. I have my own practice on the outskirts of Oklahoma City.”

“That’s amazing, I’m so happy for you.” She leaned in, cheeks hurting from holding up a smile; but she couldn’t stop herself. “Still allergic to dogs, then?”

He huffed a laugh. “Yes, Jackie. I’m still allergic to dogs. Although my parents got a small poodle cross, a cavapoo—she’s hypoallergenic, I think? Anyway, she doesn’t seem to affect me as much.”

Jackie hoped that no dog affected Mitch as much as Dixie did. The local pharmacist kept an extra supply of antihistamines for him behind the counter when he stayed at Brooke’s Plains. Once, Mimi had suggested she could ask the ranch hands to keep Dixie in the bunkhouse, but he told her there was no way he’d ever kick such a gorgeous girl out of her own home. He preferred to suffer sniffles, rashes and itching as a price for petting Dixie.

Mitch must’ve strayed into the same memories, as he asked: “How’s Dixie doing?”

Her bottom lip wobbled. “Dixie passed three years ago. She had pancreatitis and it got bad.”

“I’m sorry. She was a wonderful dog.” He hesitated. “How’s Brenda doing?”

“Mimi’s good. Some bother with her knees, and her blood pressure could be better, but otherwise she’s still the same Mimi. Would you believe me if I told you that her and Dustin became a thing?”

Their eyes locked and they both chortled.

“Were they not always a thing?”

Jackie shrugged. “I’ve had my suspicions, as did everyone else, but they denied it every time. Until about, I don’t know, four … five years ago?”

Mitch whistled. “I’ll be damned. Good for them. Dustin was always kind to me.”

Jackie raised her brow. “Was he? I seem to remember you were terrified of him the first summer at the ranch …”

Her voice dropped, the memory of that summer barging in like a cowboy swaggering into a saloon. Her blood sang with the memories of days spent working side by side and nights when they snuck out of the house.

Mitch cleared his throat, his unwavering gaze pinning hers. “I remember every second of that summer. And both summers after.”

His eyes shone like mirror balls, reflecting her own heartbreak.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Mitch

His ribs struggled against the material of his shirt, the buttons ready to pop, his lungs not capable of taking in enough air. Yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off Jackie.

Her throat bobbed with a swallow. “You do?”

Mitch pressed his lips together, saved from answering by their food arriving on elegant porcelain plates. He thanked the waitress with a smile and drank in the mouthwatering aroma of his lamb birria. It looked divine. But even the combination of the sudden gut-twisting hunger and delicious food didn’t lessen the weight of Jackie’s eyes on him.

She didn’t move to pick up her fork. Her elbows were off the table, her hands probably gripping her knees. She used to do that a lot whenever she was nervous. Maybe some things had changed but, Mitch hazarded a guess, this hadn’t.

“What do you think, Jackie?” There was more bite to his voice than he’d intended.