Page 151 of Thaw My Heart

What is she doing? My mind internally screams at me.

“There’s actually not a single girl in this room I’d rather dance with,” Blake puts on the charm.

Candace’s bright green eyes snap to his. Her cheeks bloom in vibrant colors, swirling down to her freckled chest. Blake takes her hand, leading her onto the dance floor underneath the warm elkhorn lights, pulling her in as they sway side to side.

“Are we still dancing? Or are you going to keep playing matchmaker?” Kit smirks at me.

I stick out my tongue, pulling him along when my eyes meet Averie’s. She gives me a look like, what the hell, still sitting there with Ryker. Just the two of them.

Oops.

I’m pretty sure she thinks I did that on purpose, which isn’t true, but I grin back at her. Placing a finger above my lip, waggling my eyebrows. She’s not amused.

“So, what was that all about?” Kit asks, adjusting his grip on my waist, wearing his ballcap backwards, just the way that I like it.

“Nothing,” but I’m still grinning.

“If you’re trying to hook up Blake and Candace, I would strongly advise against it,” he warns.

“Why?” Does he not see how adorable they would be?

“Candace’s family is… well, very religious. They wouldn’t approve of someone like Blake.”

“But Blake’s the best!” I defend. “Why wouldn’t they like him?” Out of all the ranchers at Lone Pine, he was seriously the best guy. But maybe I’m biased. You couldn’t ask for a better or more stand-up guy than Blake Dalton.

Besides the man standing in front of me, who was all mine.

“Well, for one, he’s older than her,” Kit continues. “Way more than they’d deem acceptable. And Blake’s not exactly a religious man. He’s been with a lot of women. Young and naïve is not really his type.”

I’m inclined to agree with him, considering he was interested in me, but still. “Oh, but look,” I gesture to them, dancing a few feet away from us. “How cute are they? Surely with all of Blake’s experience, he could teach her a few things.”

Kit chuckles softly, the sexiest laugh. “Okay, Tequila.”

The nickname sends a tremble down my spine. Just as it has since the beginning.

“So, how are you feeling about everything?” he asks.

“Everything being…”

“The ranch. The future. Us…” his voice trails off, searching my eyes as if they hold all the answers. “There’s going to be quite a lot of work involved to fix up the main barn. Next year won’t be an easy one.”

“Are you doubting my work ethic, Cowboy?” I arch a brow.

“Never,” he laughs.

“Do you think I’m going to run off when things get hard?”

He smirks. “No, I don’t.”

But despite what he says, there’s still fear and worry in his eyes. And far too much tension in his shoulders. “What is it?”

He lets out a long breath. “Lone Pine is under a bit of financial stress at the moment. I can fix up the barn. It’ll just take time. But there’s a lot of tack and equipment that’s been destroyed. Insurance will cover some of it, but we’ll still be in the hole. And the hole is already dug pretty deep.”

I ponder for a moment. “So, we need some ideas to make extra money?”

He nods. “If you have any, I’m open to it.”

An idea to make money on a ranch full of very attractive cowboys…