He furrowed his eyebrows. “What? Since when?”
Leah covered her mouth as if she said too much. “Never mind.”
“I’m guessing this is something different again? Leah, what’s up?”
Leah’s hand fell from her mouth. “Can you still keep a secret?”
“Always.”
Leah exhaled. “Okay… I’m kind of taking a break… from dating. I guess you can call it a hiatus.”
Cole eyed her. “What brought this on?”
She rubbed her forehead. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”
“We’re friends. Remember?”
Leah draped her hair over her shoulder. “I… I think I need time to myself. So, I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I’m even taking salsa lessons.”
“Salsa?”
She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m serious. This is important to me. I want the happily ever after, but… I want to work on me first.”
“I can respect that. So salsa lessons, Pilates, your hair, and horseback riding?”
“Crazy, huh?”
“No, I’m proud of you. A lot of us don’t take the time to get to know ourselves before we get into a relationship. You need to know what you truly want.”
Leah’s eyes gleamed. “Exactly.”
He extended his hand. “Show me what you’ve learned so far señorita.”
She laughed. “I’m not that good. I only know the basics.”
He stood to his feet. “Then show me the basics.”
She slipped him a curious glance but took his hand and stood to her feet. Cole led her to the middle of the floor, and Leah showed him the neutral position. Soon the couple was dancing back and forth, but Cole caught Leah off guard when he spun her around him. When he dipped her to one side and the other, Leah gasped. He brought her back to his chest.
She breathed. “Where did you learn that?”
“I may have traveled some in Spain.”
“Still full of surprises, huh?”
He winked. “A few.”
Leah barely reached Cole’s shoulder, but he didn’t mind her being shorter than he was. She then brought her hands to rest on his chest. Electricity sparked when their eyes met, but then she backed away. Cole released his grip on her waist.
Leah tugged at the flowy sleeves of her dress. “I should change and head home. I’m pretty tired.”
He frowned. “I’ll… I’ll let you know when the photos are done.”
She grabbed her shoes. “I can’t wait to see them. Thank you again.” Leah hustled for the dressing room. She shut the door behind her leaving Cole alone.
Chapter 10
Leah took in the open pastures with tracks worn into them. Long dirt roads, wind