Dance with Me (Cowboys of Crested Butte 2)

“Do you have to be anywhere?” he asked.

“Not until this afternoon.”

“How are you?”

She smirked. “Fine. How are you?”

“Gotta be a smart ass, don’t ya?”

Renie put her hands on Billy’s shoulders and raised herself up so she could see the look on his face.

“I’m okay, Billy.”

“I wish you would’ve told me.”

“Would it have changed anything?”

She was afraid it would have, and that’s why she hadn’t told him. He would’ve wanted to talk about it. He might have even told her they shouldn’t, or that they should wait. He would have made a big deal out of it, as he had about making her breakfast. He would’ve planned for it to be special…and he would’ve overthought it.

He brought his head up at the same time his hand gripped the back of her neck. “It would have, and that’s why you didn’t tell me, isn’t it?”

Billy didn’t want to leave. He wanted to spend another night with her. She had class until nine, then she had to study she told him. He didn’t care. She came to his house and studied all the time. He never bothered her. He wouldn’t bother her here either.

Are you hungry? He texted her at eight. If she were, he’d get takeout and have it ready for her when she got back to the apartment.

Are you still here? She answered.

Yep.

Why?

Because he wanted to be, and he wasn’t going to get into a text argument with her about it. He looked through her kitchen until he found takeout menus in a drawer. She thought she knew him so well, but he knew her too, better than she thought.

All these years Renie thought he hadn’t been paying attention. He got that now, but he had been. Who didn’t pay attention to their best friend? He recognized the meaning behind every one of her looks. He knew what her texts meant, even if they consisted of one word. He was able to fill in enough blanks to finish her thoughts.

He hadn’t noticed until now how often she’d kept him at a distance. Renie came to him, when she wanted to. She stayed, when she wanted to. She put up with his shit, when she wanted to.

He decided on Thai food. They had a favorite place they went to in Colorado Springs sometimes. He knew what she liked.

When Renie unlocked the door to her apartment, she was met with the overwhelming aroma of Tom Ka Gai. If she hadn’t already loved Billy most of her life, she would have fallen in love with him right then.

It was ten degrees outside, and she walked a mile from her class to her apartment. She was chilled to her core and chicken-coconut soup would thaw her out better than anything.

“I’m glad you’re still here.”

“Because you’re happy to see me?” He helped her take off her jacket, leaned in, and kissed her. “Or because I have dinner waiting?”

“Both, I guess.”

“You guess.” He wound his hand around her neck and pulled her closer to kiss her again. Her nose was like an ice cube, so he kissed it too.

“Come and eat,” he said. He pointed to the couch, and when she sat down, he threw a blanket over her. “Get warm. I’ll bring the soup to you.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Billy Patterson?”

“I never do anything for you. Is that what you’re trying to say?” She was right. She did a lot more for him than he did for her.

“What have you been doing since I left?”