First Instinct

Chapter 2-1

Two

Nick knitted his hands behind his head and tilted his face toward the sky. The late August evening was balmy, but already the air was starting to lose the ability to hold the sun’s heat as the days dwindled toward autumn. Closing his eyes, he listened to the chatter of his companions and the other diners who, like his group, were out on the back patio of the Whiskey Creek Grill to soak up a little more summer before the weather started turning colder.

“See? Wasn’t this a good idea?” Beth asked.

He opened an eye to meet her gaze, then closed it again and smiled. “Yeah, it was. It’s a perfect evening.”

He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing his ankles, and nudged someone’s foot under the table.

“Hey, watch where you’re sticking those long legs of yours, Nick,” Trey said laughingly and gave him a kick.

“I have a better idea. Keep your big clodhoppers on your side of the table,” Nick said but pulled his legs back.

Leave it to Trey to ruin his moment of bliss. Sitting up straighter, he draped an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders. Michelle snuggled into his side and tilted her face up, so he tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her lightly. Thus far, she had held up beautifully against Beth’s rapid-fire questioning and was actually a little smug having gained the approval of his oldest friend.

The waitress brought the checks and cleared away their dishes. Nick took out his wallet and pulled out thirty dollars to cover his and Michelle’s meal.

“Isn’t it your turn to get dinner?” Trey asked Beth.

“No, I paid last time.”

“I didn’t bring enough cash, babe.”

“I got it,” Nick said. He glanced at Trey as he pulled the requisite cash out of his wallet and frowned. With only a glimmer of humor in his voice, he said, “If we ever go out together again, you’re paying, Trey.”

“So, Nick and I thought it would be fun to head down to the Club Bar for a little dancing since they have a live band tonight,” Michelle said, abruptly and—Nick guessed—intentionally changing the subject. “Join us?”

“I don’t know about dancing, but I wouldn’t mind heading that way for a drink or two and maybe some pool,” Trey replied. “You up for having your a*s kicked again, Nick?”

“No thanks.” He forced a smile. “I wasn’t up for it the last time.”

He pushed to his feet and headed inside to pay. The others followed close behind, and after he’d paid, Beth leaned in and said, “I could have paid for Trey and me.”

“That isn’t the point.”

He didn’t give her an opportunity to say anything more on the matter. Taking Michelle’s hand, he led her outside, holding the door for her and Beth and barely resisting the urge to let it slam in Trey’s face. If the other man hadn’t been holding Beth’s hand, Nick might have done it. Instead, he shifted his attention westward. The sun, riding close to the sagebrush hills on the edge of town, bathed the storefronts lining the east side of Montana Street with rich golden light. Insects and dust hovered in the still air, suspended and limned by that incredible light. Golden hour indeed. It was a stunning night, and one he wished he was enjoying on his family’s sprawling ranch in the Northstar Valley instead of pretending he was still friends with Trey.

“I understand now why you and Beth have been such good friends for so long,” Michelle remarked. “You’re two peas in a pod.”

He stopped on the sidewalk and pulled her against him to kiss her. After, she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, and they started walking again. “That was fun. I wish now we had gotten together with her a lot sooner. I know you all were busy on your ranches most of the time you and I have been going out, but come on. We were all within sixty miles of Devyn all summer. We could have done it. Or do you really dislike Trey that much?”

“I’m really starting to dislike him that much.”

“You seemed to get along with him all right at dinner.”

“I can still tolerate him when I have to.” Nick glanced over his shoulder. “We were never great friends, but we were a lot closer back in high school than we are now.”

“What changed?”

“He turned into a selfish a*s. I mean, he’s always been a little arrogant, but he wasn’t as bad as he is now. And he likes to party a lot, which isn’t my style.”

“I don’t get what Beth sees in him or how she puts up with that from him. She seems so sweet and….”

“Innocent?”

Michelle laughed. “Yeah.”

“Don’t let that fool you. She’s one of the most stubborn people I know, and she has no trouble keeping him in check.” Frowning, he added, “Or she didn’t used to. I get the feeling that’s changing, too.”

They had reached the Club Bar, so the conversation ended for the time being. The door was open to let in the pleasant evening air, and Nick stepped aside so Michelle and Beth could enter first and, deciding to take the high road and be gracious, he even waited for Trey to walk inside before he followed his companions. Just inside, a hulk of a man checked their IDs and told them to have a good time.

The bar stood to the left and four pool tables dominated the center of the room. There were a few tables with chairs pushed up against the front and rear walls, and a dozen poker and keno machines lined the right wall beside a twelve-foot doorway that opened into the bar’s dance and party room, which boasted a raised stage with a DJ booth and ample space for dancing.

They made their way through the crowd—mostly other college students—and after his eyes adjusted to the dim interior, Nick spotted his twin brothers at the bar. He excused himself from his companions. Aaron and Henry might be only two years younger and in college themselves, but that didn’t mean his duty to keep them out of trouble had ended. If anything, they were even worse away from the ranch. Just a week ago when the dorms had been opened for students to move in, he’d dragged them out of a fight in this very bar right before the cops showed up. They hadn’t started it, but they’d been hell bent on finishing it.

“What are you two doing here?” he asked. He glanced at their wrists to make sure they hadn’t removed the wristbands that marked them as under age. The bartenders wouldn’t serve them, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to con someone into buying them drinks.

The older, Aaron, grinned. “Hey, big brother.”

“So, you gonna buy us a beer now that you’re twenty-one and all legal?” Henry asked.

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh, come on, Nick,” Henry said. “Mom and Dad let us have a beer or two at home once in a while.”

“Yeah, on the ranch where you aren’t going to get into any trouble.” He settled a hand on each brother’s shoulder and squeezed. “You get caught drinking in town, you’re in deep s**t. So I’d better not hear anything about you getting someone else to buy you drinks.”

“Party pooper,” Henry muttered.

“Yep. Michelle, can I buy you a drink?”

“Sure. I’d love a fuzzy navel.”

Nick flagged down one of the three bartenders, ordered Michelle’s drink and a Coke each for him and Beth. Trey could buy his own drinks or get someone else to buy them for him. He spotted Trey with a beer already in hand engaged in what appeared to be a heated conversation with Beth’s most recent ex-boyfriend while they waited for a pool table to open up.

Swiveling around on his bar stool with his back to the bar and his free arm propped on it, Nick forced his attention elsewhere, and for a few minutes, he watched the crowd of dancers in the other room. A dance or two with Michelle—and maybe one with Beth since Trey didn’t dance—sounded like fun, but he had a paper due tomorrow, so he didn’t want to stay out late tonight.

Before he could ask Michelle to dance, three of her friends walked in and immediately diverted her attention. Since she was still nursing her drink, Nick asked if it would be all right if he danced with Beth while she chatted.

“Sure. Have some fun,” she replied.

Beth gleefully accepted his invitation, and he pulled her onto the dance floor. She stepped into his arms with masterful poise and moved effortlessly with him to the mid-tempo song.

“So, now that you’ve spent a little time with Michelle, what do you think of her?” he asked.

“I like her. A lot. She’s almost as mellow as you are, and I think she’s a good match for you. You’re much more relaxed with her than you were with your last girlfriend.”

“She’s easy to be with, and she lets me be me.”

“Josie was a bit of a control freak,” Beth agreed. “And you, being the sweet guy you are, were too nice to tell her off.”

Nick laughed. “Michelle has passed the Beth Test, then?”

“Mmm-hmm. I just hope she enjoys dancing as much as I do. Because you truly are a gifted dancer, Nick.”

“She does.”

“Went out dancing a few times this summer, did you?”

“You bet. Had a great time, too.”

Beth smiled up at him. “She seems like a really great girl. But didn’t I already say that?”

“You did. Hey, shall we ask the band for something a little more upbeat?”

“I wonder if they play anything we could swing to.”

With his fingers still loosely twined with Beth’s, Nick made his way through the thinning crowd of dancers to the stage and made his request to the band.

The lead singer grinned. “I’m pretty sure we can help you out with that.” Into his microphone, he said, “All right, folks. We’re going to pick up the pace a bit with one of our own songs.”

The drummer started with a rousing beat and was soon joined by a trumpet. Nick deftly spun Beth, and the skirt of her flirty turquoise sundress flared as she twirled. The other dancers moved back to give them room, watching for a while before hesitantly joining in. Beth smiled brightly as they danced, and occasionally her rich laughter added to the music. She’d been his dance partner more times than Nick could count, and it showed. They moved seamlessly together, knowing the other’s move instinctively before it was made.

Nick was disappointed when the song ended but applause greeted him when he finished the dance by spinning Beth to him so her back was pressed against his chest. Smiling, he nodded in acknowledgement and thanked the band.

“Are you up for another one?” the lead singer asked. “It’s nice to see a couple who actually knows how to appreciate a little swing, and we don’t often get to play our own music.”

“I imagine his girlfriend would like a dance with him,” Beth remarked, waving Michelle over. “Unless she doesn’t like swing.”

“She does, but it’s still pretty new to her. Hey, sweetie, are you up for getting a little dizzy?”

“Sure,” Michelle replied.

“Thanks for the dance, Beth,” Nick said as he changed partners.

“You’re welcome. It was fun, as always.”

Beth headed back to the bar, and Nick watched as she draped her arm around Trey’s waist, frowning when her boyfriend impatiently waved her away. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Michelle, who glanced between Nick and the other couple with a quizzical frown.

“What?” he asked.

“Have you and Beth ever dated?”

“No. Why?”

“You just seem very in tune with each other. More so than just friends. Watching the two of you dance… that was incredible.”

“We’ve danced together a lot—Guinea pigs for my parents when my mother decided it would be fun to teach dance as a hobby. If you think Beth and I dance well together, you should watch my parents sometime. They’re amazing.”

“I bet. I guess that would explain how you two are able to move like you do.” Michelle tilted her head and smiled as she slipped her hands nervously into his. “I’m a little jealous, though. I’d love to dance like that.”

“Give it time and a little more practice and you will. And I’m sure Mom would love to give you some lessons sometime.”