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mean, do you have a specialty?” Scarlet gave him a direct look. There was an honesty about her that touched something deep inside him. He admired that trait in anyone but particularly in a woman. Nash hadn’t known many honest women in his life. 
    Leaning back, he focused on her smiling lips. “Bulls. I like a hard ride and they’re challenging. I like a challenge.”
    Sexual innuendo hung ripe in the air as Scarlet held his gaze. Suddenly, Lyssa stood up and cleared her throat.
    “Hey, Scarlet, I need to run to the ladies room. Come with me.”
    “Well, okay.” Scarlet stood and gave Patti-Pie a look. “You coming?”
    “Nope, I’m going to stay right here to protect Nash from all these droolin’ women who’ve been eyeing him. I’m saving him for you.”
    Scarlet smiled at him and he thought his heart would stop. “You do that, honey. He’s the best dancer here tonight. I wouldn’t want him to get away.”
    He watched her walk off and briefly considered leaving before he got himself in a heap of trouble but Patti’s voice stopped him.
    “Hey, Bobby Lee, whatcha doin?”
    A short fella with a big old beer belly bent and gave her a smacking kiss on the mouth before settling into an abandoned chair. “Hey, darlin’. Checking out the ladies, as usual. Having a beer or ten.”
    Patti laughed and introduced them.
    Nash leaned back in his chair. “You a local?”
    “Yeah, me and Patti graduated together. I work over at Jackson Brothers Feed and Seed.” He gave Patti a serious look. “Scarlet here?”
    “Uh-huh. She and Lyssa are in the little cowgirl’s room.”
    Bobby Lee frowned. “Somebody better tell her Cole is here.”
    Alertly, Patti stiffened in her chair. “Oh, no.”
    Nash watched her face scrunch up as she cast a look toward where her friends had gone. Cole? Who was that? A pissed off boyfriend who’d be looking for a fight? Thinking he’d better pay closer attention to the conversation, he sipped his beer, listening to the old friends chat.
    “Yep. Saw him come through the door about thirty minutes ago. He’s with that redhead from Mossy Creek.”
    Patti greeted that news with a gasp.
    “What the hell is going on?”
    Two pairs of eyes turned to him as if just remembering his presence. Patti leaned over and patted his hand.
    “Scarlet was engaged to him last year and about a week before the wedding she showed up at his place and caught him with that tramp from Mossy Creek. That’s a little town about ten miles from here.”
    Bobby Lee shook his head sadly. “We was all sorry about what happened to her. Whole town knew about it o’course. Everybody talked about it for months and she tried to act like everything was okay but her friends knew it wasn’t.”
    “I’d like to just skin that man!” Patti huffed.
    Nash wanted to skin him, too. There was nothing noble in cheating and lying. He was a man who believed in being up front with people. “She’s lucky she found out the guy was a creep before the wedding.”
    “That’s what I keep tellin’ her.” Patti said. “Thing is, in a small town like this, people don’t forget. Half the folks here tonight are from Sweetridge and they’ll all see Cole with that Tiffany Boggs and start talking all over again.”
    Nash thought of the confident, sassy woman with whom he’d spent the best part of his evening, being embarrassed in front of the town folk and wanted nothing more than to get her the hell out of here. But this wasn’t his business. He couldn’t let himself get involved with these people. He especially couldn’t get involved in the personal life of Scarlet Ballew.
    She was way out of his league. He was a guy who had nothing to offer a woman but a hot time between the sheets and she deserved way better.
    If he had any sense, he’d haul his ass out of here before he was drawn in.
    Lost in thought, he barely noticed when Bobby Lee stood and walked off to join his friends at another table. The band had just struck up a