The night of the barfight was the first time in years that Rachel went dancing. She felt a flutter of nervousness as Jamie led her towards the area in front of the stage. Everyone was line dancing. And she hadn't done that since college. She didn't remember the steps. But in a stroke of luck, as they entered the area the upbeat song that was playing ended and a slower one started. Jamie pulled her into his arms and led. And Rachel found it was easier than she thought it would be to let him guide the movements of her body.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in rainbows behind the mountains. The small twinkle lights that were strung up around the dance area slowly began to flicker on. And before long, Rachel was focused on the dark intensity of Jamie's eyes instead of her feet. With his arm around her, it was easy to let everything around them drift out of focus. The talk Rachel gave herself about slowing things down and not letting herself fall so fast quickly gave way to a feeling of almost euphoric desire as the music swelled around them. The song wasn't one she was familiar with. But like all country love songs, it was sweet and sad and hopeful all at the same time.
…Must have been livin' right the day I met you
Had to be a starry night, my dreams came true
I don't deserve you, I don't understand
I'm gonna love you the best that I can
Yes I'd die for this dance
To hold you, to talk of romance
I've never been lucky, but I've got to take the chance
I'm caught up in some kind of trance
And yes I would die for this dance…
Rachel felt Jamie pulling her against him. And when she looked down, she realized they were no longer mixed in with the other couples, but off to the side of the dance area, near the fence. Her arms were up around his neck. And he tipped his head as he began to lean in for a kiss. Rachel pulled back slightly, casting a nervous glance towards the party tent. Not only was Jamie's entire family around. But her ex sister-in-law was nearby. Along with several news crews and a lot of other people.
"I feel like everyone is watching," Rachel said, leaning in close and whispering into his ear. Jamie smiled as he reached up and lifted his cowboy hat off his head. He held it sideways, blocking their faces from being seen by anyone on the other side of the fence. She was smiling back when he captured her mouth with his. The kiss seemed to take on a life of its own as her tongue tangled up with his. It took them both a moment to realize that they were being cat called and whistled at by a few of the other couples on the dance floor. Jamie laughed as he plunked his hat back on his head, letting Rachel bury her face in his neck to hide her blushing cheeks.
Kayce and Monica were among the couples that were getting a kick out of their little public display of affection. And both of them looked like this was the best entertainment they'd had all year. Rachel could only laugh back, happy to see that Monica's smile was going all the way up to her eyes.
When the song ended, the four of them headed towards the bar together. It was clear to Jamie right away that Monica and Rachel had already made friends. And he found he liked the idea of his chosen partner being friends with Kayce's wife. When Jamie thought about his family, and all the bullshit pressure and intensity that came with being a Dutton, Kayce was never included in that group. Kayce was just his brother. The kind of brother that would love him the same if he ended up as the president of the united states or just another run of the mill small scale cattle rancher. Jamie realized he hadn't spent much time with the younger man lately. Or really in a long time. He felt sad for the time that they lost. And for the close knit relationship they once had. One that had grown thinner over the years. Jamie hadn't invited anyone from his family over to see the ranch he purchased. And he really didn't have any intention of doing so. But he realized as he drank a beer with his brother, that it would make him happy for Kayce to be included in his life more.
"I bought a new house," Jamie said, feeling like he was awkwardly blurting the words out.
"No shit?," Kayce asked, whacking him on the back. "When do I get to see it?"
"Tomorrow?," Jamie suggested. He ticked his head towards Monica and Rachel. "Maybe we could all have dinner?" Jamie wasn't sure why he was surprised when Kayce immediately agreed to his plan. Maybe he'd just let Beth's constant dowtalking make him feel like he wasn't a wanted member of the family. Like he was the black sheep. But Kayce clearly didn't share her opinion. On the contrary, he seemed more than happy to spend time with Jamie.
"That's a good idea," Kayce agreed. He gestured towards Rachel. "Her daughter's a trip. Tate's been having a lot of fun with her. He really needed it, ya know." Jamie nodded, feeling sad not only for Jamie's recent loss but also because he wasn't there to support the man after it happened. He let Beth push him out. And he shouldn't have.
The small group moved away from the bar and off to a less busy area inside the tent. They chatted back and forth, talking a little about how the party seemed to be going and their plans for dinner the next day. Monica excused herself to check on Tate and use the bathroom. And Jamie headed to the bar for another round of drinks, leaving Rachel alone with Kayce. Out of the entire Dutton clan, Kayce was the one she'd had the least interaction with. But he had a gentle calming demeanor. And Rachel liked him even without knowing him. Because of how supportive she knew he was of Monica when she lost her baby.
"Can I ask you something?," Rachel said. Kayce nodded. Since her eyes were lingering on his brother, he assumed the question was about Jamie. "Is your brother a good person?," Rachel asked. "I just …um …I mean …Beth sort of warned me away from him." Kayce's mouth turned up in a soft smile. Jamie and Beth had been fighting for years. He had no idea what the conflict stemmed from. And honestly, he didn't care. Beth needed to build a bridge and get over it, in his opinion. They were family. And they had plenty of enemies out there without wasting energy fighting with each other.
"Don't pay any attention to Beth," Kayce suggested. "Jamie's great. You won't meet a better guy than him."
From the smile that lit up Rachel's face, Kayce could tell he'd given her the answer she was hoping to hear. Kayce didn't spend much time concerning himself with other people's love lives. But Rachel seemed like a down to earth sort of person. She'd be good for Jamie, who tended to base his level of interest in a woman based on whether or not he thought their father would approve of her. Which meant he was shopping instead of actually dating. Looking for the woman with the best education and pedigree. The one that had the right family connections or the right job. Kayce had never really seen Jamie with anyone that he seemed to have a genuine connection with. Until now.
"Y'all have got to come see this," Monica said, gesturing for them to follow her. Rachel took a sip from the beer that Jamie handed her, trying to get the liquid low enough in the cup that it wouldn't slosh all over her. Jamie took her hand as they walked. And it made her smile. She couldn't remember the last time she held hands with someone. If she had to guess, she'd say it was probably in high school. Her ex wasn't much of a hand holder. Unless he wanted to grab her hand and squeeze it painfully because she did something that pissed him off. And she didn't think that really counted. Jamie's hand was rougher than she would expect from a lawyer. There were calluses on his palms and she liked the way they felt against her own hand when she intertwined her fingers with his.
Kayce and Monica were walking ahead of them. And Rachel knew when they were able to see whatever Monica wanted to show them. Because Kayce started laughing. Rachel moved closer, eager to see what was so funny for herself.
Off to one side of the house, there was a large tree. And hanging from it was a half deflated old tire swing. One that Rachel guessed had seen its last use when Jamie and Kayce were still young enough to climb on. It was set up so the large old tractor tire hung horizontally, attached to three ropes.
Rachel had no idea how the kids talked him onto the swing. But Rip was sitting in the center of the tire, his weight already causing the branch to dip lower than it ought to be. Dakota was in his lap. And Tate was standing on the tire, straddling them with his legs on either side as he gripped the ropes for dear life. Carter was pushing the swing as high as it would go. Dakota was screaming. Beth was sitting in the grass with Rip's hat on her head, laughing her ass off as the violent movements of the swing began to shake the entire tree.
"Oh my god," Rachel mumbled. One look at the scene and she tipped her cup, taking a few large swallows of beer. Finding unique ways to injure themselves seemed to be a daily challenge on the ranch. One that her daughter was apparently more than happy to participate in.
"I hope dad's homeowners insurance is paid up," Jamie quipped, setting Kayce off into another round of laughter.
Rachel watched as Carter gave the swing one more hard push, running as he shoved and then grabbing the ropes. At the last moment, he leaped up onto the tire, kicking Rip directly in the head. The branch dipped even lower under their combined weight. And Rachel cringed when she heard the inevitable sound of the branch breaking. Tate was the only one with the sense to bail out. He leaped off the tire, landing in the grass and falling forward onto his knees. The force of his departure sent the swing sailing off at an odd angle. Which ended up being for the best, because it meant they weren't under the branch when it broke. The swing flopped to the ground. And the branch fell off to the side, the leafy bushy part of it landing on Beth. It was like someone suddenly just disappeared her off the planet. One moment she was sitting in the grass sipping her drink. And the next moment she was just gone. Evaporated.
Since Rip and the kids were all laughing, it was obvious that they were alright. Rachel ran for Beth instead, hoping the woman was simply stuck in the mess and not actually injured. She began lifting up branches, trying to locate Beth in the mess. When Rachel heard a loud cursing flurry of movement from the other side of the large branch, she was finally able to laugh. Anyone that could curse that loud clearly wasn't hurt too badly. By this time, Rip had disentabled himself from the kids and was snapping the branches back out of his way as he pushed into the mess. He leaned down, carefully lifting Beth out from under the mass of leaves and branches.
"You assholes!," she huffed. "Stupid piece of shit tree!"
Rip managed to set her down on her feet before he exploded in laughter. Beth had leaves sticking out of her hair. They were down her dress and the tree must have been sappy because they weren't brushing off easily as she tried to straighten her dress out. Finally, she gave up and just lit a cigarette. Beth held the pack out, offering a cigarette to Rachel. Rachel hesitated, glancing towards her daughter. She usually didn't smoke in front of Dakota. But the girl was laughing with Tate and Carter, looking ready to tear off and find some more trouble to get into. She wasn't paying much attention to her mother. Rachel snagged a smoke, using the tip of Beth's already lit cigarette to light hers.
"Great party," Beth said, pulling a leaf from her hair. Rachel laughed and began using her free hand to help Beth get the mess out of her hair
"It is," she agreed.
** The song in this chapter is I'd die for this Dance by Nicolette Larson. **
