The rhythm of the heavy bass drum rattled the windows of the County Line Bar just outside of Morrisville. The clinging of glasses and rowdy laughter of its patrons leaked through the door as it continually opened and closed to admit more guests or smokers who stepped out for a break. The thirty-minute drive was worth it just for the chance to see Tara again.

When Daniel told Beau that they were all going dancing, he didn’t know whether to be ecstatic or crestfallen. Especially when his brother mentioned that Tara would be bringing a date for him. Had he read her wrong from the beginning? It was stupid to be so hopeful that maybe Tara fancied him over Daniel – her intended match – but were all those flirtatious moments just a front? Did she really not like him as he suspected? Or had she changed her mind after meeting Daniel and reminiscing over high school?

But he stopped himself. He couldn’t think about all that or it would drive him nuts. Things were going according to plan. The carnival trip and dinner at the ranch were designed to get Tara to test the waters and see if she liked their lifestyle. Now, she was going on a date with Daniel that would hopefully lead to more. Wedding bells could be in their future, but not for Beau. When it came to the moment when Daniel would ask him to be the best man, Beau wasn’t sure what he would say. To stand by and watch his older brother get the girl of his dreams might have been too much.

He never anticipated feeling this much for Tara. After they parted ways in high school, he thought they would never see one another again. With nothing in his pockets except a few hundred dollars to get him started and a broken heart to keep him warm at night, Beau thought he wouldn’t have to put himself through something like that again. Now, Tara was slowly mending his heart back together without even knowing it, and he had to rip out the stitching as she went.

Beau kicked at a pebble to send it rolling a few yards across the parking lot outside the bar.

“What’s got you?” Daniel asked, his thumbs slung in his belt loops as he leaned against the tailgate of his Dodge pickup.

He had his back turned to his brother, so he could make as many pained and angry expressions as he pleased. “Nothing,” he said, keeping the agitation out of his words as best he could under the circumstances. “I just don’t like the idea of a blind date, you know?”

It was the truth. Tara never mentioned who her friend was, but only that she would be an eager dancer. Beau wasn’t too sure he wanted to dance at all tonight, knowing that Tara would be on the floor with Daniel.

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” Daniel said. “For your sake, I hope she’s cute.”

Beau rolled his eyes. Compared to Tara, every girl on the planet was plain and homely.

He spotted Tara’s car as it pulled into the parking lot, a little red coupe – the same one she owned in high school. It was already dark and the headlights shined against his legs and torso as they came around to find a parking spot. He shouldn’t have been nervous. It wasn’t his date. Damn, how he wanted to scream and pound his fists against the hood of a nearby car.

They came walking up a few moments later and Beau wished he were irresponsible enough to throw away every commitment he had made to his brother’s happiness. Tara was wearing a pair of cutoff jeans, despite the dropping mercury. He didn’t even look to her friend as she came up, her hips already swinging with each step. Underneath her blue plaid button-down shirt, a white tank top hugged against her trim form, showing off every curve he wished he could explore.

She smiled and the wind tossed her hair back in such a way that made his manhood firm up instantly. Daniel seemed to be just as entranced.

“I hope we weren’t making you wait too long,” she said.

Beau would have waited a thousand years if it meant he would get to take a deep whiff of whatever expensive perfume she was wearing just then.

“Not long,” Daniel replied. His eyes shifted instantly to Tara’s blonde friend. “You work at the dentist too, don’t you?”

Beau wrenched his thoughts away from Tara and looked to the other girl, whom he recognized now. She and Tara were attached at the hip in their chemistry class and he had seen them hanging out after school quite often.

“Rebecca, right?” he guessed. This must have been the blonde Daniel had almost mistaken Tara for the other night.

She smiled, but it was a weak one. “That’s me.”

Somehow, Beau got the idea that Rebecca really didn’t want to be there. At least they had that much in common.

When he looked back to the other two, he found that their attentions were a little crossed. Daniel’s date was staring at Beau, while Tara’s date was ogling Rebecca and the way her off-the-shoulder blouse showed off a little cleavage.

Once more, his mind was split. How could Daniel be gawking at Rebecca while Tara was standing in front of him, looking like a Lonestar Goddess? At the same time, he loved the way her eyes were pouring over him in that same lusty way that made his heart skip a few beats.

Being the better man, he ribbed his brother and offered his elbow to Rebecca. “Come on,” he said to her, forcing a smile. “I’ll buy you a beer.”

That seemed to be enough to snap Daniel back to the evening’s agenda and he stepped beside Tara to lead the way toward the door.

“I actually don’t drink beer. Do you think they have wine?” Rebecca inquired.

Beau only shrugged and tried not to look down to Tara’s fine ass and the way her jeans hugged them so perfectly. “I think so, but you may get some weird looks.”

“I can’t stand the taste of beer, much less the smell of it. I’d rather have something a little fruity.”

Tara looked over her shoulder as Daniel opened the doors to let them in. “Can’t you just try a good draft beer or something?”

Rebecca made a face. “I’ll stick to what I like, thanks.”

Inside the honkytonk, the bar counter was set up on the far left side of the room with half of the rickety stools already taken by couples and friends who were out for a good time. Ahead was the stage where the band had been playing a couple of minutes before. They were taking a break, letting the sound and chatter of everyone else fill the barroom for the moment. Along the other two walls were tables and chairs that were just as unstable and old as the bar itself. Cleared away in the center, rather unceremoniously, was the dancefloor right in front of the stage. Its wooden planks were scuffed by the countless pairs of boots that had stomped, skipped and skidded across their once polished surface.

The neon lights buzzed on the wall as skimpy fans hung motionless above their heads. During the summer, this place could get downright stuffy and hot with all the moving bodies on the dancefloor. The odors of beer and stale cigarette smoke had permeated the floors, walls, and ceiling over the years. He was sure that even if they tore this place down and rebuilt it as something else, it’d smell the same way.

Couples who had been married for decades had met here for their first dates. Men and women in need of companionship and comfort during their darkest hours had come to this place for a little escape from the harsh world. Friends had met there to equally celebrate and mourn. Bartenders came and went. Numerous bands had gotten their start right here and moved on to bigger things. But the owner – a guy that went by the name of King – would never give up County Line Bar, not for all the fortunes in the world, as he put it. It was an iconic spot with its own character, its own sort of life that you could feel as soon as you walked in the door.

Daniel led them toward an empty table and cleared away some of the peanut shell crumbs left behind by a previous group. Beau was already walking toward the bar to place his and Rebecca’s order when Daniel was asking for Tara’s.

King was at the bar, laughing with a couple of guys about how the bar was founded. It was a story he had heard a thousand times already and he didn’t even live in Brooksdale anymore. The old man, his shoulder-length salt and pepper hair pulled back into a thin ponytail, turned to Beau with smiling eyes.

“Hey, man!” he bellowed in greeting. “Haven’t seen you around here in a while!”

They shook hands and Beau wondered if he could get away with sitting at the bar all night instead of with the others. It might have been rude, but he couldn’t stand to see his brother moving in on the girl he really wanted. Then again, maybe he needed to step in and make sure Daniel didn’t get sidetracked with Rebecca.

“I’m just here with my brother on a double-date,” he replied. It was pointless to hide it from King. He’d find out anyway.

The bar owner leaned over to get a good look at the girls and whistled. “Damn, son! I don’t know which ones yours, but you did good either way.”

Daniel arrived just a second or two later before Beau could formulate a response that didn’t make him sound bitter or resentful about his arrangement with Rebecca.

“Two beers,” his brother said, leaning against the edge of the pitted and polished bar counter. King kept the bar in better condition than his regular tables and it reflected the overhead can lights.

King gave a nod and looked to Beau for his order. When Beau mentioned he wanted a wine and a beer, the owner chuckled.

“I’m gonna assume the wine is for your date,” he said with a hearty laugh before turning around to pour their glasses.

Beau elbowed his brother, who was too busy staring back at the two girls at the table. “Eyes off my date,” he warned, even though he didn’t truly mean it. How he felt a mess of contradicting emotions war in his chest at that moment. It didn’t help matters when Tara eyes lifted and she gave him that look that told him his chances of getting somewhere with her were pretty good.

* * *

Tara’s mouth watered as she checked out Beau’s sexy ass in those blue jeans. Damn, how she wished she could have been the one to dance with him. Maybe if they did a line dance, she could at least stand next to him.

Rebecca was not a willing victim of these circumstances. She didn’t like bars, didn’t like dancing, and didn’t even like country music. She had moved to Brooksdale from out east back when she was in middle school, because her parents wanted a change of pace from their hectic, inner city lifestyle. Rebecca probably would have moved out of the small town long ago if it weren't for the amazing friends she had made in school.

Right about now, though, Tara was sure Rebecca wanted to disown her completely.

“At least you get to spend some time with Daniel,” she said after Rebecca had mumbled out a string of complaints about the smell of the bar and the loud noise of the band that was tuning up on the stage for another round.

Rebecca shot her a look. “That’s the only reason I’m here at all.”

Tara watched the boys saunter back with their orders. Poor Beau carried a wine glass for Rebecca, which looked pretty emasculating as it was. She wasn’t deterred though. She loved the way his black, tight fitted shirt was tucked behind his big silver belt buckle, which might have been the only thing keeping his pants from falling off his hips.

Daniel handed Tara her beer, but she didn’t take a sip right away as the guys did. She might have needed a little something to take the edge off this awkward double-date, but she also didn’t want to get carried away and say too much too soon.

Daniel and Rebecca started in on some small talk that Tara followed and occasionally contributed to, but she saw that Beau was fairly quiet in comparison. The way he took swig after swig from his glass, she might have suspected he was trying just as hard to be at ease as she was without the aid of alcohol.

She watched him closely and the way his blue eyes wandered around the room. She had read about this in the book earlier that day at work. Sneaking in a few pages under the table at the desk, Tara had to stop right about this point in the evening. Beyond that, the book wouldn’t divulge anything.

She knew she was going to wear the cutoffs, she knew Rebecca was going to complain, she knew the guys would go get their drinks, and she knew that Beau was going to be distracted and slightly listless while they all chatted.

What she didn’t know was why. She didn’t know what songs the band would play, or what dances would come up next. The rest was up to her and Beau.

The next song came on and she immediately recognized it. Copperhead Road. She grinned and grabbed for Rebecca’s arm.

“Oh my God!” she squealed. “Come on, I swear I’ll show you how to do this one.”

Beau’s attention was drawn back to the table.

Rebecca’s eyes went wide, a silent plea for Tara not to put her through that kind of torture. There wasn’t much time before the band got to the first beats.

“I’ll help you, too,” Daniel assured as he offered his hand out to Rebecca.

That was probably the only reason she stood from the table at all.

“You coming?” Tara asked Beau as Daniel and Rebecca went to join the rows that were gradually forming on the dancefloor.

Anxiety fluttered in her stomach as they locked eyes and she mutely pleaded for him to take her invitation. This was the moment she had been waiting for and Beau couldn’t turn her down, not after the way he had appraised her earlier in the parking lot. These cutoffs had to push him over the edge.

Beau cracked a smile and gave a nod. “All right. But if I trip over my boots, it’ll be your fault.”

Without another word, she grabbed for his hand and they came to stand in the same line as Daniel and Rebecca. With Beau on her left and her best friend on her right, Tara knew she had to make this moment count. Rebecca needed to wow the pants right off Daniel if Tara ever hoped to get a moment alone with Beau. And judging by the way they seemed to cling to one another already, she was pretty confident it wouldn’t take much work.

There were just about a thousand variations to this dance, and some of the guests behind them were already in the middle of those complicated kicks, turns, and stomps that went above and beyond what Rebecca could master in one sitting.

So Tara, as well as the boys, kept it at her level. In time with the music, Tara showed her the four basic heel kicks, the two front hitches, and the stomp when it was time to turn. Rebecca was just about as uncoordinated as Tara had expected, but she started to get the hang of it.

As soon as she did, she abandoned her friend to Daniel’s occasional guidance and turned to Beau. All while she tried to give Rebecca instructions, he had been doing extra spins, so he could face her without stepping out of beat.

“And you were worried about tripping over your feet!” she shouted over the band, a massive grin splitting her face.

Beau winked and she just about melted.

There was something about being in a line dance with a couple dozen other people that made Tara feel a little more alive. Maybe it was in the way everyone moved in synch, having a blast as they shared a communal dance to their favorite song. When Tara was dancing, she loved it all. She didn’t really understand why she had quit it in high school. Possibly because it was all for competitions or showcases for school assemblies. There was a forced element in the way she had to learn the steps and attend practices.

Here, she was free to step off the floor and take a break, or keep going with the rest of them. And everyone else wanted to be there too, which made everyone enjoy it that much more. Except Rebecca.

Tara was too busy laughing at the faces Beau made at her and the extra sly moves he threw in to notice that her friend was struggling a bit.

It was only when Rebecca let out a soft cry that Tara came to a stop. Luckily, the other dancers were spaced far enough away that she wouldn’t stop the flow. Daniel supported her as Rebecca seemed to be favoring her right ankle.

They all ushered her off the dance floor and sat her down back at their table.

“I think she twisted her ankle in one of the stomps,” Daniel said.

Rebecca waved him off as he knelt down to test her ankle’s flexibility. “You don’t have to do that, really.”

Tara wondered if her friend really was hurting or if she just wanted to get off the dance floor. When Rebecca looked to her with no hint of pain in her expression, it was confirmed. The extra nudge of her head toward Beau who was just as focused on Rebecca’s foot as Daniel was, Tara understood her perfectly and tried to suppress her smile.

“I don’t think it’s broken,” Daniel reported, “but I’ve got some bandages in my truck. It’ll keep the joint from moving too much.”

Rebecca placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry to have ruined your fun,” she said, feigning her guilt.

Daniel lit up at her touch. “Not at all. I’m just sorry you got hurt.”

With that, he helped her to her feet and escorted her out of the bar, leaving Tara and Beau standing next to their table. They were alone now and the stars must have aligned, because the band decided to slow things down with a good ole’ fashioned two-step.

Tara bit her lips together nervously, hoping against all odds that Beau would ask her to dance so Rebecca’s fake injury would not be in vain. She saw that Beau neither sat down, nor eased in to make his move. If she had drank anymore earlier, she might have taken this bull by the horns and dragged him onto the dance floor herself.

“So,” he said, “do you wanna – “

Tara spun, a bit of her hair flying about her shoulders. “Yes!”

What she didn’t see was that Beau had his hand extended toward the table. Her smile faltered when she realized what he was truly asking.

“Oh, sorry,” she tried to recover. “I thought you were going to…”

Somehow, even bringing up the opportunity for an intimate couples dance was so much harder than trying to convince him to join a line dance. This held more personal meaning. She would have been inviting him to hold her close and sway to the music, maybe even have a private conversation as the other couples who were wrapped up in their own little worlds.

Beau’s outstretched hand came to rub at the back of his neck as if he were just as embarrassed as her. “If you want to dance, we can dance too. I just wasn’t sure if you were a little wore out from earlier.”

Did she look tired? Was she sweating? Oh God, what if she was sweating and her deodorant wasn’t doing its job.

“No, I’m not tired at all,” she said. “But if you don’t want to dance, I understand.”

Suddenly, Tara felt like they were back in high school, both of them awkward teens who didn’t know how to ask for what they really wanted. This shouldn’t have been so hard.

Beau took a breath and let it out, along with whatever burden he seemed to be carrying. “No, I want to dance with you.” He offered out his hand to her and she gladly took it, her smile returning.

When they took their place on the floor, joining in with the other couples who were steadily two-stepping in front of the stage, Tara swore up and down that she was in heaven. With Beau holding her, their bodies inching closer and closer as the song progressed, she had never felt happier. All the anxiety she had felt earlier was gone, frightened away by his warm blue eyes.

Each time she looked up into his handsome face, she felt that familiar tingling in the pit of her stomach and that ache that centered even lower and refused to go away. Why did he have to be so damn sexy and attractive?

“You know, I used to have a crush on you,” he suddenly said in a hushed tone so only they could hear.

Tara tried not to giggle when she replied, “Really?”

Beau nodded without the slightest hint of remorse. “I did. But I know you didn’t even notice me.”

What a slap in the face after he just caressed it with such an admittance. She winced at the confession, knowing it was completely true.

“And I’m sorry for that.”

Beau shrugged. “It’s in the past. We were just kids, right?”

Tara wished it could have been so easy to blame her ignorance on her youth, but it wasn’t completely that. If Beau had walked into the coffee shop, whether he looked like the guy on the cover or not, she would have noticed him only because he was hot. If he was as plain, thin, and gangly as he was in high school, she might not have given him a second glance.

Beau was a great guy on the inside, but she would have never known it if she hadn’t been drawn to his outward appearance first. Suddenly, she felt unerringly guilty for being so petty and shallow.

She would have broken off the dance right there if Beau wasn’t still holding her close. He knew the truth, and he didn’t seem to care. Or maybe he did all along, but he was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. He was giving her this second chance to find out what a great catch he was and Tara had to grab it with both hands or she might lose him forever.

“Do you forgive me?” she whispered, staring up into his eyes as tears burned at the corners of her own.

Beau’s chest rose and fell with the great sigh he heaved. After a moment of deliberation, he nodded. “I do.”

And Tara had to believe him. She had to believe that he was willing to give it a shot with this obvious connection they shared. Every look, every touch, everything screamed that they should be together. Book or no book, their destinies had to be intertwined somehow.

The song hit a few last notes and faded, but Tara didn’t want this to be the end.

Without thinking, without reason or under the influence of anything but Beau’s intoxicating spirit, she stood up on her tiptoes and planted a long kiss on his lips. He went rigid at first, but then melted into it, his grip tightening around her shoulders as their chests were pressed together.

Her fingers gripped the edge of his shirt sleeve, a wordless plea for him to hold her in that kiss for the rest of eternity. Or at least until closing time. The taste of his lips was sweeter than anything she had ever known. A current of pure bliss streaked through her body. It started in all the places he touched her and kept going straight down to where she needed his love.

She heard a few whoops from the other bar goers and Beau was the first to break away. By the burning look in his crystalline blue eyes, Tara knew that he felt the same. Her parted lips begged for more, but Beau took a step away, taking his warmth and support with him.

She nearly stumbled, but caught herself in time to stand on her own two feet. He kept a firm hold of her hands, but Beau must have seen the wisdom in keeping some distance from her. Tara almost agreed with him. It may have been wrong to kiss him like that, so quickly and without really knowing where they stood, but she couldn’t resist it anymore.

Beau looked toward the door, then back to her as a slight flicker of panic alighted his gaze. She looked to see Daniel had come back inside without Rebecca. The look on his face expressed enough and Tara understood the gravity of her error.

There must have been a reason Beau was holding back and this had to be it. Daniel was the one to ask her out in the first place. Even if he was giving Rebecca more attention, Tara was who he had preferred from the beginning. Beau had tried to be respectful and give his brother chances to move in, and she didn’t even see that.

So many thoughts came barreling in, confusing her further. What if Beau really didn’t want to dance? What if he didn’t forgive her for ignoring him in high school? What if he still liked her, but he had gotten over her after all these years?

Tara felt a rush of heat to her face and it spread across her shoulders until she thought she wouldn’t be able to breathe under this new wave of anxiety. What had she done?

She left Beau on the dancefloor and ran straight past Daniel to leave the bar. Rebecca was sitting in the passenger seat of her car, her ankle wrapped up and shoe in hand.

“What happened?” she asked quickly as Tara pulled out her keys. Running away might not have been the greatest solution, but it was the best one she could come up with for now. She needed time to think and read the next chapter of that book. Maybe it would give her some direction on how to fix the mess she had just made.

“Tara!”

She turned to see Beau hustling across the parking lot, but she didn’t want to hear any half-hearted apologies or explanations. She just needed to get home.

Angling into the driver’s seat, she cranked up the engine and waited for Rebecca to close her door before speeding out of the parking lot. Luckily, she swerved in time to miss the two brothers who had come running after their dates.

“What the hell is going on?” Rebecca demanded.

Tears brimming at the corners of her eyes, she shook her head. “I kissed Beau.”

“That’s great!” she cried. “Why aren’t you back there making out with him?”

She gripped the steering wheel more tightly as she slammed her foot down on the accelerator. “Because I’m an idiot and I shouldn’t have kissed him. Daniel was my date and Beau was trying to be all respectful of that, and I just ruined it.”

A stretch of silence passed between them before Rebecca broke it. “Daniel saw you kiss him?”

Tara nodded, feeling her throat close up with all the crazy, unwarranted emotions that would soon choke her.

“Damn,” she muttered. “I told him to go in and tell you that I wanted to go home. Maybe if I had stalled a little longer – “

“No,” Tara interrupted. “It was my fault. I don’t even know what to do now. I like Beau so much, but he wants me for his brother, I know it. He doesn’t want me.” She didn’t need the book to understand that much.

Her friend had no consoling words, no sage advice to give. All she did was reach out and touch Tara’s shoulders that were already shuddering with the impending sobs.