Michael enjoyed sitting at one of the picnic tables with her, eating the barbecue feast she’d insisted on. The brisket was to die for, but so were the baked beans and the potato salad. “Okay, Texas beef may not be better, but I have to admit that Texas barbecue is.”

“Texas barbecue makes my heart sing,” Heather said. She knew she should pretend that she ate very little, but she couldn’t. She was an active woman who worked out hours and hours every day as she demonstrated dances for her students.

He grinned. “I think I can understand that.” A moment later, they were joined by a group of young women.

“More of my sisters.” Heather introduced her sisters in age order because it was the easiest way to make sure she didn’t miss any. He’d already met Jessica and Gaylynn, and that left, “Rebekah, Tracy, Candice, and Marti. Marti’s the baby.”

Marti made a face. “I’m a baby who is going to school full-time. I’m not sure exactly how babyish that is. And by school, I mean the University of Texas.”

Tracy wrinkled her nose. “I can’t believe you’re a Longhorn. You should have followed in my footsteps to become an Aggie.”

“Whatever!” Heather rolled her eyes. “Growing up with six sisters is absolutely ridiculous. There’s never any hot water. Your favorite sweater is always being worn by someone else.”

Marti grinned. “I didn’t do laundry until I went away to college because I just borrowed my sisters’ clothes.”

Candice sighed. “I wish she was kidding.”

Michael looked at all of the sisters, wishing the other two were there. He was a bit overwhelmed, but he wanted to compare all seven of them. “It’s nice to meet you all.”

“Are you going to try to get Heather to go back to Idaho with you?” Marti asked. She had never been one to mince words, and she loved to embarrass her siblings.

“Do you think she’d consider it?” he asked.

“Probably not. She loves Texas. Besides, what football team does Idaho have for her to cheer for?”

“I haven’t cheered in years,” Heather said with a blush. “But I can’t see myself leaving Texas.” She looked at him, sitting there with his perfect sky-blue hue. She belonged with him, and she knew it. But how could she go so far from her family?

“I want to see a picture of you in your old uniform,” Michael said, leaning toward her. “Do you still have it?”

“Yes, I still have it.” She shook her head, blushing a little. “You know I quit the team because I didn’t like being a sex symbol, right?” She wondered if he’d take the hint and change the subject. Hopefully he wasn’t one of those men who was just trying to get into her pants. He didn’t seem the type, but it was certainly possible.

“I do know, so I won’t tease you about it.” He took another bite of his barbecue, realizing that every one of her sisters were watching them. “What’s there to do for fun in the evenings?”

“There’s a dance club in town. It’s not a bar, and they don’t serve alcohol. It’s truly just a place to go to dance.” Heather grinned at him. “It’s one of my favorite places.”

“Do you want to go tonight?”

She frowned. “Tonight, there’s a dance here. It’s how we finish up the fundraiser. All of the single McClain boys and single McClain girls get to be auctioned off for dances.”

“Hey, you have to dance with me. I brought you here!”

She tilted her head to one side, studying him intently. “Can you dance?”

He frowned. “Well, I can’t do anything fancy, but I can hold a girl and dance with her. I’m not the guy you want to disco with . . .”

“Disco is dead.” Heather leaned forward. “I’ll give you a chance to dance with me, but you do have to bid on my dances. Think of the boys.”

He sighed. “I guess I need to bid on your dances.”

Heather reached over and covered his hand with hers. Would he try to kiss her as they danced? She was dying for that first kiss. She needed to know if the hues were right and he was meant to be her only true love. Though she had no idea how they could make that work. He was geographically undesirable. “Only if you want to dance with me.” She knew she needed to start mentally preparing herself for when he went home to Idaho, but she wasn’t ready. She wasn’t sure she ever would be.

When it was time for the dancing to start, she stood on the stage with her sisters and their cousins. Each one of them would be auctioned off for ten dances, and the rest of the night would be their own. As she watched, Michael bid higher than anyone on her first dance. She went smoothly into his arms as if they’d planned it for years.

The song was “Almost Paradise,” and she immediately rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed together to the music. He was so much taller than her five-foot nothing that she couldn’t quite reach his shoulder and her head ended up on his chest. He made her feel so tiny and feminine.

At the end of the first dance, he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. That kiss felt like more to her than any she had ever felt. The touch of his lips against hers set her whole body on fire. She let out a little gasp and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back for all she was worth.

She only stopped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She pulled away, afraid of who she would see. It was Peter. “Your dad is glaring at you something fierce. I’d back away if I were you.”

Taking gulping breaths, she stared at Michael, wondering what on earth he’d done to her. He had made her feel as if she was in someone else’s body.

Peter grabbed her hand and pulled her to the stage, jumping down himself. Now that he was engaged, he didn’t have to have a dance auctioned off like the other cousins did.

Heather stood staring out at the group of people unseeingly, taking gulping breaths of air. How on earth was she going to be able to dance with someone else now? She’d never be able to let him go. Never.

On the drive home, she was silent. It was hard to know what to say when she knew she was falling deeply in love with a man who lived over a thousand miles away. At least she thought it was over a thousand. Idaho seemed like a far-off planet.

When he got into town, he asked, “Where do you live? Should I take you home?”

It was hard to answer. She wanted to wallow in self-pity, though she wasn’t a wallower. How could she be in love with a virtual stranger who wasn’t even a Texan? “Yes, please. I’m just around the corner. I walk to my dance studio most of the time.”

He followed her directions, pulling up in front of her small house. The house she had so lovingly decorated. The house that now felt so empty because he didn’t live there. What was wrong with her?

“Do you want to come in for a drink?” She didn’t know where the words had come from and immediately wanted to take them back. It was their first date. She shouldn’t be taking him inside.

He got out of the truck and silently followed her inside. Once he’d shut the door behind him, he turned to her and asked the question that had been on her mind since their kiss. “What are we going to do?”

Heather shook her head. “I have no idea. I run a business here.”

“And I have a ranch in Idaho. I can’t really spend time away, and neither can you.” He put his hands on her waist and drew her to him, his lips taking hers in a swift, deep kiss. “But . . . we can’t ignore that!”

“No, I knew when I saw you in line at the Taco Hut that we were meant to be together.” She buried her face against his chest, not wanting to think about saying goodbye. “How much longer will you be here?”

“I have no idea. None. I really was supposed to take my bull and leave yesterday. My brothers are wondering what my problem is, but I told them I met a girl . . .”

She laughed. “And they knew then you’d never come home?”

“Nah, I’ll go home. I have to.” He turned from her, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s Saturday night. I’m supposed to be home watching Love Boat and Fantasy Island, but here I am with some girl I barely know, and all I want to do is stick her in my pocket and take her home to Idaho with me.”

“Your pockets aren’t big enough for me. I have muscles!” She flexed one bicep and made him laugh. She did have muscles, but they were very different than the kind of muscles he had. His were from hours of hauling hay and herding the cattle. Hers were from dancing.

“Nice muscles. I bet you could help haul hay!”

“Or you could dance with me!”

He kissed her again. “We’re both going to need to do some serious thinking about what we want from each other. I don’t know if we can make forever a reality.”

“But that’s what I want.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard her.

“Me too. I don’t think it’s an option.” He left quietly, closing the door behind him. She was fascinating and wonderful. How had she known they were meant for each other before they even met, though? That didn’t make sense.

He slowly headed to the only hotel in town, parking his truck out front. When he walked in, he went past the front desk, and after a moment of contemplation, he stopped. “Do you know the McClains?”

The girl at the desk grinned at him. “Everyone in town knows the McClains. Everyone in this part of the state knows the McClains. They’re wonderful people.”

He frowned. “Do any of them ever move away from here?”

“You must be the man who was dancing with Heather all night. Rumor has it you two couldn’t keep your eyes off each other.”

He frowned. “How did you know that?”

“It’s a small town. People make note of everything and talk about it. It’s part of our way of life.”

He groaned. “Lovely. Yes, I do mean Heather. What are the chances I can get her to move to Idaho with me?”

The girl’s eyes widened for a moment before she shook her head. “I don’t think there’s any chance at all. She’s happy here. She loves her family, and she runs a business. I think you need to move here.”

“I own a ranch in Idaho.”

“You can’t sell it and buy a ranch here? That’s what it would take for the two of you to be together, I think.”

He sighed. “I have a feeling I’m going to spend the rest of my life alone.” He walked away, noting the girl’s nametag read, “Beth.” Why couldn’t he fall for the Beths of the world? No, he needed Heathers. He needed the girls who were impossible.