Chapter 3
Kassi
The music spills out of the dance hall before we even make it to the front steps. Lively fiddle, the rhythmic stomp of boots against wooden floors, and that unmistakable sound of a town trying to remember how to have fun. I shift uncomfortably in my jeans, which Candy practically threatened me into wearing, and glance down at my borrowed boots. They feel foreign. Like they belong to someone braver.
"You're going to be fine," Candy says, looping her arm through mine as she drags me forward. She's practically glowing, all confidence and rhinestones. "You need this."
Inside, the place is packed. Locals line the perimeter, drinks in hand, couples already two-stepping as if they were born doing it. Which, to be fair, they probably were. The walls are strung with fairy lights and horseshoe decor, and the air smells like spilled beer and fried food. There's even a mechanical bull set up in the corner.
"This is something," I murmur.
Candy beams. "Told you. It's exactly what you need. Everyone is here for the grand opening. This is the perfect way to meet people."
She disappears a minute later, swept into a circle of friends and neighbors I don't know, leaving near the wall, trying not to look like I'm counting the minutes until I can leave. I scan the room for a familiar face, though I'm not even sure who I'm hoping to spot.
I step a little closer to the wall, taking it all in. People greet one another as old friends, their laughter bubbling over the music. A teenage couple spins too fast on the dance floor, collapsing into each other in a fit of giggles. Another woman with silver hair and a denim skirt dances with a boy no older than ten, matching his steps perfectly. It's warm and messy and full of life.
Sometimes snippets of conversation float past. Something about calf prices going up. Someone else whispers about a secret engagement. It's the kind of gossip that belongs in towns like this—sweet, sometimes sharp, but never truly cruel. Near the band, I catch sight of a man kneeling to propose. His girl is crying and laughing at once as she nods yes. The entire dance hall erupts into cheers.
For a heartbeat, I feel like I'm on the outside of a snow globe, watching a scene too perfect to touch. And I wonder if I'll ever feel like I really belong in a place like this.
"Not a dancer are you?"
The voice is warm, smooth, the kind of tone that makes you want to spill your secrets. I turn and find a woman about my mother's age, with silver-blonde hair, kind blue eyes, and a welcoming smile. She's wearing a turquoise necklace that I swear my daughter would try to steal in a heartbeat.
"Is it that obvious?"
She laughs. "Only because you're hugging the wall like it might try to run away. I'm Janet."
"Kassi."
We shake hands, and her grip is strong, steady. I like her immediately.
"Well, Kassi, you're in for a treat. This place might be new, but it's already become the heart of the town. Everybody comes here to blow off steam. Dance a little. Forget the week. Even farmers and small-town folks need a place to let loose at the end of a hard week."
I smile, feeling some of the tension ease from my shoulders. "It's nice. Loud. But nice."
"You local?"
I nod, a little hesitant. "New-ish. Just a few months. Still figuring things out."
"That's how it starts. Before you know it, you'll be hosting potlucks and teaching the next generation how to two-step."
"I'll have to learn it myself first."
She laughs again, genuinely and warmly, then nudges me with her shoulder. "You've got the boots for it. That's half the battle."
We find a quieter corner by the punch table, and in the blink of an eye, we're talking like old friends. She asks about Emma, beams when I show her a picture, and tells me all about her daughter, who just got married, and about her three boys. One's in the rodeo circuit, one is still sleeping his way through Texas, and the other has been working on ranches around town since he was a teen.
"My oldest, Bear, he's the one keeping the other two in line. Stubborn as they come. Took after his daddy. But good-hearted. Smart. Fierce about what he believes in. He's the reason I sleep easy most nights."
She grins and leans in a bit. "Bear once drove an hour out of his way to fix a busted water heater for a neighbor who couldn't afford a repairman. Didn't charge her a cent. That's just who he is."
I raise my brows, impressed. "Sounds like a good guy."
"He is. Rough around the edges, but honest. And loyal. I always say, if you've got Bear in your corner, you've already won."
I smile, letting her warmth settle around me, soft and comforting. "Sounds like you raised a good man."