Her Hidden Falls Bodyguard Billionaire Cowboy - Taylor Hart Page 0,33
friend.”
“Now you’re just getting cocky,” she told him, making him laugh. He was right; she had told him the truth.
“It’s going to feel good to testify, too.”
She wasn’t too sure about that. “I don’t think the situation between you and me and the situation with me testifying in the trial is the same thing.”
“Maybe not.”
Their dinner finally arrived, and the food was delicious. Light music played in the background, and some other patrons swayed on the dance floor.
“I don’t know how you do it,” she said, suddenly feeling like she wanted to strike back at him.
“What?”
She crossed her arms. “Your father was framed and put into prison for a crime he didn’t do.”
His face went blank.
“Your father died in that same prison, and justice wasn’t even served until well after his death. Yet you sit here, acting like any kind of system works. Acting like I should testify, even though my brother died at the hands of that same system you think works so well.” She almost bolted out of her chair, but she wouldn’t allow herself to run. She wouldn’t allow Sean to avoid answering for what he wanted her to do.
After several seconds of silence, he nodded to the dance floor. “We could dance.”
“You want to dance?”
“I didn’t say I would enjoy it, but I know you would. Plus, if you’re in my arms, then I’m not worrying about chasing you.”
It was stupid, but she thought about how it would have been if they were a real couple. Technically, they’d never been a real couple; she’d always kept him at bay. Now, they were pretending to be married. She looked at the fake ring on her finger.
“So what do you say, Mrs. Baxter? Should we dance?”
Taking the bait, she put her hand out. “Yes.”
Chapter 16
There was no way to describe how wonderful it felt for Sean to hold this woman in his arms. The song was slow, and he held one of Zoey’s hands and put his other hand on her hip. “Slow dancing is a lot easier than that samba training you wanted me to do with you last year.”
She gave him the look she reserved for him when he was teasing her and she found it insufferable. “I think the Baxters would definitely Samba.”
“Do you?”
She swayed with a bit of finesse. “Definitely.”
“What else do you think the Baxters would do?”
“Go to the yacht tomorrow for lunch and snorkeling.”
“Then that’s what the Baxters will do.” He pulled her closer. “Sounds good.” He couldn’t stop himself from inhaling her strawberry scent. It must be her shampoo.
“You’re smelling me?”
Unnerved that she’d caught him, he obnoxiously smiled her. “Can’t I smell my wife?”
She laughed.
He couldn’t help but laugh too. It was too easy to tease her and drive her crazy. “You have a new scent.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Do I?”
“You used to smell like a coconutty kind of lemon. Now, I think it’s your shampoo, but it’s like a fruity strawberry.”
A faint smile played at her lips. She rolled her eyes and looked away. “Whatever.”
Tension was climbing higher between them, at least on his part. It had always been that way with this woman; the attraction was off the charts. The song kept going, but he could tell that neither of them was really into it. How could they be? They were playing their part, and they weren’t playing them well.
Frustration coursed through him as he thought about her earlier question. “Good people doing good.”
“What?” she asked, clearly confused.
“You asked how I can do the job I do. Well, the answer is good people doing good. I believe in that. I’m not going to lie, it struck a nerve when you brought up my father. But even in my father’s case, the truth did come forward.”
Her eyes turned glassy. She cursed and looked away. “You would say that.”
“No, that’s actually what my mother used to say. The truth always comes out.”
“Your mom sounds amazing.”
“You know, I was only twelve when my mom passed, but …” A bit of emotion stuck in his throat as he pictured his mother’s face. “We had lots of time together with the ranch, and I was her baby. I was with her every day.”
Her face softened. “You’ve never spoken much of her.”
It was true. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly wanted to tell her about his mama. “She loved to laugh.” He couldn’t help but smile just thinking about how she would get going and then they’d all be laughing. “That’s how she handled