they had to, they'd get all the men of Lusty involved. Carrie was theirs, and Lusty's. And Lusty, by damn, took care of her own.
That was, after all, the Benedict way.
Chapter 10
Julian never minded his own company, especially when he could enjoy it surrounded by good country music and the rumble of conversation.
He'd managed to do that a lot over the last few years, and he supposed the habit in many ways symbolized the biggest change he'd experienced in his own personal makeover program.
He didn't used to like himself much. Now he did.
For a weekday, this bar in the town of Divine, Texas - The Dancing Pony - seemed to have a healthy number of customers. Clean, with a cool, darkened interior, Julian imagined the regulars considered this nightclub a refreshing sanctuary after the heat of a long, hard day at work.
The club featured a large dance floor in the center of the room, and at the moment several couples were two-stepping to "Springsteen" by Eric Church. The seating area surrounded the dance floor on three sides, which told Julian the club was probably very aptly named. Most of the tables were the high-topped, bistro style, with equally tall, cushioned chairs around them. Against one wall he saw an enclosed DJ booth. He'd bet the place got hopping on a Friday or Saturday night.
When he'd come into the club he'd been hot and tired, and so had headed straight to the bar. He'd arrived ahead of the others, which was just as well. He really did appreciate some alone time. Alone time was thinking time and he had a hell of a lot on his mind.
It was great that he'd mended the rift with his brother, and that he and Peter were friends again. He'd immediately liked his new brother- and sister-in-law. Julian could admit that he really was okay with his brother having a wife and a husband. I guess I have come a long way, after all.
He liked his bosses, and he liked Lusty. He liked everyone he'd met in the small town of his roots, so far.
All of which confused the hell out of him, and did nothing to explain the whispers growing in volume deep inside of him.
He'd really hoped that when he got to Lusty he'd know that that was where he belonged. But damn, it just wasn't feeling like it.
Could he have been wrong? Maybe he wouldn't really know when he found his place. Maybe that had been some sort of flight of fancy or some other kind of bullshit thinking on his part.
And to hell with this kind of stinkin' thinkin'. Julian wasn't given to flights of fancy, period. He'd stay in Lusty until it was time to move on. Since that time wasn't now - hell, he wasn't even in Lusty at the moment - he'd let it all go and work on relaxing and having a good time tonight.
Movement out of the corner of his eye snagged his attention. The sweet-looking bundle of woman sitting beside him seemed to be having a really good time, if her barely suppressed snicker was any indication. He surreptitiously watched as she stuck her pretty little pink tongue out to gather some of the salt off the rim of her margarita glass. She seemed very pleased with the taste. Looking up and down the bar, she didn't even notice him. When she spun around to give the entire club the once-over, it looked as if that move made her dizzy, and he got ready to catch her, just in case she slid out of her chair. Her lush, long dark hair swung as she moved, and he couldn't stop himself from taking in her delicate, almost fragile beauty and her delectable, womanly curves.
Why, the cute little honey is on her way to getting wasted.
Concern for her came and went, as his mind played back a bit of the exchange earlier between this lovely woman and the bartender. The man had her purse and her car keys, which told him two things. The first was that she must be a regular here, since she knew the bartender well enough to entrust him with her personal property. The second was she might be looking to party, so she might be interested in joining him for a while. Maybe they could have a good time, together.
Maybe they could start their party here at The Dancing Pony and take it back to his motel room. Provided she wasn't really