From This Moment On - By Debbi Rawlins Page 0,30

she slid behind the bar and plastered on a smile for Karina. “Has Sadie taken your order?”

The blonde shook her head. “I’d love an appletini.” She glanced at Trace. “I’m still offering to buy you a beer.”

“Pass. Thanks.” He tried in vain to catch Nikki’s eye. “I’m cashing out.”

“You know how much, just leave it.” She focused on lining up liquor bottles and finding a suitable glass.

“I’ll see you day after tomorrow, right? Same time?”

Her head came up. She frowned. “Oh, right.” Their eyes met for a split second, then she swept a gaze over Karina that ended on the drink fixings. “Drive carefully,” Nikki murmured.

Unfortunately, at the exact moment Karina said, “I still want to talk to you, Trace.”

Nikki kept her eyes downcast and her expression completely blank.

“Good night, ladies.” He pushed in his stool. If Karina thought him rude for not answering, so be it. The woman knew she was causing trouble for him. So what that she was a Sundance guest? That didn’t excuse her. Partly his fault for opening his big mouth, but enough was enough.

He wasn’t going to get Nikki’s attention again, and he sure wasn’t up to listening to Karina. Halfway to the door, Eli Roscoe from the Circle K stopped him to ask if he’d heard about the next mustang roundup. Since Trace was straddling the fence on the issue, and still doing some reading on the timing viability, he wasn’t keen on entering into a hot discussion.

In fact, he wanted to get the hell out of there. Unless Karina had moved to a table and he could have a minute alone with Nikki. He took a chance and looked in that direction. Nikki was leaning toward Karina, intently listening to the woman. Blinking, she drew back, her lips parted in surprise. She glanced at him and burst out laughing.

* * *

NIKKI STARED AT HER reflection in the mirror as she brushed her teeth and checked for puffiness around her eyes. Last night she’d managed to get to sleep by two and woke up by nine this morning on her own. Not bad. She was really trying hard to adopt a better schedule. Partly to be a team player, though mostly in self-defense. When these country people said rise and shine, they meant before sunrise. Never gonna happen for her, but she could learn to compromise.

Today she was going to see Trace at their secret spot. It had been her first thought when she woke up feeling like a kid on Halloween morning. Her classmates had all loved Christmas best. Not her. She liked dressing up as someone else. With the right costume, no one could tell she was one of the poor kids. If you weren’t riding a shiny new bike by Christmas afternoon, everyone knew you belonged in that neighborhood... As if everyone west of Dairy Ashford had the damn plague.

She’d had it easier than most because the boys thought she was hot. Even the private school guys had sniffed around her at the mall, tried to buy her things, asked her to go on dates. The Galleria Mall was where she’d first met Garret Livingston when he was seventeen and she was an easily impressed fifteen-year-old.

Oh, God, she didn’t want to think about him now. Or the stupid prom. The dress, no, she refused to think about the dress. That’s what always got to her the worst. If she could’ve changed anything about that day...anything at all...

But that was impossible and she sure knew that by now. She just wished the memories would stop sneaking in. Though they came less often now, and only when she was feeling down. She’d never been able to completely let go of the shame of being needy and foolish and horrible to her mom. So why today? Was her subconscious trying to tell her something? Like she had no business missing Trace. They’d kissed, big deal, and now she couldn’t stand not seeing him for one crummy day? It wasn’t as if they suddenly had a thing.

Or maybe the problem went deeper. Would getting involved with Trace be repeating the mistake she’d made with Garrett? No, they were two different guys. Sure there was some common ground, like looks, good family, the right name, but lumping Trace in with Garrett was just plain ridiculous. And insulting to Trace. Anyway, her subconscious could just chill. She had no intention of hooking up with anyone in the near future.

She left her room, closing the door behind