Her Cowboy

     Her heart thudding, Jess Stark left her older sister, Mary Sue talking eagerly to Liam, who was both the bridegroom and their cousin. At the bar she asked for a beer and then turned, pretending a casualness she was far from feeling as she studied the wedding guests.

I'm not scanning every face in Aunt Miranda's party barn for his. I didn't come back for him. I didn't. I came back because I'm so happy for Liam, who lost his precious Mindy and little Charlie but then found Hannah, I couldn't miss his wedding for anything.

Funny, how the second she spotted Hector Montoya, as tall and lean and proud and as darkly handsome as ever, her heart leapt to her throat and pounded so fast she could barely breathe. She forgot all about Liam and his brand new love as tension as hot as a live wire sizzled across the distance that separated her from Hector.

He was dancing with the most beautiful girl in the room. Nell.

Nell Warner was the bride's dazzling twin sister from New York. Not that Liam's bride Hannah and Nell looked enough alike to be twins, Hannah being tall and blond and slender and Nell being sexily curvy and dark.

Rumor had it Nell had stolen her sister's former fiancé. At the altar, no less. Or immediately afterward. So, even though this was Nell's first trip to Lonesome, Texas, and even though Hannah seemed to have forgiven her for whatever she'd done, Nell already had something of a reputation as a man-stealer.

Funny. She looked sweet. And a little lost. But then so had Jess's mother, who'd caused her share of heartbreak to those she'd betrayed.

As Nell laughed, Hector, his hand on her slim waist, leaned in a little closer and spun her around. They made a cute couple.

At the thought Jess's heart caught in pain.

He's not wasting any time getting over me. How can it hurt so much...watching him with Nell?

I left him. I deserve this.

Shouldn't I want him to be happy?

But when he looked past Nell and saw Jess, she felt the old flicker of raw, hot excitement. Only this time it was mixed with regret.

The music slowed. Although he kept dancing and holding Nell as tightly as ever, maybe more tightly, his gaze never left Jess.

His black eyes which flamed as shiny-hard and bright as two burning pieces of coal, seared her soul.

She told herself to look away, but she couldn't. He was too compelling. The loss and loneliness she'd felt this past year welled up, threatening to drown her. She should have dated the men who'd asked her out. Instead, she'd stayed home weekend nights with her cat, watching old movies on her television set.

I'm not feeling this. I'm not.