Her stance gave him the opportunity to study her without her knowledge. She’d been sixteen when he left and prettier than any girl he’d ever set eyes on. Now a woman, she was more beautiful than he could have imagined. But she’d changed. Instead of the free spirit with whom he’d spent many fun-filled hours, she seemed subdued. She wasn’t any happier to see him than he was her, but there was more to it. Her zest for life wasn’t there anymore. What had happened to rob her of the joy that used to bubble over?
The final notes of the lively number faded, and the couples left the floor, laughing and smiling. Coralee dropped her arms to her sides. Her shoulders rose and fell as she drew in a deep breath and released it. If he’d known how much she dreaded dancing with him, he might have reconsidered asking her. But they were committed now.
Mrs. Brown let go of her husband’s hand and approached Coralee. She leaned close, glanced at Houston, and directed her attention to Coralee. “Are you all right?”
Coralee produced a halfhearted smile. “Yes, Patty, thank you.”
“If you need anything, let me know.”
“I’ll be fine.”
He hadn’t spent much time around women, but it wasn’t hard to see that Coralee’s friend was concerned about her. Perhaps people weren’t wondering whether he and Coralee were a couple as much as why she would consider taking up with him again. Some of the looks being sent his way weren’t the friendliest. Did the distrust of him run deeper than he’d thought? The musicians readied their instruments, sparing him the need to ponder the question.
“Shall we?” He offered his arm to Coralee. She stared at it a moment, wheeled around, and made her way onto the dance floor, leaving him to follow. This was going to be the longest dance of his life.
They joined the others forming a line for a reel.
“Not so fast,” the head musician hollered with a laugh in his voice. “Thought we’d play a waltz for y’all this time so you can get cozy with your partners.”
A waltz? Houston stifled a groan. In years past he would have welcomed the news, but Coralee had enjoyed being in his arms then. She stood as stiff as a branding iron now.
She closed the distance between them, faced him, and looked into his eyes. Even in the fading light, he could see the challenge hers held. The message was clear. If he pulled her too close, he was likely to feel the heel of her boot come down on the top of his.
The music began. He placed his right hand below her shoulder blade and cupped her right hand in his left. She rested her free hand on his biceps, if you could call it resting. It felt more like hovering. Her touch was so light he could barely feel it. She held her head high and jerked it to the side so he could only see her profile.
“Relax, Corrie.”
“Please, don’t call me that again. You lost that right years ago.”
“Fine, Coralee. If that’s what you want. Or is it Miss Culpepper now?” He led her into the swirl of couples circling the floor, waiting for a response.
He’d almost given up hope of receiving one when she spoke. “Thanks to you, it’s still Miss Culpepper, but I suppose you may call me Coralee. All my friends do.”
“Thanks to me? What do you mean? You’re the one who turned me down!”
“Yes. I did. And you left. But you’re back now. At least for a time.”
He changed direction to avoid a collision with another couple. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I know about your hardware store out West. You didn’t give it up, did you?”
“My partner’s running it.”
“You don’t intend to stay, do you? I suppose that’s to be expected. After all, you don’t really want to be here, do you?”
“I’ve been away a long time and done a lot of thinking. This is where I belong, working alongside my brothers.”
She frowned, drawing her delicately arched eyebrows together. “But you were so eager to leave.”
Not really. He’d felt forced into his decision by circumstances he was unable to change. “I enjoyed my time out West, but I learned a valuable lesson. You can take a man out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the man.”
Skepticism pinched her fine features. “So you expect us to believe you’re a Texan at heart after all? The Texans I know didn’t run off to California to strike it rich. Some of them left, yes, like your brothers, but they went to fight for our rights.”
It appeared Coralee didn’t trust him, either. He had more to prove than he’d thought. He could prove his loyalty, if he was willing to make his private affairs known, which he wasn’t. What he’d done was between him, the Lord, and the precious few whose assistance he’d required. “I have great respect for those who served and sympathy for those who lost loved ones.”
“Miss Culpepper!” A ranch hand shoved his way through the crowd.
She tore herself away from Houston and slipped between the dancers, not stopping until she reached the winded man. Houston was on her heels. “What is it, Gene?”
“It’s your brother. Calvin tangled with that sick bull and got tossed. Do you know where the doc is? We’re gonna need him.”
She gripped the fellow’s arm. “How bad is it?”
“He thinks some ribs might be broke.”
“I’ll get Travis, and we’ll hightail it over there.” Houston started for the table where he’d last seen his brother.