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J enny followed Nicole and Elise into the massive barn and was instantly bombarded with the smells of barbecue and beer, the sounds of conversations, the country music band on the far end, and the sight of dozens of people milling around.

Nicole grabbed her hand and pulled her along. “Come on.”

Jenny chuckled. “I’m coming. I don’t have your energy, Nicole.”

Elise snorted. “No one does, but you’re damn close.”

Nicole pulled them over to an eight-foot rectangular table, where her parents and a few other older people were already seated. Jenny knew most of them because she’d been out to their ranches, or they had brought a pet into the clinic for her to see.

Jenny sat and answered questions about being a veterinarian for about an hour. She was used to it and actually didn’t mind. She loved being around people about as much as she did animals.

She was about done with her first and last beer when Nicole tapped her on the shoulder.

Jenny just about groaned at the mischievous expression on the woman’s face. She was grateful for these women. They had befriended her right from the beginning, making her feel like part of the community, and that had never happened before.

It had always been hard for Jenny to fit in. She’d always been the youngest in the class because her parents had kept her ahead in school. She knew why they had done it. She was at the lower spectrum of “genius” level and had surpassed all the students in her age group.

When she graduated from high school at the age of fifteen, the situation had worsened because she had moved to college. She completed her undergraduate degree in less than two years and then proceeded to veterinary school.

She had slowed her rush to graduate when she found the few kids in her class who accepted her, so she wanted to experience having friends. Everyone would be leaving for different parts of the United States, so the chances of seeing them again were slim.

There were only a limited number of openings for veterinarians, so they had to go where jobs were available.

Jenny had to move from Chicago to Wyoming for her position.

She’d been thrilled to get the job. She would eventually take over for Dr. Sherman when he retired in a few years.

His practice had grown so much that he needed help, and thankfully, he had hired her.

So far, she loved the town and the people. She’d bought a small house she adored and had been renovating in her spare time. Her life was finally settling into something she’d only dreamed about.

Nicole’s smile brought her back to the present.

At the moment, she was frankly suspicious and a bit terrified of what her friend was up to.

She narrowed her eyes on Nicole. She’d learned quickly not to trust that look in her friend’s eyes.

The two had talked her into a dare-dare game, and when it was her turn, the other women would dare her to do something outrageous.

The first time they had dared her, they made her wear puppy ears all day at the clinic. The people who stopped in or had appointments had enjoyed it even if she hadn’t. The three had a match of wits going, and unfortunately, it was her turn to take a dare.

Nicole pointed across the barn at three men standing together. “You see the tallest one?”

Jenny nodded. “Yes.” How could she miss him? He stood a head taller than the other two men, and she could see his air of authority and arrogance from where she stood.

“I dare you to go ask him to dance.”

Elise gasped. “Are you talking about Mr. McKenzie?”

Nicole’s grin grew, and she nodded.

Jenny looked back and forth between the two women. “Why?”

“He’s just really ... intimidating,” Elise told her.

“Is that all?” Jenny asked.

Elise stared over at the man. “It’s just ... oh, I don’t know how to describe him.”

Jenny turned back to Nicole. “What’s my dare?”

Nicole chuckled. “Just to go ask him to dance.”

“Okay. What if he says no?” Jenny asked.

“It doesn’t matter what he says as long as you ask him.”

Jenny looked at Elise. “Why are you so afraid of him?”

“I don’t know. He’s always affected me that way. He’s not going to dance with you. I’ve never seen him dance with anyone.”

Jenny shrugged. “That’s okay.” She turned to Nicole. “So, all I have to do is ask him to dance? Nothing else?”

“Nothing. I promise.”

Jenny nodded and handed Nicole her cup. “I’ll be right back.”

As she walked away, she heard Elise argue with Nicole but couldn’t make out the words because the music and conversations around them were so loud.

The closer Jenny got to Mr. McKenzie, the tighter her stomach got. What freaked her out was that it wasn’t fear affecting her, but lust—something she’d never had to deal with at this level—and it threw her.

Before she could grasp what that meant, she stood in front of him with only two feet separating them.

Her gaze started at his worn boots, moved up his long, jean-clad legs, and then to the substantial bulge behind his zipper.

Her eyes ran over his black button-down Western shirt to his wide, muscular chest and broad shoulders.

She bit back her gasp when her eyes finally got to his masculine facade.

She could tell he spent many hours in the sun. She didn’t know his age. He was definitely older than her, but the brackets on the sides of his mouth and the squint lines around his eyes maybe put a few years on him, and he looked a bit younger than she first thought.

His black hair was cut close to his scalp, and his chin was square with a slight cleft in the middle. He had a large nose that fitted his face. It was crooked at the bridge, telling her he’d broken it at least once.

Her eyes landed on his lips, and she saw that they were full, with the bottom lip a bit plumper than the top, and she had several ideas about what he could do with them.

She finally came to his dark green eyes and inhaled. The fact that he was staring right back made her stomach tighten, and a red flush covered her face at being caught so blatantly staring at him.

Jesus, what was wrong with her? God, she’d never ogled a man in her life, so why did she have to start with this rigid, intimidating one?

“I ... I’m sorry.”

He didn’t say anything. His lips thinned a bit, and his eyes narrowed.

She waited for him to say something and sighed when he stayed mute.

Jenny’s gaze went to the other two men who stood with him, and she could feel her blush deepen.

She jerked her eyes back to him. She really wished they didn’t have an audience with the two men who stood with Mr. McKenzie, but she wanted to get this done.

“So, I’m new in town...” She stopped and took a breath. She wasn’t a person who beat around the bush. “I was dared to come over here and ask you to dance.”

His eyebrows rose.

“If you could just shake your head, it would tell her I asked.”

His eyes went over her shoulder, and then he scowled.

Jenny looked in the same direction and watched both women fumble and then turn away suddenly. She grinned.

Her smile fell when she turned back to him. “I’m sorry I bothered you...”

“I’ll dance with you,” one of the other men said.

The third man straightened. “I will, too, darlin’.”

“Oh, well, I was just supposed to ask him...”

“Do you know him?” the third guy asked.

She shook her head. “No. My friends called him Mr. McKenzie, though.”

The shorter men chuckled.

She gritted her teeth when the guy just stared at her. “Okay, I’ll take your silence as a no and stop bothering you. I hope you all have a nice night.”

A hand grabbed her upper arm before she took two steps away.

She looked back to see Mr. McKenzie hand his cup to one of the men before he pulled her out onto the dance floor.

A streak of unease grew, and her heartbeat increased. “Hey, wait. They said you’d say no.”

“I’m not.”

She shivered at the deep, rough timbre of his voice. “But I don’t know how to dance.”

He looked down at her and pulled her into his arms. “I’ll teach you. Why haven’t you ever learned?”

“I’ve never had the time or the inclination to dance.”

She could see the surprise in his eyes. She wasn’t about to go into her childhood with him. At that moment, she couldn’t if she tried. He pulled her against his chest and wrapped an arm around her waist, and his other hand gripped hers. Damn, his hand was over twice the size of hers.

“So, what do I do?” she asked.

“This is it. You’re dancing.”

“But we’re hardly moving,” she sputtered and then laughed.

“We don’t have to.”

She caught several startled faces as he moved them slowly around the dance floor. She gathered it had to do with the fact that the man had never danced before, as Elise said.

“So, you work on one of the ranches around here?”

He grunted.

She took that as a yes.

“My name is Jenny.”

“People call me Mac.”

She nodded and concentrated on keeping up with him and avoiding tripping. “I’m not very coordinated. I’m sorry.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She bit her lip to keep from laughing at the looks on her friends’ faces.

He grunted again. He maneuvered them back over to where they started when the song ended, let her go, and took a step back. She nervously smoothed her shirt before she looked up at him. He was glowering down at her again and sighed.

“Thank you for my first dance.”

He nodded once.

She turned and walked back to her friends.

Nicole screeched, and Elise had a hand over her mouth.

“What is with you two?” Jenny asked.

Nicole grabbed her arm. “I would have bet a thousand dollars he would never dance.”

“Then it’s a good thing you didn’t,” Jenny said and grinned. She took the cup Elise handed her and was pulled into a conversation with an older woman.

When she finally got a chance to glance over at Mac, she found him glaring at her. She bit back a grin and waved her fingers at him before she turned away.

“Are you flirting with him?”

She looked at Elise, mortified. “Oh, God, no. The man can’t stand me.”

Elise’s eyes widened. “So, you’re goading him?”

Jenny’s smile grew as the tone of Elise’s voice rose. Why were they so afraid of him? He was just a man, for God’s sake. A very handsome one, but still only just a man.

“I should be headed home. I open the clinic tomorrow,” Jenny said.

Elise and Nicole nodded.

Nicole tossed her cup into the garbage can. “We do, too. Let’s walk out together.”

They managed to make their way through the crowd of people to the front door.

Jenny took a deep breath of the cool, crisp air as she made her way to her vehicle.

She waved. “I’ll see you two tomorrow. Be safe.”

Both girls waved and walked off.

Jenny grinned a few minutes later as she pulled into her driveway.

She’d had a pretty fantastic night and accomplished several firsts. She’d gone to her first barn party with friends she enjoyed being around, and had her first dance. She couldn’t ask for better than that.