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.And neither are you.”“Hey! I’m not even close to thirty yet,” Gina protested, but her smile was full of mischief.“Unlike the rest of you.I’m still the baby at this table.”Priscilla joined in the laughter and took another swallow of the icy-cold beer.Straight from the bottle.Another first for her in a long time.She had to admit she’d been a bit nervous about tonight’s plans, but Leeann’s friends were all great women and she was having a blast.So many people had come up to their table throughout the evening to talk about the auction and the camp.She’d even run into two of Dean’s fellow firefighters she’d met at bingo, but turned down both of their requests for a dance.“You know, just because the rest of us aren’t interested in slow dancing doesn’t mean you have to sit out when asked,” Racy said.“Yeah, you’re a pretty popular lady.Must be because you’re the mysterious out-of-towner.” Maggie took a swallow of her beer and looked around the bar.“Nothing like new blood in town to bring out the cowboys.”“Or the cops or the firemen.” Leeann leaned forward, wrapping her hands around her glass.“Especially one fireman in particular.”“Are we talking about Zip?” Gina chimed in.“Now, there’s one hunky guy.”“Do we have a new romance in the works?” Maggie asked.Priscilla shook her head and then suddenly wished she hadn’t when the room took an interesting tilt.“No.Dean and I are just.”“Friends?” All four ladies asked in unison.“We’re.well, we’re working together on the auction.Working together at the camp.Sort of.So I guess we’re.” Priscilla snapped her mouth closed when she realized a few too many seconds had gone by without her finishing that sentence.By the amused looks on the ladies’ faces, it didn’t really matter what she was about to say.But she said it anyway.“Yes, we’re friends.”“Does that mean there’s no chance of you bidding on him at the auction?” Racy asked.“He hasn’t said what his date package will be yet,” Leeann said, then smiled.“Maybe she’s waiting to find out how creative he gets before she makes up her mind.”“Married or not, I think my hubby is going to have to step it up when it comes to planning a date night for the two of us.” Gina raised her beer in the air.“Anybody else with me?”The ladies all clicked their bottles in agreement, Priscilla included, and the talk turned to the various dates planned by the bachelors participating in the auction.Listening to the women debate the various offerings reminded Priscilla of that simple yet special moment back at the camp with Dean this afternoon.“Priscilla? You ready for another lesson?”Leeann, Racy, Maggie and Gina all stood up from the table.She groaned.“Another lesson in scoot booting?”Leeann laughed.“It’s called boot scooting, and yes, it is.Grab that cowboy hat and let’s get back out on the dance floor.”* * *“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Dean looked over at Bobby, who sat in the passenger side of his truck.The cupcake had been stupid.Schmaltzy and stupid, even though Priscilla had seemed to enjoy his gesture.But this latest idea was probably taking things a bit too far.“Are you asking me if I think Leeann is going to tell me I’m being a bit overprotective? Yeah, probably.” Bobby leaned forward and peered out into the crowded parking lot.“But it was Maggie who texted Landon and said their evening was coming to an end and that she and Gina were heading out.”“She also said Priscilla was acting a bit loopy.Whatever the hell that means.”“I think it means she had a good time.” Bobby pointed at a group of women heading out into the parking lot from the bar’s double doors.“Which I don’t have a problem with—”“But you’d rather Leeann not be the one who has to get Priscilla back to her room at the inn.”Bobby pushed open his door and grinned.“Precisely.Thanks for agreeing to make sure she gets home okay.Even though I had to twist your arm.”Dean kept his mouth shut as he got out from behind the wheel.There had been no arm-twisting.Hell, it’d been his idea to come here and make sure the girls got home okay even though they knew Leeann hadn’t been drinking tonight.He and Bobby headed across the parking lot toward Leeann and Priscilla, who were walking their way, giggling over a private joke.“Have fun tonight, ladies?” Bobby called out.“Bobby!” Leeann halted and slapped a hand to her chest.“You scared me.What are you two doing here?”“Our evening ended and you all were still out having fun.We figured we’d come down and join you.”Dean glanced at his friend.Good line, buddy.“Well, our party has just ended, too.” Priscilla flung her arms out wide.“You boys are too late to join in the fun.”“I don’t know about that,” Dean said under his breath.“It’s not polite to whisper, you know.” Priscilla propped her hands on her hips, causing her to take a couple of steps backward in order to keep her balance
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