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  He shook his head as he leaned in to give the old woman a kiss on the cheek. For as much as they went back and forth, he had to admit she was a blessing to his life. "Thanks Gran."

  Almost to the truck, he stopped in his tracks when he heard Gran call his name. "Say hi to Julia Sanders for me!" Micah swore he heard Gran cackle as the rickety screen door slammed behind her. Why was she telling him to say hello to someone he hadn't seen in almost thirteen years?

  Chapter Two

  He loved her to pieces, but the old woman was obviously losing her marbles. The last he'd heard, Julia was living in Nashville playing real housewife to her perfect little husband.

  The back lot was filled by the time Micah got back to the bar so he parked at the end of the block and walked up Main Street. Squeezing his way through a pack of cowboy wannabes, Micah flagged down Ashley, ordering a beer and a shot of Jack Daniels. The pool tables had been pushed to the side to make room for a makeshift dance floor and the band was starting to set up in the corner. The Oasis wasn't equipped to handle live music, especially a band with a loyal following, but the owner was doing whatever he could to get business to stay in town rather than drive into Madison for entertainment.

  Micah stopped to say hi to a few classmates and told them he'd meet them in the basement for a game of pool on the old table later in the evening. He planned to do his best to stay out of the main bar. The time he'd spent here after Karen left made him want to avoid the drunken antics he knew would begin within the hour.

  Austin and Lizzie were still on the deck where he'd left them earlier in the evening. A few more from the regular gang had shown up and Lizzie was lobbying hard to get more volunteers for the all-class reunion the following weekend. He ducked out of sight, not wanting to get roped into anything. He had picked up a side job and wanted to spend part of the weekend with Caleb. There was no time for reliving their "glory days" or playing bouncer in the beer garden.

  As Micah stepped through the doorway, hoping to push his way towards the basement, he froze realizing that Gran Turner was fully lucid. He could never forget the low, earthy laugh he heard coming from just inside the door.

  Julia was glad she'd let Annie talk her into a night out. She could barely move without someone stopping to ask her how she'd been and what brought her back to town. Apparently, everyone remembered the times she'd proclaimed she would never come back to Brooklyn once she got out. Her resolve had only strengthened when she'd been dumped the week before she left for college. And again when she started to get calls from friends telling her that the rumor mill was buzzing with the truth about why her relationship had failed.

  Julia grabbed a table between the dart boards and jukebox when a group of middle-aged businessmen stood to leave. The only saving grace to the location was that with live music it was unlikely that she'd have to listen to drunks trying to remember the name of their favorite, typically annoying, songs as they tried to operate the jukebox. That left stray darts as the only danger to the location. She was willing to risk it since tables were a hard thing to come by in the packed bar.

  Smoothing her silky black tank top, she sat on the high stool. While she was normally self-confident, she worried about the pounds she'd put on since school. Cattiness and shallow judgments were two things she remembered well from when she was younger and she knew it was unlikely that not everyone lost those personality traits after high school.

  Annie came back with two amaretto sours and sat across from her. "Kinda crazy, huh," she said as she looked around the crowd.

  "Yeah, you could say that," Julia agreed.

  She hoped the full bar was a sign that the band getting ready to take the stage wasn't going to be as bad as some that she remembered playing the festival when she was a teen. Brooklyn was far enough from the city that there weren't many bands that were willing to come down for the night. Or, more likely, there weren't many event organizers willing to pay the kind of money the better bands demanded.

  The women started looking around the bar, rating the butts of the guys in their tight jeans and cowboy boots. There were definitely a good number of quality backsides in the bar, even if none of them had a clue what it really meant to be a cowboy. Julia couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. The time she'd spent in Nashville taught her that most of the people who dressed the part wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between a bull and a bronc if put on the spot. The clothes might say cowboy, but underneath, she was fairly certain every one of them screamed self-absorbed city boy. When Annie made a particularly crude comment about what she'd like to do to one of the cowboys, Julia cackled.

  Once the band took the stage, Julia was truly impressed. This wasn't some small town band that would never go anywhere. They were talented enough to hang with the best of the bands trying to break into the big time in Nashville. The lead singer was a knock-out with her nearly black pixie cut, bright green eyes and legs that went on forever. And once she opened her mouth to belt out a Martina McBride cover, Julia was in awe.

  Lizzie Reyes hugged Julia and rambled about how great it was that she was back in town. Within minutes, Lizzie was asking both of them to think about helping out with the reunion. Julia explained that there was far too much work to be done at the house and she didn't know if she'd be able to make it to the reunion much less commit to work it. If she was going to keep her move to town temporary, she couldn't put herself into any more situations that allowed her to romanticize Brooklyn when she knew it was improbable that she would ever be content here in the long term.

  Not a minute later, there was a tap on Julia's shoulder. As she turned to see who was next up in the welcoming committee, she saw a smirk on Annie's face. When her gaze met the dark eyes looking down at her, she thought she might lose her dinner.

  "Heard a rumor you were back in town." Micah glared at Annie making Julia wonder what had happened in the time she'd been gone.

  If there was one person Julia hoped to avoid tonight, it was Micah. It was hard enough driving through town, trying to not think about all of the places they'd been together. Seeing him standing in front of her was too much to handle. "I suppose since I'm sitting here, you heard right," she snipped. She turned back to Annie, who didn't seem to share Julia's disdain for the latest visitor. "Did you know he was going to be here?"

  Annie stifled a laugh, "Nope."

  How could Annie think this was funny? She was there through the break-up. She knew how much pain Micah had caused her.

  "Hey Micah, how'd you get out of the house for the night?" Annie asked biting her lip to keep from laughing. Julia knew she was being petty but she really thought she could count on her best friend to not be quite so friendly with the enemy. Then again, maybe since they both stayed in town they'd had time to bury the hatchet. Julia only wished that Annie had buried it in Micah's back.

  "Gran's keeping an eye on Caleb for the night," he answered without taking his eyes off Julia. It was obvious that Annie and Micah had kept in touch over the past decade. Wait a minute... Caleb? Gran? Every second Micah spent at the table, the more it upset Julia. Her head was spinning with everything that was and wasn't being said. "So, Jules... you going to dance with me?" He held out his hand as though they'd just seen each other last weekend. Like they were old friends.

  She pushed his hand away, "If you were the only guy in here I still wouldn't dance with you. Besides, I don't dance anymore," she lied. She wanted more than anything to get on the dance floor but not if it meant putting herself into Micah's arms. The stirring in her stomach was turning from a sick feeling to one of wanting. How could the man who ripped her heart out still make her feel this way? No, she definitely couldn't dance with him.

  "Suit yourself," he said sitting on the stool between Julia and Annie. He sat his bottle of Miller on the table and started picking at the label with his thumb. It was a nervous habit Julia knew well. She felt better knowing she wasn't the only one affected by their reunion. "Where's the husband?" Annie excused herself, o
bviously not willing to get in the middle of whatever was about to go down.

  "There isn't one." Julia wished she could have run into Micah while she was still happily married rather than while the ink was still drying on her divorce papers. "Where's Carly?"

  Micah looked confused by the question, "Last I heard, she was in New York."

  "You don't know where she is?" That didn't sound like Carly. She'd never leave and not tell people where she was going.

  "Why should I know?" his voice was deeper and sexier than Julia remembered. And it was doing all the wrong things to her body.

  "But, I thought..." she didn't finish because she was growing more uncertain of what she thought.

  Micah snapped his head so he was staring directly into Julia's ice blue eyes. "What? What did you think?"

  "Nothing. I just thought that if Gran has Caleb..." she tried desperately to find the words that wouldn't make her feel like an ass, "And I'm assuming Caleb is your son. If you're out because Gran has him..."

  He threw his head back, unable to keep himself from laughing. "Wait a minute. You think Carly and I--"

  "Well, if Caleb is your son and Gran has him...you didn't?" Julia was more confused than ever now. And regretting that she'd come back. She didn't understand how there could be enough drama to fill a soap opera in a town of 5,000 people.

  The bar stool screeched when she pushed back as Micah leaned closer to her. Unshaken, he moved his stool closer to hers and grabbed both of her hands in his. "Yes, Caleb is my son. My son," he lowered his voice as the song ended so they wouldn't be overheard. "I never have and never would sleep with one of your friends."

  The relief she felt at the words seemed irrational. Why should it matter who he slept with?

  "Now, will you please dance with me? One dance, I'll make sure to keep my hands where they belong." Julia still didn't want to dance with him but she figured she could get through one dance. She held out her hand and allowed him to guide her to the dance floor.

  The band was playing a Garth Brooks song about running into an old love. How fitting. As promised, Micah was a gentleman as he gracefully led her around the floor. He was a far better dancer than she remembered. As the guitarist sang about how time had changed the former couple in the song, Julia wrapped one arm tighter around Micah's neck. She wanted to stay mad at him forever but she couldn't. It felt natural to be in his arms. The arms that were much stronger than the ones that held her at senior prom. She felt the ridges of his chest against the back of her hand when he drew it between their bodies. His heart was pounding furiously under their hands. At least she wasn't alone.

  When the song finished, Julia excused herself and ran to the bathrooms. It was the one place he couldn't follow her. Or at least she hoped he wouldn't. She wouldn't put anything past Micah. It was a mistake to give in and dance with him. A minute later, Annie appeared next to her in the mirror, pretending to sculpt her blond spikes. "You two still look good out there." She pulled lipstick out of her purse to touch up her perfect pout.

  "Don't even say that," Julia scowled. "Seriously, did you know he was going to be here tonight? Please tell me you didn't set this up." She pulled the hair tie from her wrist and pulled her long blond waves into a ponytail.

  Making a cross over her heart with a beautifully manicured finger, Annie promised she hadn't said a word to Micah. "Don't you think it's time the two of you clear the air? You were both kids. He screwed up. What good will it do you to stay mad forever?"

  Admitting that Annie had a point was more than Julia was prepared to do. "But you were there. And you were the first person to call and tell me the truth. Do you really think I should just forget that?"

  "No, I don't think you should forget any of it," she stated as casually as if she was telling someone the time. "But the fact is, you need to figure out how to forgive him. It's not going to help you move forward if you stay stuck firmly in the past."

  Dammit, it sucked when Annie was making sense. She wished that for just one night her friend could go back to being the vapid beauty she'd been as a teen. At least that Annie would have stood behind Julia no matter how wrong she was. Arm in arm, they made their way back to the table.

  He didn't begrudge her still being upset with him. They'd been through a lot and he figured she'd heard the whole story from someone over the past twelve years. The truth was, he was shocked that she didn't know everything when she threw out the accusation that he'd had a relationship with Carly. That in itself would have been laughable if it wasn't nearly offensive. No matter how desperate he got, there was no way Micah would have broken the unwritten rule that you don't date an ex's friends. While part of him wanted to head back outside to the relative safety of Austin and Lizzie's company, he needed to clear the air once and for all. He switched to drinking Pepsi so he'd maintain a clear head, no matter how painful the truth was going to be to reveal.

  As Annie and Julia snaked their way across the dance floor, he took time to memorize every inch of Julia's body. She had filled out a bit in the hips over the years and the breasts that had once been firm yet small were now supple and created seductive curves beneath her low-cut tank top. Instead of the trademark Keds she'd worn as a teen, she was wearing four inch red heels. Everything about her screamed for him to take her to bed and show her how badly he'd messed up all those years ago. Unfortunately, there was no chance of that since she made it clear, both before and after their one dance, that she didn't want him in her personal space.

  He stood when the ladies reached the table. If there was a right thing he could say, he had no clue what it was. Rather than saying the wrong thing, he sat and took a long drink of soda in hopes that someone else would start the conversation. Micah was saved when Austin came inside and challenged him to a game of pool in the basement. He was no longer in the mood to shoot pool but he figured it would give him time to think of what he was going to say.

  "You two wanna come down? You can keep Lizzie company while I whoop him," Austin's tone was self-assured. That struck Julia because he'd always been the quiet kid who was certain that he'd fail at everything he attempted. She liked seeing that he had grown some confidence over the years.

  "I'm sure she'd rather stay here," Micah answered. He may have been trying to let Julia off the hook, but she'd be damned if she was going to let Micah Anderson dictate what she would or wouldn't do.

  She stood too quickly and almost lost her balance. "No, we'll go. I haven't talked to Lizzie in a long time. You coming?" She glared at Annie, who apparently thought it was cute that almost all of their high school group was standing there.

  "Nah, I'll sit up here and save the table," she said, settling herself against the wall and propping her feet on the stool beside her. She smiled wide, "But you go. Have fun!"

  They may have been best friends since grade school but, at that moment, she hated Annie. Julia felt like there was some conspiracy to get her to spend time with Micah. Knowing this town, there probably was. "Don't worry, we will," she shot over her shoulder as she made her way towards the basement. Her back straightened as she felt Micah's hand on the small of her back. Fire rose through her core. She cursed her body for defying her.

  It was bad enough that she was going to watch Micah shoot pool, something they'd done at Cue-rious every Friday and Saturday night as teens. It got worse when Micah suggested they shoot teams rather than the guys shooting while the women watched. Julia had never been the greatest player of the group. Add her mediocre base skill to a decade without picking up a cue and it was a recipe for disaster.

  "Guys against girls?" Julia asked in a desperate plea to get out of being paired with her ex.

  Lizzie laughed, "If you think I'm shooting against Austin, you're nuts. Couples." Julia swallowed hard. Couples. She wanted to scream that she and Micah weren't a couple. Hadn't been for a long time. She stayed silent.

  "You got it," she answered. Pulling a cue from the wall, she said a prayer that she wouldn't be as bad as she feared. "What'
s the wager?" She may not be able to shoot but she knew how to bluff. Let Austin and Lizzie think she was confident in her skills and hope to rattle them.

  Micah jumped in, "Loser buys dinner tomorrow night." Julia felt like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. He was enjoying this. Stay cool. Let him carry you through the game and it'll be fine.

  Julia gritted her teeth, "Sounds good to me, as long as Austin and Lizzie don't have plans." She couldn't believe she was setting herself up to have dinner with Micah. She prayed their friends would save her from having to spend another night around him.

  "Nope, we're free," Lizzie chimed in.

  The game was a disaster. Austin and Lizzie had obviously gotten better over the years. Micah, on the other hand, either hadn't picked up a cue in thirteen years or he'd thrown the game. It didn't help that Julia hadn't made a single shot. She blamed Micah for that. After her feeble attempt to break, he had offered her tips through the entire game. At one point, he leaned his body over hers and she forgot all about the stick in her hands, distracted by the feeling of him brushing up against her. When combined with tips and encouragement whispered into her ear, there was no way she could be expected to shoot well.

  Micah grabbed Julia's empty glass as well as his soda and turned to Julia, "Ready to head upstairs?"

  Noticing that they were alone in the basement once Austin and Lizzie left made her anxious to get back to the relative safety of a crowded bar. "Definitely."

  She followed Micah up the stairs unable to pull her eyes from his strong legs and sculpted backside. The bitterness she'd felt earlier in the evening was gone, replaced by thoughts of taking him to her house so she could get him out of her system. A night of meaningless sex might be the way to get to the point where she could run into him in town without thinking about the past.