Free His Secret Child by Beverly Barton

if we can't find a table, we can have a beer at the bar."
    "Fine with me." She practically shouted her reply because the band had just struck up a new foot-patting beat.
    Standing as tall as he at five foot ten, Sheila went into Pat's arms and smiled directly at him. They moved to the rhythm of the upbeat music, the zing of a steel guitar buzzing in their ears.
    God, it was good to relax and have a good time. Good not to worry about life's daily chores. Good not to have to think about a man who held the power to destroy the tranquility of her life.
    Smiling contentedly as Pat whirled her around the dance floor, Sheila caught a glimpse of another couple next to them and for one brief moment her heart stopped. She should have known better than to come into the Pale Rider on a Friday night. She should have known that Caleb Bishop would be here with another woman. Gwyn Baker had her arms draped around Caleb's neck and her body pressed intimately against his. Her head rested on his chest and Caleb's left hand cupped her hip. A sick feeling hit Sheila square in the stomach.
    Don't do this to yourself. You sent him away. You told him that you didn't want him on his terms. He has every right to go to another woman for what you aren't willing to give him.
    "Well, hi, there, you two," Gwyn said. "Look, Caleb, it's Sheila and Pat. Shoot fire, I never thought I'd see you in here, Sheila."
    "We just stopped by for a drink, but decided to go ahead and dance since we couldn't find a table," Pat explained.
    "Hey, why don't y'all share our table? We've got room." She grabbed Caleb's left hand, then reached out and grabbed Pat's arm. "Come on. We'll order a fresh round of drinks and talk for a while."
    Sheila and Caleb exchanged a quick, uncertain glance, before Sheila reluctantly followed Pat's lead and joined the couple at their nearby table.
    "So, you two are dating again, huh?" Gwyn leaned over and wrapped her arm around Caleb's neck. "You probably don't know this," she told Caleb, "but Pat's been trying to get to first base with Sheila for nearly two years now and she keeps playing hard to get."
    Sheila realized that Gwyn Baker was, as the old folks said, "three sheets to the wind." Wondering if Pat felt as uncomfortable as she did, she glanced his way and noted the pink flush creeping up his neck and spotting his cheeks.
    Ignoring Gwyn's tactless comment, Caleb ordered a round of drinks and tried to dislodge her tenacious hold from around his neck.
    "I say you're a fool not to take Pat up on what he's got to offer," Gwyn advised. "After all, it's not easy finding a man interested in marrying women like us, who aren't so young anymore and are saddled with kids. And it's got to be even harder for you, honey, considering you don't exactly come equipped with all the stuff men seem to like so much. You know—a pretty face, a skinny body and big boobs."
    "Would you mind if I dance with your date?" Caleb asked Pat as he eased back his chair and offered Sheila his hand.
    "No, er, not at all," Pat said, obviously uncertain how to respond to Gwyn's blatant insult or Caleb's unexpected request.
    Sheila hesitated momentarily, then decided it would be simpler and easier to accept Caleb's offer than to sit awkwardly at the table and try to be pleasant after Gwyn's unintentionally rude comment.
    Caleb didn't say a word as he led her through the crowd and onto the dance floor. She understood that he was simply trying to diffuse a potentially explosive situation, but she wished he'd found another way. Something that didn't require him taking her into his arms.
    She closed her eyes as the pain spread through her mind and body. She didn't want his pity. Couldn't bear for him to feel sorry for her. She didn't need any more crumbs of kindness from him.
    It would be so easy to relax in his arms, to allow the intimate sway of their bodies moving in unison to overrule her common sense. But she didn't dare give in to her deepest, heartfelt yearnings. She'd done