Page 36

T he Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hotel had changed over the years—like everything else in Austin’s life. If windows didn’t grace the wall, then floor-to-ceiling gilded mirrors did. The room seemed larger than it was as Austin stood beside his brothers, Loree at his side.

While Amelia and Dee rushed around the room making certain everything was in order, the children sat in chairs along the wall, like stair steps, from oldest to youngest, with the very youngest nestled in Houston’s arms. The girls swung their feet, their heels hitting the underside of their chair.

Rawley slumped forward, looking bored as hell. Austin understood that feeling.

Dallas’s cook strode in, his legs bowed out like a man who still had a horse sitting beneath him, his fiddle tucked beneath his arm. He wore a fancy black suit that Austin had never expected the man to own.

“The fiddle player’s here,” Maggie announced. “You’re gonna have to dance with me, Rawley.”

Horror swept over Rawley’s face. “Don’t neither.”

“Do to.” Maggie tipped up her nose. “Uncle Dallas, doesn’t Rawley have to dance with me?”

Absently, Dallas waved his hand in the air, his attention focused on his wife. “Can’t see that it’d do any harm, Rawley. Probably be good practice.”

Groaning, Rawley glowered at Maggie, who wore a smile of triumph. Faith slid out of her chair, tiptoed across the floor, and climbed onto Rawley’s lap.

“Dance wiv me, too, Wawley.”

He held up a finger. “One dance.” He glared at Maggie. “One dance.” Holding Faith in place with one arm, he leaned forward and glared at each of his cousins in turn, his finger pointing to the ceiling. “One dance each and that’s it.”

He slumped back against the wall, reached into his shirt pocket, and removed a sarsaparilla stick.

“Gimme some,” Faith ordered.

“It’s my last piece,” Rawley said, even as he proceeded to break it into six pieces and distribute it to the girls, popping the last and smallest piece into his mouth.

He met Austin’s gaze over the top of Faith’s head. “I sure hope your baby is a boy.”

“Reckon we need to even things out a little, don’t

we?”

Rawley gave him a brusque nod. “We men folk are sorely outnumbered.”

Austin laughed, remembering a time when that was exactly what Dallas had wanted: more women out in West Texas.

Breathless, Amelia rushed over and took Gracie from Houston. “I think we just about have everything ready to go.”

“Who’s gonna watch the young ‘uns while you and me dance?” Houston asked.

“I’ll be happy to watch the girls,” Loree said, her fingers tightening around Austin’s. “I can’t imagine I’ll be doing any dancing tonight. In this red dress, I look like an apple that’s been turned upside down.”

Austin gave her a long slow perusal, then leaned over, and whispered in her ear, “I’ve always liked nibbling on apples.”

Her face burned a deep crimson, and he wished he could find some dark secluded corner where he could taste her fully. His only fear was that once he got started, he’d be unable to stop. He couldn’t remember ever wanting anything as much as he wanted Loree at this moment.

People began to arrive. The night they’d gone to the theater, Austin had only seen Leighton’s successful citizens.

They were here tonight, but so were the cowboys, the wranglers, the stonemasons, and the carpenters.

The ladies who worked in Dee’s hotel and restaurant glided into the room in their fancy gowns and were swept onto the floor to dance before the music began to play.

When the first strains from Cookie’s fiddle filled the air, a roar went up and people began to dance in earnest.

“We’re gonna take you up on that offer to watch the girls if you’re sure you don’t mind,” Houston said.

“I don’t mind,” Loree assured him as she released Austin’s hand and took Gracie into her arms.

“We’ll just dance one dance,” Amelia said.

“Dance as many as you like.”

“I’m going to make my wife stop working and do some dancing,” Dallas said before walking off.

With a huff, Rawley shifted Faith off his lap, stood, and held his hand out to Maggie. “Come on, Brat. You asked first.”

Maggie hopped out of her chair and followed him onto the dance floor.

Austin helped Loree sit in the chair Maggie had vacated, then he sat beside her, easing Faith onto his lap. She reached up and planted a sticky sarsaparilla scented kiss on his cheek. “Love ya.”

“I love you, too,” Austin said quietly.

He glanced over at Loree. “And you.”

She pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

“We won’t stay long,” he promised. He looked toward the waltzing couples.

“They all look so happy,” Loree said quietly.

Cameron and Becky passed quickly in front of them before disappearing in the crowd. “Yeah, they do,” Austin said.

When the music stilled momentarily, Amelia came over and took Gracie from Loree. “Come on, girls. Let’s go get some punch.” Houston scooped A. J. into his arms before holding a hand toward Faith. “You thirsty?”

She nodded and slid off Austin’s lap. Austin watched his nieces, all in identical red dresses, traipse toward the table like performers in a circus parade. He glanced at Loree, her hands folded over her apple red stomach. He leaned toward her. “Do you dance?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I went to a couple of balls in Austin, but that was a long time back.”

He pulled gently on a curl dangling near her temple. “Is that where you met Jake?”

“I told you there was no Jake.”

“Who did you dance with?”

Sighing, she narrowed her eyes. “I danced with somebody named John and … Michael.”

“That’s it?”

“I wasn’t exactly the belle of the ball.”

“What do city boys know?” he asked.

“A good-looking woman when they see one.”

“Not on your life.” He stood, held out his hand, and helped her to her feet.

“Thought I spotted you over here,” Cameron said, diverting Austin’s attention away from Loree. “Would you mind if I danced with your wife?”

Austin caught the look of surprise in Loree’s eyes, and suddenly, he wanted every man in this room to dance with her. “No, I don’t mind.”

“You don’t mind do you?” Cameron asked Becky. “I’ll be leaving you in good company.”

Becky smiled. “Go on.”

Cameron held his hand toward Loree. She hesitated before slipping her hand into his. “I’m not very balanced these days.”

Cameron grinned. “That’s all right. Neither am I.”

Austin watched Cameron lead Loree onto the dance floor. Their steps were awkward, mismatched. Cameron chuckled, and even with the din of the other dancers, Austin heard Loree’s gentle laughter.

“You and I never got to dance,” Becky said quietly.

Austin slid his gaze to her. The royal blue of her dress enhanced the shade of her eyes. “No, we didn’t.”

She licked her lips. “We’re not going to dance tonight, are we?”

“No, we’re not.”

She shifted her gaze to the dancers. “Cameron wouldn’t mind.”

“But it might hurt Loree.”

She peered at him. “Do you love her?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Then she’s a very lucky woman.”

“She hasn’t been up until now, but I aim to change that.” He tilted his head as the music drifted into silence. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll dance with my wife now.”

He glanced toward the dance floor, reining in his impatience as Cameron escorted Loree back to him. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkling. He would have grabbed her and hauled her back onto the dance floor right then and there, but he had something special in mind.

“Didn’t topple over, huh?” he asked as they neared. He laughed when Loree stuck her tongue out at him.

“Come on, Sugar, sit down,” he ordered.

Loree plopped into the chair, grateful to be off her feet. “Thank you, Cameron,” she called out.

Cameron glanced over his shoulder and winked at her before he led Becky back toward the dance area. Loree released a deep sigh. “I didn’t want to but I think I like Cameron. He’s nice.”

“Of course, he’s nice. You think I’d have mean friends,” Austin said as he knelt in front of her and lifted her foot.

She leaned forward. “What are you doing?”

“Taking off your shoes.”

She jerked her foot back. “Austin, not here,” she whispered hoarsely.

He looked at her with blue eyes that reflected the innocence of a child. “Why?”

She stared at him, trying to think of an acceptable reason. “It’s not proper. A woman doesn’t show her ankles in public.”

“Your skirt is long enough that your ankles won’t show. Besides, your toes have gotta be hurtin’. I’ve seen Cameron dance before. He may be nice but he doesn’t know his right foot from his left.”

She slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. Her toes were hurting. He patted his thigh. “Come on, Sugar.”

She gnawed on her lower lip. She supposed if she just sat here …

“Oh, all right, but don’t let anyone see what you’re doing,” she whispered as she placed her foot on his thigh.

She loved to watch his long fingers nimbly work to unbutton her shoes.

She wanted to see his fingers gliding along the strings on his mother’s violin.

She knew he had been touched by the case she had given him for Christmas, but she’d been disappointed that he hadn’t shown more of an interest in the music sheets she’d given him.

He slipped her shoe under the chair, and when she would have brought her foot to the floor, he held it in place on his thigh, rubbing his thumbs in a circle over the balls of her foot. “Oh, Lord, that feels good,” she said. “You have such nice hands.”

“Wait until you see how nice they’re gonna be later on.”

She didn’t know if the gleam in his eyes spoke of teasing or seriousness, and she wasn’t certain she wanted to know. He placed her foot on the floor, brought her other foot up, and removed her shoe. He rubbed her foot until every little pain vanished.

“How does that feel?” he asked.

“Wonderful.”

“Good.” He stood and held out his hand. “Will you honor me with this dance?”

Loree widened her eyes. “I don’t have shoes on.”

He smiled warmly. “I know that, Sugar. I just took ‘em off.”

“I can’t dance without shoes.”

“Sure you can.”