Anna laughed. She handed her beer to Justin and allowed Rick to guide her onto the dance floor as the band started playing. The dance floor at the centre of the hall quickly filled with moving bodies, dancing with a greater or lesser degree of skill, but all were having a good time.
Carol cast a sideways glance at Justin. He was clearly not having such a good time as he watched Anna and Rick.
‘It looks like you may have some competition,’ Carol said. ‘You’d better ask her to dance as soon as she comes back.’
‘Oh, I will.’ Justin sounded deadly serious. Then he drew his eyes away from the dance floor and looked down at Carol. ‘I am planning to spend the night here, at the Ridge. Maybe even a day or two on standby for the Castle Rock fire. Are you going to be home tomorrow? I thought I might come around. Just to make sure you’re all set should the fire swing your way.’
They were the sort of words Carol hadn’t dared hope to hear. ‘Yes, I will be. All day. Whatever time suits you.’
‘All right. I’ll see you then. And now I have to do something about this dance.’ Justin took a swallow of his beer, placed both cups on a nearby table and stepped onto the dance floor. Carol saw him cut in on Rick, who nodded happily as Justin and Anna danced away.
***
They danced until the song ended and then came to a stop. Anna was breathing a little heavily, less from her exertions than from her pleasure. She’d enjoyed dancing with Rick, not because she had any designs on him, but simply because he’d asked her to. He was a nice-looking young man, no more than nineteen, she guessed, but that didn’t matter. It was only a dance and it was a long time since she’d danced with anyone.
Dancing with Justin, however, was a very different thing. He hadn’t touched her. It wasn’t that sort of dance. Each of them had been moving independently to the music, stomping feet and jumping around a bit at times, not unlike the young kids who were gyrating in front of the stage. Their hands had brushed and once, Justin had leaned forward to say something, trying to be heard over the music. She hadn’t caught the words, but she had felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek.
As they slowed to a standstill, every fibre of her body was tingling. She felt more alive than she had since that day. She looked into his face and saw a joy there that she was sure was reflected in her own, scar or no scar.
‘Miss Anna!’
A child’s voice broke the tension between them.
Anna looked around to greet the girl who had raced across the dance floor, her mother in hot pursuit.
‘Woah, slow down there.’ Justin bent down to intercept her. ‘Miss Anna’s not going anywhere.’
‘You fixed Olaf,’ the girl—Matilda, Anna remembered—told Anna. ‘He’s really fast now, even though he’s only got three legs. And he’s happy, but we’re very careful that he doesn’t get on the road any more.’
‘That’s good,’ Anna said. ‘The road is no place for a dog.’
‘So what do you say to Miss Anna?’ Tania had caught up with the group.
‘Thank you!’ Matilda wrapped her arms around Anna in an enthusiastic hug.
‘You and Olaf are very welcome.’
‘Come on now, let’s leave her to enjoy her evening.’ Tania led Matilda away.
‘That was nice,’ Justin said, a huge smile on his face. ‘Why does she call you Miss Anna? You don’t hear that a lot from kids her age.’
‘It’s a thing here in the Ridge. The librarian is Miss Lou. Bree from the alpaca stud is Miss Bree. It might have something to do with one of the teachers at the school.’
‘I think it’s nice.’
‘So do I.’
‘Shall we get a drink? And maybe a snack?’ Justin took her hand to lead her towards the refreshment tables.
Anna’s heart did that thing again. It felt natural and good to be holding Justin’s hand. It was warm and though the skin was rough from years of hard work, he was very gentle for a strong man. She was quite disappointed when he let go of her hand to collect their drinks. As he did, she noticed him add his change to the big jar that was collecting funds for the mobile library. And it wasn’t just a few coins.
As they drank their beers and enjoyed some food, Justin and Anna wandered around the room, chatting to friends, volunteer firefighters and clients. Although he’d only spent a short time in the town, Justin seemed at ease with everyone, whether he knew them or not. Anna loved watching him. She envied his self-confidence and assurance. She loved the way everyone, from young kids to their grandparents, seemed to smile when he talked to them. She was far more comfortable here than in that restaurant in Scone. Everyone here knew her. They didn’t avoid her eyes or look shocked when they saw her face. Or even worse, look at her with pity.
The band started playing again after a short break and Justin led her back onto the dance floor. This time the music was slower and he pulled her close as they swayed. She rested her head against his shoulder, breathing deep his warm, masculine smell. As they danced, she felt what might have been his lips brush her hair. She couldn’t help herself. Moving closer, feeling his body against hers, she felt things she had not felt in a very long time. She felt hope.
The music ceased and for a very long time, she didn’t want to let him go. She was hoping the band had another similar song in their repertoire, but the band leader dashed her hopes.
‘All right, now we’ve all had a rest, time for some good old country dancing.’
