“Guess that’s our cue,” he murmured.
And as he led me back toward the noise and the lights, I had the unsettled thought that whatever had just started between us was the beginning of my undoing.
I’d never do-si-doedbefore in my life, but the moment we stepped up the stairs, the air practically vibrated with energy—boots stomped, hands clapped, and a man’s twangy voice cut through the speakers.
“All right now! Gentleman, you stand on the left, ladies to the right—don’t be shy now!”
Dean’s hand settled at the small of my back and he steered me toward a gap on the dance floor. The wood planks thudded below my feet with the rhythm of the music.
“Bow to your partner”––the caller sang—“now bow to the corner.”
Dean gave an exaggerated bow, grinning with encouragement, as I somehow managed a shaky curtsey before straightening again.
Before I knew what was happening, Dean’s hand was in mine, and his other was sliding around my waist. Everyone around us was in the same position, but the action was jarring, especially after our moment earlier.
Before I knew it, I was spinning—fast. A blur of faces and swaying skirts whipped across the dance floor, making me almost dizzy.
“Now do-si-do—back to back, nice and easy like!”
The steady pressure of Dean’s arm was the only thing that kept me upright. His hands guided me until our shoulders brushed. I caught the faint smell of cedar and soap on his skin as we began to circle, and my pulse tripped over itself. It wasn’t just the scent—it was the heat of him, the unshakable steadiness in his touch, the way my body seemed to recognize his before my mind could catch up.
“You’re doing great,” he whispered close to my ear.
“Well, I feel like an idiot,” I confessed.
He grinned then, slow and deliberate. “If this is you looking like an idiot…” But he stopped talking, and eyes brushed over my body.
“Promenade—” the announcer called. “Take her home, boys, don’t let her stray!”
Dean’s arm hooked around mine again, and this time turned until we faced the same direction. He led me in a slow walk around the dance floor, and my heart was pounding. Not just from the demands of the dance, but from him. The way he’d just looked at me, the way his eyes raked over me for half a second. It was the first time he’d done that. The first time I had any sign at all that he was attracted to me—and most unnerving was thatit didn’t feel like an act… It felt like something he was actually trying to hold himself back from.
I felt almost breathless when his hand touched my back again. The pressure was steady and firm, in a way that made me want to lean into him, to ask what he was going to say, but the caller interrupted. “Change partners!” he called—then just like before, Dean’s hand slipped away from mine.
The music shifted into a faster reel, and hands began stretching toward mine again and again. People swept by in a blur, so quickly I didn’t even have the chance to see who they belonged to.
It was dizzying—boots stomping, faces flickering in and out, laughter spilling over the music which boomed under my feet—until I ended up arm-in-arm with a barrel-chested man in a bolo tie.
“Well,” he said warmly, “it seems we meet again.”
“Mr. McHenry,” I said, almost out of breath.
“Call me Charles,” he said with a small bow, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You holding up alright in this chaos?”
“Trying to,” I admitted, ducking my head as we entered another round of curtsies. “I’m afraid I’m not much of a dancer.”
“Ah, you’re doingjustfine,” Charles assured me, steering us neatly through a turn he probably could have done in his sleep. “Just remember—it’s not about the steps, it’s about the company.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but the caller’s voice boomed again.
“Swing your partner, then do-si-do. Spin change and exchange the gears!”
And just like that, Charles released me with a flourish, sending me back into the crowd.
Round after round continued—dizzying faces, more warm hands catching and releasing mine—until suddenly a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind.
I turned my head just enough to see a broad chest and overalls and let out a relieved breath. Dean.
“Save me,” I whispered to him. “Get me out of here.”
