Janie wasn’t on duty that Saturday night. Actually, she had traded with James because she was dying to get out and dance. She and Diane hadn’t been out dancing in Tahoe in forever, it seemed, and she was ready to rock. The girls had worn jeans and western shirts. They left their purses locked in the truck of Janie’s car and just had some money in their pockets. Janie kept her car key in one of her cowboy boots. Party time, USA …
The place was packed with people on the sides of the room talking and mingling. The dance floor was crowded but she and Diane didn’t care. They got out and started line dancing with a group already going. Anyone could join in, so they did. When the song was through, Janie saw Mike Church waving to her from the bar. She went over and yelled in his ear.
“Come dance with me.” He nodded, since he knew she couldn’t hear him if he spoke. Diane watched and laughed from the sidelines as Mike danced the two-step with Janie. They danced well together… Diane was surprised at first and then thought… He’s been everywhere. Of course, he would know how to western dance.
A man came up to Diane and asked her to dance. It was a country swing song this time and Diane kept up easily with the cowboy’s fast movements. They glided around the floor, bumping into a few people. It was fun and Diane was smiling. When the song ended, the cowboy took her back to where he had picked up her, tipped his hat and left. She was still smiling when she saw Ethan Moody walk in. Her smile promptly faded… Janie was watching from the dance floor with Mike and wondered how this was going to go.
Diane was standing by herself and starting to sweat. She said hi to a few people she knew and was suddenly self-conscious. She knew he was getting closer to her and she longed to be anywhere else in the world right then. Diane was angry that he had so rudely dismissed her, but it still stung.
And then he was walking right by her, without so much as a How-do-you-do. Diane felt like kicking him in the leg, or somewhere else more sensitive. Janie got more upset as she watched Ethan snub Diane. That was rude and just not called for. Apparently, he wasn’t over his mad at her after all. There wasn’t much that Janie could do from the dance floor and Mike was beginning to wonder who she was looking at. It was too noisy and packed with people to explain anything to him.
Several people were in front of Janie, so it was difficult to see Diane for a few minutes. When she finally caught sight of her again, a tall cowboy had taken Diane’s hand and led her to the dance floor. They were dancing a pretty good two-step when Janie recognized the tall cowboy – it was Craig… Diane was facing her and waved. Craig turned to see who she was waving at and saw Janie. They stared at each other for a moment and then he smiled. She returned the smile and waved at him.
The song ended… Diane grabbed Craig’s hand and led him over to Janie and Mike. The band started playing a slow song about finding your lost love and Diane asked Mike to dance. He laughed and took her in his arms – They glided off to the music. That left Janie and Craig standing there looking at each other… The music was soft and sensual. Without speaking, Craig offered Janie his hand to dance. She took it and went into his arms. It was a place she wasn’t accustomed to, but it felt pretty damn good. He hugged her to him like he might lose her if he didn’t.
They danced in perfect sync together. She remembered dancing with him years ago when they were teenagers and he couldn’t dance a step. Janie had tried to teach him, but it was a dismal failure. They had laughed a lot about his clumsiness. He must have practiced since then because he was very smooth. She laid her head on his chest and could hear his heart beat. It was beating a bit too fast she thought and hoped he was feeling okay. When the music stopped, he reluctantly let her go. They stepped back from one another, but he kept hold of her hand. Craig raised it to his lips and kissed it. Janie’s lips parted in surprise…
“Still friends, Miss Johnson?” He never took his eyes from hers. Her heart started dancing. Who was this man and what had he done to her friend, Craig? She didn’t feel friendly toward him – She felt something else that wasn’t identifiable. At least to her…
“Always, Mr. Ferguson.” She smiled back at him. He still had ahold of her hand.
“I’ve missed you, Janie.” Wow...
“I’ve missed you too, Craig.” He let out the breath he’d been holding.
“Come back to archery practice… We’re going to be terrible at that competition if we don’t keep practicing.” She was beginning to drown in his soft, brown eyes.
“Okay… sure.” Their gaze held.
“Tomorrow?”
“I’ll be there.” Then he gently brought her hand to his lips to kiss again. Wow, again… He gave her hand back and tipped his cowboy hat.
“Ma’am,” he said and disappeared from her sight. She blinked that he had left so quickly. Just then Diane and Mike came up.
“Where’d Craig go? He was so nice to ask me to dance after stupid Ethan snubbed me.” Diane was still slightly pissed.
“I saw that. He was like a knight rescuing you, wasn’t he?” Janie laughed.
“I guess that’s why Colt calls him Sir Craig…”
Mike looked confused. “What are you ladies talking about?” Diane gave Janie a mischievous look.
“Stuff…” He laughed.
“Come on, Janie. Let’s dance…” And they were off dancing again.
Diane had watched that whole scene performed by Janie and Craig and mentally hugged herself. Part of her very small plan might be working out better than her wildest expectations – Diane had called Craig to show up at the dance. She laughed at her success just as another cowboy asked her to dance. Stupid Ethan was forgotten forever…
They had a blast that night and limped back to Janie’s car when the dance was over. Mike had said his goodnights to them and had gone the other way. They got in the car and Janie started it up.
“Fun night, huh?” Diane rubbed her aching feet.
“The best… We’ve got to do this more often.”
“You bet.” Driving home, Janie could still feel those kisses on her hand.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The archery range was packed the next afternoon as many people were practicing for the state competition. Craig had arrived early and saved a lane by him for Janie. Archery tournaments are generally arranged by skill level and not age. Occasionally, states have a senior league for older archers, but not always. Nevada’s state competition would be based on skill, not age. Craig and Janie would be competing against hundreds of other archers from around the state. In these last weeks before the shoot, time was definitely of the essence and practice was key.
They had qualified for the state shoot by competing in leagues throughout the year. Their averages were established after the first month of their league. The best archers had to continue to score highly in order to finally qualify for league best by county and then by state. It had been a rigorous culling of archers, but the cream eventually rose. Craig had a ranking in the top one hundred archers in the state, while Janie was in the top two hundred. Craig had been shooting forever, but Janie was a relevant newcomer to the sport. So her spot in the ranking was pretty good and she was proud of how far she’d come in a short period of time. Craig was terribly proud of her and continued to coach her down to the last minute. He was rooting for her success, more than his own.
Arriving at the range, Janie stood by the doorway and watched Craig as he prepared to shoot. His compound bow was complicated, with several bow strings attached at varying angles to little wheels attached to the top and bottom of the bow. He expertly arranged his peep sight to the target and nocked his arrow. He put his arrow at the knot on his string from which the arrow would launch. When he pulled the bowstring back, his form was perfect – Right hand at his mouth, left arm fully extended, and sight on target. Twenty feet down the lane, the arrow flew straight and true, right into the center of the regulation target. It was so disgusting, Janie thought, that he could do that time after time.
Setting down her gear by the
doorway, she picked up her bow and quiver. Janie started clapping as she walked over to him. He turned to look at her, his bow at his side. He smiled and she laughed.
“Show-off…”
“You can do it too. Let’s see.” He made room for her at the lane and
watched her set up. When she was ready to shoot, he aimed with her. She mimicked his style pretty closely and they shot together. Their arrows hit the targets.
“Not bad…”
“Not bad? I hit closer to the center than you did.”
“So you did.”
“Then how about saying, ‘Pretty good,’ instead of ‘Not bad.’”
Craig smirked at her.
“Let’s see you do that again and I will…”
“You’re on.”
They adjusted their sights, nocked the arrows on the bowstrings, pulled back and let their arrows fly. In seconds, the arrows met the targets – Janie strained to see how they did. Craig glanced and grinned.
“Beat ya…”
“No… it’s close though.”
“Now you’re cheating, Miss Johnson.”
“I am not.”
“You are too.”
She glared at him. “Are we twelve again?” Craig laughed. He was enjoying this. There was nothing Janie liked better than competition and Craig was right there with her.
“All right. Set it up again.” They nocked their arrows. “Ready?”
“Quit telling me what to do, Mr. Ferguson… and fire!” Craig started laughing and his arrow missed the mark. Janie puffed up.
“Ha… Told you I was better.” She grinned at him.
“You had to cheat again to best me – please note that.”
All the archers had finished shooting and a whistle blew for them to retrieve their arrows. Smiling, Janie and Craig walked down the lane together.
“It’s nice to see you again, Janie.”
“It’s nice to be seen…”
“We should probably talk transportation, hotels, and all the logistics of travel to Vegas. Don’t you think?” She stopped in her tracks.
“I just thought of something. I forgot to send in my entry…” She gulped.
“… Did it last week – I sent yours in too.” She looked at him in gratitude.
“Thanks. Wow… that completely slipped my mind.” He smiled at her. Doing what, he thought, but didn’t say.
They arrived at the targets and began pulling their arrows out. She glanced at him and said shyly.
“Craig, I appreciate all the help you’ve given me with archery. I wouldn’t be half as good as I think I am,” she smiled, “if you hadn’t coached me constantly. Thanks…” He laughed at her.
“You’re welcome, but you are that good. I expect great things out of you in this competition.” He handed her the last arrow. “You’ll do great.”
They walked back up the lane.
“Okay…” she started. “Let’s put in a good hour or two and then go somewhere to talk logistics. You know, I think Dad and Uncle Bill are going to Las Vegas about the same time as we are.”
“No, not ‘about’ the same time. They’re going to be there at ‘exactly’ the same time. They’ll probably come watch a bit.” She swallowed.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want them to watch?”
“No… It’s fine... I just wasn’t expecting a personal audience. Strangers I don’t care about.”
“They’re just a rooting gallery… It’ll be good.”
She looked at him and smiled. As he watched her, he thought he could go a long ways on that smile. When they prepared to shoot again, Craig glanced at her again. We’re not saying the big stuff… I’m not telling her how I feel and she’s probably still not sure how she feels… Better left unsaid for now.
She glanced back. I’m not rocking the boat… we’re back being friends and that’s priceless…
They turned to face their targets, nocked the arrows, drew the bows back and shot clean. Both hit the yellow circle in the centermost part of the target – Bulls-eyes… And together… Janie looked at Craig out of the corner of her eye while he did the same. A slight smile from both of them, and they set up to shoot again…
####
Work the next day was hard and never-ending… Janie had one call after another – all the deputies did. All of a sudden, crime and turmoil were everywhere and all at once. She’d never heard so much crying, wailing, and complaining as she did going on all her calls. The new equipment had come in, which pleased the office staff very much and their new weapons were in as well. Janie was itching to head back to the gun range. However, it wouldn’t happen tonight. She and Diane were taking Sharon, her former attempted suicide call, out for a drink at the Naples Bar and Restaurant. Sharon had called and Diane wanted to meet her. They were all meeting up about seven.
Janie finished up late, about 6:30. She rushed home to take a quick shower and change, run a comb through her hair and fasten another ponytail.
She thought of archery practice last night and how well she and Craig had gotten along. Almost like the old days… almost… There were things left unsaid in the air – She could feel them fluttering around her face like butterflies. She knew he was waiting for her to take a step towards a relationship beyond friends, but Janie also knew that any man would wait a long time for her. Craig seemed to have the stamina… and the patience. He’s a good man…
Great! Look at the blooming clock… While she daydreamed about Craig, it was now past seven. She beat it out of the apartment, into her car and back downtown to the bar. She was looking forward to a girls’ night out…
“Well, look who decided to show up…” Diane and Sharon were in a booth at the back. Janie waved at Jake, the bartender, on her way to them. He held up a bottle of beer at her and she nodded. She made a little detour toward the bar to pick up the beer and went over to sit down by her friend and their new friend.
“I’m only a little late…”
“Miss Punctuality, we started without you.” Diane held up her margarita.
“I see that.” Looking at Sharon, she said, “So you met Diane…”
“Indeed. We had a nice talk already.”
“Really? About what?”
“She wanted to hear my ghastly little story, so we got that out of the way already. No need for you to hear it again…” Janie looked at her seriously.
“I’m glad things turned out like they did, Sharon.”
“Me, too,” added Diane.
“Me three…” smiled Sharon.
Janie held up her bottle to clink with their glasses.
“Here’s to us…”
“Here’s to life,” said Sharon.
“And here’s to men…” They laughed and clinked glasses with one another.
Janie settled back in the booth. “Men?” Diane looked mischievous to her. What was she up to?
“Okay. First things first… Janie, you’re back to archery practice with Craig, correct?”
“Yup.” She raised her bottle to take a sip.
“So what’s happened to Mike Church?” The bottle froze in midair, not quite reaching her mouth.
“Ah…”
“So now you will hear, Sharon, what my friend Janie does when she’s ready to ditch a guy.”
“Is Mike that bad?” Sharon looked confused.
“No, he’s great. Mike’s a nice man.”
“So… What’s the plan?”
“… Um… Actually, he called me this morning. He’s got a job in Alaska and is leaving town tomorrow afternoon.” Diane laughed.
“Well… That’s certainly handy. You won’t have a mess left on your hands after all.”
“Not nice, Diane. I told you this was probably going to happen. Drilling any and everywhere is what the man does. It’s his profession…”
“Besides…” She looked a little guilty.
“Besides what?”
“He wants more from me than I’m willing to give him. I told you that.”
“Like sex…”
“Oh, I understand. Well, if you don’t want to, you don’t want to.” Janie gave Sharon a big smile.
“Thank you, Sharon. At least one of you is understanding.” She took another sip of her beer. Diane looked at her empty glass and then over at Jake. She wiggled her glass at him and he mixed her a fresh margarita. He brought it over to their table.
“Anyone else need something?”
“I’m good, Jake. Thanks.”
“Maybe one more glass of Merlot, thank you. And that’s it for me tonight.”
Diane looked from Sharon to Janie.
“Flyweights, both of you.”
“Gotta drive, Diane. You need to take it easy yourself.”
“Listen, ladies, as soon as you have your drinks, I have something to share with you.” Just then, Jake brought Sharon’s Merlot. “All right. Let the fun begin.”
Diane reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a picture. She laid it on the table for them to see.
“Who’s this?” Sharon picked it up to get a better look. “He’s cute…”
Diane snorted as Janie laughed.
“He’s a fellow deputy sheriff at the Sheriff’s Office with me.”
“Why are you in the picture with him, Diane?” Diane narrowed her eyes at Janie.
“… Because my roommate here decided to match me up with him. She turned out to be a pretty lousy matchmaker. I printed up this picture that she emailed to me and kept it around for far too long. Apparently, our love affair was not to be, and it culminated with him snubbing me at the dance.”
Sharon looked at Diane. “I am so sorry to hear that. That must have hurt.”
Janie’s eyes softened toward her friend.
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