He glanced down at Annie. “Do you want to dance?”
“Are you sure?”
He hesitated. “It wasn’t the dancing that was the trigger, not entirely. I need to try.”
Annie stood up and held out her hand. “I’d love to dance with you.”
Dylan wiped his hands on his shirt. The cotton was wet, soaked in sweat and sticking to every square inch of his chest.
“Don’t worry about it,” Annie said as if reading his mind. “I’m more concerned about you getting a cold. The flu and bruised ribs would definitely ruin your chance of competing in the Ironman competition.”
The music inside the barn changed and Frank Sinatra started singing. Dylan put one arm on Annie’s waist and held her other hand in his. He silently counted the beat of the music and stepped forward as Frank’s smooth voice filled the air.
He moved out from under the tree and looked at the stars. It felt as though they were creating magic, as if a tiny seed of hope had planted itself deep in his soul. He wanted to nurture it. He needed to nurture it. If everything else in his life came crashing down, he’d remember this moment, this brief glimpse into what his life could be like.
They kept dancing, finishing the first dance and then the next. There was a brief silence, then the music changed, and the latest pop sensation blasted from the sound system.
Annie sighed and stepped out of Dylan’s arms. “That was better than twenty dances. Thank you.”
She looked into his eyes and took another step backward. “I’ll drive you home. It’s not far. You could get changed and come back or stay at home.” Her hands started moving in time with her words. “I don’t mind not coming back. I’ve got lots of work to do tomorrow, and you’ve got to pick the kittens up, and…”
Dylan took two steps forward and kissed her. Except it wasn’t really a kiss, it was more like a mashing of lips before common sense kicked in. It would have ended there, except Annie grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him close. He didn’t stand a chance against the emotions crashing through his body. The want and the need of what was happening was almost too much for his shattered emotions to handle.
He stepped back, terrified that he’d scare both of them with another panic attack.
Annie looked at him as if he’d suddenly grown two heads. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to…I mean, I didn’t think. It just happened and I’m really sorry…”
Dylan grabbed hold of her hands before she gave herself two black eyes. “It’s okay. I’m sorry, too.”
“You are?”
He nodded, not quite trusting his voice to utter two lies in a row. He wasn’t sorry, not by a long shot. He’d kissed Annie. She’d kissed him. And man, he’d do it all over again if he wasn’t terrified of what might happen.
“Okay. So we’re good to go?”
Dylan didn’t know what on earth Annie was talking about, but it seemed to make her feel better. She still looked as though she was in shock, but at least her hands had stopped waving in the air. The fact that she’d crossed her arms in front of her chest probably had a lot to do with it.
“Good to go,” he agreed.
Annie looked toward the barn and started walking. “I’ll get your jacket and my bag. I’ll meet you by your truck.”
“Can you tell Logan we’re leaving?”
Annie paused in mid stride. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“They’re going to think we’re going home together.”
Dylan kept walking. “We are.”
“Not like that,” Annie choked out as she caught up with him. “Like in going home together.”
“Does it matter?”
“Well…” Annie stopped walking and Dylan couldn’t help himself. He turned to watch her as she thought about what going home together meant. “I don’t suppose it does matter. And even if it did, we’re both adults. We can make our own minds up about what we want and don’t want to do. But I’ll text Sally and Molly anyway, tell them there’s no hanky-panky going on. They’ll tell Tess and everything will be back to normal.”
Dylan shook his head as she darted toward the barn. She pulled her cell phone out of a pocket and started tapping on the screen. For someone who’d kissed him like there was no tomorrow, she sure could multi-task quicker than he could think.
“I’ll see you in ten minutes,” she yelled over her shoulder. “Don’t get lost.”
Considering they were standing in Holly’s parents’ ranch, the chances of him getting lost weren’t high. Especially when everyone had parked their vehicles in the field to the right of the main homestead. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear Annie was as nervous as he was.
At least she’d been married before, knew the pitfalls of falling in love with the wrong person. He wasn’t her ex-husband, but he wasn’t the best person she could love. She deserved better.
And if he kept repeating it, he might believe it. Annie could have a normal relationship with someone that wasn’t him. Someone like Brad the bowling coach.
He stood straighter. He’d be damned if Annie ran off into the sunset with someone like Brad. Dylan would willingly risk everything he’d worked hard for, just to make Annie happy.
Brad didn’t make her happy. He did. Sometimes. He’d just have to work on all of the in-between times and see where they ended up.
***
Annie woke up the next morning and tried to remember what day of the week it was.
Sunday. Sleep-in day. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at her alarm clock. It was seven o’clock. Too early to get up, too late to go back to sleep. So she stretched and yawned and let her mind wander.
Dylan would be running by now, pounding along one of the trails around Bozeman. She hoped he was feeling better after last night. He’d been exhausted when they left the ranch. She’d driven them both into town, stopping at her house first so that Dylan could drive himself home. It wasn’t the greatest solution, but he needed his truck and it had worked out okay. He’d called her when he got home, so at least she knew he hadn’t had an accident.
Thinking about accidents brought her right back to why she wouldn’t be seeing Dylan for a few days. Last night he’d sort of kissed her. She’d hauled him close and kissed him back. If she’d learned anything over the last few weeks, it was that kissing Dylan wasn’t something to take lightly. The fact that she wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship had a lot to do with her reluctance to see him again. The other part boiled down to being plain scared.
Both of them had things in their lives they were working through. It probably wasn’t healthy spending so much time together or relying on each other for support. Feelings could get in the way of the things she was helping him with. Things that would work themselves out over time. Things that wouldn’t have anything to do with her in the long term.
It had been an emotional night, they’d both been tired. Kissing Dylan was so not going to happen again.
She needed to focus on what was happening today and not on Dylan. She was meeting Tess, Sally and Molly at eight o’clock for breakfast. They’d choose some more letters for The Bridesmaids Club, unpack any dresses that might have arrived and plan for their next appointments. After breakfast, Molly was going to start work on Annie’s website. Sally had offered to set up a Facebook page and Tess was going to help with a menu.
She still couldn’t believe she was about to start the business she’d dreamed about for years. It was so close to becoming a reality that she had to keep reminding herself it was true. She’d miss working with Tess, miss their regular customers, the people who always had smiles on their faces and a kind word to say about everyone. But most of all she’d miss the sense of family she’d found at Angel Wings Café.
Annie was the first to admit that she’d been an emotional mess when she’d arrived in Bozeman. On the outside, no one would have known anything was wrong. But it wouldn’t have taken much to scratch below the surface, to see someone who was hurting so badly that
she couldn’t see any sunshine ahead.
Tess and the people she’d met had helped heal her life. They’d given her something to believe in that was more than where she’d been. After five years of rebuilding her life, she was about to take another step, a giant leap into the great unknown. It was scary and frightening, and one of the most exciting things she’d ever done.
She rolled over and opened her bedside drawer. The simple wooden frame she pulled out held the most precious image she’d ever see. Ruby had been four months old when the photo was taken. Her daughter was grinning at the camera, looking into Annie’s eyes for eternity.
She ran her finger over the image. Ruby had been born six weeks early. She’d had no hair, no eyelashes, and no eyebrows. At four months, her blonde hair was still a soft wispy cloud of almost nothingness. She’d been a happy baby. She didn’t fuss or get upset. She cried when she was hungry or tired, slept soundly most nights and smiled at the smallest of things.
Annie kissed the photo and put it gently back in her drawer. There was no point wondering what Ruby would look like now or whether she would still have the same easygoing personality. Ruby’s short life had touched hers in ways that a longer lifetime of hugs and kisses couldn’t replace. Her life had been what it was and there was no point wishing for something else.
She wiped her eyes and sat on the edge of her bed. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and crying wouldn’t make any difference to what had happened. She needed a shower, a cup of hot chocolate and her friends. She had a new business to start, an opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life. Another reason to get out of bed in the morning and know it was going to be an awesome day.
***
Annie had just put an extra large spoon of chocolate powder into her mug when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock, then frowned at the door. She was in her sweatpants, her hair was still wet from the shower, and her brain cells hadn’t woken up. If Dylan was standing outside, she was in trouble. In lots of ways.
She tidied the living room on her way to the front door and took a deep breath. People couldn’t expect perfection at seven thirty in the morning. She’d had a shower, had a mostly tidy house and had boiled the kettle. What more could anyone want? Least of all a man who called in unexpectedly. A man who’d kissed her like a bolt of lightning, then jumped a mile when she’d kissed him back.
She opened the door and stomped down on her disappointment. “Molly? What are you doing here? We’re supposed to meet at Tess’ house.”
“Change of plans. Tess is coming here.” Molly bustled into Annie’s kitchen carrying a basket of pancakes.
Sally followed behind with a smaller basket. “I hope you’ve got your coffee machine on? Molly woke me up and I still haven’t forgiven her.”
Molly made a scoffing noise from behind the kitchen counter. “I brought food. Tess was up at six-thirty making pancakes for us.”
Annie closed the front door and stared at Sally. She’d flicked open a tablecloth and was setting the table like someone who’d been awake for ages. “What was Tess doing up at six thirty?”
Molly took the pancakes out of the basket and put them on some plates. “Logan woke her up because he wanted to go for an early morning run with Dylan.” Her eyebrows wiggled dramatically. “Don’t ask me how he woke her up, but I can tell you she was humming a tuneless masterpiece when I arrived at their house.”
Sally opened her basket and put jam and whipped butter on the table. “Which is why Molly woke me up and why we’re here early.”
Annie was confused. “Because you don’t like Tess’ humming?”
“No,” Molly said with a cheeky grin. “Because we wanted to know if you’re humming a tuneless masterpiece as well.”
Annie’s brain took a few seconds to work out what Molly had said. “You think Dylan and I…you think he stayed the night?”
Sally walked across to the kitchen and filled a tall glass with water. “Or you stayed the night with him and made a quick exit this morning?” She pulled a bunch of wildflowers out of her basket and put them in the glass. After a few adjustments she stood back from the table, admiring her Martha Stewart moment.
Molly glanced between Annie and Sally. “From Annie’s silence I’d say she didn’t stay anywhere near Dylan last night.”
Annie looked at two of her best friends. “I can’t believe you came here to catch me with Dylan.”
Molly didn’t take offense at the edge to Annie’s voice. “We knew he wasn’t here,” she said. “We couldn’t see his truck.”
“You looked for his truck?”
Sally disappeared into the kitchen, then came back with two steaming mugs of black coffee. “Of course we did. If he’d been here, we would have sat in Molly’s car eating pancakes and waiting for him to leave.”
Annie sat at the table. The super-sleuth detectives in front of her were on a roll. “I wish you’d put as much effort into finding my mystery envelope owner as you are into my personal life.”
“We might never find Bella,” Sally said. “But I can guarantee you’ll kiss Dylan before too long. The air sizzles when the two of you are in the same space together.”
Annie felt her face get hot. She took a sip of her chocolate and winced at the sweetness. “How much sugar did you put in here?”
“Two teaspoons.” Molly passed Annie a pancake with raspberry jam on it. “I thought the sugar might loosen your tongue. You might be more inclined to share what happened last night with a sugar rush to the head.”
Annie didn’t say anything.
Sally sat down at the table. “See…I told you something happened. Annie never looks embarrassed. Slightly annoyed sometimes, but never embarrassed.”
Molly helped herself to another pancake and waited.
“Where’s Tess?” Annie asked. She had a feeling Molly and Sally wouldn’t be diverted easily, but she was willing to give anything a go.
“She’ll be here soon,” Sally said. “She wanted to put some washing on the clothesline before she came here. So, back to Dylan. Is he okay?”
Annie bit into her pancake. It was light and fluffy and so yummy that she knew she’d be having another one. Or two. Or three if it kept her from answering the questions she didn’t want to answer. “I think so.”
Sally picked up her coffee mug. “He didn’t look too good when he left the barn.”
“You saw him?”
Sally nodded. “I didn’t want to interfere, so I didn’t follow you right away. But I did come looking for you later. You were dancing with Dylan in the middle of a field. It was so romantic.”
Annie sighed. It had been, but it wouldn’t be happening again. “Dylan needed to get away for a few minutes. He asked me to dance.”
Molly pushed her plate away. “If I have another pancake I’m going to pop. Did you like dancing in the moonlight with a handsome man in your arms?”
The gentle smile on Molly’s face was almost too much for Annie. “I’m not as romantic as you are.”
“Of course you are,” Molly insisted. “You just haven’t had a lot of opportunities to show it. Dylan seems like a fine man. Are you going out with him again?”
Annie shook her head. “I didn’t invite Dylan to Holly’s wedding as my date. We were experimenting with our lessons.”
“How did the experiment go?”
“Okay. Kind of.”
Molly reached out and placed her hand on Annie’s arm. “You don’t seem too sure about that?”
Annie sighed. “It’s complicated. Dylan was doing so well, then all of a sudden something happened and he needed to get away.”
Sally waved her fork in the air. “Yes, but you kept him company and he danced with you. That’s got to mean something?”
“It means we’re still experimenting,” Annie said quietly. “Only I’m not so sure it’s a good idea anymore.”
“I can’t blame you,” Molly sighed. “You’re helping a man who’s adorable, even with the challenges he’s got.
He’s handsome, rich and the most eligible bachelor I know. It must be so hard spending time with him.”
Annie frowned. “You’re not helping.”
Sally grinned. “If you’re only friends, then that’s fine. If you like him more than that, you’d better decide what you’re going to do. He caused quite a stir at the wedding.”
“Because he left early?” Annie asked.
“No. Because of who he is. I heard four different conversations about him. Most of the single women in the room wanted to know more about him.”
Annie’s mouth dropped open. “You didn’t tell them, did you?”
Sally shook her head. “My lips were sealed. But you’d better move fast. I’ve got a feeling Dylan’s going to be a hunted man next week.”
Annie thought it was just as well he was going to the Ironman competition. But that left a lot of other times when he’d be in Bozeman. He had less touching issues than he had a few weeks ago. More reasons why a girlfriend might be a possibility.
More reasons why Annie had to step back and let him live his own life.
***
“Sorry I’m late.” Tess walked through Annie’s front door carrying a box with a picture of a food processor on the outside.
Annie made space on the table for the box and frowned. “It was nice of you to offer, but I don’t need more kitchen appliances.”
Tess glanced at the box before opening the flaps. “It’s not a food processor. I put the letters from people asking for bridesmaids’ dresses in here.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Molly said. “I was beginning to think we’d never get through all of our dresses.”
“Do you want coffee, juice or hot chocolate, Tess?” Sally yelled from the kitchen.
“Hot chocolate,” Tess replied. “I’m going to need all the sugar I can get today. I’ve got three boxes of dresses waiting to be unpacked at the loft.”
Loving You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 2) Page 15