Signs of Love

by Skye, Harper

  “It’s so good to finally meet you, Ailsa,” Mary smiled and paused when she shook Ailsa’s hand. I look forward to hearing you play sometime, after all I’ve heard from my husband. There aren’t many who can give him a run for his money around here like it seems you can!”

  Ailsa laughed. “We’ve had some good duels in the shop recently, it’s true.”

  Mary pulled Ailsa in slightly closer and whispered, “Keep practicing. His ego needs a bit of a reality check from time to time.”

  Ailsa bit her lip and her eyes said all that needed to be said. She was already working on that very thing. They had only played twice together in the shop but both times Pete had managed to push the reel to a speed for long enough that Ailsa had lost her fingering. But the days when Zach had been at work, she had spent several hours pushing herself faster and faster until her fingers were exhausted and stiff from playing.

  “You’re already on top of that I see!” Mary burst out laughing. “Good girl!” She patted Ailsa on the back, and for the thousandth time, Ailsa wondered how everyone around here could make her feel so instantly at home.

  Zach had just finished his own polite round of introductions and handshakes when Ailsa turned towards him. “Let’s find Seb and Leah.”

  Zach nodded and immediately his warm hand engulfed hers and he strode through the crowd parting the way for Ailsa to follow him.

  The music was immense. From the moment Pete and his band started playing, the bar echoed with the beautiful sounds of folk music. Some Scottish and Irish tunes were mixed with American folk songs on Pete’s set list, and Ailsa found that by the time the band stopped for a break her mouth was sore from smiling so much and her hand tingled from clapping against her knee.

  She looked over at Zach and immediately caught his eye. He was looking good tonight. His dark jeans and blue-brown plaid button down shirt was as dressed up as Ailsa had seen him, and he had trimmed his beard which made Ailsa want to constantly reach out and rub her hand against his jawline. “Want another drink?” Ailsa asked. She was drinking soda water and lemon since she had volunteered to drive, but she could see Zach had almost finished his beer.

  “I’ll get it.” He stood up from his stool but instead of heading towards the bar he moved right into Ailsa’s space. Reaching down he lifted a strand of hair back from her face, and Ailsa’s whole body tingled with the tenderness of his touch. She parted her legs slightly, and he moved closer in, tipping his head down to brush his mouth against hers. “I like watching you listen to music almost as much as I like watching you play,” he whispered against the side of her face, his voice slightly gruffer than usual. “Your whole face lights up.”

  “I’m so glad we came out tonight! This music makes me feel so alive.” She knew her face was flushed with the energy of the music and the heat of Zach’s stare, but she also knew the shadows of the room would hide it from everyone’s view.

  “Can I get you a coke or something?”

  “Just another soda water,” Ailsa smiled.

  Zach nodded, reaching back to kiss the side of her face. “Sorry about later.” He murmured, and then turned and headed towards the bar.

  What? Ailsa shook her head. She must not have heard him right. Towards the front of the room she could see Pete and the rest of the band visiting with people. Almost everyone in the room knew them well, and the sounds in the room had swelled with human voices and calls of greeting from across the bar. Ailsa turned back to where Seb and Leah were sitting.

  “Have you both seen Pete’s band play before?”

  “Actually no,” Leah admitted. “Although it feels like I’ve been missing something! So glad we came out with you two tonight!”

  Seb nodded. “I needed to get this one out on the town!” He nudged Leah, and she gave him a look that revealed this had been a longer conversation.

  “I’ve been working a lot lately,” Leah shrugged. “There’s a few artists who had this idea to have an exhibition in The Raven. So I’ve been staying after hours for the past few weeks to help them make plans and set things up.”

  “Wow that sounds exciting!”

  “It is!” Leah smiled and made a face at Seb. “It’s great!”

  “It is great,” Seb agreed, grabbing Leah with his left arm and squeezing her affectionately against his side. “I’m just selfish and missing my wife.”

  “Say a few more things like that,” Leah looked back at him, her eyes sparkling.

  “Like what things? Like you’re the most beautiful woman in the world and my life is empty without you?”

  Leah smiled and winked at Ailsa. “Yes, those sorts of things.”

  Ailsa watched as Seb leaned his face into Leah’s blond hair and whispered something in her ear. Even in the darkened room, Ailsa could see Leah blush and wrinkle her eyes at Seb. A few more whispers and Seb stood up. “My work here is done. I’m going to the bar. Ladies…any orders?” Leah lifted the glass of wine she was still sipping and Ailsa shook her head.

  “Damn he’s good!” Ailsa laughed after Seb had walked away.

  “Yeah,” Leah laughed back, leaning towards her, “he is good. To be fair, he’s put up with a lot from me the past three weeks. But, I’m really loving the idea of The Raven being a home to artists in Fairbanks. So I really want this first exhibition to go well.”

  “I’m sure it will be great!” Ailsa nodded. “Is the date set?”

  “It’s in two weeks. Ahhh, let’s not talk about it.” Leah shook her head, her blond hair swaying against her shoulders. “It’s making me nervous. Anyway, it looks like the band is getting ready to go back on.” She nodded towards the makeshift stage, and Ailsa glanced back to see Pete dragging some of the band members away from their drinks and back to play.

  “Here you go.” Ailsa felt the scratchy roughness of Zach’s face against her neck almost before she heard him speak. He kissed her again and she squirmed with the tingles he sent down her spine.

  Ailsa lifted the glass of soda water to her lips and turned back to see Pete reaching for the microphone. “So most of you won’t know this, but today is my fortieth anniversary with my beautiful wife.” A loud cheer immediately went up in the crowd.

  “And so,” Pete continued, “I’m going to ask a little favour from a friend in the audience to help me give my wife back a little memory from the day of our wedding. I was hoping we could clear a bit of space at the front.” He motioned with his hands, and immediately people started moving about to make an empty space in front of the stage.

  “There is a song that’s one of my favorites. And it goes with one of my favorite dances. It’s called Mairi’s Wedding…”

  Ailsa felt her stomach drop and her hands go cold. Shit! He was going to ask her to play! And he knew she couldn’t refuse a request like this! His fortieth wedding anniversary. Damn it Pete!

  “Now at our wedding, I actually played this song, which meant my beautiful bride danced with my best man. And so knowing there is someone else in this bar tonight who knows this song well, I was hoping she’d come up and play so that I could have a spin of the Gay Gordons with my bride who is still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  Damn it! Ailsa was sure her face was bright red. She couldn’t think of how she could say no.

  “Ailsa…?”

  “I don’t have my fiddle, Pete!” She called out, hoping maybe a musician would understand.

  “She’s got it!” Ailsa heard a familiar voice from behind her, and when she spun around Zach was pulling her fiddle case out from under the table.

  “You sneaky bastard!” She didn’t know whether to glare at him or smile for knowing her so well. She would never have had the guts to play in front of all these people without this nudge. They both knew she was going to love it.

  “I guess I’m coming…” she called, taking her fiddle case and shooting Zach a glare. A grin was plastered across his face. He was way too pleased with himself, Ailsa thought. She would definitely have to punish him later. />
  Weaving her way through the crowd, she walked into Pete’s warm embrace and then set her black case down on the floor. Her hands were shaking as she unsnapped the silver locks. Mairi’s Wedding had been one of the songs she had been playing with Pete recently. She wondered how long he had been planning this surprise. Ailsa bit her lip.

  But when she stood up, she saw the look in Mary’s eye as she took her husband’s hands in hers and stared into his eyes. Forty years. That was more love than Ailsa could imagine. A lifetime. Her anger at being tricked into playing melted away with that look. If only she wasn’t so damn nervous. It had been months since she had played with her own band, and that was in Glasgow in very familiar territory with very familiar musicians! Here she was still a stranger, and these people were strangers to her.

  Ailsa took a deep breath and brought her tightened bow across the strings, listening carefully. One. Two. Three. She turned back to the band and made eye contact with each one. They were ready for her lead. Ailsa took another breath and settled the fiddle under her chin. Tucked against her, Ailsa felt herself connect with this lifelong friend who had so often given her a voice when her own voice had failed her. Slowly she lifted her bow and began the play the introductory notes.

  At the next beat, the band found her and the music around her swelled. The bar in front of her was like a black sea with the stage lights, and she let it drown out the crowd as she focused her heart on the music and her eyes on the couple stepping in rhythm to their song right in front of her. Without hesitation the whole bar began to clap along to the song and to the couple dancing. Whistles rose in the air as Pete twirled his wife and caught her lower back to carry on the dance in the tiny circle the crowd had cleared for them. And as always happened, Ailsa’s nerves dissolved and the music held her in its reliable grasp.

  When she drew the last note and the drummer pounded the end, the crowd erupted in applause. Ailsa knew it wasn’t really for her. The song had encapsulated so many people’s dreams of what forty years of love might be like that they were all alive with the music, herself included.

  “One more!” Pete shouted breathlessly, clapping in Ailsa’s direction.

  Ailsa turned towards the band. “Do you know the Irish Washerwoman?”

  They nodded. Brilliant! This was one of her favorites. Tap tap tap, her foot began the beat on the floor and then they all took off together into a reel that wound itself around the room faster and faster until everyone was laughing and breathless and wondering how the song would ever end. Whoooo hoooo! Calls from the crowd punctuated the song and when it was finally done, Ailsa broke into a laugh that was so wide open it was impossible to think any more darkness could still lurk inside her. She bowed her head to the band who had taken her under their wing, and then gave a quick nod to the audience.

  “Ailsa!” She heard Zach’s deep voice whoop from the crowd.

  Kneeling down she laid her fiddle back in its case and stepped off the stage and out of the glaring lights. “You were magnificent!” Pete wrapped her in a sweaty hug. “Thank you darlin, you made my night!”

  “You’re in big trouble mister!” She poked a finger at him, but she knew the expression on her face gave her away. She had loved every minute of it.

  After the second set, the lights rose in the bar and the sound of human conversation immediately filled the space. “You ready?” Zach asked, reaching for the small of her back with his warm hand. There was a look in his eye. He had been giving her that look ever since she had sat back down at their table.

  “Yeah, just let me wave bye to Pete and the band.”

  He nodded and followed her as she did a round of goodbyes and shook strangers hands as they stopped her in the crowd to share their excitement about her playing. When they had finally made it back towards the door and had hugged Seb and Leah goodbye, Zach reached a hand around Ailsa’s waist and guided her outside.

  “You’ve got my fiddle?” She asked when they were clear of the noise.

  “Yep.” Zach grasped the black case in his right hand but his left hand remained firmly against Ailsa’s body. He was walking faster than usual, and when Ailsa finally slid behind the driver’s seat of the truck and shut the door, she had barely turned to reach for her seatbelt when Zach’s mouth crushed against her own.

  The intensity of his kiss was like a sudden bolt through her, and Ailsa felt her breath hitch. Immediately the world around them disappeared. Parking lot? Gone. Truck? Gone. Keys that had been in her hand? Gone.

  Ailsa could feel a fever pulsing between her legs and as Zach moved his mouth against her, winding his tongue so deep into her mouth that she felt her stomach drop into the floor.

  “God woman…” His voice was low, his breath coming in short bursts as he pressed his mouth against her jaw and neck. “You were so fucking beautiful up there. I didn’t think I was going to make it through the second half.”

  Ailsa’s stomach squeezed tight and she could feel the energy building inside of her. “Let’s get out of here…”

  Zach’s hand reached down between her legs and she let out a soft moan. “Zach…we’re…”

  “Yeah, in the parking lot…I know…” The edge in his voice was so fucking sexy Ailsa wasn’t sure how she was going to make it out of the parking lot now, let alone drive them all the way back to the cabin.

  When Zach pulled back his eyes were clouded with desire. God he was hot! Ailsa reached out and ran the tips of her fingers along the edge of his jawline. She groped with her right hand and thankfully found the keys securely in the ignition. Gently revving the engine to life, she reached over and brushed her right hand across his crouch getting a deep growl from Zach. “Drive.”

  Gripping the steering wheel, Ailsa made her way carefully out onto the main road, winding through the traffic on their way out of town. When they hit the trees, Zach reached one hand across her thigh and began kneading his way up the inside of her leg.

  “Zach…”

  “Pull off here…” He pointed to a small dirt track that snaked off into the woods.

  “What…?” She threw him a confused glance but followed his direction. The track wound into the woods.

  “Stop here.” His voice was so full of lust, Ailsa had no doubt why he had had her pull over.

  As soon as she had thrown the truck into park and killed the engine, his hands were unbuckling her seatbelt and pulling her into his lap in the passenger seat. His hands were everywhere, at her waist, rising up her spine, reaching to take her breasts in his wide thick hands. They made out like teenagers, desperate, fully clothed, using their hands and mouths to bring each other into a mutual ecstasy. Her orgasm came fast and furious through her body, and Ailsa let herself scream carelessly as she might have done years ago when everything was simple and fun. Against her Zach arched his neck, his eyes closed as his body tensed and then fell back against her.

  Panting against Zach’s chest, Ailsa opened her eyes and then began to laugh.

  “What?” Zach’s chest was still heaving slightly as he lifted her slightly off him.

  “We’ve steamed up the windows and everything!”

  She heard Zach chuckle as he nudged her back into his chest. She could still feel his heart pounding through his shirt.

  “Is that going to happen every time you see me play?” Ailsa turned her chin to look up at him, her eyes teasing.

  “Fuck me!” Zach took a deeper breath. “Honestly, I can’t promise anything. Watching you play tonight was the sexiest thing I’ve seen except…” he let his voice trail off, leaving the possibility of a thought half finished.

  “Except…”

  “Except for the night I saw you lying naked on the fur rug in front of the fire in my cabin. It’s pretty hard to beat that…”

  She laughed again. She felt like she was flying. How was it possible to be this happy? Ailsa couldn’t remember the last time she had had this much good fun in the span of one evening. Was this what life could be like? If she just let go, stopped
letting the past weigh her down and allowed anything to be possible.

  Zach reached up underneath her shirt and grazed her nipple with his thumb. Ailsa loved the way he looked at her in these moments. Like he was loving every part of her. The parts he could touch and the parts he couldn’t touch and the parts he knew were there but hadn’t yet reached. Gentling he curled his other hand behind her head and guided her mouth against his. His kiss was slow and deep and said more than words could ever say. Ailsa allowed herself to fall into him and the music that had filled her heart that evening and the circle of friendship had somehow begun to gather around her in this unlikeliest of places. In Alaska. At the edge of the wild world.

  Chapter 24

  Through the warm blanket of sleep, Ailsa could feel a hand move against her cheek. Instinctively her body took a deeper breath and she nuzzled her face into that hand, enjoying the feel of his calloused skin against her cheek. When she opened one eye she found herself looking directly into his face. Hair tousled from sleep, square jawline shaded with dark stubble, warm brown eyes watching her. Ailsa allowed both eyes to slowly open and she felt an overwhelming sense of strength and care pour into her.

  “You have the most beautiful eyes,” he murmured. “So pure blue. They’re like the sky.”

  Ailsa felt the corners of her eyes crinkle, and she reached out and threaded an arm around his warm body, easing into him. Zach shifted and brought her into his chest, capturing her thigh with his top leg. “I hate that I’ve got to work again!”