Once in a while, Timothy still thought of Louise Chambers, and how she was the closest he'd ever come to becoming a husband. She was as pretty and perky as a porcelain doll. While she was in town, everyone suspected that a wedding was soon to come for them...and it almost did. However, she had a dark side to her personality that he, in the end, could not tolerate. Louise believed in corporal punishment for children, and Timothy's soft heart couldn't think of hitting children, even if they weren't his own.

Timothy and Louise had a long history, even before she tried to move to Colorado Springs. He'd rejected once her as a boy. He didn't know what he wanted at the tender age of seventeen! Before he'd discovered her terrible true self years later, he'd so regretted doing so. He felt that seeing her again was serendipitous and the will of God. It had only turned out to be another test of his faith and his own morals.

The most tender memory he had of her was of teaching her the piano, then playing a lullaby for her, holding her hand over the keys, and then sharing with her a soft, holy kiss. Afterwards, he could never play the lullaby again. He had been in love with Louise to be sure. But even then, what perplexed him was he'd never had those lustful thoughts that he had with Lucy. And he wasn't even in love with Lucy! He'd only spoken with her just once!

He thought, perhaps, that it was his conscience tell him to make amends with Lucy Greene, and to explain that he really didn't leave her by the brook to be rude or because he was taken aback by her opinion. And he had to do it sooner rather than later.

Walking outside, the Saturday midday was glorious, if not a little humid from the rains the previous night. Putting on his hat and straightening his tie, Timothy decided immediately that he should go towards the hotel and call on Lucy directly. But then he thought the better of it, realizing that she would probably be working the lunch shift at Grace's anyway.

As he crossed the bridge to enter Colorado Springs' main road, he began to hear flute music drifting through the air, sounding like it was coming from outside of the general store. He smiled. Sometimes the people of the town still surprised him. Was it any wonder more people were settling in places like this? Surely in cities people didn't sit around outside, blowing on a flute or a harmonica.

He could see a small group gathered around what looked like three older men playing a flute, a fiddle, and spoons. A few children were dancing around them carelessly, and even a few young couples were stepping to the music. It was almost surprising to see Loren standing in the doorway to the shop, actually looking amused as opposed to annoyed (which he would be on most days regardless of who was blocking the entrance to his store). People clapped in rhythm, watching the dancers and giving the occasional 'whoop' to cheer them on.

As he made his way over, several of the onlookers greeted him with courtesy. Timothy smiled and began clapping his hands along with them.

That was when Lucy came out, twirling madly among the dancers, her purple skirt almost knocking a young boy over as it billowed out. Her feet were keeping rhythm in a most unusual way (and those boots had clearly seen better days). She was tapping with her heel instead of her toe, and skipping around in a way Timothy had never seen before.

"What's that one doing?" someone asked.

"I'm not sure…I think it's an Irish step."

"You mean a jig?"

Lucy's hair was loose today, and Timothy could barely see her face, for it was obscured by her bouncy hair as she moved faster and faster, eventually picking up double-time.

Then she stopped short, even as the music crescendoed. She looked straight at Timothy, her eyes stern and set. Timothy stopped clapping as she walked towards him, holding out her hand in offering.

"Dance with me?" she mouthed. Timothy couldn't hear her voice against the loud music and cheering crowd. He shrugged and shook his head. Lucy frowned.

"Please?" she mouthed. Before he could process his reply, Timothy felt himself being pushed forward towards her. He could only steady himself…by taking her hand.

Taking this as a 'yes,' Lucy brought him out into the center of the circle and took his arm. Confused and flustered, Timothy could only obey. He began smiling and laughing as Lucy led him around in circles faster and faster. After he regained his rhythm, Timothy suddenly took the lead (as the man should do in a dance) and took Lucy's waist. Lucy responded by putting her hand on his shoulder and letting him twirl her around, as if he were showing off his girl. Her face reddened, and they both began panting for breath.

The music built up one last time as they did a promenade step around the circle. After the song ended, everyone cheered and applauded the dancers. Lucy took Timothy's hand and bowed dramatically. Timothy laughed, took off his hat, and copied.

By the time he'd bowed, Lucy had let go of his hand and left the group entirely. Timothy saw her ducking past Loren into the store. The musicians took up a rendition of 'Beautiful Dreamer." Timothy went into the store after her, finding her where Loren kept the books. She was still catching her breath.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" he asked softly. Lucy was startled, but kept her calm.

"Back in Brooklyn, us children would watch street performers play, and they'd let us request songs for a penny. Many of the children were Irish immigrants and they'd teach the rest of us how to step dance. It's what the peasants used to do to pass the time back in Ireland, they said," Lucy explained. "I'm pretty sure I have Irish ancestors too, but my parents and grandparents were born in New York."

"Sounds like fun," he replied.

"Dancing makes me miss home sometimes," Lucy sighed, browsing the spines of the books.

"Are…are you looking for a book in particular?"

Lucy shook her head. "Anything history," she mumbled. "I love reading about the old kings and queens of Europe."

"Even the tyrants?" Timothy asked.

"Especially the tyrants!" Lucy grinned. "You can learn the most from the failed rulers, don't you agree, Reverend?"

"I guess so!" Timothy replied. "I don't think you will find very much. Most of what Loren keeps are cookbooks and Bibles. Not that there is anything wrong with—"

"—very well. I guess I might as well give you what you came to me for," Lucy interrupted. She looked him in the eye, and Timothy could see there was some remorse in them.

"What do you think that is, Lucy?"

"An apology for my ramblings last week. I shouldn't be discussing secular thinking with a parson, and I should have closed my mouth and minded my own business. I keep forgetting I'm not in New York anymore. People out here are more religious, and trust me, I do believe in God…I just…question Him more than people out here. I really hope you can find it in you not to see what I said as an affront…"

Lucy rambled on like that for almost a solid minute. Without even thinking, Timothy put his index finger against her lips and hushed her gently.

"Lucy, I came here to apologize to YOU for being rude. You said nothing to offend me. I thought you were avoiding me because of how I left you by the creek at the picnic!" he said.

He removed his finger from her lip. Lucy admitted to herself how soft it had felt…so nice.

She opened her jaw to reply, but nothing came out. Instead, she just nodded and said too words: "Very well."

"You forgive me?" Timothy asked timidly. Lucy shrugged.

"I was never upset with you," she said. "More so I was upset with myself."

"I could never be upset with you," Timothy whispered.

"You obviously don't know me well enough, then," Lucy joked. "Maybe we should remedy that."

"Excuse me?" Timothy asked, startled.

"Get to know each other more sometime," Lucy suggested. "That way, you can learn enough about me to run away while you still can!"

They both laughed. After they subsided, they both stood there silently for a moment, listening to 'Beautiful Dreamer' playing outside. Lucy began swaying her hips to the song.

Timothy cleared his throat. "Do you play music as well as you dance to it?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not," she answered.

"Would you like me to teach you? I have a piano at the church, and I could show you how to play sometime."

"I…I have to get over to Grace's," Lucy stammered, suddenly darting past him and towards the door. Timothy's heart sank at her reaction.

But she turned back and said with confidence, "I'll come by tonight at eight o'clock. I'd like for you to teach me a song, Piano Man."

As far as Timothy's heart had been able to sink, it rose again in triumph twice as high.

Author's Note: Whenever I feature music in a story, I like to let readers know about it so they can listen to it when they read the scene. The piece that inspired me to write the dance scene in this chapter was River's Dance from the TV show Firefly. You can find the song on Youtube!