Chapter 12
A/N #1: Sorry for the slight delay between this chapter and the last one. Caught a wave of inspiration a few weeks ago for a couple of new stories, "A Different Breed of Man" and "A Different Kind of Woman" and just had to go with it :) Please consider this update your invitation to the Brady, Texas, mid-winter social, Timeless friends...
Flickering light from brass lanterns placed here and there by the decorating committee cast a warm glow on the faces of the couples dancing energetically around the center of the room. Beneath the infectious music was a near-constant low buzz of conversation from those standing along the walls. Everyone in attendance seemed to be having a wonderful time, including the new teacher...
It had been quite a pleasant evening so far, Lucy reflected wistfully...though things hadn't gone exactly as she'd anticipated. It was quite possible her girlish expectations for the mid-winter social she eagerly looked forward to since Sunday had maybe been a bit unrealistic...
Once the opening notes of music were played and the dancing began, it gradually dawned on her as she and the handsome cowboy stood side by side along one of the walls not speaking during the first song (and then the next) that, unfortunately, they seemed to have completely different ideas about what usually tended to happen at a social gathering such as this. Although Lucy peeked up at Wyatt several times with a shy smile, the hopeful expression on her face slowly faded into a puzzled frown when it became evident that clearly, he had no intentions of asking her to dance-none whatsoever. Perhaps it had been rather naive of her to assume he would, she thought ruefully.
What happened to the man who shyly complimented Lucy on her appearance when they arrived a short while ago? The sober fellow beside her looked like Wyatt Logan, but was suddenly acting quite distant–and nothing like the man she'd been getting to know these past two weeks. Was it possible she had somehow misunderstood his growing friendliness towards her as the days passed for perhaps something a little more? How humiliating. Chagrined, Lucy closed her eyes for a moment.
But then without warning, one possible explanation for his standoffish behavior came to her, and she was immediately ashamed of herself. What if...what if being here this evening in some way brought back painful memories for Wyatt of his deceased wife? Perhaps the late Jessica Logan had been a young woman who very much enjoyed dancing with her beloved husband, Lucy mused pensively, and now that she had passed away, naturally, the memories of happier times were too much for her grieving widower? Poor man. How sweet of Wyatt then, to put those sad feelings aside and attend the dance to please his grandmother, who was so excited and talked of little else at the supper table this past week.
Impulsively, Lucy placed her hand on Wyatt's arm, and leaning close, whispered, "I understand, Wyatt, if you are missing your dear wife and just being here this evening is uncomfortable for you. I'm sure your grandparents appreciate the effort." Without waiting for his response, she swallowed her disappointment and turned her gaze toward the crowded floor where various couples whirled around in front of them. Unconsciously squaring her shoulders, Lucy determinedly fixed a pleasant smile on her face-completely failing to notice the bewildered expression Wyatt wore when he slowly turned his head to stare at her.
Her expectations for a dance with the man beside her now thoroughly put to rest (presumably for the remainder of the night), Lucy thought it might be best to discreetly put a couple more inches between the two of them in case people got the wrong idea. She and Wyatt Logan were certainly not "involved" with each other, no matter how kindly he treated her while Lucy was staying at his family's ranch. Oh, well...surely there was at least one gentleman or possibly two in attendance who would ask her to dance, she told herself. While it might be considered shallow of her, Lucy truly didn't think she would enjoy being a 'wallflower' at her first proper social event since moving to Brady.
Luckily, her frivolous wish was granted just moments later when James Sherwin stopped in front of her once the second song ended and gallantly asked her to dance, thereby allaying her foolish worries. A trifle self conscious simply because she was new to the community (though Lucy had years of dance practice at her finishing school back home), she let the older man lead her to the center of the room. Despite her faint trepidation, however, Lucy was gratified to notice the welcoming smiles and nods from the other couples as she put one hand on her partner's shoulder and the other in his warm, calloused hand.
It had been some time since Lucy had danced the two-step or waltzed, but once the talented musicians began to play, she quickly relaxed enough to enjoy herself, especially when Mr. Sherwin sensed she was a bit nervous and made a concerted effort to put her at ease, sharing amusing little bits of information about the people around them. What a kind gentleman he was...
Thankfully for her feminine pride, after her first dance of the evening, Lucy had no reason to return to Wyatt's side (since predictably, the man never once left his spot against the wall...not that she was paying attention or anything). In light of that, it was quite satisfying there seemed to be no shortage of partners for the new school teacher. Lucy was pleased to dance every single one, partnering with a good many of the males in attendance, including two of her oldest students, the Riley brothers-who both turned an interesting shade of crimson and held onto her tightly with sweaty hands as they endearingly concentrated on 'counting their steps.'
Besides the boys and a second, equally enjoyable dance with Mr. Sherwin, Lucy also waltzed with Seth and Sarah Jane Coleman's father, Jed, and a number of men who stepped forward she'd not yet had the pleasure of meeting. Included among her dance partners was the town barber, the manager of the Brady bank, and the gruff but pleasant enough owner of the general store. They were in turn followed by Wyatt's friends, the blacksmith and a surprisingly subdued Sheriff Baumgardner, both neatly dressed in their Sunday best (though, to Lucy's way of thinking, neither man could hold a candle to their ruggedly handsome friend).
To Lucy's relief, the gregarious lawman seemed to be on his best behavior this evening-although at one point during their dance, she could've sworn he mumbled, 'man is a damn fool,' under his breath as they waltzed past a stern-looking Wyatt Logan. Searching for a topic of polite conversation, Lucy was taken aback at the man's response when she asked the lanky sheriff if he'd always lived in this part of Texas.
"Oh, hell, no...uh, sorry, pardon my coarse language, Miss Preston," he apologized sheepishly with a boyish grin. "I'm an Oklahoma boy, born and raised." Correctly interpreting her inquiring expression, Sheriff Baumgardner clarified, "I moved to Brady a while back to take this job after the former sheriff retired and went back east with his wife to live near their daughter and her children. Actually, it was Wyatt who brought me here. See, the two of us met and became good friends when we both joined up with the Rangers around the same time, even got promoted to the rank of Captain just weeks apart when we were only 21."
"I'm sorry, the Rangers?" Lucy asked curiously, "Is that like the Army or something?" She was amused when her dance partner's face lit up.
"Yes, Ma'am, the Texas Rangers. Maybe you heard tell of them?" the sheriff answered proudly. "The Rangers been enforcing the law in this part of the States for maybe 50 years or more, I'd say. Anyway, I reckon it was probably seven years all told we rode together, covering a good bit of territory with our battalion and seeing our fair share of action. I can tell you he was the best Ranger I ever served with—the kind of man you want guarding your back when the bullets start flying. Anyway, Wyatt left the Rangers last summer to come home and take over ranch operations after his grandpa fell and broke his arm pretty bad. And lucky for me, when the town was looking for a new sheriff, he naturally thought of his good friend and wrote me to see if I was interested."
So serving with the Texas Rangers must have been the 'demanding' career of Wyatt's that Mrs. Sherwin was referring to when they spoke about him the day Lucy discovered the family cemetery. Which meant poor Wyatt was likely many, many miles away from Brady with his fellow Rangers—possibly not even in Texas-when his wife and child fell ill with the measles, she realized. How utterly tragic...
Dimly aware that Sheriff Baumgardner had stopped speaking and was regarding her curiously, she offered him a slightly apologetic smile he returned easily. Despite her serene appearance, Lucy's mind worked feverishly to digest this surprising new information about the man she was very much attracted to before coming to the obvious conclusion. Apparently her first instinct about the man had been correct. Wyatt Logan really was an honest-to-goodness cowboy, a retired Captain in the Texas Rangers, she mused thoughtfully.
It took little imagination on her part to picture the man she was gradually getting to know serving in law enforcement–and likewise his willingness to step away from that career to care for his family. From the moment she'd met him, Lucy sensed Wyatt's innate decency and strong moral character, and then eventually seen first hand the enviably close bond he had with his adoptive parents. She thanked the sheriff sincerely for the (highly informative) dance when the music ended, wondering if perhaps she'd misjudged the man, because he was actually quite nice once you got past his usual blunt manner.
Lucy immensely enjoyed her next dance. Mr. Carlin (please call me Rufus) was quite friendly, and possessed not only an engaging smile, but a wry sense of humor as well. "So, have you and Wyatt been friends for a long time?" she asked as they twirled around the room, with Lucy deliberately ignoring the man in question's brooding dark blue gaze–so intense, at times, it felt almost like a caress...
To her delight, the blacksmith began to regale Lucy with tales of all the trouble he and the cowboy had gotten up to during their school days. Apparently, the quiet man she knew had been rather mischievous as a child. When she remarked that the Sherwins must've had their hands full raising the rascal to adulthood, her dance partner solemnly quipped, "Definitely, and we probably gave our poor teacher more than one gray hair." He laughed loudly when Lucy naturally grimaced in sympathy for her fellow educator.
Once the music ended, Rufus held out his arm and invited her to accompany him to the refreshments table. The ladies of the congregation had outdone themselves, Lucy thought in admiration as they considered the tempting selection. Though the social was probably close to being half over, there was still plenty of baked goods to sample, including numerous two-layer cakes, at least a half dozen fruit pies, and plates heaped with various kinds of cookies like oatmeal and sugar. There were even a pan or two of fudge. "As a bachelor who has to fend for himself, I always look forward to church socials," her dance partner confessed with a blissful sigh, thoughtfully handing Lucy an empty plate before stacking his own precariously high with treats.
While Lucy stood there trying to decide which dessert she wanted to try, without warning, she heard a familiar deep voice behind her. "Pretty sure, Miss Preston, it's against the law around these parts if you don't have yourself some of our Martha's famous peach cobbler." She whirled around to see Wyatt regarding her solemnly—though Lucy immediately noticed the mischief gleaming in those deep blue eyes of his that told a different story...
Relieved the cowboy appeared to be in a much better mood, she bit back a smile and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Logan," Lucy told him gravely, her heart beating faster when Wyatt grinned suddenly. My goodness, those dimples of his were positively mesmerizing...She was more than content to listen quietly when he began teasing his friend about the alarming amount of food the blacksmith had piled on his plate even as Wyatt took Lucy's plate from her hand and spooned a generous portion of the peach cobbler onto it and handed it back with a fork.
"There you go, Ma'am. Now you can at least look our housekeeper in the eye when you see her in the morning at breakfast," he advised with a wink before turning his attention to his own plate. Lucy was pleasantly surprised when Wyatt courteously put a warm hand under her bare elbow and guided her towards one of the empty benches along the wall with Rufus tagging along. Once she was settled with her plate, the men seated themselves on either side of her and began eagerly digging into the food. Listening to the old friends laugh and banter with each other was quite entertaining, and while Lucy had certainly enjoyed all the dancing and interesting people she'd met, spending time with a relaxed (attentive) Wyatt was the absolute highlight of her evening...
After spending most of the evening watching the most beautiful woman in the room being held in the arms of half the male population of Brady (and likely a few from the surrounding area), his nerves were stretched pretty damn tight. To begin with, he felt like a real ass when the music started and Lucy kept peeking up at him, clearly expecting Wyatt to ask her to dance. Even though it about killed him to see the hopeful expression on her pretty face fade into a confused frown, he just could not get over his self consciousness and ask the teacher to dance.
And that was before the woman put her hand on his arm and standing on tiptoe, whispered against his cheek some nonsense about how she "understood" the reason Wyatt wasn't dancing was because he was missing his wife. The hell? That had definitely caught him off guard. When had Lucy found out about Jess? Had one of his grandparents told her? (Not that losing his wife and child was some kind of big secret.) Of course, it was possible she'd come across the family cemetery during one of her walks. Wyatt sighed. He supposed it really didn't matter, because in this instance, Lucy couldn't have been more wrong-not that he could tell her the truth. A man had to have a little bit of pride, after all...
Finally, James put Wyatt out of his (admittedly self-imposed) torture by stepping up and asking their guest to dance. His heart filled with gratitude for his grandpa, his guilt easing some at the sight of Lucy smiling and laughing as the two of them gracefully whirled around the room. Damn...why couldn't he have inherited some of Gramps' talent (and confidence)? Wyatt lamented...feeling maybe a bit envious of the older man.
He took his eyes off the two of them when his grandmother finally stepped away from helping Mrs. Spencer situate all the baked goods on the refreshments table and approached him. "Quit fussing, Gran, it looks delicious," Wyatt assured her with an affectionate smile when she squeezed his arm gratefully in response.
"Goodness, so much food. I swear, Wy, people must've been saving up their baking supplies since at least Christmas just for this evening, and here I was worried all day about not having enough for folks to eat," Betsy declared happily. "Now, I noticed more than a few people eyeing Martha's peach cobbler, so if you want some, young man, better not dawdle," nodding in satisfaction when he grinned and obediently answered, 'yes, Ma'am.' They stood in companionable silence for a few minutes watching the dancing.
Wyatt was touched by the look of sentimental pride on Gran's face when her husband waltzed past them with a beaming Lucy in his arms. "You know, it was a wonderful surprise to find out not too long before our wedding day what a fine dancer your grandpa is," she confided wistfully. "Who would've guessed that a man who spends the better part of his days working with horses could be so agile and light on his feet?"
As it never failed to, the wealth of love in her voice for her husband warmed his heart. "Yes, my James is a fine man with a good heart. It was kind of him to ask Miss Preston to dance when it was plain as day to anyone with decent eyesight she was standing right there beside you waiting for you to," his grandmother noted, a smug grin on her face when naturally Wyatt tensed up...and then fell right into her wily trap.
"C'mon, Gran, that's not fair," he protested in a low tone, irritated when Betsy merely shrugged innocently, keeping her attention on the dancers. Wyatt exhaled roughly-even as guilt rose anew in his chest at the stinging accuracy of her casual remark. Dammit, he hated it when his grandmother was right...especially since, more often than not, she usually was.
"Alright, yes, you're probably right...maybe I could've warned Lucy before this evening that I absolutely do not dance in case she had any fancy ideas about that, but you've seen for yourself how excited she's been about the social all week, and well...I guess I didn't want to spoil that for her. Look, if it will make you feel better, she would be the only female here tonight I'd even consider dancing with if I changed my mind," he admitted reluctantly.
Obviously stunned by her grandson's somewhat grudging confession, Betsy gazed at him for a long moment before taking his hand in hers and gently squeezing. "I'm glad to hear it, dear, although I don't think I'm the person you should be sharing that important piece of information with," she pointed out kindly, inclining her head toward the dance floor. And naturally, she was right. It did feel wrong to let Lucy assume Wyatt chose not to dance because he was still in mourning for his wife...or even worse, that he had no desire to hold her in his arms...because, dammit, he really did...
"I can tell from the look on your face I've successfully made my point. Please don't be too hard on yourself, Wy. You're a fine man who always tries to do the right thing–and usually succeeds, and I'm sure you'll figure this out," Gran told him fondly, and quick as that, he forgot all about being annoyed with the only mother he'd ever known. Wyatt impulsively pressed a kiss on her soft cheek, smirking when Betsy blushed and told him to behave himself.
Just then, the lively music ended. Determined to make the effort to stop acting like an ass and at least talk with Lucy when she returned to his side, Wyatt was therefore taken aback and surprisingly disappointed to see his grandpa was by himself when he came to claim the next dance with his wife.
Well, hell. Lucy's dance with James Sherwin must've broken the ice because it looked like the slender brunette in the pretty pink and white dress was partnered by nearly every man present after that (although Wyatt didn't really consider the besotted young Riley brothers to be men necessarily). Yep. One never-ending dance after the other. The soles of those dainty pink slippers he'd glimpsed when helping Lucy into the carriage must be half worn through by now, he thought crossly, torn between a strange pride at how popular the teacher was...and an irrational jealousy at how popular the teacher was. (Which of course made no sense to him at all.)
Judging from the warm flush pinking her cheeks, she was having herself a grand time, which did appease some of Wyatt's lingering guilt. He also consoled himself that at least none of Lucy's dance partners had behaved inappropriately with her so far—though to his critical eye, Jed Coleman wandered dangerously close to the imaginary boundary in Wyatt's mind. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was just something about the rancher he didn't care for.
Maybe Wyatt felt uneasy because of all the men who'd partnered her this evening, the redhead's manner towards Lucy during their waltz seemed a touch over familiar at times...maybe even slightly possessive, he noticed unhappily. Didn't help Wyatt's state of mind when he recalled hearing in passing that like him, Coleman lost a wife during the same measles outbreak that took Jess and Mattie. Could it be possible the man was considering the pretty new teacher as a replacement for the late Mrs. Coleman? Oh, hell, no. Not if Wyatt had any say in the matter...
Relieved when Rufus eventually asked Lucy to dance (because Wyatt implicitly trusted his friend to behave honorably towards her), he was startled from his brooding by a familiar voice. "You know you're making a damn fool of yourself, son, what with the way you keep staring at Miss Preston like a jealous husband, yet insist on sticking to that wall like your ass is glued to it or something." While Wyatt was uncomfortably aware his friend's snide remark was embarrassingly close to the truth, he sure as hell did not appreciate the mocking tone of Dave Baumgardner's voice.
"If you value your hide, you'll stop right there, Sheriff," he growled in a low tone, temper rising even higher at the snicker the other man did nothing to conceal. He loved the man like a brother, but right now, his friend was being a big pain in the ass, and Wyatt was in no mood to tolerate it.
"Fine, fine, go ahead and make yourself miserable when you could be dancing a couple times or more with at least one of the two or three unmarried—and pretty as hell—girls here tonight," Dave jeered, punching Wyatt on the arm. Noticing how his friend's gaze seemed to frequently hone in on Pastor Spencer's comely young niece, he decided to give the sheriff a dose of his own medicine.
Hiding a wicked grin, Wyatt deliberately focused his gaze on Miss Spencer, who was standing across the room from them chatting with her most recent dance partner. "You know what? That's not bad advice. Could be you're right, Dave. Since we both agree that the teacher and the pastor's niece are the prettiest ladies here, and Miss Preston happens to be busy dancing with Rufus at the moment, maybe I oughta ask Miss Spencer for a dance," Wyatt mused innocently, bracing himself for the sure to be entertaining response from his often volatile friend. To his amusement, it wasn't a long wait...
"What? The hell you will," the lawman snarled, directing a ferocious glare at Wyatt. Straightening his string tie with a jerking motion, Dave nodded brusquely, "Captain Logan," and marched off in the direction of the petite blonde. Wyatt smirked. While his friend was correct that Miss Spencer was very nice to look at, in his opinion, at around maybe 20 years of age, the girl was rather young for his taste. Not only that, but the pastor's niece was nowhere near as elegant and ladylike as Miss Lucy Preston from San Francisco, California. In fact, Wyatt had never met another woman like her...
Exasperating or not, he decided the sheriff had made a valid point, however, about him spending the entire evening so far stuck to the wall. Wyatt hated like hell to admit it, but he probably did look ridiculous. As the music ended, he saw his chance when Rufus escorted Lucy towards the refreshments table at the back of the room. Hoping desperately another man didn't stop them to ask the teacher for a dance, he hurried followed the pair. As Lucy stood there for a moment with an empty plate looking at the desserts while Rufus piled his own plate high, Wyatt went up behind her, close enough to notice the light scent of violets she wore.
Discreetly inhaling the enticing fragrance, he warned, "Pretty sure, Miss Preston, it's against the law around these parts if you don't have yourself some of our Martha's famous peach cobbler." It was hard to keep his expression blank when she immediately whirled around, clearly surprised to see him. And why wouldn't she be? said an irritating voice in his head (that unfortunately sounded a lot like the sheriff).
Wyatt lost the battle right away, though, when Lucy nodded and answered just as soberly, "I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Logan," Grinning suddenly, he began teasing his friend about the gravity-defying amount of food the blacksmith had on his plate even as Wyatt took Lucy's plate from her hand and spooned a generous portion of the peach cobbler onto it and handed it back with a fork.
"There you go, Ma'am. Now you can at least look our housekeeper in eye when you see her in the morning at breakfast," he advised with a wink before turning his attention to his own plate. Once filled, he put his hand under her bare elbow and guided her towards one of the empty benches along the wall with Rufus tagging along. Once she was settled with her plate, the men sat themselves on either side of her and began happily sampling the delicious food.
For the first time since arriving at the social, Wyatt began to relax, convinced (and relieved) by the sound of her breathless giggles as he and his best friend related outlandish stories of their childhood that Lucy didn't seem to be upset with him. Maybe he hadn't hurt her feelings after all? Once Rufus demolished the contents of his plate, he excused himself to get the three of them some punch (perhaps deliberately?), leaving Wyatt and Lucy alone on the bench. Nervously tugging at his string tie, Wyatt realized this might be the only chance he'd have before the dance was over to give her an explanation for his odd behavior–and made a mental note to thank his old friend at a later time.
Scooting a little closer to Lucy on the narrow bench, near enough that his pants leg was touching the full skirt of her fancy dress, he leaned in slightly and asked in a husky voice, "Are you enjoying the social?" It might've been his imagination, but it seemed to him that Lucy paused ever so slightly at the simple question, her wide amber eyes searching his face briefly before answering lightly that she was. Now, Wyatt's instincts regarding the fairer sex were definitely rusty from lack of use, but he still knew enough to realize maybe the teacher wasn't telling him the whole truth, and might actually be a bit disappointed in him–despite her purposefully cheery manner. He knew it...now he just had to make this right.
"Lucy, there's something I need to tell you," Wyatt began earnestly, praying he wasn't about to sound like a complete idiot here. "I feel like I hurt your feelings earlier by not asking you to dance and I sincerely apologize for that. A lady like you deserves some kind of explanation. You see, while of course, I do still miss my wife, Jess has nothing to do with my preference not to dance this evening. It's because...Lord, this is embarrassing...well, it's because I'm really terrible at it and don't wanna make a fool of myself in front of everyone."
He exhaled shakily when to his great relief, Lucy's rosy lips curved in a gentle smile as she inched even closer to him. And that's when the damn words just up and fell out of his mouth. "The God's honest truth is, if I could ever bring myself to dance with any woman, I would definitely choose you," Wyatt blurted out, surprised by what he just admitted–yet, strangely enough, not all that upset, not with the soft way the pretty brunette was looking at him.
They stared at each other for several long seconds, Wyatt unaware Lucy had reached for his hand until she squeezed it and whispered, "That's very sweet of you to say." Suddenly, everything and everybody around them faded away until all of his senses were focused on Lucy and her alone...and then the intimate, promising moment was shot completely to hell and back when a masculine voice dared to interrupt them.
"Excuse me, Miss Preston, may I have this dance?" Jed Coleman was a dead man, Wyatt decided grimly, coldly ignoring the rude bastard to stare at Lucy in dismay. She returned his pained glance uncertainly, and when he remained silent–too afraid or maybe too stupid to ask her to stay with him—handed Wyatt her empty plate with a quiet sigh and stood to accept redhead's invitation. Watching the gentle sway of her hips as she walked away with her hand on the other man's arm, Wyatt's wasn't sure who he'd shoot first if he decided to draw his gun...Coleman or himself for letting her go...
A/N #2: Aww, Gracie, seriously? Not ANOTHER cliffhanger? C'mon :/ My apologies-I truly meant to cover the dance in a single chapter, but once the social started, I kept feeling like there were some important conversations Lucy and Wyatt needed to have with other people to help them deal with all these confusing emotions they're experiencing towards each other...so this bad boy just kept getting longer and longer. Once I got past the 5,000 word mark, I decided to finish up the dance and the ride home in the next update. (Luckily, I've got about 1,000 words of chapter 14 written already, with a couple of surprises planned.) As always, I sincerely appreciate your favorites, follows and kind reviews—as well as your patience! Thank you so much :))