“Thank you,” I murmur, marveling at this tiny gift before slipping it into my pocket, just as the sound of fiddle music begins again loudly.
“Oh, no,” I groan. “I should have warned you. The town takes its square dancing very seriously.”
As if on cue, Mrs. Nelson appears at the microphone. “Everyone to the dance floor. Don’t be shy now!”
“Would you like to try it?” Lucian asks, offering his hand.
I eye his outstretched hand warily. “Give me one good reason to humiliate myself while everyone in town watches.”
“Because you’re my tour guide, and this is part of the authentic Maple Falls experience. Plus, I promised Mimi I’d take pictures. And you know she won’t be satisfied unless she sees you’re doing your job.”
“Then take a selfie of us now, so we have proof that I didn’t back out of this, okay?”
He scoots beside me on the bench and takes out his phone, then casually leans into the shot, his arm brushing my shoulders in a split second of electricity that shoots through my body. He smells good,waytoo good. And he’s so incredibly handsome, especially when he smiles. He barely touches me, but the static crackling between us feels like something’s going to ignite.
He snaps the picture, then wiggles his fingers, inviting me to stand. “Come on. I promise not to let you embarrass yourself.”
Mrs. Nelson notices me still parked on the picnic table bench. “Neesha Gilmore, you need to report to the dance floor right now or I’m going to assign that young man to a different partner.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Lucian leads me to the makeshift dance floor lined with hay bales and twinkle lights overhead. The setting is actually quite romantic, if you can ignore the fact that half the town is here.
We join three other couples forming a loose square formation as Lucian bows like a gentleman while I attempt what I hope passes for a curtsy.
Lucian grins at my embarrassment. “You already look like a natural.”
“I look like a fraud.”
“Allemande left with your corner!” the caller instructs.
I look at Lucian in panic. “I have no idea what that evenmeans.” The man next to me takes my left hand and we walk in a circle. When I get back to Lucian, I’m slightly panicking.
“Do-si-do your partner!” the caller says.
“What?” I ask.
Lucian twirls his finger in a loose circle. “Like this,” he says as we move around each other, back-to-back.
I’m so nervous, I nearly collide with him. “Easy,” he murmurs, reaching his hand out to steady me. “I’ve got you.”
“Promenade around the ring!” the caller says next.
Lucian takes my hands and we walk around the outside of our square with the other couples. I don’t know what it is—his touch, his calm—but somehow, being held by Lucian makes my nerves fade a little.
“See?” he says with a grin. “You’re doing great.”
“Well, I haven’t fallen down yet, but give it time.”
“I won’t let that happen,” he says, squeezing my hand.
“Swing your partner!” the caller commands.
Lucian’s arm comes around my waist as he pulls me close, and we begin to turn in a gentle swing. His hand spans the small of my back, while his other hand holds mine. I look up to find his blue eyes focused entirely on me, like he’s forgotten about the other couples around us. Something in his expression makes my heart beat double time. Not from nerves, but fromhim.
That gaze should be illegal. No man should look at someone like that unless he’s planning to ruin them for everyone else.
“Hey,” he murmurs, so quietly only I can hear it over the music.
