Once in Every Life

Her heart tripped hard. Emotions hurtled through her with breathtaking velocity. Excitement. Happiness. Fear. This was a moment she'd dreamed of all her life. Since junior high when she'd stood pinned to the wall with the other special ed kids, watching the dancers move. The beat

300

of the music had vibrated in her mind like a teasing flash

of memory.

And now, finally, she could hear the music and she was being asked to dance. But she didn't know how. What if she made an idiot of herself, what if?

Jack took her in his arms. She melted against him, reveling in the familiar, masculine scent of him.

He touched her chin, tilted her face up. "Hey, you're

trembling."

She looked up into his loving, concerned eyes and almost burst into tears. Emotion swelled in her throat. Suddenly it didn't matter if she tripped all over his feet and made a spectacle of herself. For now, tonight, she was going to dance.

She nodded. "I'd love to," she breathed. He took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. All around them, dancers whirled and stomped. Color flashed by her eyes in a dizzying rainbow.

She closed her eyes, listening to the glorious sounds. Dreamily she swayed with the music.

"Come on, Lissa," he murmured, drawing her close. The warm, brandy-soft tenor of his voice washed over her in a tingle-inducing wave. His hand settled possessively in the small of her back.

He took her in his arms and began to move. Tess gripped his hand and stumbled along with him. "You're leading," he whispered. She cast him an apologetic glance. "It's a character

flaw."

He laughed and held her tighter. "You've forgotten how

to dance, I take it."

She nodded. "Maybe we could?"

"Come closer. Put your cheek against my chest."

She did. His arms curled around her, held her lovingly.

301

"Okay," he said softly, and she could feel his breath against her forehead, "now, feel the music."

She looked up at him. "No. I've done that enough in my life. I want to hear it."

"Close your eyes."

She sighed. "Jack?"

"You've forgotten how to dance. I remember. So close your eyes.".

Reluctantly she did.

"Now, feel the music," he murmured. "Let it speak to your soul."

She pressed tighter against him. His heartbeat thudded against her ear. The whiny twang of the fiddle became louder, soaring above the sound of shuffli

ng feet and rustling skirts. Eyes closed, moving within the warm, protective circle of his arms, she lapsed into a whimsical, relaxed state. The hay and woodsmoke and musk scent of the hall wreathed her, took her to a magical, music-filled world that was hers alone.

The music coiled around her heart. She felt its vibration, and more than that, its emotion, in her soul. She looked up at Jack in wonder. "My God," she breathed. "I can feel it."