A Forever Thing (13 page)

“Don’t ever change.” Maud finished loading her plate and carried it to a table where a dozen people were discussing raising
longhorn cattle.

“She looks fine tonight,” Fancy said as they carried their food
back to their table in a corner of the barn.

“That’s her barn-dance-slash-party outfit. She wears it to everything other than church. For that she’s got about five nice suits
she alternates on Sunday, Sunday night, and Wednesday-night Bible
study. She says God doesn’t care what she wears so long as she’s
got all the body parts covered up. The rest of her closet is filled with
jeans and work shirts. She hasn’t changed much in twenty years,”
Sophie said.

“But you have?” Kate picked up a chicken leg and rolled her
eyes in appreciation when she bit into it.

“Yes, I have. Aunt Maud and I make pretty good business partners now.”

They’d barely finished their dinner when the band struck up the
first chords for the dance. There were two guitar players, a fiddler, a
drummer, and a mandolin player in addition to a woman lead singer
who went into an old Anne Murray song, “Could I Have This
Dance.” It was a slow waltz that talked about always remembering
the song that was playing the first time they danced and swayed to
the music, holding each other, when they had fallen in love.

Theron Warren appeared out of the clear, warm night air and
tapped Fancy on the shoulder. “May I have this dance?”

She was so stunned, she simply nodded and stood up. He
wrapped one arm around her waist and executed a fine two-step
around the dance floor.

“You’re pretty good at this,” she said.

“My daddy said a good rancher has to be able to dance. I hated
it, but my sister and I were taught to dance just like we were taught
to take care of cattle,” Theron said.

The singer finished and went right into a slow George Strait
tune. Theron wrapped his arms back around her and waltzed her
into the middle of the floor. She fit so well in his arms that he could
have danced the whole night with her.

Fancy laid her head against his chest and was amazed at the
chemistry between them. Now, wasn’t that horrid luck? To be drawn
to a man who had sworn off marriage for all eternity. One who’d
certainly never have a forever thing to offer.

The singer finished and went into a more modern mode, with
songs from Shania Twain, Sara Evans, Taylor Swift, and Sugarland
mixed in among Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton. Sur prising enough, the young people danced to the old tunes as much
as the newer songs.

Fancy danced with the Aussie twice, then again with Theron
and a few older men. She couldn’t remember all their names. She
was sitting out a dance when Theron pulled up a chair beside her.

“What are you doing here anyway?” she asked.

“I might ask you the same thing. I bought a bull at the sale last
night. What did you buy?”

“Nothing. I’m a showgirl,” she said.

His face registered confusion.

“In old-time Las Vegas when there was a party, the host hired
showgirls to keep the party lively. Window dressing is what Maud
called it. You shouldn’t be surprised. The first time you saw me, I
was a drunk driver, remember?”

“Are you picking a fight?”

“If I am, I’ll win, you can be sure,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because I won’t quit until I wear you down, and then I’ll win,”
she said.

“No, why would Maud hire you for window dressing?”

“You don’t think my friends and I are good-looking enough to
be showgirls?” she asked right back.

“What’d she pay you? I might be interested in hiring you for my
barn dance next year,” he said.

“It’ll cost you all the ‘squite-smoked chicken I can eat and all
the leather I can dance off your buyers’ shoes.”

“You work cheap, then”

Fancy struck a pose by batting her eyes and pursing her lips.
“That’s me. Fast. Cheap. Easy.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “Really?”

She slapped his arm, amazed anew at the sparks that flew when
her hand touched him. “No, not really. So don’t be getting foolish
notions.”

“Not me. I’m just a bull buyer who’s here for a good time. No
foolish notions in my head. Tell me, what happens to the showgirls
when the party is over?”

“They go home and read the Bible,” she smarted off.

“Sure, they do,” he said. “Save me the last dance. I want to ask
Maud something, and I see she’s sitting over there alone.”

Kate slid down in the chair he left behind. “Whew! My feet are
aching.”

“Do you have to work a shift tomorrow at the cafe?”

“No, I’ve got to fill in for a sick officer tomorrow. That’ll give
me time to recoup before I work the lunch rush on Sunday.”

“You find anyone interesting in the whole bunch of them?”
Fancy asked.

“There ain’t no one out there to make my heart do double-time.
How about you? Theron Warren’s been dancing with you a lot.
You about to change your mind about him?”

“No!”

“That came out way too quick,” Kate said.

“Listen when I talk. I told you about his wanting to be a bachelor forever, amen, right?”

“I wonder why he’s so set against marriage?”

“Why are you?” Fancy countered.

“Two words. Hart Ducaine. May the devil put him on a barbwire fence on the back forty in Hades forever,” Kate said.

Fancy fanned her face with one hand. “Remind me to never make
you mad.”

Kate poured a glass of cold beer and took a long gulp. “Y’all look
cute together out there on the dance floor. You’re about the right
height, and you dance like you were made for each other”

“Dancing is the only thing we do well together, unless you count
all the arguing. We do that really well”

“Maybe you’re fighting against your hearts,” Kate said.

“And maybe you’ve got cow chips for brains. Go dance away
such crazy ideas. I’m not fighting anything. Besides, Momma says
she’s never stepping foot back in Shackelford County, Texas, again.
How would I see her if I stayed in this gosh-forsaken part of the
world?”

Sophie joined them. “What are y’all gosh-forsakin’?”

“We were gosh-forsakin’ this part of Texas,” Kate replied.

“And why is that?”

“First you tell me what you thought of Fancy and Theron out there
on the dance floor.”

“They look like they could be on that Dancing with the Stars
thing on television. Smooth as silk.”

“That’s what I think too. Any two people who can dance like
that should put their arguing aside and kiss a few times to see
if that don’t feel better,” Kate said.

Fancy blushed so brightly, it lit up the area.

“See? She’s been thinking about it, or she wouldn’t look like
she’s sunburned”

“Stop it,” Fancy whispered. “He’s liable to hear you and think
I’m interested. And I’m not.”

“Why not?” Sophie said.

“Yeah, why aren’t you?” Kate asked.

“Why should I be? He’s already said he’s never getting married,
and he’s content with his life’s status quo. It would be a big waste
of time. I’ll just be a showgirl tonight,” she said, trying to make
light of the situation.

“And what does the showgirl do when she goes home?” Sophie
asked.

“She takes a cold shower.” Kate laughed.

Theron walked up behind her and chuckled. “According to this
showgirl, she goes home and reads her Bible. I believe this is the
last dance, and you promised it to me”

“I did not. You told me to save it for you. How do you know I
didn’t already promise it to someone else?” Fancy argued.

He held out his hand, and she took it. Kate was right. The sparks
were dancing around like water droplets on a hot cast-iron skillet.
But she chalked it up to the moment’s festivities. She was wearing
tight jeans and a fancy shirt, had her hair curled and her makeup
on. He looked downright handsome in his starched green plaid
shirt, Wranglers, and dress boots.

“Did you?” he asked as he led her out to the floor.

“What?”

“Promise this dance to another man?”

She shook her head.

“Good. Dancing with you is like floating on air.”

“Thank you, I guess.”

The slow dance ended way too soon, and Theron returned her
to her friends with a simple “Good night, Fancy Lynn.”

She and Kate both made a trip across the barn to thank Maud
for a lovely evening, hugged Sophie, and headed for their vehicles,
which were parked in an adjoining pasture.

“Your knight’s not walking you to your car?” Fancy teased.

Kate looked down at her. “The Aussie? He wants some little
follow-behind-me woman with no backbone. When I told him I
was a cop, he stuttered and stammered around like a drunk facing
a Breathalyzer test. Besides, you made a bigger splash with Theron
than I did the Aussie. Why isn’t he walking you to your car?”

“He doesn’t have a forever thing in his pocket-or anywhere
else-to offer,” Fancy teased.

Kate looked at her and sighed. “See you later. We still on for
Sunday afternoon, even though we had tonight?”

“Of course we’re on for Sunday. We’ve got to gossip about tonight,
don’t we?” Fancy opened her car door and climbed inside. The smell
of almonds still permeated the heated car’s air, making her remember her first glimpse of Theron Warren’s mossy green eyes.

“Don’t get caught speeding, or we’ll have to bail you out of jail,”
Kate said with a wave.

“I’ll be careful,” Fancy told her.

Kate laughed and drove away.

Fancy drove north into Albany from Baird and was passing the
Hereford Inn when she noticed a pickup truck behind her.

She passed the courthouse before she realized the pickup was
still following her. She sped up, and the truck behind her did the
same. She turned the corner to Hattie’s house on two wheels and
slung gravel for half a block, stopping only in the driveway. She
grabbed her purse and was halfway to the porch when Theron
called out from the open window of his truck.

“Hey, are you in a big hurry to get to that Bible?” He climbed
out of the truck and meandered to the porch. “What’s the matter?”
he asked when he could see that her face was ashen and her eyes
wide as saucers. “What’s wrong, Fancy?”

“You scared me, tailing me like that.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t even mean to come home
this way, but I pulled out behind you and got to thinkin’ about one
thing and another and didn’t make my turn to the ranch.”

She slid down the porch post until she was sitting with her knees
drawn up under her chin. In spite of the hot night breeze, chills
caused goose bumps on her arms.

“Go on inside, and I’ll backtrack and go home. I know that the
showgirl needs to read before she goes to sleep,” Theron said gently.

“Don’t tease me. I was really frightened.”

“It’s Albany, Fancy Lynn. You’re safer here than you were in
the big city.”

“Sure, I am. You dragged me to jail when I’d been here less
than twenty-four hours,” she reminded him.

“Funny, tonight you don’t look sixteen,” he said with a gleam in
his eye. “You look all grown-up”

“Scare me and then ruin my ego,” she told him grumpily.

He stepped up onto the porch. “I intended neither of those
things. I’ll wait until you get inside and the lights are on”

She stood up, turned too quickly, and stumbled. He caught her
before she wiped completely out and wrapped his arms tightly
around her, pulling her close to his chest. He tucked one fist under
her chin and leaned down. She rolled up on her toes and met him
halfway. When their lips met, more than sparks danced. Her heart
beat in unison with his, and she wanted the kiss to go on and on.

But he broke away, took a step to one side, and opened the
screen door for her.

“Good night, Fancy. Thanks for the dances and the good time
tonight. I’m going home now.”

“Old men can’t endure the late hours, can they?” she teased to
cover up the fact that she really wanted him to kiss her again.

“Old women need their beauty sleep,” he shot back. That kiss
was a one-time thing that wouldn’t happen again. It had stirred
entirely too many emotions down deep in his heart.

“Okay, we’ll leave it at that. Good night, Theron. See you Sunday morning.”

Theron had actually planned to take Highway 576 across to Moran and then drive north to his ranch, which was located five miles
south of Albany. But he’d been thinking about how much he’d enjoyed dancing and arguing with Fancy and missed the turnoff.

He wondered what his family would think of Fancy Sawyer.
His grandma would have loved her, but she’d been gone for a long
time. His grandparents had lived on a ranch in Decatur until they
died within six months of each other two years ago. His dad inherited the place, then leased the land and the house. But the cabin set
at the back of the property remained their hunting lodge. It was
where he had taken Maria for their honeymoon, a nice quiet little
log cabin sitting on the edge of the Trilogy River.

He parked the truck in front of the two-story house that his
Uncle Joe had built years before, and half a dozen cats came off
the porch to greet him.

“If you don’t trip me and make me fall and break my neck, I’ll
bring a bowl of milk out to you,” he told them.

He made good on his promise and sat on the porch for thirty
minutes, petting first one and then another. If Fancy changed her
mind and stayed in Albany, he’d give her first pick of the next litter
of kittens. Or she could have two or three if she wanted.

But she wasn’t going to stay around any longer than it took to
straighten up Hattie’s estate. Suddenly, he found himself hoping that
the house wouldn’t sell the first few weeks it was on the market.
Maybe if she didn’t leave, he could offer her a job the next fall. Mrs.
Lowerly was retiring at the end of the year. She taught kindergarten,
and Fancy already knew some of the children who would be enrolling in kindergarten from their Sunday school class.