Page 5 of Puppy Christmas

The music from upstairs was too quiet to trickle down, and Lila had never been very good at humming, so the only backdrop to their movements was the shuffle of their feet and the trickle of the fountain in the distance. There was something acutely disconcerting about doing a music-free waltz with a strange man, especially when his daughter stood a few feet away with a look of pure rapture on her face. Lila felt stiff and awkward, but at least her footwork was solid.

Well, it was solid until Ford started gaining confidence in his own steps. As they reached one side of the room, his hold on her waist tightened. That firmer touch, the press of his hand on the narrowest part of her, his body so long and lean against hers—it was impossible not to feel a little light-headed.

Matters weren’t helped any when Ford leaned close to her ear and murmured, “Thank you for doing this. I know you’re probably itching to get back, but you’re the only reason Emily’s not sobbing into that ficus right now.”

Her breath caught. “But I didn’t do anything.”

“Are you kidding?” he countered. His mouth was so close to her skin that she could feel the whisper of his words on her neck. There was an intimacy about it, a warmth she hadn’t been expecting. “You made her night.H-e-l-l, you probably made her whole week. This sort of thing might be ordinary for you, but we don’t run into beautiful princesses every day.”

It went against all of her scruples—and even more of her common sense—to reward a heavy-handed compliment like that, but her eyes snapped up to meet Ford’s. What she saw there wasn’t flirtation or amusement or even laughter at her predicament. He looked, well,sincere.

“Oh.” Her heart gave a flutter, her body gliding and moving with his. “Um. You’re welcome?”

This time Ford did laugh, but it was a soft chuckle that was reflected in the light of his startlingly blue eyes. Lila thought that perhaps their steps slowed, that the music—was there music?—came to an end and the dance was over. But he still had his hand wrapped around her waist, his torso pressed lightly against her own.

As if drawn forward by some power outside herself, Lila leaned closer. Her head tilted up and her breath caught, and for one long, suspended moment, she could almost taste the touch of his lips against hers.

Until, of course, a loud cheer and a burst of applause pulled her feet back down to the ground.

“That was like magic!” Emily ran to her father and beamed up at him, her arms held up in supplication. “Like real princess magic.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ford let go of Lila and swooped his daughter into his arms. “It was, wasn’t it?” he asked.

There was nothing flustered about him, none of the awkwardness Lila felt at finding herself standing all alone in the middle of the tile floor. She still had her arms up as if he were holding her, her lips parted in anticipation of a kiss that was never coming.

“I enjoyed the dancing, but I’m not so sure I’m ready for the part where I turn into a pumpkin,” he said. “Does it happen right away, do you think, or do I have a few hours before I begin my transformation?”

“Dad-dy!” Emily cried, clearly delighted at this piece of nonsense. “That’s not how the story goes.”

“I’d like to be a jack-o’-lantern,” he said, ignoring her. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “One of those scary ones with flashing eyes and sharp teeth. Then you can roll me out every Halloween to delight the neighborhood.”

Emily giggled obligingly, but Lila was still rooted where she stood, unable to shake the feeling that she was standing on the outside of a joke never meant for her ears. As if to prove it, Ford turned to her and swept a bow.

“Thank you, Princess Lila, for saving my daughter—and for the dance.” His eyes met hers, and he lifted his shoulder in another of those awkward half-shrugs. She assumed it was a prelude to more playful commentary, but all he did was frown slightly and add, “We won’t take up any more of your time.”

And that was it. Without waiting for her to say anything in reply—which was probably for the best, since she had no idea what shecouldsay—he whisked his daughter toward the emergency stairwell and allowed the door to fall shut behind them.

The echoing silence they left in their wake had Lila feeling even more unsettled than when she’d come down here in the first place. Ford and Emily might not have been accustomed to running into beautiful princesses every day, but Lila had even less experience with cracking jokes about The Chicken Dance and waltzing with dashing strangers in tuxedos.

And by less experience, she meant none whatsoever. Men didn’t normally sweep her off her feet before running away like Cinderella hightailing after her footmen. In fact, if it weren’t for the floor dusted with glitter from their waltz, she’d have thought she imagined the whole thing.

But glitter was there in abundance, and another glance at the clock on the wall reminded her that she’d spent far too long down here already. They’d be making the announcements soon, if they hadn’t done so already, and there were several people she needed to see before the night was through.

In other words, it was back to business as usual. Now that she was done with the mortification down here, there was no use in delaying the mortification waiting for her upstairs.

“It’s not like you’ll ever see the pair of them again,” Lila told herself as she picked her way over to the stairwell. She was still feeling a little breathless, but that could easily be blamed on the tight bodice of her dress.

Yes.It was definitely the dress. Not the touch of a man’s hand on her waist, not the whirling sensation that had almost swept her into an indiscretion. Even if everyone upstairs knew that she looked like a fool, at least they’d never know that shefeltlike one.

She counted to sixty before she started up the stairs, careful to give Ford and Emily plenty of time to clear out before she followed. With any luck, it would be nearing the girl’s bedtime, and Lila could safely put the interlude behind her where it belonged.

There was no sign of either Ford or Patrick as she stepped through the door and reentered the ballroom. Her luck held while she chatted with a social worker who very kindly made no reference to her dress whatsoever. It even lasted long enough for her to take a stuffed mushroom from a passing waiter.

But just as she was about to pop the buttery morsel in her mouth, the emcee stepped up to the stage to make the announcement Lila had been waiting for all night.

It’s about time.Finally, her agonies could come to an end. Finally, she could smile graciously and make one more dash for the emergency exit—this time for good.

Or so she thought.

“Please give a warm round of applause for the recipient of a generous donation from Puppy Promise for a service dog and six weeks of personalized training.” The emcee made a big show of looking around the ballroom. At first, Lila thought he was looking for her, but he passed her over, not stopping until his gaze landed on the only other female in the room wearing a sparkling pink ball gown.

What?She reared back, her mushroom falling to the floor with asplat.

It wasn’t possible. She’d heard rumors that their donation was going to a nice old man from Cheney. Not him. Not her. Not…

“A big congratulations to Emily Ford!”