AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“A spotless one,” she told him. “I have a girlfriend who dated Meadow’s boss in St. Louis. He said that Meadow rarely dated anyone, and she never slept around.”
“Maybe she was pining for me.” He laughed coldly.
“For you?”
“She’s got a case on me, didn’t you notice?” he asked, his eyes going angrily to the woman in the red dress, moving so elegantly on the dance floor. “She’s been stuck on me since she was seventeen.”
Dana didn’t know what to say. She just stared at him.
“Oh, for God’s sake, she’s just a kid,” he said when he saw the expression. “I don’t seduce children!”
“She’s twenty-five,” she said, confused.
“She’s still seventeen,” he said, half under his breath, watching Meadow dance like a fairy to the Latin beat, graceful and skillful. “She fell into the coal bin, in a red dress. I laughed.” He recalled Meadow’s expression back then, the wounding he could see in her eyes. He’d done it deliberately, trying to ward her off. Even at seventeen, he wanted her. He’d always wanted her, always denied it, fought it. He wasn’t giving in. He didn’t do forever.
“If you say so,” Dana replied. She smiled to herself. At least Dal wasn’t stuck on the younger woman. That meant she still had a chance. “Want to dance?” she asked.
“No. I can’t do Latin dances,” he said resentfully as he watched Gil spin Meadow around on the dance floor.
“Gil can,” Dana sighed. “He always was light on his feet.”
He looked down at her, astonished. “Dancing isn’t a skill!”
“Well, actually, it is,” she replied. “Most men can’t dance. Heavens, didn’t you see Jeff on the dance floor? He can barely shuffle his feet.”
Dal could dance. He didn’t do it much. No Latin dances at all. But he could do a masterful waltz. Not that he had much of a chance to show off that skill tonight. This wasn’t a waltzing crowd. Most of the music they played was western or country. The Latin music was just for Gil. He’d seen the man approach the bandleader earlier so he could dance with Meadow.
Dal didn’t like her dancing with the younger man. He had another sip of his drink. His head was starting to feel like an overfull balloon.
“We’re going to have to go soon,” he told Dana. “I’m sorry. I’ve had too much to drink,” he confessed.
“I’ll drive,” she informed him.
He shrugged.
Meadow and Gil came off the dance floor, panting and laughing. Her face was flushed. She looked . . . beautiful. Dal could hardly take his eyes off her. The red dress was elegant, at that. He was sorry for the remarks he’d made.
Meadow saw him watching her. The look she gave him was sizzling, and not in a sexy way. She looked as if she’d like to see him frying on a grill. There was hurt in it, too. He’d made her feel cheap, when that was the last thing she was.
He would have apologized, but very quickly she said something to Jeff. He gave a wistful glance at Dana, nodded, and dug for his car keys. They retrieved Meadow’s coat and walked out the door. Dal felt as if he’d been thrown headfirst into a snowbank. He felt guilty.
He turned to Dana. “How about driving me home?” he asked in a hollow voice.
She saw his expression and felt her hopes dwindling. The light went out of him when Meadow left the building. It was a revelation. Dal was crazy about the other woman, and he didn’t even seem to know it.
“I’ll just get my coat,” Dana said with a quiet smile. Oh, well, she was thinking. Jeff had been very attentive and morose that she was with another man. They’d been quite an item around town until they’d argued. She couldn’t even remember what they’d argued about. Jeff wasn’t as rich as Dal, but he had that huge ranch and he was a respected member of the community. She could do worse.
Sooner or later, Dal was going to give in to his feelings for Meadow, or Meadow would leave and go back to St. Louis. Either way, Dana would survive. She had prospects. That was all she needed.
* * *
Meadow smiled as Jeff kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“Thanks,” she said, trying to hide the pain Dal had given her. “It was a nice dance.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Jeff said on a sigh.
“You’re still hung up on Dana,” she guessed aloud.
