Jenny (24 page)

Earlier when Richard had seen Jenny with Cole,
he'd actually felt a twinge of jealousy. That was very
unusual for him. As he danced with her now, he pondered even more deeply Aubrey's advice to propose
to her. This might just be the night if he got the
opportunity.

He would see.

It was a little after ten p.m. when Sam, the owner of
the High Time Saloon, stopped in to talk with Dan
for a minute.

"Fernada said she thought you weren't feeling too
well tonight," Sam said. He was concerned about his
bartender, for he'd never known Dan to be less than
the best when it came to his job.

Dan glanced toward Fernada standing farther down the bar. He understood what she was trying to do for
him, but he didn't like to lie. He'd always found that
the plain truth served him best.

"I have to tell you, Sam, I'm not glad to be here
tonight, but it's not because I'm sick." He served another drink to a thirsty cowboy as he spoke with his
boss.

"Is something wrong?"

"There was something I wanted to do tonight, and
it looks like I won't be able to do it."

Sam frowned thoughtfully. In all the years Dan had
worked for him, Dan had never taken advantage or
done less than his full share of work. "Do you want
me to take over for you here?"

Dan was surprised by his offer. "You wouldn't
mind?"

"How long do you need to be away?"

"Just a couple of hours should do it," Dan said,
suddenly excited about the possibility of seeing Rose
again.

"Go. Just be back here by twelve-thirty," Sam
growled good-naturedly. "What's got you so agitated?
A woman?"

"Not just any woman," he answered. "A very special woman."

With that, Dan handed Sam the towel he'd been
using to wipe the bar. It seemed almost a ritual passing of arms.

"I'll be back."

"And I'll be right here serving drinks."

Dan hurried home and quickly washed up. He
shaved and changed clothes. He spent an extra minute
in front of the mirror, checking to make sure he'd
shaved close enough. Then, realizing he was wasting
time, he made his way to the dance.

The sound of the music came to Dan from several
blocks away, and his anticipation grew as he drew
closer. Though he had only seen Rose twice, there
was something about her that set her apart. He was
looking forward to having a dance with her tonight
and spending as much time with her as he could.

Dan reached the dance floor and stood quietly at
the side, scanning the couples, looking for Rose. He
heard her before he saw her. From somewhere behind
him near the refreshment table, the lilting sound of
her laugh came to him. His reaction surprised him. It
was almost as if his soul recognized the sound.

Turning away from the dancers, Dan was drawn to
her. He found her surrounded by three other men, and
all were laughing at something she'd said.

"Are you sure you have to go back to Philadelphia,
Rose?" one of the men asked.

"Oh, yes. Philadelphia's my home, but I must tell
you, I'm enjoying my time in Durango very much."

"We're enjoying having you here," another man
replied.

"Can I have this dance?" the first man asked as a
new melody began.

"Of course," she accepted, taking his hand and allowing him to draw her away.

As Rose was being led to the dance floor, an unusual feeling came over her. She looked back over
her shoulder, wondering what it was that was troubling her. It was then that she saw Dan standing off
to the side, watching her.

For an instant across the distance, their gazes met.

Dan had come to her!

Rose knew the dance she was about to dance was
going to be the longest in her life. She didn't want to
be with this man, she wanted to be with Dan....

Rose was spun away then and lost sight of Dan.
She kept trying to locate him in the crowd, but
couldn't find him. She felt almost bereft.

"Are you all right?" her dance partner asked, noticing that she seemed to be looking for someone.

"Oh, yes. I thought I saw Jenny, but I was mistaken."

"Jenny's over there," he said, nodding behind her.

Rose cast a glance that way and saw Jenny dancing
with Richard again. She pretended to be satisfied with
spotting her girlfriend, but in truth, she still longed to
know where Dan had gone.

When the music ended, Rose thanked her partner
and started back to the side of the dance floor. She
didn't have long to worry about Dan. He appeared by
her side.

"May I have the next dance?" he asked in a courtly
manner.

"Yes," she breathed, her eyes aglow as she gazed
up at him. "You came."

"I couldn't stay away," he answered, surprising
himself when he realized it was the truth.

As the music began again, he swept her into his
arms without another word, and they moved out
among the other dancers. It was a slow, lilting melody, and they circled the floor in perfect union.

Rose had often heard of love at first sight, and
thought it a fantasy. She had now become a believer.
She didn't know how or why this was happening to
her, but Dan was the man she'd waited her whole life
for. It didn't matter that they were so different. What
mattered was that they were soul mates.

Gazing up at him as they continued to dance, Rose
studied the hard, lean line of his jaw and felt the hardmuscled strength of him against her as they moved
as one. His shoulder beneath her hand was powerful.
She didn't want to speak, for she didn't want to break
the spell. This dance, this moment, was too magical,
too special.

Dan had come for her.

The music ended, and Rose felt almost lost when
his arms dropped away from her.

"Would you like a cup of punch?" he asked, wanting to keep her by his side, fearful that some other
man would try to take her away from him.

Rose found herself smiling at his offer to serve her.
"I thought if you were here, you were off work," she
quipped.

At her quick wit, Dan grinned back. "My job is to make people happy, and that's what I want to do for
you."

Her expression turned serious as she told him, "If
you want to make me happy, then let's go for a walk,
just the two of us-somewhere where we can talk
somewhere away from here." Rose knew she was being brazen, but it didn't matter. She just wanted to be
with him.

Dan wondered how Rose had managed to read his
thoughts. All he wanted was to be alone with her. He
held out his hand to her in unspoken invitation.

Rose took it without hesitation and felt a surprising
jolt of excitement at that simple contact. She had a
distant thought that she should check on Jenny and
see how her friend was doing, but dismissed it. Jenny
was a grown woman, and she could handle herself
quite nicely. Rose knew she would never have another night like this one-another chance to be with
Dan. She wanted to take advantage of every minute
they had together. She didn't want to waste a second.

Dan led Rose off, away from the glow of the lanterns,
away from the notice of any townsfolk. He needed to
have her to himself for what was left of his two-hour
reprieve.

"How did you get away from work?" Rose asked,
surprised and delighted that he was there.

"I told my boss I had something very important to
take care of"

"You did?"

"Yes." He paused and looked at her. "You." Dan
started off again down the street toward a quiet parklike area.

Rose went willingly, smiling the whole while. She
had a fleeting thought that Aunt Tillie might miss her,
but quickly put it from her. She was with Dan. Nothing else mattered.

When they reached the secluded grove, Dan
stopped, but he didn't release her hand.

"I've always liked it here," he said simply.

"It's quiet."

"And private."

"That's what I like about it most," Dan said as he
took her in his arms.

Above them the moon shone brightly in a starry
sky. The faintest of breezes stirred the trees. It was a
haven, a romantic retreat made just for them.

"I've wanted to do this ever since the first time I
saw you."

There was no need to say more as Dan bent to her
and claimed her lips in a kiss. It was a gentle, testing
exchange, as if he thought her fragile and feared he
might harm her. But when she shifted closer to him
and wrapped her arms around him, urging him on, he
eagerly deepened the kiss.

Rose was shocked by the power of her reaction to
Dan. It was elemental and undeniable. Excitement
shivered through her. The instincts that had been driving her came fully to life as she found herself caught
up in the ecstasy of his embrace. She had never
known a man's kiss could be so arousing.

Lost in a rapturous storm, they shared kiss after
hungry kiss.

Dan had never known anyone like Rose before. She
was open and warm and giving and loving. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted any woman, and she
was there, in his arms.

Unable to resist the temptation, his hands began a
restless foray. He wanted her he wanted to make
love to her he wanted to lose himself within her-

When he sought the soft curve of her breast, Rose
gasped and tensed. No man had ever taken such liberties with her but this was Dan. She relaxed, wanting him near, needing him near

Her initial reaction stopped Dan cold and made him
realize just how truly innocent she was.

Dan knew he had to stop the madness between
them now, before things got out of control and they
both forgot who they were and gave themselves over
to the power of their desire for each other. Dan went
still, breaking off the kiss, just quietly holding her.

"Dan?" Rose whispered his name as she drew back
to look up at him in the moonlight.

He gave her a quick, gentle kiss, then only held
her quietly, waiting for his passion to cool.

In her innocence, Rose didn't understand why he'd
suddenly stopped kissing her. His kisses had been
wonderful, and she didn't want him to quit. If she
could have had her way, she would have stayed in
his embrace forever.

"I like kissing you," Rose said, lifting one hand to
caress his cheek. "Why did you stop?"

Dan gave a guttural groan as he captured her hand
and pressed a kiss to her palm. "I have to stop."

"But why?"

He smiled gently at her. "Because if I don't stop
now, your virtue would be in danger."

Had there been enough light, he would have seen
her blush.

"Oh."

Dan kept his arms around Rose, cradling her close,
enjoying the scent of her perfume. She'd worn a fragrance of roses, and the scent would forever be emblazoned in his mind and his heart-after this night.

Rose had kissed a number of men during the lessthan-exciting courtships she'd endured through the
years, but no man had ever thrilled her the way Dan
did. She wondered what she was supposed to do next.
She had no idea, and it was completely out of character for her to be helpless. She always took charge
and forged ahead. She always knew what she wanted
and had a plan how to get it. Right now, though, she
was at a loss. She realized she wanted to get to know
him better, to spend as much time with him as she
could until it was time for her to go.

Go

It suddenly occurred to Rose that there would have
to be an end to their relationship. She had to go back
to Philadelphia. She didn't like that thought at all, so
she put it from her mind. She would take each day
as it came and enjoy to the fullest what time she did
have there in Durango with Dan.

"I guess we'd better head back," Dan finally said.
Regret sounded in his tone. He didn't trust himself to stay there alone with Rose any longer. She was too
tempting for his peace of mind.

"I know," Rose sighed, not wanting to see this moment end, either. As disconcerted as she was by her
tumultuous emotions, she always believed that if she
wanted something, she should go after it. Resuming
her normal ways, she gave him a slow smile as she
asked, "But before we go back, could you kiss me
one more time?"

Dan realized she didn't know what she was doing,
but her smile was so inviting, hinting at the undeniable pleasure he knew would be theirs if he obeyed
her request, that a shaft of heat seared straight through
him.

"It would be my pleasure," he told her, and he
meant it. Still, he knew he had to keep a tight rein on
the passion he felt for her. Otherwise it would shatter
his most honorable intentions.

Dan crushed Rose to him as his mouth moved hungrily over hers, plundering her delicious sweetness
and branding her as his.

It was with an effort that he finally put her from
him.

"I think we need to go back and dance some more,"
he said with gruff good nature.

"I like kissing you better," Rose said forthrightly.

"Trust me, I like kissing you better, too."