Twirl in a new light

To read the previous edition of Twirl, go here.

Pressing her face tightly to Wade's muscular shoulder, Vivi breathed in his scent as the horse barreled through the brush and around the rustic oak trees. The mixture of sweetness and sweat always made her stomach do back flips and toes tingle. Sometimes when she was on the phone with him late at night, the scent would suddenly fill her chest. Between his husky voice and the memory of twirling in her arms, it was all she could do to not dive through the receiver to him.

With her arms wrapped around him, Vivi had never felt safer. With every thump of the horses' hoof against the rocky ground, her worries over Mrs. Angelson and her father and her ballet career flew further away. With Wade, she wasn't the world's next greatest ballerina or her father's daughter. She was just Vivi. And she liked finding out who Vivi was without the toe shoes or last name.

Vivi noticed the trees thinning and a thin gravel path in the distance. "Where are we going?" she shouted over the noise of the horse.

"I told you," Wade drawled. "We're going on an adventure."

"Yes, but where is the adventure at?" Vivi asked.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be any fun," Wade informed her. She could feel him grinning and shook her head with a smile. Wade directed the horse to the gravel path, the steel horseshoes ringing against the tiny rocks. Vivi watched as they strode into a small clearing with a few buildings. A large, handpainted wooden sign proclaimed they were entering Starsville, town of 300 people.

The horse slowed to a walk and Wade slid off the horse, leading him to a hitch post in front of a long wooden building. Vivi shaded her eyes from the late afternoon sun and squinted at the sign.

"Starsville Dance Hall?" she read, looking at Wade. "There's a dance hall out here?"

"Well, darling, in a town of 300 with a bunch of ranchers in the middle of nowhere, what else are you going to do?" Wade's smile was bright as he fed the horse some grain cubes. Vivi laughed and slipped off the saddle as if she had been doing it all her life. Her ponytail slapped against her neck and she touched her hair self-consciously.

"Wade, I'm not dressed for dancing. I mean, I'm in jeans, a leotard and tennis shoes. I haven't taken a bath since last night." She suddenly felt like a giant grease ball and eyed the horse trough. Any bath was better than no bath at all.

Wade pulled the reins securely and walked around the hitch. Wrapping his arms around her waist, his blue eyes locked into hers. "You've never looked more beautiful to me."

"Oh stop," Vivi murmured, turning her head. His callused fingers gently guided her chin so her eyes met his.

"I mean it," he said. "Your curls are shining in the sun, your cheeks are pink and your eyes haven't stopped dancing. You could smell like a dead skunk and you'd still be the most beautiful girl here."

Vivi burst out laughing. "I'm not sure whether to swoon or gag."

Wade grinned and grabbed her hand. "Let's get you on that dance floor instead."

"But it's five in the afternoon," Vivi protested, pulling back and digging her heels into the ground. "I thought dancehalls didn't open until night."

"During the week," Wade acknowledged. "But a lot of small town dancehalls have a Saturday and Sunday family dance. Grandmas and babies will be dancing." Leading her to the door before she could protest, he shoved it open. Hundreds of people were dancing in what looked like an old barn. Sunlight and dust streamed through open windows as ceiling fans buzzed overhead. A local band was shouting songs from a wooden stand that looked like a bunch of beer boxes stacked together and a couple of hard-looking waitresses were serving hamburgers and drinks. As Wade had predicted, Vivi saw old couples two-stepping next to little girls twirling with their dresses held high over their head. Blinking, Vivi could hardly believe what she was seeing.

"It's like something out of a movie," she murmured, her hand limp in Wade's. "Or a country music video."

Wade slid a few dollars into the big box at the front and swept Vivi up in his arms. "Quit thinking," he ordered as the band burst into a rowdy number. "Just dance."

Vivi had no problem with that. As they stepped across the floor filled with grandmothers and babies and young couples, the only thing she could see was Wade's blue eyes twinkling as they twirled across the floor.

To be continued...

Stay tuned tomorrow, Invisible Friends, for the end of Kitchen Magic!