“I’m a chaperone. And you?”
“We’re chaperoning, as well,” Josh answered on her behalf.
Couples surged onto the dance floor all around them. “I believe this dance is mine,” Lonny said and held out his hand to Joy.
She met his gaze without flinching, but didn’t respond. She glanced at Josh, as if to ask his permission.
“Would you mind if I danced this one number with Joy?” Lonny kept his voice as free of emotion as possible.
“Go ahead.”
Lonny half expected Joy to argue with him and was pleasantly surprised when she simply followed him onto the dance floor. Since this was the first such event Lonny had chaperoned, he didn’t know if the adults were allowed to dance. That, however, didn’t concern him. If they wanted to fire him, they could. He didn’t care. All that mattered was having Joy in his arms again.
He took her hand and she moved reluctantly into his arms. To his relief, this was a slow dance. Closing his eyes, Lonny brought her against him and noticed how stiff she was.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing,” she whispered heatedly.
He pretended not to hear. Despite her reluctance, he drew her closer and held her hand in his.
“I’m talking to you,” she said. “Could you answer me?”
Lonny ignored her question. A minute or two later, he felt her relax slightly. After that, it didn’t take long for her to sigh and begin to move with him.
This was what he wanted, what he needed. Her body flowed naturally in motion with his. The fear started to leave him and he tightened his arm around her waist. This was perfect. They even breathed in unison.
Although it was torture of a different kind not to kiss her, when the music stopped, Lonny dropped his arms and stepped back.
“Thank you.”
Joy stared at him, her eyes wide and confused.
He held her gaze for a long moment, unable to look away. It was on the tip of his tongue to remind her how much he loved her.
But Joy abruptly turned then and walked back to Josh, who stood waiting on the sidelines.
Chapter Twenty
Joy wanted to argue with Lonny. He’d purposely gone out of his way to embarrass her, first in the restaurant and now on the dance floor. Understandably, Josh had asked plenty of questions this afternoon. Joy had explained her complicated relationship with Lonny as well as she could. He’d listened, but hadn’t pressured her. He’d responded as a friend would, and for that she was grateful. Joy had seen Lonny watching them at the carnival. Every time she looked up, he seemed to be there, his gaze following her like a hawk tracking its prey.
Then, to confuse the situation even more, Lonny had to insist on dancing with her. That was when the real trouble started. She’d expected him to argue with her, which would’ve been fine. Joy was more than ready to give him an earful. All afternoon she’d felt his disapproving gaze. And then, when they’d danced…
Joy had expected him to coerce her and exploit his advantage. But even while her mind whirled with an angry torrent of accusations, her body seemed to melt in his arms. Somehow, without her being aware of it, her eyes had closed and her head was pressed against his shoulder. He hadn’t uttered a single word. All Lonny had done was hold her, dance with her. When the music stopped, he’d simply released her.
She moved slowly to the edge of the floor.
“I believe the next dance is mine,” Josh said as he came forward to claim Joy.
“Yes, of—of course,” she stammered. Absorbed in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed that Josh had approached her. The music began again.
“That would be…” She couldn’t think of the right word. Nice, she mused, as Josh took her hand and led her onto the floor. The music was much faster this time, and the dance floor quickly became crowded.
Josh was an accomplished dancer. His movements were flamboyant, energetic but controlled—as good as anything she’d ever seen in music videos. The teenagers gathered around him were clapping in time with the music. More and more people came to watch his performance, and it occurred to Joy that he wasn’t dancing with her, the way Lonny had. They were just occupying the same space. She tried gamely to keep up with him. Joy was impressed with his dancing, all the while disliking that the two of them were the center of attention.
Joy had gone to a number of dances with Josh during their college days, but she couldn’t remember his being this smooth or agile. Apparently, it was a recently acquired skill.
The music stopped, and the crowd broke into spontaneous applause. Joy couldn’t get off the floor fast enough. Josh followed her, but at a slower pace.
“Where did you learn to dance like that?” Joy asked, and realized there was a lot about him she no longer knew. Josh had changed; the thing was, Joy had, too.
“Lori and I danced a lot.”
“You’re great at it,” Joy said sincerely. This was the first real dance she’d attended in two years and frankly, she could do with a refresher course. Beside Josh, she’d looked pretty lame, she thought ruefully. But there just weren’t that many opportunities to dance in Red Springs. Most places served beer in jugs, played only country-western music and had floors covered with sawdust.
Josh’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I miss it, you know.”
Joy suspected it was more than the dancing Josh missed, but she kept her opinions to herself.
When she looked up, she saw that Lonny was watching her again.
Because she had a job to do, she walked along the perimeter of the dance floor, her eyes focused on the dancing couples. Josh strolled beside her. She noticed Tom, Lonny’s hired hand, and Michelle Larson dancing together. Tom appeared awkward and uneasy, concentrating heavily on each movement. He was rigid and held Michelle an arm’s length away from him. His lips moved as he silently counted the steps. Michelle, bless her, tried her best to follow his lead. They were a sweet-looking couple.
A moment later, Joy saw that she wasn’t the only one watching Tom and Michelle dance. Kenny Brighton stood at the outer edge of the dance floor, eyeing the couple, his fists flexing at his sides.
Joy felt it was her duty to waylay trouble before it happened. Trying not to be obvious, she moved toward the other boy, pulling Josh with her, holding his hand.
“Good evening, Kenny,” she said. “May I introduce you to my friend, Josh Howell?”
Kenny didn’t appreciate the interruption in his brooding. He acknowledged her with the faintest of nods, but his gaze didn’t waver from Tom and Michelle.
“Kenny’s family helped bring the carnival rides to Red Springs,” Joy said brightly to Josh, as though this was a feat worthy of mention. “Isn’t that right, Kenny?” she added when he didn’t respond.
“If you say so,” he muttered.
“Is there a problem between you and Tom?” she asked, deciding it was best to confront the issue head-on. Subtlety was getting them nowhere.
For the first time Kenny tore his eyes away from the dancing couple. “Michelle was supposed to be my date.”
“You mean to say Tom kidnapped her?” she asked, making light of the situation. Her laugh fell decidedly flat.
Kenny wasn’t amused. “Something like that. I asked her first and she had some weak excuse for why she couldn’t go with me. Next thing I hear, she’s coming to the dance with Ellison’s ranch hand.” He practically spat the last two words.
“That’s a woman’s prerogative, isn’t it?” Joy said, desperately hoping to keep the peace. This was the last official school event of the year, and she didn’t want to see it ruined.
Kenny didn’t appear to agree with her. “I’m twice the man that hired hand will ever be.”
“Kenny, listen, we don’t want any trouble here,” she said, turning to Josh for help.
Josh nodded. “Why don’t you find someone else to dance with,” he suggested.
Kenny turned to Josh long enough to cast him a look of disdain. “I don’t want to,” he said
sullenly. Joy could smell alcohol on his breath, strictly forbidden but furtively indulged in by the older boys.
She was afraid of what Kenny might do next, afraid he’d welcome an opportunity to fight Tom again. In his current frame of mind, Kenny might even see Josh as a convenient target, ridiculous though that was.
“Come on,” Josh said, urging her away from Kenny. “I don’t think you can do any good here.”
Joy was reluctant to leave. As she moved past Kenny, she noticed Lonny keeping a close eye on the boy, too. He darted a look in her direction and she nodded, glancing at Kenny. Lonny’s faint smile assured her he had matters well in hand.
Joy was astonished at how effectively they were able to communicate with just eye contact. This was a difficult situation with the potential to blow up into a major fracas. At the same time, she had every confidence that Lonny would know how to handle it. Sighing with relief, she patrolled the dance floor, smiling at students she recognized. She exchanged greetings with the other chaperones, and when she introduced Josh, she noted several surprised looks. Lonny wasn’t the only one who seemed to think she was linked to him romantically.
“Would you like to dance again?” Josh asked when they’d made their way completely around the dance floor. They stood near the punch bowl, while Lonny was on the other side of the room closest to Kenny. She kept her eyes trained on the boy in case a problem erupted. Not that there was much she’d be able to do…
“Joy?” Josh prodded.
“I’m not sure I should,” she said.
Although she’d been out on the floor twice, making a spectacle of herself at least once, she was present at this event in an official capacity. She could sense trouble simmering and felt obliged to take her chaperoning duties more seriously. Still, she felt bad about abandoning Josh.
“I need to be aware of what’s happening and I can’t do that if I’m dancing,” she mumbled, standing on her tiptoes and stretching to look for Kenny. He was gone.
“Don’t worry,” Josh said. “I understand.”
She thanked him with a smile. “Feel free to ask one of the other chaperones to dance.” Josh really had been a good sport about all of this. “Do you see Kenny anyplace?”
Josh scanned the crowd. “No, I can’t say I do.”
Joy glanced around, looking for Tom and Michelle.
Her suspicions were instantly aroused. Without explaining, she dashed across the now-empty dance floor toward Lonny.
Lonny must have known immediately that something was wrong, because he met her halfway and reached for her hands.
“Kenny’s missing,” she gasped out, “and so is Tom.”
Lonny released a harsh breath. “I saw Kenny leave but I thought Tom was with Michelle.”
“He isn’t. I just saw Michelle come out of the restroom.”
Lonny didn’t wait for her to say any more. He hurried off the dance floor and out of the building. Not knowing what else to do, Joy followed. She left Josh talking to a couple of other teachers—both women.
The first thing she saw when she got outside was that a group of kids, mostly boys, had clustered in a ragged circle. Joy couldn’t see much of what was taking place but she heard an ugly din, interspersed by girls’ screams. She nudged her way through the crowd, behind Lonny.
As soon as he broke through the crowd gathered to watch, Lonny burst into the middle.
Joy saw that two boys were holding Tom down while Kenny Brighton took a swing at him. Tom kicked and bucked against the youths restraining him. Michelle stood to one side with her hands covering her face, moaning, unable to watch.
“If there’s going to be a fight, it’ll be a fair one,” Lonny roared.
Outrage filled Joy. From the murmurs she heard around her, she wasn’t the only person who objected to what was going on. She was about to interrupt Lonny and insist that the fight be stopped altogether. But before she could say anything, Lonny rushed forward and tore the other boys off Tom. He flung them aside as if they were no more than flies.
Tom stood up, smudged with dirt and clutching his stomach. One eye was black, and the corner of his mouth was bleeding. Michelle ran forward, letting out a distressed cry as she saw Tom. Joy went over to the girl and placed one arm around her shoulders.
“What’s your problem?” Lonny demanded, addressing Kenny.
“He stole my girlfriend,” the larger boy shouted, his face twisted with rage. He raised his fists again as if eager to return to the pounding he’d been giving Tom.
“I’m not his girlfriend,” Michelle shouted back.
“You were until he showed up,” Kenny challenged, motioning toward Tom.
“You want to fight Tom?” Lonny asked.
Kenny nodded. “Let me at him, and I’ll show you how much I want to fight.”
“Tom?” Lonny asked.
Tom wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and nodded, too.
“Fine. Then step back, everyone, and give them plenty of room.”
Joy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Lonny was actually condoning the fight! “No,” she cried. Not only was she against physical violence, which in her view was never an appropriate response, but she could tell that even one on one, this wouldn’t be a “fair” fight. She felt she needed to point out the obvious discrepancies in their sizes. “Lonny, no! Kenny outweighs Tom by thirty or forty pounds.”
Lonny ignored her protest.
“Stay back, gentlemen,” Lonny told the two boys who’d been holding Tom down.
It seemed the entire gymnasium had emptied onto the field by this point. Joy remained at Michelle’s side, still horrified that Lonny was allowing the two boys to continue fighting.
“I’ve got to break this up!” she said urgently.
“No,” Michelle said, stopping her. “I hate it, but this is the way things are settled here. Tom doesn’t have any choice except to fight Kenny.”
“He could get hurt.” Joy knew Michelle didn’t want to see Tom hurt any more than she did.
“Mr. Ellison won’t let that happen,” Michelle told her.
Although she’d been part of the community for two years, Joy didn’t fully understand why some quarrels like this had to be handled by such primitive means. Besides, Lonny seemed to be setting Tom up for defeat. Kenny was bigger and stronger, and poor Tom didn’t stand a chance.
Kenny came out swinging, eager to take Tom down with one swift blow. To Joy’s surprise, Tom nimbly ducked, and Kenny’s powerful swing met nothing but air. The larger boy stumbled forward, and that was when Tom thrust his fist up and struck, hitting Kenny squarely in the jaw.
Kenny whirled back, a look of shock on his face.
“You ready to call it quits?” Tom asked him.
“Not on your life, you little weasel.” Kenny swung again, with the same result.
This time, Tom drove a fist into Kenny’s stomach, and the other boy doubled over.
“I’m not as easy to hit without someone holding me down, am I?” Tom said scornfully.
Joy loosened her grip on Michelle’s shoulders, suspecting the fight was almost over. The girl took a deep shuddering breath.
Twice more Kenny Brighton went after Tom. Both times Tom was too quick for him. Whenever Kenny took a swing, Tom retaliated with a solid punch, until Kenny lowered his arms and shook his head.
“You finished?” Lonny asked, stepping forward.
Kenny nodded.
“Is this the end of it?” Lonny stood between them.
Tom nodded and Kenny did, too, reluctantly.
“Then shake hands.”
Tom came forward with his hand extended and Kenny met him halfway.
“I don’t have to like you,” Kenny bit out.
“Same here,” Tom said.
They stared at each other, then wearily backed away.
Michelle immediately rushed to Tom’s side and slipped her arm around his waist. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” he said smi
ling. “Are we going to dance or not?”
“Dance,” she replied, and her eyes sparkled with delight. “Oh, Tom, I would never have guessed you could hold your own against Kenny.”
They returned to the gym and in a few minutes, the crowd dwindled. Kenny’s friends gathered around him, but he brusquely pushed them aside and stalked to the parking lot.
“Is it over?” Joy asked Lonny, still a little nervous.
“There’s nothing to worry about now,” he assured her.
“I don’t understand why they had to fight.” Nothing like this would’ve been allowed anywhere else; she was convinced of that. Certainly not at a school in Seattle.
“You didn’t see any of the other chaperones stopping the fight, did you?”
Joy had to agree she hadn’t.
“This way it was fair and there were witnesses. Kenny learned a valuable lesson tonight, and my guess is it’s one he won’t soon forget.”
Joy wasn’t nearly as convinced of that as Lonny seemed to be.
“He’ll go home and lick his wounds,” Lonny continued. “Basically, Kenny’s a good kid. It embarrassed him to lose, especially in front of his friends—and the girl he likes.”
“What was the lesson he supposedly learned?” Joy asked, not quite restraining her sarcasm.
Lonny looked at her in puzzlement. “Kenny learned that being bigger and stronger isn’t necessarily an advantage,” he said as though that should be obvious.
“Yes, but—”
“He was humiliated in front of his classmates because they saw that it took two of his friends to hold Tom down in order for Kenny to get in a hit. No one wants to be known as a dirty fighter.”
“But…”
“He won’t make the same mistake twice. Kenny might not like Tom, but now, at least, he respects him.”
Joy just shook her head. “I don’t understand fighting and I never will.”
“You’re new here,” he said with a shrug, as if that explained everything.
“In other words, I don’t belong in Red Springs.”
Lonny smiled. “I wouldn’t say that, but I would definitely say you belong with me.”