Bride Of Dreams

The moment she stepped into his arms she felt her pulse race. She moved with him as easily as if she’d danced with him all her life.

There was no missing the darkening in his eyes or the slight hitch in his breath when she rested her hand on his shoulder. In her heels, she almost met him at eye level.

“I’m glad you asked me,” she said, so softly he had to lean down to hear her.

“I’m glad you accepted.”

Their steps moved in perfect sync as they moved among the other couples. They ignored the curious looks directed their way and the whispers along the side of the room.

“Seeing the way they’re looking at us, I’d guess you normally don’t come to the dances,” she murmured.

“I don’t,” he admitted under his breath.

She slightly drew back. “Never?”

“My grandfather comes to them. I take duty those nights.”

“You’re not on duty tonight. I bet they would have let you take the evening off, so you could come other times.”

“I usually prefer being on duty so anyone else who wants to come can.”

The tip of her tongue appeared, to dot the curve of her upper lip. The first time he comes to a dance is with me? No wonder people are staring at us. “Oh.”

“Who else asked you to go with them tonight?” Cooper questioned.

Caroline tipped her head back, eyes half closed in thought. Her lips moved as if she was ticking off names. In his mind, she took entirely too long before she opened her eyes.

“No one.”

“I can’t believe that.”

“Alice said I intimidate the men. I think I just plain scare them.” She almost yelped with joy when she saw a corner of his mouth twitch.

“Maybe you should try the smiley face on their pancakes,” he suggested.

“I wanted to build a tower with the bacon, but Marge said it wasn’t a good idea.” Her smile faltered.

Cooper spun her around so he could see what caught her attention. Elias Spencer had just come in with Lydia Perry, a member of the infamous Tyler Quilting Circle. Cooper didn’t miss the momentary expression in Caroline’s eyes that he knew was yearning. But why? What did Elias Spencer have to do with her?

It would have been so easy to ask her why seeing any of the Spencer men affected her so strongly. But he didn’t want to tip his hand just yet.

“See anyone you know?” he asked instead.

She looked at him blankly for a moment before she recovered. “I’m sorry, I must have zoned out,” she apologized.

He shook his head, confused. “Zoned out?”

“Mentally wandered off. I usually don’t do that.”

“Maybe it’s the company,” he said lightly.

She ducked her head just enough so she could inhale the spicy scent of his aftershave.

“Fishing for a compliment, Cooper?” Her smooth voice flowed like hot silk over his skin. Her hand moved almost caressingly across his shoulder.

“I never had a woman zone out before,” he said gruffly.

She smiled brightly. “Let’s just call it relaxing and having fun, shall we?”

Cooper wasn’t sure it was a good idea to relax too much around Caroline.

CAROLINE LOVED TO DANCE and did so any chance she had. Tonight she learned that dancing with Cooper was a whole new experience.

She couldn’t remember a partner moving with her the way he did. As if they were one.

The connotation brought images to mind that were best left alone.

Dancing was giving her the chance to glance around the room and see who was where. Luckily, the people she’d hoped to see there had arrived. The Spencer men were all present, and none of them arrived alone. Since they were good-looking men, she wasn’t surprised.

Brady Spencer was the only one she’d had much chance to talk to. She hoped she would have more of a chance tonight. She already knew Cooper was good friends with all the Spencer brothers, Seth, Brady and Quinn, so it would be natural for him to spend some time with them.

“Well, folks, we’re going to take a short break,” the band leader, who also played the trombone, announced in a voice that carried throughout the large room. “Get yourselves something cold to drink, rest your feet and we’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.”

As Caroline and Cooper left the dance floor, she was aware of his hand resting warmly against the small of her back. She’d never thought of it as a sensitive area until then.

“Looks as if we’re being paged,” Cooper murmured, guiding Caroline to the left.

“I told myself, ‘That can’t be Cooper Night Hawk out there dancing,’” Brady called out. He was grinning widely when the couple reached the table. “The man wouldn’t attend a dance if his life depended on it. Then Eden says, ‘Look out there. It’s Cooper.’ I was ready to tell her she needed glasses when I saw you myself. Ow!” He rubbed his arm where his wife had punched him.

“Please excuse my husband. He sometimes needs a mouth adjustment,” Eden Frazier Spencer explained to Caroline. Her violet eyes were warm with amusement. “I hate to think what kind of witty sayings he comes up with at the hospital.”

“I haven’t lost a sponge in a patient for some time now,” Brady insisted.

“Which is why I go out of town for medical services,” Cooper said.

“The man can make a joke, but not once have I seen him smile or laugh,” Caroline confided in Eden.

Caroline secretly envied the other woman her stunning violet eyes. There had been plenty of talk about Eden and Brady’s romance, with everyone insisting that the charming surgeon didn’t go down easy. He hadn’t wanted to get married, but he also hadn’t wanted to lose Eden.

Now he looked as if marriage agreed with him a great deal. Caroline didn’t miss the secret looks and smiles shared by the couple. It was an intimacy she hoped to share with a special person one day.

Cooper turned to Caroline. “How about something cold to drink?”

“Yes, please.”

“Eden, Brady, I’m sure we’ll see you later.”

When they reached the drinks table, Cooper looked at her questioningly.