Chapter 19
Maven
Walking through the large barn doors and breathing in the smell of fresh lumber, I could hardly believe the community had come together and built the structure in one day.
Ben had said there was still a lot of work to be done, but most of it would be contracted out—things like installing a metal roof, bathrooms, and electricity.
For now, the constant hum of generators must be what powered the strings of bulbs hung overhead and the PA system from the live band.
Penny clung to my hand as we stood on the outskirts, gaining our bearings. There were lots of faces I recognized, but a mix of new ones as well. I didn’t see Ben yet either. “Do you see anyone you want to say ‘hi’ to?” I asked her.
“There’s the Clark girl,” Mom said, pointing.
Penny shook her head.
“What about them?” I flicked my chin to a group of three girls near Penny’s age dancing together.
Penny followed my gaze, then shook her head again. Her big green eyes were full of apprehension when they returned to me. “I just want to stay with you and Nana.”
“Perfect.” I squeezed Pen’s hand. “Because Nana and I want to stay with you.” I remembered what it was like moving to a new place at Penny’s age. But unlike me, she didn’t have an older brother to let her tag along wherever he went. “Should we go watch the band while we wait for your dad?”
This time Penny nodded, and the three of us made our way toward the far end of the barn, where a large wooden platform was being used as a temporary stage.
“Is that a violin?” Penny asked, pointing at an older gentleman fiddling.
“Technically, it’d be called a fiddle, but there’s really no difference except how it’s played. Watch his fingers.” I leaned down and pointed. “See how they stay up toward the top of the neck near the pegs?”
Penny nodded.
“A violinist will use the entire fingerboard for a larger range of notes, but a fiddler needs to play songs people can dance to. That hand position allows for notes to be played much more quickly, and the open strings give that fun, bright sound. Plus, look how fast he moves his bow.”
“Do you know how to play like that?”
“I know a handful of fiddle songs, but what’s amazing about actual fiddlers is that sometimes they’ll make up stuff as they go. They’ll just play and see where the music takes them.”
Penny’s eyes widened, and she turned her gaze back to the older gentleman fiddling. He met her awed expression and winked at her, his jolly, round cheeks lifting with his smile.
“I thought you three might be up here,” Carson said as he joined us.
“That took you a minute,” I said.
“All the parking was full. Thankfully, Ben saw me driving down First and told me to park alongside his fifth wheel.”
My gaze shifted behind him, trying not to appear too eager. “Is Ben here, then?”
Carson glanced over his shoulder. “We walked in together, but he stopped to talk to Mayor Monroe.”
“There he is.” Penny pointed toward the doors. Mayor Monroe was gesturing at different aspects of the barn with a large smile on his face. He, along with everyone else, clearly counted the barn raising a huge success. I fully agreed.
When the brief conversation finished, Ben started forward, his gaze sweeping the area like he was looking for someone.
Then his eyes locked with mine and he smiled, making his way toward us.
He wore a simple gray t-shirt and jeans, and instead of wearing his typical baseball cap, he’d styled his hair in a way that made him look like he’d just walked off a shoot for the Sexy Blue-Collared Men wall calendar.
Not that I was having thoughts of buying a hundred copies of the fictional calendar and wallpapering my wall with it.
I absolutely wasn’t. A calendar for each room would be sufficient.
As he approached and there were no longer people between us, his gaze slowly dropped to my dress, and his feet stilled.
“What’s he doing?” Penny asked.
“Just appreciating the view,” my mom said, sending me a knowing smile.
Perhaps my dress selection—a solid, sage-green fabric with a cinched bodice and a flowy skirt that hit mid-thigh—wasn’t practical for the chillier weather, but I’d paired it with a pair of my mom’s cowboy boots.
Boots of all varieties were totally a fall thing.
Penny scrunched up her nose. “But he’s just staring at Aunt Maven.”
Apparently realizing we were commenting on his humorous reaction, Ben started forward again.
“Hey.” He stopped in front of me, his voice a touch breathy.
Instantly, I was thrown back to homecoming sophomore year in the old barn this one had replaced.
To the moment when Ben had first seen me in my dress.
The look on his face. The waver in his voice.
And the way my cheeks burned under his appraisal.
But this time, I didn’t have a cup of ice-cold water to cool them.
Perhaps this dress hadn’t been a good idea, but clearly my logical thinking skills had become skewed since I’d returned to Autumn Ridge.
“Hey.” I pulled in a slow breath to relieve the buzzing that circulated through me with his nearness. “You look nice.”
As though he couldn’t help himself, his gaze traveled down the length of my body in one swift motion. “And you look…” He paused, his eyes briefly flicking to my family. “…really nice too.”
In my periphery, Carson and my mom shared a look. What was I doing? I know how this ends, I reminded myself. Ben’s life was in Autumn Ridge. Mine was in New York. There were ZERO reasons to allow old feelings to take hold, let alone propagate.
“You up for a dance?” Ben asked, lifting his hand to me.
“A country dance?” I shook my head. “I don’t know how. Besides,” I smiled down at Penny. “I promised Penny I’d stay with her.”
“You can dance,” Penny said, throwing me under the bus with the most innocently placed shove ever accomplished. “I’ll stay with Dad and Nana.”
A rush of nerves moved through me. Agreeing to dance with Ben seemed like another really bad decision. Though I had to admit, my consistency at making them was impressive.
“Well, look who it is.” A man’s voice sent me glancing over my shoulder to find Jaxon approaching. “My favorite sister-in-law in the flesh.”
“Jaxon!” I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. “It’s so good to see you. I can’t believe you’re getting married next week!” I glanced behind him. “Where’s Landrie?”
“She’ll be here soon. But while I wait for her, I was thinking I should snag a dance with you before this guy monopolizes you all night.” He flicked his head toward Ben.
“I was just telling your brother that I don’t know how to country dance.”
“It doesn’t really matter if you have a good lead. Not that I’m as proficient as Ben, but I can hold my own.” He lifted a hand to me. “What do you say?”
My brain stalled. Ben was a proficient dancer? I mean, he had asked me to dance, but I assumed we’d just hold each other and sway back and forth like we used to. Unintentionally, my gaze shifted to Ben, who was shaking his head while a smile curved the corners of his mouth upward.
“You don’t need his permission,” Jaxon said, as though that was why I’d been looking at his brother. “Ben’s a big boy. He’ll survive a little hit to his pride when you choose me.”
How could I say no to Jaxon? I placed my hand in his, sending Ben an apologetic smile. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I said as Jaxon led me into the middle of the dancers. “I really have no idea what I’m doing.”
“With all that violin playing you do, you must be a master at counting. This is no different. It’s a simple two-step—just fast, fast, slooow, slooow.” And just like that, Jaxon took hold of my hands and started leading me across the floor while Ben watched me clumsily attempt to follow.
When Jaxon and I had finished our dance, Luke followed his older brother’s example and asked me before Ben had a chance.
Apparently, I’d been designated as the charity case of the dance floor, because before I’d even finished dancing with Luke, I noticed Seth Hall, a guy I’d gone to high school with, lingering nearby.
“Looks like if Ben wants to dance with you, he’ll need to put up a fight,” Luke said, attempting to spin me without warning. I lost my counting for a moment and mis-stepped, but he managed to get me back on.
“If that’s what’s required, then we probably won’t dance.” My words were thoughtless, and I forced out a smile as an afterthought to lighten the blow.
Luke’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t respond. Which I was grateful for.
“Speaking of dancing, where did you learn to dance?” I asked.
“For the last few years, Ben’s been going to Lakeview once or twice a week. They have a big hall up there where they teach country dancing, then hold a dance after. Jaxon and I tag along when we can.”
“Oh.” I attempted to cover my disappointment.
Of course Ben should be out living and dancing and finding gorgeous women to network with.
Even before Colin and I got together, I had dated.
But jealousy apparently didn’t adhere to reason, and I felt slightly sick to my stomach at the thought.
Though maybe that was the spinning getting to me. “That sounds… fun.”
“It’s a lot of fun.”
When the song ended, just as I’d suspected, Seth asked me to dance. Luke looked hesitant to hand me over to anyone outside the Walker family until I greeted Seth with a slightly elevated level of enthusiasm. I needed a few more minutes to recalibrate before speaking with Ben anyway.