Chapter 31
CHAPTER
Carol almost burst into tears when Justin entered the hall, Anna by his side.
They were holding hands and smiling. This was exactly how she had always wanted to see her son.
He looked happy and at ease with himself and the woman walking next to him.
They stopped a couple of steps inside the door and Anna said something to make Justin laugh loudly enough for Carol to hear him.
She eased back towards the wall where she wouldn’t be noticed as she pulled a tissue from her bag to wipe her eyes.
She had expected to see Justin. And to see him with Anna.
The town grapevine, led by the knitting club, had made that clear.
But she hadn’t expected this emotional reaction.
If Justin found someone like Anna, then Carol would know he was happy.
Even if they never spoke again, she could be content knowing there was love in his life.
From her hiding place, she looked eagerly around, hoping to see Ben.
He wasn’t there and her heart sank a little.
She didn’t believe that she would ever be part of his life again, but she hadn’t given up hope that her youngest son would forgive her enough to at least be in the same room as her.
The town grapevine had let her know how often he’d been at the pub during his stay.
How often he’d drunk too much and how often his brother had taken him home.
If Ben was in trouble, it was her fault, but she was the one person who had no chance of making it better.
She saw a head of bright orange hair approaching. Her hiding place had been discovered.
‘Carol, come and join us. Get yourself a drink and something to eat.’
‘Thanks, Val, but I’m all right.’
‘Nonsense. Come on. I see your handsome son is escorting our wonderful Anna. That’s the older one, Justin, isn’t it? They look lovely together.’
‘Yes, they do,’ Carol whispered as she allowed herself to be led towards the food table. She was greeted by a chorus of women mentioning how handsome Justin looked and how nice it was to see Anna on what was obviously a date.
She was starting to wonder how soon she could politely excuse herself and leave when she noticed Anna coming her way. Alone.
‘Hi, Carol.’
‘Hello, Anna. You look very nice this evening.’
Anna twisted her body, causing her skirt to flare out around her knees. ‘It is nice not to be wearing overalls or jeans. And it’s also good to see you out and about too.’
They stood silently for a few seconds, very aware that this night was a step forward for both of them.
‘Did you see the warning about the fire up at Castle Rock?’ Anna said.
‘Yes, I did. There’s another wildlife carer up that way. But if the fire moves east, I’ll be standing by.’
‘Me too. I hope it doesn’t come to that. Not just for everyone’s sake, but it would be a shame to have to leave the dance.’
Carol wasn’t sure what to say, and before she could figure it out, Justin appeared, walking towards them, carrying two plastic glasses of beer.
She fought down the urge to run. After that initial visit to her home, he hadn’t made any attempt to contact her.
Nor had she tried to contact him, fearing rejection. Neither of them had much choice now.
‘Hello, Justin.’
‘Hello … Mum.’
Carol heard the hesitation, but there was no anger or antipathy in his voice. She would take that for now.
‘Here’s your beer, Anna.’ Justin handed it over.
‘Thanks.’
‘Mum, can I get you anything? A beer or—’
‘No, thanks, Justin. I’m fine.’
An uncomfortable silence settled, before a familiar face appeared beside them.
‘Rick,’ Anna said. ‘How is your father doing?’
‘Getting better by the day, but not quite up to dancing yet. He’s holding up the bar and telling tales of how brilliant you are.’
‘I was just doing what anyone would do.’ Anna brushed Rick’s praise aside, but Carol could see the pride his words gave her. ‘And how is Freddie?’
‘Just great, Anna. Thanks to you. And you too.’ Rick shook Justin’s hand. ‘Without the two of you, he would have died in that crash. Maybe Dad too.’
Justin only shook his head.
‘Anyway,’ Rick continued, ‘the band is about to start up. Anna, would you dance with me?’
Anna blinked in surprise.
‘I’d dance with you, too, Justin,’ Rick said with a grin. ‘But Anna is much prettier and probably a better dancer too.’
Anna laughed. She handed her beer to Justin and allowed Rick to guide her onto the dance floor as the band started playing. The dance floor at the centre of the hall quickly filled with moving bodies, dancing with a greater or lesser degree of skill, but all were having a good time.
Carol cast a sideways glance at Justin. He was clearly not having such a good time as he watched Anna and Rick.
‘It looks like you may have some competition,’ Carol said. ‘You’d better ask her to dance as soon as she comes back.’
‘Oh, I will.’ Justin sounded deadly serious.
Then he drew his eyes away from the dance floor and looked down at Carol.
‘I am planning to spend the night here, at the Ridge. Maybe even a day or two on standby for the Castle Rock fire. Are you going to be home tomorrow? I thought I might come around. Just to make sure you’re all set should the fire swing your way. ’
They were the sort of words Carol hadn’t dared hope to hear. ‘Yes, I will be. All day. Whatever time suits you.’
‘All right. I’ll see you then. And now I have to do something about this dance.’ Justin took a swallow of his beer, placed both cups on a nearby table and stepped onto the dance floor. Carol saw him cut in on Rick, who nodded happily as Justin and Anna danced away.
***
They danced until the song ended and then came to a stop.
Anna was breathing a little heavily, less from her exertions than from her pleasure.
She’d enjoyed dancing with Rick, not because she had any designs on him, but simply because he’d asked her to.
He was a nice-looking young man, no more than nineteen, she guessed, but that didn’t matter.
It was only a dance and it was a long time since she’d danced with anyone.
Dancing with Justin, however, was a very different thing.
He hadn’t touched her. It wasn’t that sort of dance.
Each of them had been moving independently to the music, stomping feet and jumping around a bit at times, not unlike the young kids who were gyrating in front of the stage.
Their hands had brushed and once, Justin had leaned forward to say something, trying to be heard over the music.
She hadn’t caught the words, but she had felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek.
As they slowed to a standstill, every fibre of her body was tingling. She felt more alive than she had since that day. She looked into his face and saw a joy there that she was sure was reflected in her own, scar or no scar.
‘Miss Anna!’
A child’s voice broke the tension between them.
Anna looked around to greet the girl who had raced across the dance floor, her mother in hot pursuit.
‘Woah, slow down there.’ Justin bent down to intercept her. ‘Miss Anna’s not going anywhere.’
‘You fixed Olaf,’ the girl—Matilda, Anna remembered—told Anna. ‘He’s really fast now, even though he’s only got three legs. And he’s happy, but we’re very careful that he doesn’t get on the road any more.’
‘That’s good,’ Anna said. ‘The road is no place for a dog.’
‘So what do you say to Miss Anna?’ Tania had caught up with the group.
‘Thank you!’ Matilda wrapped her arms around Anna in an enthusiastic hug.
‘You and Olaf are very welcome.’
‘Come on now, let’s leave her to enjoy her evening.’ Tania led Matilda away.
‘That was nice,’ Justin said, a huge smile on his face. ‘Why does she call you Miss Anna? You don’t hear that a lot from kids her age.’
‘It’s a thing here in the Ridge. The librarian is Miss Lou. Bree from the alpaca stud is Miss Bree. It might have something to do with one of the teachers at the school.’
‘I think it’s nice.’
‘So do I.’
‘Shall we get a drink? And maybe a snack?’ Justin took her hand to lead her towards the refreshment tables.
Anna’s heart did that thing again. It felt natural and good to be holding Justin’s hand.
It was warm and though the skin was rough from years of hard work, he was very gentle for a strong man.
She was quite disappointed when he let go of her hand to collect their drinks.
As he did, she noticed him add his change to the big jar that was collecting funds for the mobile library. And it wasn’t just a few coins.
As they drank their beers and enjoyed some food, Justin and Anna wandered around the room, chatting to friends, volunteer firefighters and clients.
Although he’d only spent a short time in the town, Justin seemed at ease with everyone, whether he knew them or not.
Anna loved watching him. She envied his self-confidence and assurance.
She loved the way everyone, from young kids to their grandparents, seemed to smile when he talked to them.
She was far more comfortable here than in that restaurant in Scone.
Everyone here knew her. They didn’t avoid her eyes or look shocked when they saw her face. Or even worse, look at her with pity.
The band started playing again after a short break and Justin led her back onto the dance floor.
This time the music was slower and he pulled her close as they swayed.
She rested her head against his shoulder, breathing deep his warm, masculine smell.
As they danced, she felt what might have been his lips brush her hair.
She couldn’t help herself. Moving closer, feeling his body against hers, she felt things she had not felt in a very long time. She felt hope.
The music ceased and for a very long time, she didn’t want to let him go. She was hoping the band had another similar song in their repertoire, but the band leader dashed her hopes.
‘All right, now we’ve all had a rest, time for some good old country dancing.’
As the music started and boot heels started thumping the wooden floor, someone tapped Anna on the shoulder. She turned to see the smiling face of a groom from one of her big horse stud clients.
‘Hi, Anna.’
‘Hi, Bob.’
‘Dance with me?’
Anna tried not to let her surprise show.
‘Yes. Sure.’ She handed her beer to Justin and followed Bob onto the floor.
The dance was fast and fun, with a certain amount of yelling ‘yee haa’ by both the band and the dancers.
Anna was a little disappointed when it ended and Bob escorted her off the floor. Justin was waiting to claim her.
‘That was fun. Thanks, Bob.’ She took a step closer to Justin and retrieved her beer.
‘That was a surprise,’ Anna said after Bob had walked away.
‘Why?’ Justin asked.
‘Well. You know.’ Anna made a small motion with her hands, a gesture that could refer to her face.
‘No, I don’t know. Come with me.’
Once again, Justin took her hand, but this time he didn’t lead her onto the dance floor.
They left the hall by a side door and walked out into the night.
The breeze was refreshing after the crowded hall, but not even a breeze would make the evening cooler.
The children’s play area was dimly lit by the lights from the hall and by a full moon shining in the clear midnight blue sky. It was also empty.
They sat on one of the wooden benches and Justin took both her hands in his.
‘I cannot begin to imagine what you have been through.’
He didn’t have to say what he was referring to. She knew.
‘And I cannot imagine how hard it’s been for you. The things thoughtless people have said and done.’
She felt tears pricking the back of her eyes and he squeezed her hands as he carried on.
‘But I hope you realise that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever known. And I’m not just talking about your heart and your kindness and humour.
Nor even about your courage.’ He let go of her hands to cup her face in the palms of his hands.
‘You are beautiful. Your face is beautiful. It’s part of who you are.
Nothing—no scars, no years—nothing will ever make you less than beautiful. ’
He kissed her forehead, where the scar crossed it in a jagged line.
He kissed her cheek, where the skin had been pulled so tight by the stitches.
Her chin, where the pain of a chipped jawbone had added to the agony of the wounds.
And he kissed her mouth. A gentle kiss that quickly grew deeper.
Grew into something more as he pulled her into his arms.
She kissed him back, believing both his words and the feel of his body against hers, the taste of his lips and the passion as they moved with hers. She put her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer. She wanted to feel every inch of him. Wanted him to feel every inch of her. Wanted … him.
‘Anna …’ He breathed her name as they broke the kiss, his breath caressing her cheek. Maybe washing away the remembered pain. His eyes were dancing with light and passion. Maybe love?
Anna did something she had not done since that day. She reached for Justin and pulled him closer to kiss him, confident at last that he would not pull away.
The kiss lasted a very long time.
Then an alarm sounded, loud and raucous and almost painful in the stillness of the evening.