6. Delilah #2
“Later. Right now I’d like you to meet the Wicked Washboarders, our very own eclectic bluegrass-country-polka band.” He reached out to shake hands with an older man who held a strange-looking musical instrument in his hands. “Kirby, meet Delilah Stone, the reigning Miss Lovin’ Texas.”
Kirby took his cowboy hat off his head and bent into a low bow. “The pleasure’s all mine, Ms. Stone. The fellas and I were about to get started on our set. I do hope you’ll stick around to watch for a bit.”
“Just a few minutes,” Jasper said. “Ms. Stone’s been traveling all day, so I promised her an early night.”
“I’d love to.” My gaze swept over the variety of instruments they’d set up.
“All right then.” Jasper pointed to a few round tables gathered around the perimeter of a small dance area. “Should we grab a seat before the music starts?”
“You let us know if you have any special requests.” Kirby nodded before turning his attention back to tuning a few strings.
I let Jasper lead me over to the table. “What kind of instrument does he play?”
“Kirby hasn’t met an instrument he can’t coax a tune from, but that’s a steel guitar. Don’t you like country music?”
I bit my lip, not wanting to admit that the last time I’d listened to country was probably at a high school dance.
“You’re kidding me.” Jasper grinned. “Please tell me you know how to two-step?”
“Of course.” I smiled at his good-natured ribbing.
“Whew. I thought for a second there we might have to vote you out and get a new judge. Hey, would you like a lemonade?”
“Maybe just a water instead?”
“You got it. I’ll be back in a second. Save my seat?”
I nodded and watched Jasper walk back toward the refreshment table.
It was odd having such a good-looking, charming hospitality host. We’d gotten off to a rocky start but there was no denying our involvement had taken a turn toward something much more pleasant.
I’d have to do my best not to mix business with pleasure.
It wouldn’t do me any good to let my attraction to Ido’s main man get in the way of my doing my job.
No good at all.
Jasper
“How’s it going?” Lacey snatched my arm as I approached the refreshment table.
“Good. She met Zina and Alex. And I introduced her to Kirby, too. I think she wants to tour For Pitties’ Sake while she’s here. Maybe she can help us spread the word about the rescue.”
There had to be some benefit to catering to the beauty queen’s every need for the next month.
Especially if Ido didn’t waltz away with the title.
I’d done some research on the two other towns in the brief amount of time I’d had between my talk with Lacey and Delilah’s arrival.
Hartwood oozed romance from every street corner.
They had a huge Valentine’s celebration every year and a wine trail that catered to long couples’ weekends and picture-perfect wedding settings.
East wasn’t quite as polished. Their website spoke to romantic dude ranch stays and communing with nature in the state park that bordered the town. I was fairly sure we could put on a better show than East but was still struggling to figure out a way to best Hartwood.
“Have you given any more thought to our big event?” Lacey asked.
“I’ve been trying. It’s not like I’ve had a lot of time.”
“None of us have. I wish we’d had more notice. How about playing up the Fall Festival this year?” She snagged a cup of lemonade and tried to keep it away from the grabby hands of baby P.
“That would work. I was thinking we could make it bigger. Maybe add a pumpkin thing where we float lit-up pumpkins down the river?” I’d been trying to come up with an idea that would foster community spirit and show Ido in a romantic light.
“Do you have any themed weddings coming up in the next month?”
Lacey’s brow furrowed. “I’ll go through the reservations again.
The only thing that comes to mind is the bride who wants to build her whole wedding around butterflies.
She even sent over boxes of caterpillars.
Thinks they ought to turn into butterflies before her wedding, and she wants us to release them all right after they take their vows. ”
“That sounds kind of cool. Let me see what I can come up with to work with that.”
“Really?” Lacey turned a questioning eye my way. “I suppose butterflies are kind of romantic.”
“Doesn’t matter what you think. It just matters what Ms. Stone thinks.”
Lacey shrugged. “That’s true.”
I glanced over at Delilah, who sat clapping her hands along with the music coming from Kirby’s steel guitar. As I reached for two cups of fresh-squeezed lemonade, Lacey bumped me with her hip.
“Who’s that?”
“Who’s who?”
“Sitting down next to our judge. Please tell me that’s not Adeline.” Her eyes narrowed.
I followed her gaze. Adeline took the seat opposite Delilah at the two-top table. She reached over and shook hands. Then bent her head toward Miss Lovin’ Texas like she was about to divulge world secrets.
“Jasper, we’ve got to get over there and find out what’s going on. We can’t have Adeline messing with our chance to win.” Lacey drained the rest of her lemonade and tossed her cup in the trash. “Let’s go.”
I covered the short distance to the table with Lacey on my heels. “Here’s your lemonade.”
“Thank you.” Delilah wrapped her hand around the red plastic cup.
“Jasper. Lacey.” Adeline nodded, making her short bob swing. “I was just telling Delilah how disappointed we were to be out of the running. We all know Swynton is a much more romantic place to spend some time.”
“Maybe if y’all hadn’t cheated you’d still be up for consideration.” Lacey lifted a shoulder.
“We didn’t do anything wrong. And I’m going to prove it.” Adeline got up from her seat. “Ms. Stone, if you’d like to experience some real Texas hospitality, you let me know. We have a gorgeous bed-and-breakfast right downtown that would be happy to host you during your stay.”
Something jabbed into my shin. I winced and bent down to rub my hand over the spot. As I glanced up at Lacey, she made her eyes go wide and nudged her chin toward the dance floor. What was that supposed to mean?
“The music is lovely, isn’t it?” Lacey asked. “Are you much of a dancer, Ms. Stone?” Again, with the tilt of the head toward the dance floor.
“I’ve taken some variety of dance classes most of my life. But mainly to help with posture. Definitely not to perform.” Delilah turned her upper body to glance at the couples twirling around the dance floor.
“Would you like to dance?” I asked, finally connecting the dots on what Lacey was trying to get me to do.
“I’d love to. Will you excuse us?” She stood and took a step in front of me.
I put my hand at the small of her back and guided her toward the small clearing they’d set up for dancing, praying I wouldn’t make a fool out of myself.
Lacey hadn’t mentioned dancing as a requirement of taking on the role of hospitality host. I hadn’t led a woman around a dance floor in a long time.
“Sorry about that.” I clasped Delilah’s hand in mine and put my arm around her waist. She smelled like every happy memory I’d ever had—a mixture of lemons and bright summer days. Who could have imagined someone could bottle up the scent of joy?
“I’m used to women getting territorial. Comes with competing in pageants.” Her hand rested lightly on my shoulder.
I wanted to pull her close and let myself breathe her in, one long breath at a time. But we were only on day one. I had twenty-nine more days of being subjected to the sunshine of Delilah Stone. Best not ruin it all the first night.
“Adeline doesn’t like to lose.”
“I gathered.” She smiled. “No one really likes to lose though, do they?”
From this close I could catch the way the light sparkled in her smoky green eyes. “I suppose not.”
“The way a person handles a loss can tell you quite a bit about them, don’t you think?”
I thought back to the year my high school football team lost the division title to Swynton.
Some of the guys wanted to head across the river and interfere with their parade.
Coach had pretty much told them the same thing.
Winning was great but showing that you could handle a loss said more about a person’s character.
“I think you’re right.” I lifted my hand from her waist and twirled her around before nestling her against my chest.
“Where did you learn how to dance so well?”
“You’ll laugh if I tell you.”
“No, I won’t. I promise.” She crossed her heart with her fingertip.
I had to tear my gaze away from the spot where her finger connected with her chest. “My aunt Suzy used to make me take her to the Friday night fish fry down at the VFW. They always had music playing after dinner and my uncle Gus refused to dance with her, so she paid me.”
Delilah’s eyes widened and her lips quirked up. “How old were you?”