by Jessa Chase
If I Saw You Dancing
Love in Madelia
Jessa Chase
Published by Jessa Chase, 2017.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
IF I SAW YOU DANCING
First edition. March 13, 2017.
Copyright © 2017 Jessa Chase.
Written by Jessa Chase.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
The story continues.... | Keep reading for a sneak peak of book three! | Waiting on Love, available for pre-order today!
About the Author
Dedicated to my little furry troop of followers: Zoey, Rocco, Chewy and Tico. Love you all.
Prologue
7 years ago...
CLAIRE
“It’s almost halftime,” Daniel McAllister whispered in her ear. They were huddled under the bleachers while the Madelia High School football team gave a walloping to the team from a nearby town.
When you came from a town as small and boring as Madelia, Claire Weaver thought ruefully, there wasn’t much else to do but get really good at football, and hope it took you someplace more interesting.
“Sounds like it,” Claire replied, arching her neck as Daniel left a trail of kisses along her sensitive skin. The roar of the crowd thundered above them.
“I think it’s about time we get out of here. What’s the plan tonight, Miss Weaver?”
Claire grinned. “I’m spending the whole night over at Kate’s house. Watching age appropriate movies and drinking non caffeinated beverages.”
“Right. No wonder your mom loves her,” Daniel groaned.
“Well, I mean Kate’s family has everything my mom says a good family should have. Money, prestige in the town, a fancy house with lots of cars.”
Daniel buried his face in her hair just then and Claire had to stifle her own groan to keep them from being noticed.
She would love it if her mother thought half as much of Daniel and his family as she did the Jacobson family, but at least having one good friend in town meant that she had some opportunities to get out of the house and away from her mom’s overbearing eye.
“I don’t need any of that. I’d rather just have you,” Daniel whispered against Claire’s ear. It was cheesy, mushy, the ultimate in ridiculous teen heartthrob nonsense, but she ate it up like it was double fudge chocolate ice cream.
After all, she was 17 years old and in love with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. A little cheesy melodrama fit right in with what she considered her narrative.
Claire had her legs wrapped around his waist like that was where they were meant to be, but when he whispered in her ear she pulled him even closer and gave a little squeeze.
Tonight was the night.
Tonight was, she had decided some time ago, the perfect night to give herself completely to the man she loved.
“You’ve got me,” she replied to him as her heart beat a hasty drumbeat in her chest. “You’ve got me all night.”
Daniel grinned. “Well, let’s get out of here then.”
DANIEL
She tasted like strawberries and heaven. Like the first rush of bubbles in a brand new can of Coke, right after you opened it. Like blueberries that stained your fingers and teeth but tasted so good you didn’t care about the mess you were making.
Daniel wasn’t usually the head-in-the-clouds romantic type, but damned if he didn’t feel like it when he was with Claire. She was hands-down the hottest girl in their class, but more than that she was sweet and gentle and everything he wasn’t. She cared about other people and always tried her best to think the best of them.
She worried the most about what her parents thought of the two of them, fretted that they’d find out about them and be upset. He actually thought it was kind of cute that she worried that much; after all, if his parents ever pulled their heads up out of their own affairs long enough to even notice anything Daniel or his brother Logan were doing, he’d probably die of shock.
So the idea that she cared enough about him, that she’d sneak away with him, do something her parents had expressly forbidden, well he knew it took a lot of nerve on her part to disobey an authority figure.
But there she was, sitting right next to him as they rode the Ferris wheel together, looking and smelling and tasting like everything he had ever wanted.
“Are you having fun?” He asked as he reached an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tight. She was wide-eyed and looking around at everything as they rose up higher into the sky.
“I’m good. I’m...oh God, I probably should have told you earlier. I’m a little afraid of heights.”
“How little?”
“Just a little. Oh wow. This is really high, isn’t it? This is, like, really really high.”
Daniel chuckled, and pulled her closer to him. He wasn’t going to complain about anything that got her in closer contact with him, and seeing her out of her element was kind of adorable.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered in her ear.
She burst out laughing at that, her fear forgotten for a moment of pure entertainment. “You’ll catch me if I fall? You’ll keep me from landing flat on the ground and going splat like a pancake?”
“Absolutely,” he replied with a wolfish grin. “Can’t kiss a girl if she’s all pancaked on the ground.”
He tilted her face toward him with the tips of his fingers, gently pressed his lips to hers. She sighed, and he felt the tension leaving her body in a shudder that gave him all kinds of hormone-fueled thoughts.
He let his fingers wander downward, until they were nudging at the lower hem of her t-shirt. It was well-worn, softened by years of washings, and he enjoyed feeling the fabric on the pads of his fingers.
It was about all he could do to keep the kiss tame and remember they were still in public, and not in the hotel room he’d spent a month’s wages securing for them.
Well, relatively tame, anyway. He wasn’t a saint after all.
She gasped when his fingers wound under her t-shirt, her hot skin a stark contrast to his cool touch.
“Daniel,” she said. Part warning. Part encouragement.
“Look out at the town,” he replied, directing her attention outward. They’d reached the top of the Ferris wheel, their view no longer hampered by the other riders.
“Wow, you can see everything.”
Truth be told, “everything” when it came to Madelia equaled about four street corners, a handful of shops, the school, and the post office. The town proper was surrounded by farms, where most of the town actually lived. But Daniel bit his tongue before he could disparage the town too much. He knew that Claire loved the little town, and he didn’t want to say anything that would ruin her enjoyment of the view.
“Just wait until I take you on the Big Wheel, and we’re looking down on Paris. Imagine how beautiful the city will be from above. You’ll be able to see Fontaine des Flueves over there,” he pointed to the left of them, waving his hand in the air as if showing her some great sight.
Claire closed her eyes and together they pretended they were in Paris.
“Over there is Jeu de Paume. We’ll check out their latest exh
ibit, a talented newly discovered photographer with some unpronounceable name. There’s miles of museums to explore, Maxim’s and Pierre-Marly, dozens of contemporary art galleries and gorgeous historic hotels.”
“Sounds like heaven,” Claire cooed. “I can’t wait.”
“We’ll go, and we’ll see and we’ll do everything. And nobody will care who we are, or who our parents are. Nobody will care that we came from a town so small that it’s barely on the map. All that will matter is that I love you, and you love me.”
“I don’t want this night to end.” Claire kissed him, and he felt her passion all the way down to his toes.
“It doesn’t have to,” he said, holding her hands in his. “Tonight can be as long as we want it to be.”
Chapter 1
CLAIRE
“Now ladies, before we finish for the day let’s get back into the tendu form that we were working on last class.” Claire directed her class of Madelia town elders to face her as they held onto the barre in her dance studio. “Slowly slide your foot out from 3rd position until just the points of your toes are in contact with the floor.”
Claire moved to the side of Mrs. Peterson and offered her a little stability by placing the palm of her hand against the small of her back. The woman was one of the oldest in her class, and though her body was frail with age, she had a strength of will that always surprised and impressed Claire. She only hoped she had that much determination in her old age.
“Okay, now return your foot to 3rd position please. And hold it right there.” Claire stepped over to the floor to ceiling mirror and pressed the power button on her mp3 player, attached to small but powerful portable speakers.
The graceful sounds of the first act of La Fille mal gardée filled her dance studio, the light and airy tune bringing smiles to the faces of the women as they grasped the barre and practiced their forms.
Claire returned to her spot facing them and brought herself to 3rd position, signaling to the women who had wandered out of position that they do the same.
“Next, I’d like you to slide your foot out to the side of you, pointing with your toes so that they are again touching the floor. When you return your foot to 3rd position, please close it at the back of your supporting leg.”
Claire grinned as she watched her ladies move as nearly one. She loved every one of her students, she really did, but if she had to pick the optimal way to spend her early morning hours, it would be with this class in particular.
“Wonderful! I thinks that’s enough for today. I look forward to seeing all of you bright and early again on Friday. Please remember to hydrate when you get home!”
After gathering up their coats and scarves, the women filed out of the dance studio, leaving Claire alone with her thoughts. The music had slowed, a haunting piece by Shubert that she particularly loved. It reminded her of her time at The Met, performing in front of hundreds of adoring fans.
Giving classes in a small town like Madelia was very different from her past life with the American Ballet Theatre, but for Claire it was exactly the change that she needed. As much as she had loved her time performing all around the world, she found herself looking for something more permanent. She wanted to plant a flag somewhere and call it her own.
She loved Madelia, having grown most of the way up just outside of town on her family’s farm. She laughed whenever she thought of Silverbell Estate, and how her parents would react if she had ever referred to it as a mere farm in their presence. Vineyard, plantation, acreage, she could think of half a dozen names her parents would prefer she call it, as the word “farm” evoked, at least in their minds, the image of a poor family working the dirt to scrape by a living. There was a poor family working the land, but they were employed by the Weaver family to do just that.
The Weavers had lived in a home off to the side of the working portion of the property, where they kept a stable for Claire’s horses, a heated pool for Claire to swim laps after school, and even a small replica of the Royal Troon Golf Club’s 8th hole for Mr. Weaver to practice his golf game.
It was not an exaggeration to call Claire’s family the richest family in or near Madelia. Their family had done a lot for the town, from funding holiday events and providing much needed supplies for the school, to being one of the most easily accessible employers with the Weaver Mills manufacturing plant that was responsible for much of the areas cake mixes and breakfast cereals.
“Wow, look at you go, Claire.”
Claire turned mid-plié to see Kate McAllister standing in the doorway. She smiled and waved her over.
“Kate! Oh wow, look at you!”
“I know, I know, I’m as big as a house and twice as wide.” It was true that at just shy of 4 months, Kate did already have quite the baby bump, but Claire thought it looked lovely on her. She had the glow that is promised with pregnancy, but that not every woman gets.
“You look wonderful, Kate. Pregnancy definitely agrees with you. How are you feeling?”
“At the moment I’m feeling famished. I was hoping I could convince you to come have a late breakfast with me at the diner.”
Claire grinned. “Absolutely. I never could turn down a good meal.”
The clang of pots and pans, the slap of silverware on the vinyl counter, and the smell of freshly crisping bacon filled the small town diner run by Mrs. Shuster. Before Claire and Kate had even settled in their seats in the far corner booth, their waitress Daisy approached them with menus in hand.
“Good morning!” Daisy Hewitt smiled brightly, her hair a mass of red ringlet curls bouncing on her shoulders. She plopped down two cups of steaming hot coffee in front of Claire and Kate.
“Decaf there for you Doc, no worries there. What else can I get you two today?”
“Well,” Kate said with a pat to her stomach. “I think some of that bacon is definitely going to be needed over here. And waffles. Blueberry if you have it?”
“Oh absolutely. Our blueberry waffles are so dang good, and I’m not just saying that because I’m biased or anything. When Mason was a little thing they were just about the only food he would eat. Breakfast, lunch and dinner!”
“Hard to turn down a recommendation like that,” Claire said with a laugh. “Could I have a side of scrambled eggs as well?”
“Sure thing! Let me go get those waffles started now, maybe I can stop by and chat you up again in a few.”
Daisy scooped the menus up in her arms and smiled at her customers once more before turning on her heels and heading back to the kitchen.
“I’m pretty sure she’s got an IV of pure caffeine back there,” Kate remarked. “I wonder what we could do to get her to share with us.”
Claire giggled. “For sure. Although I’m pretty sure it’s just youth and enthusiasm, maybe with a good supply of coffee on top of it all. She’s what, 19? 20?”
“Well, her son is 4 in about a month so that would make her 20 or 21 I believe.”
“Impressive. She really seems to work her butt off around here.”
“That’s for sure.” Kate swirled her cup of coffee gently between her hands and stared into the dark depths.
“Kate? You look like you just thought about something awful. What’s going on?”
“Oh, I’m having a harder time with Logan away than I was expecting I would. The house seems so awfully empty without him stomping around. And I am definitely missing his cooking.”
“Where did Logan go?”
Daisy arrived at that moment with their breakfasts, so the conversations paused while they arranged their plates on the table and Daisy saw to their needs. The food was piping hot and delicious, as was always the case when Claire had eaten at the diner. She was amazed at how quick and efficient the place had gotten with Daisy around.
“Thank you, Daisy,” she said as she cut into her food. “It looks delicious.”
“Absolutely. You guys let me know if you need anything else, okay?”
The women nodded and smiled and promised
their waitress they would. As she left, Claire looked back at Kate. “You were saying, about Logan?”
“He’s in Bethesda with Daniel. I can’t believe this hasn’t gotten around town already, actually. I really should have told you sooner. Danny was in a bad accident; he...well his leg was crushed pretty severely and they couldn’t restore circulation. It’s gotten really bad and they called Logan and asked him to come right away...The doctors are amputating the leg.”
Claire visibly gasped at the news. She’d been a good friend of Daniel’s when they were younger, and for a very brief time in high school they had been more than friends. He had always held a special place in her heart, even after her parents uprooted her and moved her to the east coast. The thought of him being in pain, of having surgery and losing his leg, it just broke her heart.
“I am so sorry to hear that,” Claire said. She fought back the tears that were fighting to fall down her cheeks, reached her hand across the table and squeezed Kate’s. “If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”
Kate looked down at her half-eaten meal and frowned.
“I will. I really should be getting back to the clinic. I’m sorry for dumping this on you and then leaving.”
“Don’t worry about it, Kate. Go. And seriously, if you’d like me to drop by one of these nights, we can have a go in your kitchen together. I’m betting two well-educated, worldly women can come up with something edible without your man around to help.”
Kate laughed, and she looked like she hadn’t laughed in a while. “Thank you, Claire. You have always been so sweet.”
After Kate left the booth, Claire picked at the rest of her meal, thinking back to the last time she’d lived in Madelia, and the time she’d spent with Daniel McAllister.
He was the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, literally and figuratively. Everyone in town had some kind of grudge against the McAllister boys, which only managed to make them seem more interesting to a relatively sheltered girl like Claire. She first came in contact with Daniel in school, when in 6th grade they’d shared a science class together. Although at first he’d been standoffish and rude, much the way she’d expected he would be from the way that the townspeople spoke of him, after they’d been partnered up for a while, she saw a side of him that she expected many others never got to see.
