Deep in the Heart of Dixie

by Heidi Sprouse

  Chapter 11

  “Sugar gal, you are going to have everyone falling all over you tonight. I’m going to have to beat them off of you with a stick.” Jake could feel his blood starting to heat up already. They were going to a barn dance that was a tradition for the town and for their family. It was Saturday night, their last night of vacation, the perfect way to end an unforgettable time. The time away had given everyone a chance to get to know one another better. Dixie had truly blossomed in the presence of Jake’s family and they were in love with her, something Jake had expected from the get-go. Who could resist such a cute, little package with such sweetness on the inside? Jake wanted to get to know her better himself, every single inch of her.

  “You really think this is all right? Shouldn’t I wear a dress or something?” Dixie fiddled with the buttons on her shirt, long lashes pressed to her cheeks, unsure of herself. Sue Ellen had dropped by to be fashion coordinator and picked two outfits. As the newcomer, Dixie couldn’t help wondering if she should have chosen the sundress still lying on her bed.

  It was those moments of doubt that were so endearing to Jake. He reached out and took her hand. “Dixie, you meet me in the eye. Do you see the face of someone that would lie about how good you look? Lots of the girls wear something like what you are wearing but none of them wear it as well. The original Daisy Duke could take some lessons from you.”

  Dixie felt that warm glow again, melting her insides, making her go weak from head to toe. It happened every time those sweet, honey tones dripped over her. Take a dip into those summer-green eyes and she was done. She turned and faced the mirror, surprised at the girl who stared back at her. Somebody irresistibly cute in cut-off jean shorts—short, but not too short—and a red and white checkered shirt that was tied at the waist. Dixie reached up to tuck in a strand of hair that had escaped the red bandana used as a head band to tame her explosion of curls. “I guess I look all right.”

  Jake held a hand to his heart, a smile in his voice that dropped low taking in his fill of her. “Honey, you’ve got my heart tripping so fast, I just might have a heart attack. I would say that means you look more than all right.” He playfully staggered back and leaned up against the wall. Give him another minute and he’d by lying at her feet.

  “Okay, kids, everybody needs to load up.” James stood at the doorway of Dixie’s room, smiling appreciatively. “You two look ready for a fun evening. Let’s get a move on.” He headed out to the car where Sara was already waiting, fresh as a flower from her garden, in a pale, rose sundress that was lovely with her coloring. He slid into the driver’s seat and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “That girl has got our son like a puppy on a leash. I think she has spoiled him for all other women.”

  Sara brushed a strand of hair out of her husband’s eyes. Turning her attention to the door, she couldn’t help inhaling sharply as the young couple walked out. Dixie was all legs and curves in exactly the right places, but it was the way her eyes lit up like fireworks when she looked at their son that made the older woman take pause. As for Jake, he was as handsome as his father in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a green and black checkered shirt draped over it. The sight of them carried Sara back twenty years ago to their first barn dance together at the same place they were headed to now. Tears burned in her eyes. “Just look at them, James. It’s us, all those years ago. I can’t believe the clock has spun around that fast.”

  Jake interrupted the nostalgic moment, arriving at the car and opening the door for Dixie. He went around to his side and got in, beaming as he caught sight of his mother. “Why Mama, you’re as pretty as a summer’s day. Daddy’s going to have to keep an awful good eye on you or someone’s liable to take you away.” He leaned up front and dropped her a kiss.

  Sara couldn’t help but blush and reached back to pat her son’s cheek. “Why thank you, you charmer. If I didn’t know what a fine, young man you were, I would worry about that tongue of yours, the way you can pour on such sweetness.” She took Dixie’s hand next. “And you, honey. You are going to be the belle of the ball, just you wait. The boys are not going to be able to catch their breath from the first moment they lay eyes on you.”

  Twenty minutes later, they pulled in to a farmer’s field that had been converted into a parking lot. Every year, a different farm had the honor of hosting the highly anticipated, annual event. Members of the community pooled their resources to decorate and supply refreshments. Music was pouring out of a towering, red barn, well-lit with tiki torches along the path and paper lanterns stretched across the door way and inside. Crowds of people, young and old, spilled out of the gaping doors, heading to the tables heaped with barbecue, filling up at the beer keg, or cooling off with sweet tea and lemonade. Everyone was flushed with the heat and the dancing, enjoyment of the evening written on every face.

  Jake took Dixie’s hand and pulled her inside. He didn’t even give her time to think, swinging her onto the hardwood floor that had been laid out for the dance. A bluegrass band played loudly, the fiddle pumping and making feet start tapping. Jake couldn’t help but laugh at her eyes as big as saucers, drinking everything in. “What do you think, Dixie Cup?”

  “I’ve never been to a dance before or even danced. I don’t know what to do.” Glancing around her, it terrified her to see that everyone else knew exactly what they were doing. She would look so out of place. She turned, ready to make an escape. The shadows against the wall looked like the perfect place to disappear.

  Jake swung her around and held her chin lightly in his hand. “Oh no you don’t. This girl doesn’t turn tail and run. You just follow my lead, sugar. I happen to have years of practice and you’ll get the hang of it in no time.” He put his hands on her waist and started the dance step, first slow so Dixie could watch and try it herself, then picking up the pace as she caught on. Round and round they went, Jake feeling like he was the lucky winner tonight. He resisted the urge to pinch himself to make sure it was all real because he had the most beautiful girl and she was with him. He had to hold on tight, make sure Cinderella didn’t slip away.

  Laughter bubbled up and Dixie tipped her head back, letting it fly. Jake was amazing, a natural who could make her feel like there was nothing to floating over the smooth, wooden boards beneath her feet. They circled the floor, the swell of the music rising up through Dixie’s toes and making her feel alive. They danced until they were flushed and panting. Jake held her hand tightly to avoid losing her in the milling throb of dancers, giving her a tug until they broke out into the moonlight to catch their breath.

  It was a warm summer night but still refreshing after the press of people, the swirl of the dancers, and the bright lights of the barn. The sweet scent of fresh flowers carried on the breeze and wrapped around the young couple. Dixie pressed her hands to her hot cheeks and leaned up against the fence behind the barn, listening to the horses nickering to one another in the field and waiting for her heart to slow down. Jake’s closeness, his arm brushing hers, only made it start up again. “Are you having a good time, sugar gal? You sure looked pretty, dancing in there. All eyes were on you.”

  She shrugged modestly. “Don’t fool yourself. I was just window dressing. They were watching you. You move like that Gene Kelly in the old movies Mama and I used to watch when I was little. I remember staring up at him and wishing he could pull me into the TV with him. You made my wish come true tonight.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and knew what she said was true. She wasn’t blind. Every girl, young and old, had Jake in sight. She had seen the appreciative looks as a young group of girls their age went by and the wistful dreaming in the eyes of some of the older women accompanied by older men; perhaps they were remembering their youth in much the same way as Jake’s mother.

  “Well, you make me look better than I ever could alone. Did you see Carole Sue’s face when we went out there? She should try out for a remake of
‘The Exorcist’ with the puss she was wearing.” Jake nodded his head as he glanced into the barn. Hovering inside the doorway was Carole Sue and her posse, Laura Bell and Bobbi Jo. The three wore matching expressions of contempt although it was obvious the others followed Carole Sue’s lead. “They could give Cinderella’s evil step-sisters and step-mother a run for their money.”

  Dixie went cold at mention of the girl who had become a dark cloud hovering over her. She spun around and gripped the fence, a hopeless anger welling up inside. “What is her problem? I haven’t done anything to her, I haven’t taken anything away from her that she didn’t already have and she already has so much. Is it that obvious that I am from a completely different universe from hers?”

  “Hey, hey now…don’t you go getting yourself in a tizzy. You are amazing in so many ways that Carole Sue and her friends could only dream about. They are just spitting with jealousy.” Jake ran a hand over her gleaming curls, let it rest on the small of her back, a comforting pressure meant to take away hers. “You are from another universe, a place that is new and different from anything I’ve ever known here and I just want to be with you to find out what all of your mysteries are. I probably won’t even scratch the surface but I’d like to spend a lifetime trying. Let’s give Carole Sue and her girls something to talk about.” Jake ran his hand up her arm, making her feel loose and liquid while her heart became a trip hammer. He moved in slowly, blocking out the moon and the stars when his lips connected with hers. Her eyes drifted shut and the stars were back, shooting sparks against her eyelids and in her mind. She forgot how to breathe and thought she might fall over if Jake wasn’t holding her up.

  Inside the barn, Carole Sue turned away, fuming, her shadows trailing behind her. “What does he see in that…that whore?” Her voice rose until it was almost to a glass-splitting pitch. She grabbed a cup of punch off the table and gulped it down. Small wonder no one could see steam coming out of her ears, she was that hot with anger and indignation that one of their own would associate with someone from such a lower class.

  Laura Bell shrugged. “You know men…they like something exotic and cheap. He’s probably getting it real easy from her. You’re too good for him anyway, Carole Sue, you know that.” She took a sip of punch and pursed her lips when she swallowed a bit of lemon. It was not a becoming look but fit her sour puss perfectly.

  Bobbi Jo scanned the room. “Look out there, Carole Sue. All of those boys look like they have puppy dog eyes for you. Go pick one of them to spend your energy on, someone who will appreciate you. I’m sure Jake will come to his senses soon and that Dixie girl will get what she deserves.”

  Carole Sue’s lips curved in a smile that brought a cruel light to her eyes. “Oh, that’s coming all right, as soon as her daddy finds her. I just bet he’ll drag her back home and I won’t have to lay eyes on that hussy again. Maybe then Jake Lee Jackson will come to his senses and see what has been under his nose all this time.” She crushed her empty cup, smashed it under her heel, and stalked off to find a partner.

  Dixie and Jake walked back inside to cool off after their near meltdown together outside. They started by sharing a glass of punch. The music picked up again. To take his mind off what he wanted to do, which was something completely inappropriate in public and would get him a smack in the face, Jake swung his girl back onto the floor. Dixie drifted into Jake’s eyes, his arms, and the flow of the rhythm. By the time the song ended, they were both out of breath and rosy cheeked again.

  It was an opportune time for the farmer who was hosting the dance that year, John Brown, to step up to the microphone used by the musicians. He looked the part of his calling in a straw hat, suspenders, and a plaid shirt. Everyone turned expectantly to him, eager for his announcement. “Welcome everyone. I hope you all are having a right, good time tonight.”

  Jake looped an arm around Dixie’s waist and whispered in her ear. ”Listen up, this is a tradition Farmer Brown does every year.” They joined their fellow dancers, gathering in close around the make-shift stage. Dixie’s weight against his side was a reassurance. He wasn’t dreaming.

  The gray haired man lifted his arms in the air, his movements free and energetic in contrast to his age. “It’s that time, ladies and gents, to announce the Queen of the Hay Day Dance. For over twenty years, we’ve held this dance and every year the host has searched for a queen, someone sweet and pure, someone who can keep the spirit of the South alive. I’ve been watching all the lovely, young ladies tonight and I’ll tell you, it was a very hard decision but I’ve made my pick with the wise counsel of many of the other men here this evening.” He stepped away from the microphone, scanned the audience, then made a beeline for Jake and Dixie. He stopped next to the young couple and set a wreath of wild flowers on her head. “Sugar, you just looked like every boy’s dream girl of the South when you walked in here tonight. That smile just lit up this room and your shy ways reminded me of the fine ladies of my youth. I’m crowning you queen. Now tell me, sweetie, what’s your name?”

  Dixie wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run but Jake wouldn’t let her go. He nodded and whispered, “Mama was queen when she came the first time with Daddy. I had a feeling about you tonight. You go on, tell them.”

  Dixie looked out at the crowd surrounding her and felt only well wishes, especially from James and Sara. She spoke softly into the microphone. ”Dixie Mason, sir.” It was fortunate that she did not see Carole Sue, sending invisible daggers her way from a corner in the back. The girl stood in a venomous haze, feeling cheated once again and entertaining visions of vengeance.

  “Well doesn’t that beat all! What better choice when your name is perfect!” The farmer gave her a friendly pat on the back and motioned to the now cleared dance floor. “In the past, if our queen is unattached, she dances with all the unattached gentlemen at this time. However, the young man beside you has made it quite obvious that you are taken so enjoy a dance together as we honor this year’s queen. Congratulations, girlie.” John Brown’s face creased in a smile, a twinkle in his eyes, as he brought back another time-held tradition by taking Dixie’s hand and giving it a gentle kiss before letting go.

  The band began to play something simple, soft and sweet but Dixie couldn’t hear it. If Dixie paid any attention to the others in the room, she would have seen admiration for the young couple on most every face excepting the poisonous envy of the Carole Sue trio. For a moment, the old became young again. Love shimmered as James took Sara in his arms and began to sway to the music, remembering their first dance so long ago. Many followed their lead and danced on the fringe of the dance floor.

  Dixie could only see Jake, his eyes aglow like the sun skimming the clear green of a lake, the lights overhead nearly turning his brown hair to gold. He stood tall with his shoulders set, waiting for her in the middle of the floor. It was in big part because of him that she had become someone new, someone who could be crowned a queen, inside and out. Sure, she had chosen a new name, she had changed her look, she had run away and taken the first steps. However, Jake had confidence and faith in her, giving his unfaltering support when he discovered the truth about her. She was certain some of that had brushed off, helping her to truly become Dixie Mason.

  She wanted to give something back to him to repay him. She didn’t have much but what she had was freely offered. She walked across the floor and took his hand. One look in his eyes and Dixie made sure that Jake knew—she gave him her heart. As they began to sway to the music, their heads tilted until they rested against one another.

  “You make a fine queen. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more than you.” Jake whispered, his voice gone hoarse. It had become hard to speak as his throat tightened just looking at her. Swallowing and breathing were near impossible too. Give him time and he’d be embarrassing himself, swooning in her arms.

  Dixie’s smile trembled but held and her eyes
glistened with tears that were near the surface. “Thank you. If they were going to have a king, it would have to be you. You are a king among all the rest.” They didn’t talk any more. They didn’t have to. Their eyes, their touch, and their hammering hearts said it all. The only thing left was to dance.