by Lisa Ireland
Luke squeezed her hand. ‘Besides, I’m not going to the dance without you.’
Chapter 8
Jenna watched Rob drive off with a twinge of guilt. She should have insisted on going to the hospital. It was totally selfish of her, she knew that, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend one last perfect night with Luke. He made her feel so alive and desirable. Simon had never made her feel that way, not even when their relationship was new. So what if nothing more could come of her time with Luke? She would have the memory of one magical night and that was better than nothing.
‘You two had better get cleaned up quick smart if you want to make it to the dance,’ said Maggie.
‘Won’t take me long,’ said Luke.
‘Good, because I want to leave in half an hour,’ said Maggie.
‘But I have to have a shower, do my hair and my makeup,’ said Jenna, alarmed. She normally allowed at least two hours to get ready for any event.
‘You’d better hop to it then, Miss Jimmy Shoes,’ said Luke.
Jenna hurried off, frowning. She hadn’t even decided on what she would wear yet.
Back in her room, Jenna scattered the contents of her suitcase on the bed. What did one wear to a bush dance for heaven’s sake? If Brooke was here at least she would have someone to bounce ideas off. Maggie didn’t really seem the type to be too fussed about fashion and Luke would just laugh if she asked him.
She decided on an emerald green halter neck dress that fell just below the knee. Silk was probably too dressy for a bush dance, but it was the most casual thing she had brought aside from shorts and swimwear. She pulled out her taupe wedge sandals and a pair of silver hoop earrings. That would have to do.
After an express shower she applied the barest of makeup, threw her outfit on and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail. A slash of pink lipstick and she was ready to go. All done in only 35 minutes; that must be some kind of record.
She went out to meet the others feeling quite pleased with her effort. Luke was pacing on the veranda and Maggie was already in the car. ‘At last,’ Luke said.
‘I went as fast as I could,’ Jenna replied, a tad annoyed that he did not appreciate her effort.
Luke’s face softened. ‘You’re here now and that’s what counts. Let’s go into town and have some fun.’
Jenna smiled as she followed him to the car. She was really looking forward to spending the evening together. She pictured the two of them dancing cheek to cheek as they had last night. Only this time there would be no doubt about Luke’s desire to be with her.
When they arrived in town Jenna was surprised to see the cricket ground totally transformed. A stage, comprised of two flatbed trucks, sat in the middle of the oval. In front of the stage sat a large wooden dance floor. Lanterns and fairy lights had been strung up everywhere and the oval was dotted with hay bales.
‘Wow,’ said Jenna. ‘How did this happen?’
Maggie laughed. ‘The Barlow Social Committee is a well-oiled machine,’ she said.
‘So says its leader,’ said Luke.
‘I can’t take credit for tonight’s event,’ said Maggie. ‘I didn’t do anything to help.’
‘No, only organised the whole thing,’ said Luke.
Jenna turned to look at Maggie. ‘You certainly have been busy.’
‘Tonight was a cinch. Barlow holds bush dances regularly so we just super-sized our normal organisation. Pretty much everyone in town helped in some way.’
Luke pulled the car to a stop. ‘Here we are, ladies. Jenna, welcome to your first Barlow Bush Dance.’
Jenna’s heart skipped a beat as Luke opened her door and offered his hand. She placed her hand in his and smiled. Being treated like a princess wasn’t so bad after all. Luke returned her smile as she alighted, nodding his head in a slight bow before releasing her hand to assist Maggie. The three of them walked side by side towards the middle of the oval.
Jenna soon discovered her wedge heels were not the most practical shoes to be wearing to an outdoor event. She wobbled along, struggling to keep up with Luke and Maggie.
‘Are you okay there, Miss Jimmy Shoes?’ Luke asked.
‘I’d be fine if you’d stop calling me ridiculous names,’ Jenna said.
Luke flashed her a cheeky grin and Jenna shook her head in mock exasperation. She looked around at the gathering crowd and decided her dress was a definite mistake. Everyone else was dressed simply. Most of the other city girls wore modest cotton frocks and the local girls were dressed in jeans and singlet tops. Jenna felt like a Christmas tree in her outfit.
‘Pull up a hay bale and I’ll go grab us a drink,’ said Luke.
Jenna looked at the hay bales and screwed up her nose. ‘I’ll stand,’ she said.
Luke shrugged. ‘Suit yourself. What do you want to drink?’
‘Some bubbly would be nice.’
‘Beer, white wine or soft drink, I’m afraid,’ said Luke.
‘Oh. White wine then.’
Maggie settled herself on a hay bale. ‘I’ll have lemonade.’
‘Okay. I’ll be right back.’
Luke wandered off into the crowd while Jenna shifted from foot to foot.
Maggie patted the hay bale. ‘Come and sit down, Jenna.’
‘I’d love to, but I don’t want to ruin my dress.’
Maggie pulled a shawl out of her basket. ‘You can use this for now. Spread it out and sit on it.’
‘I couldn’t do that. It might get soiled.’
‘I don’t care. I’d rather you be comfortable.’
Jenna smiled and accepted the shawl. ‘Thank you.’
Maggie returned her smile. ‘How are you finding country life, Jenna?’
‘Very different,’ Jenna said.
Maggie laughed. ‘I guess it is at first, but you get used to it.’
‘I’m not sure I could ever get used to it,’ Jenna replied.
Maggie’s smile faltered slightly and Jenna realised she was being rude.
‘Of course it’s lovely and peaceful out here,’ she ventured in an attempt to redeem herself. ‘Sinclair’s Hole is just gorgeous.’
‘Yes it is, but rural life is not for everyone.’
‘It’s a lovely place to visit,’ said Jenna with a warm smile.
Luke returned with the drinks. Jenna eyed the plastic tumbler and sighed inwardly. Not a good start to her magical, romantic evening.
Luke frowned. ‘Would you rather a beer?’
Jenna felt colour rising in her cheeks. He had obviously noticed her disapproval. ‘No, the wine is fine.’ She took the tumbler from him and sipped. The wine was sweet and warm. Jenna willed herself to swallow and smile. ‘Lovely,’ she lied.
‘I’m going to check that the band has everything they need. We need to get the music happening,’ Luke said.
Jenna went to get up. ‘I’ll come with you.’
‘Nah, you stay here and keep Maggie company. I won’t be long.’
‘Sure.’ Jenna tried to cover her disappointment by taking another sip of wine, which caused her to wince. If only Brooke was here so she had someone to share her misery with.
Two of the local women approached Maggie to give her an update on some gossip involving the possible sale of the local pub. Everyone was polite and tried to include her in the conversation, but Jenna found it difficult to join in.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for entertainment. Most of the other newcomers seemed to be fitting in perfectly. Everywhere she looked there were girls laughing and chatting, throwing back glasses of cheap wine, looking like they belonged.
A flash of magenta tulle caught her eye. Another hapless misfit perhaps? She squinted to get a closer look and realised it was Charlotte. Jenna excused herself from the group and went in search of a kindred spirit.
Charlotte embraced her and air-kissed each of Jenna’s cheeks. ‘Thank goodness you’re here. You’ve saved me from being totally bored.’
Jenna laughed. ‘If it’s so
tedious why did you come?’
Charlotte held up a camera. ‘I’m working,’ she said. ‘Besides, nothing much ever happens in Barlow. When there’s an event like this, everyone comes. Any social activity, no matter how mundane, is better than none.’
Jenna tried to imagine a life where a bush dance was the pinnacle of her social calendar. She laughed at the thought.
Charlotte held the camera up and snapped a shot of Jenna. ‘Fashion on the field,’ she quipped.
Jenna looked deflated. ‘Will that be going in with a title of Most Inappropriately Dressed?’
‘I think I’m the winner of that title,’ Charlotte said, ‘but I guess everyone expects that from me by now. They’d be disappointed if I turned up in jeans and a T-shirt.’
‘Hi, Lottie. Off to the ballet?’ called a male passer-by.
‘See?’ she said.
‘Everyone calls you Lottie. Do you prefer that to Charlotte?’
Charlotte rolled her eyes. ‘God no. It’s my childhood nickname and I hate it.’
‘Why don’t you say something?’
Charlotte shrugged. ‘Believe me I’ve tried, but no one takes me seriously.’
‘Have you always lived here?’
‘Pretty much. I grew up here, but I moved to Melbourne when I was 18 to go to university. After uni I got a job on a suburban newspaper, but I had to come home last year to nurse my mum.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that. Is she well now?’
Charlotte looked at her feet. ‘She died last winter.’
Jenna reached out and touched Charlotte’s arm. ‘I’m very sorry to hear that.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Will you go back to Melbourne?’
‘Eventually I’ll leave here I guess. But it’s been a great comfort to be home, surrounded by friends, while I’ve been grieving these past few months. The thing about living in a small town like this is everyone knows you and everyone cares. I didn’t cook for a month after Mum died but my refrigerator was filled with meals. I didn’t spend one evening alone either. I think they had a “Sit with Lottie” roster.’ She laughed and then looked up, her face serious again. ‘My head might be in Melbourne, but my heart will always be in Barlow.’
Jenna nodded. She tried to think of anyone, apart from Brooke, who would do the same for her. She had plenty of friends in Melbourne, but did any of them really care?
‘Looks like the band is about to come on,’ said Charlotte. ‘I guess I’d better go snap some shots. Do you want to come?’
Jenna looked back at Maggie, happily chatting with her friends. ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Why not?’
She turned to follow Charlotte to the stage but was stopped in her tracks by a large ruddy-cheeked man staggering towards her. She stepped sideways to avoid him but her evasive action came too late. The collision left her wearing a sizeable beer stain down the front of her favourite dress. Could this night get any worse?
* * *
Backstage, in a tent behind the trucks, Luke was greeted warmly by the members of The Fleece. ‘Hey, Luke. Are you going to play with us tonight?’ asked Jake, the band’s lead singer.
Luke shook his head. ‘You guys don’t want me up there. I’d just be in the way.’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ Jake said. ‘It’ll be like old times. We still do a lot of the old songs. You can slot right in.’
Luke thought about Jenna looking up at him from the crowd. It would be nice to play for her. ‘Maybe I could join you for a couple of numbers then.’
‘Great.’ Jake slapped him on the back. ‘Did you bring your guitar?’
Luke shook his head.
‘No worries, we’ll sort something out. I think Dave has a spare in the van. I’ll go find out.’
Luke felt the familiar pre-show adrenalin rush. Being on stage transported him to another world, one where nothing else mattered. This afternoon Jenna had made him feel the same way. He wanted to share this side of himself with her.
His first performance since the accident. He’d shied away from the limelight since Joe’s death, giving up footy, the band, pretty much anything that he was good at. He’d only agreed to play cricket this weekend to keep Maggie happy. But now Jenna had walked into his life and suddenly he felt like coming out of the shadows.
When he was up on stage he’d be singing just for her.
* * *
Jenna stood in front of the stage with Charlotte, waiting. The sun had finally set and the fairy lights lit up the evening. Luke seemed to have disappeared altogether, along with her visions of a romantic evening. Perhaps he regretted what had taken place at the river and was avoiding her.
She tried to quell the disappointment that was growing within her. She told herself that Luke owed her nothing and this afternoon was just a bit of harmless fun, nothing more. What had she expected? She was going home tomorrow so nothing could happen. But somehow she had allowed herself to hope.
Disappointment gave way to anger. Who the hell did Luke Tanner think he was, playing with her emotions like this? She was not some unfeeling plaything for him to kiss and toss aside. Today at the river he’d seemed so caring. But wasn’t that always the way? At first they were all like that. But eventually they let you down. It appeared Luke was no different to all the other disappointing men in her life.
Suddenly the stage was ablaze with light. A cowboy type stepped up to the microphone and said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, would you please give it up for The Fleece.’
Five young men, all of them dressed in blue jeans, white T-shirts and Akubra hats, ran onto the stage.
Jenna groaned inwardly. She hated country music. This night was turning out to be insufferable. She had imagined dancing to slow ballads with Luke, not clapping in time to some Keith Urban impersonators. The lights dimmed again and the band started to play. It was just as she feared.
Awful.
The crowd didn’t seem to agree with her verdict, however. They screamed and clapped and took to the dance floor in droves. Jenna was amazed to see a large portion of the crowd in formation, line dancing.
She turned to Charlotte who shrugged and said, ‘I know.’
How she wished Brooke were here to see this. She’d never believe that this actually happened. She would think Jenna was embellishing for the sake of a good story.
Now there was a thought. This whole weekend would make a great article for the magazine. Jenna had intended to do a short editorial column, My Weekend in the Bush, or similar, but there was a whole feature story just waiting to be written here. She needed more time to research the article than just the weekend, though. Jenna looked at Charlotte snapping away beside her. If Charlotte was prepared to co-author then it might just be possible. Charlotte could email her any extra material. At least her time here wouldn’t be a total loss.
Jenna looked up at the stage with renewed interest. Her writer’s eyes took in every aspect: the stage set up, the band’s clothes, the amateur attempts at lighting effects. She grabbed her phone and snapped a few pictures, then tapped in a few quick observations.
Her eyes flitted from one band member to the next, looking for telling details. The first guitar player was lean and muscular. His fitted T-shirt showed off his great physique. Jenna wished she could get a better look at his face, which was concealed under the brim of that ridiculous hat. She had to admit he had a certain stage presence, charisma even, despite the god-awful twang he was belting out.
The song finished and the crowd went wild. Jenna’s eyes were glued to the guitarist and, to her delight, he took off his hat in a salute to the crowd.
Oh My God.
It was Luke.
* * *
Luke lost himself in the music and it was wonderful. Being part of the band made him feel more alive than he had in a long time. The past few months he hadn’t done anything purely for pleasure and it felt good to be doing something he loved again. Being with Jenna had awakened his fun side and he couldn’t wait to share his joy with her.
&
nbsp; He hoped she could see him because it was impossible to see anyone from up here with the lights shining in his eyes. He wondered if she was enjoying herself as much as he was. He had agreed to play the first four numbers with the band. After that he would go find her and they could dance the night away.
A huge cheer went up from the crowd as the first song came to an end. Luke took off his hat and raised it in a salute to the audience. For the first time since Joe’s death, Barlow felt like home.
* * *
It wasn’t possible. Jenna couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The most attractive man she had ever met, one who could make her go weak at the knees just by looking at her, was on stage, in a cowboy hat, playing country and western music. If there was ever a sign that Luke was not the man for her, this was it.
Charlotte tapped her on the shoulder. ‘Did you know Luke was playing tonight?’
Jenna shook her head, dumbstruck.
‘He had to quit the band when he moved to Melbourne, but he always played with them whenever he was in town. This is the first time I’ve seen him on stage since the accident. You know about that, right?’
‘The car accident that killed his dad and brother?’
Charlotte nodded. ‘He hasn’t been the same since it happened.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Luke was always the life of the party, a laugh a minute. Every time he’d come home all the local girls would flock around, even when they knew he had a girlfriend back in Melbourne. And the blokes were just as bad, hanging on his every word and shouting him beers at the pub. People were always drawn to him.
‘Since the accident, all that’s changed. He seems to only think about Tandarra and Maggie. He barely socialises. This weekend is the happiest I’ve seen him in ages.’
Jenna wanted to ask Charlotte about Luke living in Melbourne, or more specifically, what had happened with the girlfriend, but the band was starting up again and it was impossible to carry out a conversation. She was forced to listen to the music.
Luke did look happy. He was obviously talented; it was just a shame that country music was his passion. Jenna tapped Charlotte on the shoulder and indicated that she was going to get a drink. It seemed that Luke would be tied up for a while.
