What?
My phone vibrating on the nightstand distracts me. I pick it up and look at the text message from Julia: YOU CAN DO THIS, YOU BIG CHICKENSHIT.
I toss my hair extensions over my shoulder and laugh. Danny must have told her that I skipped out of the dress rehearsal. With a squeal of determination I toss back the covers, swing my legs over the side of the bed, and sink my toes into the shag carpet. I wish I had some inspirational music to go with my sudden change of kick-ass attitude. Like the theme from Rocky, but for some reason the theme song from the movie Nine to Five starts playing in my head. I hum along with Dolly Parton, refusing to let my old insecurity rear its ugly head.
26
A Day Without Dancing?
I’m hanging on to my kick-ass attitude by the skin of my teeth while Rio and I wait in the wings to perform for the last time. It doesn’t help that Danny and Angelina are nailing their reprise of the tango to “Roxanne” from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and the packed house loves it.
When their dance ends Ben has a difficult time shushing the fans so that the judges can speak. I don’t blame them . . . the dance was amazing and Danny was once the hometown football hero, so I guess I’m back to my underdog status.
“Terrific,” Ben gushes to Angelina. There has been rumor that they hooked up last night. “I was spellbound.”
Spellbound? I groan. “Give me a break,” I say in Rio’s ear. He grins and it’s obvious that he is happy to see my old self back. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m ready to kick some serious Angelina butt.”
“Carson, what do you think?” Ben asks . . . and did he just wink at Angelina?
“Stunning! Ten!”
“Whoohoo!” Ben says and I wish he could see me glaring at him. “Myra?”
“Sexy! Danny, you nailed the rock turns this time. And your links . . . the sharp staccato movements were spot-on! A ten!”
“Pah,” I say and I so hope it’s a cussword. I never really did find out even though I’ve been using it. My heart sinks but Rio leans over and says in my ear, “We can get a perfect score too, Abby. We’ve done it before with this dance and you’re even better now.” He holds out his hands for our traditional knuckle bump and it hits me that this is the last dance for us. My throat clogs with emotion but I determinedly swallow it and lift my chin. “Let’s do this!”
Because of the special night the lights dim to nearly complete darkness while we wait in the center of the dance floor for the commercial break to end. The candles flicker on the elegant tables and overhead the disco ball sends shimmering light over the silver walls.
“Now for their final dance in the Dancing with the Rednecks competition,” Ben says with high drama, “I give you Rio Martin and Abby Harper dancing the rumba!” He rolls the r and it echoes in the room and then in an instant the spotlight illuminates our pose in the dark room. A hush falls over the crowd and then the beautiful Celine Dion and Pavarotti duet “I Hate You, Then I Love You” begins . . .
My heart is pounding but I look into Rio’s eyes and let the beauty of the music fill my head. Soon the crowd and the cameras fade into the background. I let the sensual Latin dance take over my body. Slow, quick, quick, slow. I roll my hips, tease, and then withdraw while Celine croons . . . “I hate you and then I love you . . .” Rio draws me in for a near kiss as the duet crescendos with the powerful voices blending but then I spin away, making Rio chase me . . . wanting me more.
My feet swivel, causing the silver fringe on my costume to shimmer. Rolling my hips I let Rio lead me into a walk and box combo and into an eight-count underarm turn, but my feet do this from memory while my body charms and retreats, teases and taunts until I give in to the love that I so strongly feel, letting Rio pull me in while Celine’s and Pavarotti’s voices blend together in the final few notes, singing “Anyone but you . . . but you . . .”
We’re supposed to end in a near kiss but instead Rio captures my mouth with his while the spotlight fades to black with the final notes of the amazing song.
The lights flash back on and Rio spins me around to the crowd. There is a hush that has my heart pounding. Why isn’t anyone clapping? Rio’s hand tightens on mine and I start to tremble. But when we take a deep bow the audience erupts in thunderous applause. Rio spins me again and we smile and then dance closer to the judges. So I guess we were good after all?
Ben, who usually has a big MC grin on his face, is standing there holding the microphone blinking at us. Finally he says, “Wow.”
I’m hoping that it was a good wow because wow can go either way.
Ben finally manages to give us a big grin. “Sorry. I was speechless and that’s difficult to do. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I have to say that your rumba was beautiful. Abby, any comments?”
“I just let the music, the emotion take over.”
Rio looks like he wants to comment but Ben turns to the judges, I suppose in the interest of time. “Carson? How do you feel about Rio and Abby’s final dance?”
“Well, I have to say that I was amazed at the emotion. Technically there were a few glitches but the beauty of the dance overcame any flaws. I was so moved that I have to give you a ten!”
The audience cheers in approval as Ben shouts over them, “Myra?”
“Rio and Abby, if there were glitches in the technique I missed them because I too was caught up in the emotion. The first time you performed the rumba it was all about the sex, the sizzle. Oh, but this time there was something deeper and I was moved by your performance. I too give you a ten.”
Rio smiles at me and squeezes my hand.
“Peter?” Ben asks over the applause.
“Danny and Angelina brought the heat, the sizzle, but Abby and Rio brought the love, the emotion. Both dances were a joy to watch. I give Rio and Abby a ten! I suppose the audience will have to break the tie.”
“You heard it, folks,” Ben booms over the roar of the crowd as confetti falls from the ceiling. “America, you must choose, so pick up your phones and dial one-eight-hundred-REDNECK or go online and break this tie. We’ll be back for one last love show where the winner will be crowned and take home fifty thousand dollars! Until then . . . see ya!”
“I want to find Mama and Jesse,” I shout into Rio’s ear since the noise is deafening.
“I’ll try,” he says and we begin to weave through the massive crowd. Somehow, though, my hand slips from his and the crush of the people has the big bodyguards suddenly surrounding me. They part the way and take me outside to the limo where Danny is already waiting. Fans rush toward the car and the driver says something in his headset and starts the engine.
“We’ve got to get out of here before we’re blocked in,” he says over the speaker.
Danny shakes his head. “Crazy, huh?”
“Yeah.” I look out the window and there are actually people trying to follow the limo. “This is unreal.”
“You rocked tonight,” Danny comments with a grin.
“You too! I wish we both could win, doggone it.”
Danny shrugs. “I won’t lie. I’d love to win the cash but I’ve already gotten something worth more than the money.”
“Oh, Danny, I’m so happy for you and Julia.”
He angles his head. “Thanks. But it looks to me like you’ve fallen in love too, Abby. Am I right?”
Catching my bottom lip between my teeth, I nod.
“I hope things work out for you two. Rio seems like a nice guy.”
“Thank you. There are obvious complications but I hope we can overcome them.”
“If you really love him don’t let anything stand in your way.”
I nod and then we both fall silent for the rest of the ride, both of us lost in our own thoughts.
Mitchell Banks declares Sunday a day of rest even though he advises us not to go into town for church services because it would just be a media circus. Not wanting to deal with that, I spend a quiet day in my room watching movies and trying not to be nervous about tomorrow n
ight. After trying to contact Rio several times I finally realize that the little red light is blinking on my room phone and I hurry over to retrieve the message.
“Hey there, Abby,” he says in that low sexy voice that sends a shiver down my spine. “I was called out of town for business, so I won’t see you until late in the afternoon on Monday or even just right before the show if I get hung up. I tried your cell but it must have been turned off.”
Damn!
“So just get some rest and enjoy a day without dancing.”
“A day without dancing,” I say with a bit of wonder and I realize that although there were days over the past six weeks that I wished for that, I no longer do . . . especially if it means dancing with Rio. I might not ever be as talented as Angelina but like Carson said I make up for it with emotion.
Of course after the message I can’t go back to watching Ghostbusters even though it’s almost to the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man part that never ceases to make me laugh. This makes me think of Jesse since this is also one of his all-time favorite movies, but I’ve already talked to him and Mama twice and I don’t think I can take them telling me not to worry about winning one more time, bless their hearts.
So instead I lie on the bed and think about Rio and contemplate just what kind of business he’s up to. Of course all kinds of things run through my head like he’s seeing his secret girlfriend or has gone home never to return. After going through a million and one scenarios, none of them good except for the one where I daydream that he’s buying an engagement ring for me, I drift off to sleep and dream that I’m doing the tango with the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man . . . so I guess my day wasn’t without dancing after all.
27
Sweep Me off My Feet
“The moment we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived,” Ben announces from the center of the dance floor. The crowd cheers but then he says, “But first we have a special treat for you. On the big screen we have clips from the highlights of the past six weeks of Dancing with the Rednecks!”
I turn my attention to the huge television screen along with all of the contestants who are sitting here with me. After a big dinner together up at the lodge we were brought here via limos and of course the streets were packed with cheering fans both from Misty Creek and from all over who traveled here for the final show.
Donna Summer belts out “Last Dance” while we watch bloopers and crazy moments like Mary Lou Laker’s out-of-control spin, Betty Cook’s creepy “Time Warp” dance, and of course my break-dancing, saving-me-from-crashing move. There are arguments caught on film, weary-end-of-the-day moments . . . how’d they get Rio rubbing my feet? And tender tears when contestants get voted off.
Ben teases the audience again when the instructors come out and dance . . . all of them except for Rio, who has failed to show up yet. I’ve gone back and forth from anger to worry and back again. Right now I’m ticked. How dare he not be here for this! And then I picture him lying in a ditch somewhere . . .
Damn him! God, I hope he’s okay!
When the dance ends, the instructors twirl over to sit in chairs on the opposite side of the dance floor from where we’re sitting. Finally, just as Ben announces that he is going to reveal the winner of the contest, I see Rio slip into his empty chair. He’s dressed in a tuxedo like the other male instructors, so at least he got that memo . . . but what about the eight o’clock starting time? I’m going to kill him for this! But then relief washes over me. He’s here. He’s safe. Thank God.
“Now we’re going to announce the winner of Dancing with the Rednecks . . . right after the commercial break.”
“Oh, come on!” Julia hisses in my ear. “The suspense is killing me!”
“Me too,” I whisper back.
After making us squirm a few more minutes, Ben raises the micophone to his mouth. “Now I’m going to announce the winner of the fifty thousand dollars!” Ben says and is given a slip of paper. “Wait a minute,” he says, raising his hand, and the crowd gets restless. “Mitchell Banks, the producer of the show, wants to have the honors. Mitchell, come on up here and end this suspense.”
Mitchell, also dressed in a tux with his silver hair slicked back, walks up and takes the microphone from Ben. “Thank you, Ben.” He turns and gestures toward the judges’ table. “And a very big thank-you to Carson Sage, Myra Jones, and Peter Kelly!” The audience politely applauds but there is a feeling of restless anticipation in the air.
Mitchell clears his throat and begins. “The margin between Danny Becker and his partner, Angelina Perez, and Abby Harper and her partner, Rio Martin, was so slim that I didn’t feel right awarding the prize money to either contestant, so after careful deliberation, I decided to split the prize money between Abby Harper and Danny Becker! So we don’t have one winner but two!”
The audience hesitates, clearly wanting a winner and a loser, but one person begins clapping and suddenly everyone is cheering and whistling.
“Danny and Abby, come on down here!”
My heart is beating so hard and my legs are shaky but Danny comes over and assists me to my feet. I have to walk carefully in my long emerald green evening gown so as not to trip and end up as the watercooler clip of the day. My hair is piled high thanks to Jackie and Maggie, who both insisted on working on me, and a teardrop diamond that I get to keep makes me feel elegant.
Mitchell hands us each a big fake check to hold up to the crowd. Cameras, even though they were not supposed to be allowed, flash like strobe lights. I’m smiling from ear to ear, thinking that this tie’s not as good as winning but not as bad as losing. I’m glad that Danny will have half of the money but there is a bit of disappointment that twenty-five thousand can’t spread nearly as far as fifty grand.
“I have another announcement to make!” Mitchell says when the cheers die down enough for him to be heard. “There is a talented young man sitting in the audience. This young man is responsible for Misty Creek being chosen as the host of Dancing with the Rednecks. Jesse Harper, come on up here and take a bow!”
My heart just about bursts with pride as tall, handsome Jesse comes walking out onto the dance floor. He’s wearing a nice blue suit and looks so grown up!
“In fact, I was so impressed with Jesse’s comedic essay that I’ve created a scholarship in his honor. I’m awarding him a full ride to the college of his choice in the first annual Jesse Harper Comedy Corner writing scholarship!” Mitchell turns to shake Jesse’s hand.
I look over at Mama, who is beaming and dabbing at the corner of her eyes with a hankie, and I’m dabbing at my own eyes while itching to hug Jesse, but Mitchell says he has another announcement.
“Rio Martin, I believe that you have something to tell the residents of Misty Creek. Come on up here!”
Rio gets up from his chair and takes the microphone from Mitchell. Is it my imagination or did the women in the audience collectively sigh? Oh, maybe that was me . . .
Rio gives me a warm smile and my nerves relax a fraction even though my heart rate must be in the danger zone.
“Thank you, Mitchell. I have to admit that I wasn’t happy to be a part of what I thought was going to be nothing more than a joke.” He waves a hand toward the contestants and continues. “But I was wrong. In fact, I’m so impressed with this town that I’ve purchased the Rabbit Run Lodge and I plan on turning it into a ballroom dancing retreat so that people from all over the country can come to Misty Creek to learn ballroom dancing and to enjoy the other fine attractions in your wonderful town. One that comes to mind is Sadie Harper’s meat loaf.”
There’s a collective gasp and then wild cheering goes on for a few minutes until Rio holds his hand up for silence. Since he has single-handedly given Misty Creek hope for a prosperous future, they give him his silence.
“Something else happened to me while I stayed here for the past few weeks. I might be a ballroom dance instructor but it seems that I was the one swept off my feet . . .
“Abby Harper, may I have this dance
?”
I nod and walk into the now familiar closed position.
“Wait a minute!” Julia Mayer comes out onto the dance floor holding a sparkling tiara in her hands. Rio grins, so I know he’s in on this.
Julia takes the microphone and says, “Abby Harper was never prom queen but I now crown her Redneck Dancing Queen!” She places the tiara on my head and gives me a hug while the crowd cheers.
A hush falls over the room, however, when the music begins and Rio and I glide over the dance floor like we’re floating on air. I pass my mama and she’s smiling with her arm linked through Mitchell’s.
Ben announces that all of the contestants and their partners should come onto the floor and join us.
“Te quiero,” Rio says in my ear.
I look into his deep brown eyes and needing no translation I say, “I love you, too.”
Can’t wait for LuAnn McLane’s
next sexy and hilarious hoedown?
Read on for a sneak peek of
TRICK MY TRUCK BUT
DON’T MESS WITH MY HEART
Coming from Signet Eclipse in January 2008
“Oh, shut up,” Sarah says as she shifts the Jeep into reverse. “I never should have told you about Ben.” After looking both ways, she eases out into traffic. “Okay, your turn. Surely you had a Coyote Ugly night in the Windy City. Spill. We’re twin sisters, Candie. You have to share.”
“Yeah right, I would have been hard pressed to find someone ugly in the fancy martini bars downtown. It was the land of designer clothes and perfect teeth. Truth is, I never really fit in.”
Sarah gives me a sideways glance but remains silent.
“What?”
“You sure look like you could fit in, with your sophisticated hair and polished ways. What the hell happened to your natural curls?”
“I tame them with a flatiron and a little bit of product.” I reach up and touch my pencil-straight, chin-length bob. “Don’t you like my hair?”
Dancing Shoes and Honky-Tonk Blues Page 25
