by James, Sandy
Her hands were so tiny. How could fingers that delicate create the powerful, vivid works of art that he’d seen? She smiled, a small dimple creasing her right cheek. The stray curls that framed her face were utterly feminine, her hair the same dark color as her long lashes. She fascinated him. And he wanted her. All of her.
Joy must have noticed he wasn’t eating because she ripped a piece from her pastry and held it up to his mouth. Lucas let her feed him, and he marveled at how easy it had been to fall so hard for this woman. She was the kindest person he’d ever known.
Pulling another piece from her elephant ear, she reached over to feed it to Lucas. This time, he captured her fingers and held her hand in front of his lips while he ate the pastry. Then, in slow, exaggerated motions, he licked the remnants of powdered sugar from her fingertips as he kissed each one. Her face flushed bright red, but her smile told him that she enjoyed his attention. Quickly swinging a leg over the bench to straddle it, he snaked his arms around her waist and hauled her up against him.
He had to kiss her. It was entirely out of his control. Gently cupping her face in his hands, Lucas settled his mouth on hers. She tasted like sugar, and the sexy little noise she made as he kissed her only made him want more of her. Everything about the woman excited him. He nudged her lips with his tongue, she opened to his insistence. So warm, and oh so sweet. When her tongue returned his caress, Lucas reached behind her head and laced his fingers through that thick, black hair he’d been dying to touch.
Joy was the first to pull away, but Lucas could tell it was reluctantly. Her lips were red, as were her cheeks. She reached up to place her cool hands on his face and leaned into him until her forehead rested against his.
“Wow. You sure know how to kiss,” Joy whispered, following her words with a breathless sigh that made his heart skip a quick beat.
He allowed himself a smug smile. “Only you, Jozsa.”
She smiled in return. Then she turned her attention back to finishing her elephant ear.
* * * *
The August night was sultry, a cool breeze occasionally easing the oppressive heat. Joy stopped walking, and Lucas watched as she gathered her loose hair into a ponytail.
“You certainly know how to problem-solve,” he said with a chuckle as she used a long piece of fringe she’d pulled from her sash to bind her hair.
“It’s too hot to have this mop hanging on my neck.”
“I like your hair up.” He reached over to brush a curl away from her forehead, and then he kissed her nose. “Of course, I also like it down.”
“Flattery will get you...everywhere,” she said as she took his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze.
She pleased him when she didn’t let go. Damn, he wanted to kiss her again. He wanted to take her back to his house, kiss her until she couldn’t breathe, until she forgot her own name, and then he would...
For the love of God. Stop it, Lucas.
“Why haven’t you been back out to the house?” he finally asked, hoping to curb his errant thoughts.
She watched her feet as they paced along the midway, avoiding his gaze. With a small shrug of her dainty shoulders, she replied, “I knew you needed some space. Some time. I just gave it to you.” He could feel those slender fingers give his hand another reassuring press. “I wasn’t gone, Lucas. I was always close.”
The fact that she could read him so easily and the fact that her tiny hand felt so right in his should have made him uncomfortable. What was it about Joy that made the little things that used to drive him away in a relationship suddenly cause him to want to bind her closer to him? The intimacies that normally sounded a retreat were now blasting a “Charge!”
Joy abruptly stopped at the door of the enormous hall that sheltered the animals preparing for show and auction. The smell wafting from the building made Lucas wonder why she hadn’t tried to pass the exposition hall as fast as they could walk instead of dragging him to a halt.
“Can we go see the sheep? Please?” She stared up at him, begging with those heavenly eyes.
Lucas almost scratched his head, wondering at her motivation to go look at a bunch of smelly farm animals. “Sheep? Why sheep?”
“Their eyes. They have the kindest, saddest eyes.”
“And they smell like sh—”
“Lucas,” she scolded, placing a slim finger gently against his lips. “They’re adorable. Even if they do smell.” He kissed her finger before she pulled it away.
They strolled through the huge entrance, and Lucas’s thoughts drifted to his past, to his parents’ farm on a warm summer afternoon. This distinct odor was the same, that sometimes overpowering combination of animal and humidity. Funny, it’s a comforting smell now. Thinking of his parents brought him calm now, not a choking grief. He remembered his father’s patience in teaching him about horses. He remembered his mother tending newborn foals. He remembered feeling safe.
Joy stopped often, peering down at several animals. Pigs, goats, and finally sheep. One of the ewes mothered her twin lambs whose bleats sounded like babies crying. Crouching down to reach between the wooden slats, Joy stroked one of the lambs.
“Aren’t they wonderful?” Her chin quivered as she glanced up at him with misty eyes.
Over a silly, noisy lamb? “What’s the matter, Sweetheart?”
Arching an eyebrow, probably at the endearment, Joy seemed thoughtful for a moment. “I love animals, but I’ve never been able to spend much time with them.”
“Why?”
She shrugged, gave the squalling lamb a few more affectionate strokes, and then rose to her feet. “I grew up in cities. Chicago. Then Erie for a little while. No place for pets. Plus I was working in one of our restaurants from the time I could walk.”
“No pets at all? Not even a goldfish?” That notion seemed sad. Having grown up with kittens constantly underfoot, foals being born at all hours of the night, and more than a few dogs, Lucas couldn’t imagine a childhood without animals being an intricate part of life.
Joy shook her head, but a smile made that beautiful little dimple assert itself again. “Papa told me I couldn’t have a pet, but when I got my own place, I took in some stray cats. They keep me company now.” She took his hand as they walked toward the other livestock pens.
How fascinating it was to watch her taking in each animal as if she wanted to memorize each line of a cow’s mournful face or every tiny curl of a piglet’s tail. Like an artist. When they came to the horses, she halted next to a demonstration of horseshoeing.
From the flyers posted around them, it appeared that there was a contest underway to see who could shoe a horse the fastest. Lucas watched the first contestant and snorted a laugh. Pointing to the demonstration platform, he said, “That guy’s a lightweight. You can’t let the horse push against you like that if you want to get a shoe on fast.”
Her eyes widened, her mouth gaped. “You know how to do...that? What do you call it? Shoeing?”
Lucas nodded. “Yeah. Shoeing. The guy that shoes a horse is called a farrier. I’ve been putting shoes on horses since I was eleven. And I can do it a hell of a lot faster than that guy.” He flashed Joy a smug smile.
“Well, then you should try,” she insisted. “What’s the prize?”
He let his gaze scan one of the flyers then he ran his fingers over his chin in contemplation. Maybe she was right. He should try. “A two-horse trailer.” Lucas looked to the board where the times of each contestant were posted. “These guys are...slow.”
She tugged on his sleeve. “You could use the trailer, couldn’t you?” He nodded. “Then try, Lucas. Please try.”
Lucas shook his head. He couldn’t do this. Not even for her. “I haven’t shod a horse since I...”
Since I went to Iraq.
God, why did it seem that his life had ended the day he put on his uniform? Why couldn’t he find his way back home, back to the people he loved, back to the things he loved to do?
“You can do it. I know you
can.” She placed those delicate fingers on his shoulder and gave him an enormous smile that seemed full of faith in what she thought he could do.
What was it about Joy that made a surge of confidence race through him? She made him think he could conquer the world. She made him feel like he could finally...come home.
“Fine. I’ll do it. For you.”
Lucas went to the woman keeping track of times. She handed him an entry form. He filled it out and handed it back to her.
As Lucas stood on the podium, donning the borrowed leather apron, he wondered just what in the hell he was doing. Would he even remember how to angle the nails? Would he remember how hard to strike? Would his hands remember how to do the work? His gaze scanned the crowd, noticing that Joy had elbowed a place in the front of all the spectators. She smiled up at him, and Lucas felt all his fears simply fade away.
“One last contestant here, folks,” the announcer said as the new horse was led to Lucas. “Let’s hear it for Lucas Mitchell.” A smattering of applause floated through the air.
“Ready?” the old man with the stopwatch shouted above the noise of the crowd. Lucas gave him a curt nod. “Go!”
Like riding a bicycle. His hands suddenly remembered every little nuance, every little trick. Two taps on each nail, six nails each shoe, nothing but cooperation from the horse. Before he had even finished the fourth hoof, Lucas knew he’d won.
* * * *
Joy was just finishing some cotton candy when Lucas came marching out of the big building. He still couldn’t believe he’d won a horse trailer.
A brand new trailer of my own.
After making the arrangements to pick it up, he’d sent Joy outside of the stifling hot exhibition hall while he found a place to clean up.
Without a greeting, she pinched off one of the last large tufts of the pink candy and fed it to him. He wanted to kiss away the small bit that clung to the corner of her mouth, but instead he brushed it away with his thumb.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said. “I’ve never seen anyone move that fast.” Her cheek dimpled with a smile. He still wanted to kiss her. “If I’d been drawing you, I’d never have been able to keep up.”
Lucas shrugged. Joy threw away the small cardboard cone that had held her cotton candy and reached out for his hand. He didn’t even hesitate, sheltering her hand in his own. “Do you want to go on some rides?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” she said a bit breathlessly. “I love the rides.”
“So, what do you want to ride first?”
“The scariest one we can find.”
He knew just where to take her.
After buying some tickets, Lucas dragged her toward the Zipper. He passed their tickets to an attendant who jammed the slips of paper into a metal box. Opening the door to a red metal cage, the pudgy, tattooed carnie waited as Joy and Lucas crawled into the seat, and then he locked them inside.
“Do you guys have any loose stuff? Keys? Pocket change?” the scruffy little man asked without removing the lit cigarette that hung from his lips. They both shook their heads. “Better hope not, because it’ll be gone soon.” He chuckled, coughed, and then reached to move the lever to bring the next cage closer to him. A giggling Joy quickly tucked her skirt tightly under her thighs.
The instant the ride started moving, Joy squealed and gripped the padded bar in front of them so tightly her knuckles blanched.
As the ride stopped to let on more passengers, Lucas chuckled at her as he let go of the bar to pat her hand. “I thought you wanted to go on the scariest one.”
She turned and smiled. God, how he loved that smile. “I did. I mean, I do. I love being scared. It’s just...scary.” The cage moved again, and Joy let out another frightened shriek.
A few more small moves saw the ride entirely occupied, and the attendant threw the lever to set the cages whirling around the tall ride. Each cage rotated in small circles where they were anchored to the ride, but the cages also moved around a large track that swung them high into the air. Flipping over the top of the enormous ride, the cages hurtled toward the ground before flipping back up the other side to start the process all over again.
Joy screamed voraciously for the majority of the ride, but Lucas could tell that she loved the excitement because when she wasn’t screaming, she was laughing. When the long ride finally began to wind down, Joy and Lucas found themselves hanging upside down in their cage as the other riders were slowly released from their seats. Her long ponytail dangled in the air and her sash hung from her waist to her chin. Lucas let go of the bar to bat at the red sash. She responded to his teasing with a nervous laugh, but refused to let go of the padded bar. He gave her ponytail a small tug when what he wanted to do was lace his fingers in her soft hair.
When they got off the ride, Joy clutched Lucas’s arm and leaned heavily against him. “My legs are shaking.”
“You enjoyed that?”
“Oh, yes,” she said as she clung to him.
He leaned over to kiss the top of her head. She smelled like wildflowers. And happiness. “Are you up for another ride?”
She nodded and pointed toward the double Ferris wheel. “I want to ride that.”
“You’re insane,” he said with a chuckle. “You act like you’re terrified when you’re riding, but you only want the tallest, fastest rides.”
“That’s what Janos always says. He won’t go on carnival rides with me anymore. He says I scream too much.” She giggled. “But that’s half the fun.”
Lucas had to fight the urge to kiss her the entire evening. It was all he could think about, all he wanted to do. When they were stopped at the top of the big wheel waiting for others to board, he finally indulged himself by pulling her close and making love to her the only way he could considering their location. He pressed his lips to hers, relished her enthusiastic response, and delved his tongue into the honeyed sweetness of her mouth.
Joy had been anxiously waiting for his kiss. She turned to press herself closer to him as she rubbed her tongue across his. He made her forget everything else around her. The noise of the midway died away, replaced with the echo of her rapidly-beating heart. His kiss distracted her, teased her, promised things she hoped he would someday deliver. She didn’t even notice when the ride resumed until their seat zoomed over the top and she bounced up a few inches as it quickly descended. The thrill of the ride and the intoxication of Lucas’s kisses were a delicious combination.
Once the ride was over, Joy dragged him back toward the food booths. “I decided I want a fried Oreo instead of a snow cone.”
“A what? You want a what?”
“A fried Oreo. They dip it in cinnamon batter and deep fry it. Yum,” she cooed. “Come on. You need to broaden your horizons.” Then she took his hand and dragged him toward the booth that deep fried just about any food known to mankind. Candy bars, bananas, Twinkies.
Joy grabbed the two fried cookies Lucas purchased and carried them to a bench that another couple was just vacating. She sat down, and he dropped down beside her. She took a bite and immediately realized her mistake. “Too hot, too hot,” she said as she fanned herself with her hand and tried to suck in the night air to cool the burning, gooey mixture on her tongue.
“That’s what you get for eating a fried Oreo,” he teased before he blew on his own cookie.
When Janos suddenly came striding toward them, she glanced up at him and yelled a greeting. “Janos! What’s up?”
The stern, troubled look on his face was enough to ruin her appetite. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Joy, you need to come with me. Now,” Janos insisted. “They’re at the restaurant.”
“When did they get here?” she asked.
“Who? When did who get where?” Lucas asked clearly puzzled by the exchange.
“About an hour ago. I’ve been trying to find you since I talked to them,” Janos replied, ignoring Lucas’s questions.
Lucas knit his brows and stared at Joy. “Who are you two talk
ing about? I feel like I missed an entire conversation somewhere.”
“My parents,” she explained. Joy knew Lucas was confused and had no idea that Joy and Janos didn’t always need to speak to share some kinds of personal information. Right now wasn’t the appropriate time to have a lengthy discussion about what gypsies could do.
“They insisted on going to Gypsy to wait for you,” Janos continued. “I told them you were out enjoying the fair.” Janos inclined his head toward Lucas. “I didn’t tell them about...him.”
Joy turned back to Lucas, trying to hold off the urge to panic. Her father would be livid, especially if he knew she was at the fair with a man from outside the Romungro circle. “I need to get to the restaurant, Lucas. Now.”
“I’ll take you,” he offered as he fished in his pocket and produced a set of keys. “My truck isn’t far from here.”
Janos gave his head a furious shake. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Joy tried to keep a tight lid on her fear that Lucas would have to endure an emotionally charged episode with her parents. “Janos, can’t you leave now and take me home?”
He shook his head again. “I didn’t finish closing things up because I was looking for you. But I’m pretty sure Tamas can. He was planning on leaving in a few minutes anyway to drop some stuff off, then he was coming back for me.”
“Oh, Sweet Jesus. They’d just love that,” Joy said as she gave her brother an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “No, thank you. Lucas can take me home.” Better to have her parents angry than thinking she had come around to their plans for her and Tamas. Angry she could handle. After all, her father tended to get angry at her easily and quite often.
She would let Lucas take her home.
But Joy fervently prayed there wouldn’t be a scene.
