Page 74 of The Bodyguard's Fall

Later that night, I came back to my room after brushing my teeth to find a small nightlight plugged into the outlet next to my bed.

Will: Any more sightings?

Tate: No. But the barn dance is tonight. I’m expecting an appearance somewhere.

Will: Barn dance? What year is this?

Tate: Gonna dazzle your sister with my dance moves. Unrelated, but what’s her favorite flower?

Will: Listen, moron. The possibility of you liking Liv has always been strong. We both know it. Don’t deny it. But she’s a job to you right now. And you can’t be distracted. So don’t touch her.

Tate: So…lilies?

The old community barn that sat at the end of main street had burned down years ago. This year, the community came together to rebuild the barn and have a traditional barn raising. Later that night, a barn dance would take place. Tate had become even more vigilant after the sighting in the woods. Since he wouldn’t let me out of his sight, I became his literal tool belt at the barn raising, nearly glued to his side to hand him tools and nails. It was quite the sight to see so many men and women coming together to build something in this way. Not to mention, many of the guys took their shirts off throughout the hot afternoon, which greatly raised the spirits of the women.

After the framing had been completed, most of the participants went home to shower, only to come back freshly shaved and cleaned up for the dance. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, sending rays of pinks and oranges throughout the sky. A generator hummed loudly outside, providing the electricity needed to light up the place. Twinkle lights were woven across the boards and rafters, and construction lights lit up the corners of the barn. Just outside, a live band was warming up.

Tate would have been perfectly happy to skip the dance. He didn’t need to bring up the sighting in the woods, but I knew it weighed heavily on his mind. There had been a shift between us this week. He seemed to pull back slightly, wanting to keep us closer to home. But I had slowly gotten more comfortable going out, which was easy to do when Tate was there. And I now had a full-fledged scene written (mostly in my head) about a barn raising, so I obviously had to include the dance, which meant I needed research. Inspiration. When I told him this, with batted eyes and my hands in a prayer pose, he only shook his head before trudging upstairs to shower, a hint of a smile on his face.

It was fun to see familiar faces–Reese, Ari, even Archer was there, standing on the sides, chatting with the mayor. There were so many familiar faces here, but Tate clung to my side, his eyes sifting through every person who entered like we were in the middle of Grand Central Station.

“I thought the dance would be easier for you,” I remarked when we were alone, standing against the side of the barn, watching more people arrive. “Since we know almost everyone.”

He shook his head, leaning against the barn, feigning a relaxed pose. “It’s harder being here.”

“Why?”

“It’s too easy to get distracted.”

“By me?” I dropped a hand to my chest. “Thank you. That’s so sweet.”

He turned his trained eyes over to me just then. He held his gaze long enough that my toes began to curl. He looked like a man who had a thousand things he could say. He had been about to say something before he changed his mind and looked away. I swallowed, my heart rate kicking up a notch, while my joke didn’t seem to land.

“You seem more relaxed,” he remarked.

“I decided that I’m sick of living half a life. I’m here at the dance, and I’m going to talk to my friends, and have fun, and effectively give Leroy the bird.”

“So you’re saying I’ve got my work cut out for me tonight?”

“Maybe. Want to dance?” The live band was starting, and a few couples and families with kids had made their way out onto the dance floor. My newfound energy and excitement reminded me of who I used to be. Bold and daring. How I used to always feel in Tate’s presence. A mixture of safety and bravery where I knew he would always catch me if I fell.

He shook his head once. “Nah. I’m on the clock. Go have your fun, but don’t leave my line of sight without telling me.”

I wondered briefly what sort of fun I would have without him. I was getting used to the dry comments always in my ear and the way his strong body seemed to settle nicely beside mine.

I spent the next little while floating back and forth between friends and old faces. And…dances.

So many dances.

A suspicious number of dances.

Growing up, I was never exactly a wallflower, but I had definitely never been this sought after. And now, with the whole town believing me and Tate were dating, I was essentially off the market. But apparently, that meant little.

Wade Stevenson was the first to ask me to dance. And now, after seeing how he’d been looking at Ari throughout the barn raising, I was extremely grateful our Make-Out Ridge excursion from long ago had been interrupted.

“Hey, Wade,” I said, a knowing smile on my face.

He grinned, his own smile complete with a very grown-up-looking mustache, I might add. “Hey, Liv.”