Bayou Born

chapter 6

James spun Branna again, then dipped her to the shimmer of the drummer’s cymbals as the band wrapped up their set. While they had danced, the world became a cocoon, a world of only two with music. Rapid pulses raced through him each time he touched her. It puzzled him, but the delight could become a powerful addiction.

Did she feel it, too?

The drummer made a final boom on the bass drum. Everyone ended their dancing and applauded the band’s performance, then wandered off the dance floor when the band left on a break. The tinny sounds of recorded music flowed through the sound system, a poor second to the live performance.

Flames from Tiki torches staked around the yard licked the night air. Was it his imagination, or did the flickering light add sensuality to the scene? In the west, beyond the torchlight, the last hints of sunlight reflected off scattered high clouds. The humidity had dialed back with the setting sun, and the breeze made the almost-summer evening perfect.

He followed Branna, watching her walk. Her hips swayed. Her jeans hugged the curves of her butt nicely. Her short hair bounced as she stepped in high heels, reminding him of a perky rabbit hopping down a path. A path that led to where? He didn’t care, as long she was in view.

While they danced, her face had glowed, even when she wasn’t smiling. Her strappy sandals, pretty fancy for a backyard party, put her at the right height, fitting her body perfectly to his when they danced close.

Her hazel eyes had remained locked on his while they moved together. His gaze kept wandering to the sweet fullness of her lips...it took all he had not to lower his mouth to hers. Thankfully, when the intensity of the pull almost got the best of him, she managed to step on his toes. Only once did a pointy heel strike a seriously damaging blow. He’d ice his toes later.

His attraction surprised him, but he wouldn’t allow an investigation into the allure. He never played where he worked. Never. A rule that had served him well. Besides, her captivating charms, her “beautiful” vibe, pushed his caution meter into the red zone. He always heeded that warning. Caroline had made him discriminating about his female company. However, he could enjoy any view with Branna in it. Look, but don’t touch. The voice in head mocked him. “Yeah, right. Good luck with that.”

“You’re a good dancer,” he said, catching up to her and resting his hand in the small of her back. The urge to touch her, to connect with the pulsing sensation, drew him uncontrollably.

“You’re a good liar.” She smiled.

“How about a bite to eat? I know a good place that serves food.” When she gave him a puzzled expression, he pointed to the food tent.

“Sure.” She nodded, but he suspected she had thought he was offering to take her somewhere else.

All evening he’d been waiting for her to remember. Waiting for that moment of recognition.

Would she give him the cold shoulder then? So far, she hadn’t let on that they’d met before. He’d bet good money that she hadn’t put all the pieces together. She couldn’t possibly be that schooled in politeness. If so, he’d never play poker with her. Usually he could sense a bluff. She showed no signs. The idea that she would laugh and dance with him now, but hadn’t given him even a brief “hello” at their first encounter, made him chuckle.

How would she respond when she finally figured it out?

He, however, remembered her very well.

The electrical charge when they first touched...if he was a Christmas tree, he would’ve lit up for the whole town to see.

He should have put the puzzle pieces together sooner, though. After all, how many new Brannas could there be in town? He hadn’t stopped long enough to consider that fact when Dr. Brown gave him the mentoring assignment. He hadn’t asked for Miss Lind’s first name.

Something about her drew him like a starving man to a feast. What if, just for tonight, he could put aside his no-fraternization rule? After all, this wasn’t a date, but a faculty party. Technically, since she was new, their official capacity of mentor/mentee didn’t begin until Monday. What if?

He joined her in the short line at the buffet. As she waited for people before them, she turned to him. “I’m hungry, Mr...”

“Here.” He pointedly ignored her hint at introductions. Instead, he offered her a plate from the remaining stack. It appeared most folks had eaten while he and Branna had danced.

“Thanks, but you still haven’t told me your name. I’m sure it’s not, Mr. Here.” She pinned him with a stare.

He winked. “How about we stick with the mystery for a little while longer. I promise, I’m harmless.”

Did her shrug mean surrender? At least for the moment?

Tonight he’d connected the dots from the woman at the Victorian to the one in the bookstore. That woman, a watery image beyond the widow, had looked vulnerable and scared. The antithesis of the woman before him. Who would’ve guessed that when he first met Branna, that day with Meredith, that she’d turn out to be his mentoring assignment for the semester?

And the most attractive woman he’d met in a very long while.

Had Dr. Brown set him up?

“Are you one of those guys who doesn’t eat anything green?” she asked. She dished salad from a wooden bowl onto her plate.

“No. I eat green. Why?”

“Then, try this.” With odd wooden paddles, she scooped up a pile of salad and plopped it onto his plate. “I happen to have it on good authority that it tastes great.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he told her skeptically.

As they navigated the rest of the food line, he couldn’t stop sneaking glances in her direction. Was Newton’s Third Law at play? “Force is a push or a pull that results from its interaction with another.” Despite the strong magnetic pull from her that said, “come hither,” usually, her kind of woman made him want to run for cover. Caroline had taught him that. Her kind fished for a guy, held him on her line, and after playing the line for a while, dumped him cold. Catch and release. Only Caroline had caught, released, then tried to hook him again. He wasn’t a slow study. One “Caroline” experience was enough to last any man a lifetime.

In Branna’s case, the worst of it was, she had beauty and brains, too. That made her more dangerous than the average high-maintenance type. He had to admit, the woman had a lot going in her favor. He’d read her resume and credentials before Dr. Brown hired her, though he still wondered why she had worked as an event planner in some small hole-of-a-nothing town. In Mississippi. For the last several years. And, why teach adult education classes at night?

Not his problem. Who understood a woman’s mind, anyway?

“Any idea what this is?” Branna asked. She peered into a chafing dish where something had been topped with toasted breadcrumbs.

“Nope,” he said. “And I don’t eat mystery food.”

Her laugh reminded him of soft tinkling wind chimes.

“Hmm. I would’ve guessed quite the opposite...coming from a mystery man.” She placed a dollop from the dish onto his plate. Rather than argue, it was his turn to shrug.

When they neared the end of the food line, their plates groaning, Bitsy made a beeline toward them. He frowned, and tried to wave her away without Branna noticing. It didn’t work.

“I see you’ve met our most eligible bachelor,” Bitsy said coyly to Branna. She tilted her head, motioning toward him as though he wasn’t standing there with a loaded dinner plate.

“Yes. Yes, she has,” he interrupted, hoping Bitsy wouldn’t blow his cover.

“Branna, you’re in good hands.”

“And, whose hands would those be, exactly?” Branna smiled sweetly.

“Why—”

“Bitsy, I see Fred over there by the bar.” He alerted the older woman. She always kept a watchful eye on her husband. Fred’s prescription caused unpleasant side effects if combined with alcohol. When Bitsy took off in Fred’s direction, he motioned for Branna to join him in the other tent. He set his plate in front of an empty chair and held the next one out for her.

“You’re good. But you know, I’ll find out your name sooner than later.”

She sat, and then he seated himself beside her.

“Hey, this salad is really good.” He hoped to distract her from the topic she appeared bent on pursuing. The mystery kept them on an even playing field. Once his identity was revealed, he’d be her mentor and her colleague, and flirting would be off the table. He wasn’t ready for that yet.

What had Dr. Brown been thinking? The man had listed an inventory of Ms. Lind’s accomplishments and noted her background, then suggested that James and Ms. Lind had a lot in common. School, career, and old southern families. He should have been suspicious when Dr. Brown hadn’t segued into a lecture about finding the right woman and creating a whole, fulfilling life. Nothing like an old reformed bachelor trying his hand at matchmaking.

Had Dr. Brown created this mentor program to push Branna at him? Couldn’t be. But, if so, Dr. Brown needed to stick to college matters, he wasn’t qualified to play cupid. That arrow was bound to go astray, and someone could get seriously hurt. And, while the woman in question oozed with charm that drew him irrationally like a fish to a shiny lure, that same charm could be a Pandora’s box of trouble. Trouble he didn’t want.

“I think this is green bean casserole,” he said, tasting the mystery food on his plate, courtesy of Branna.

She grinned at him.

They finished their food, and a server came to clear their plates. When the young woman reached for his, he touched her hand, trying to make it look like an accident.

No tingle.

No shimmer.

No pulsing sensation.

Nothing.

What was the thing happening between him and Branna?

“It’s getting late. I need to be going.” Branna started to rise.

“One more dance?” He hooked his little finger with hers. The mere connection of a finger looped with a finger started a rhythmic pulsating beat. It made him want to run, but the attraction to stay was stronger. He needed to look up Newton’s Laws to understand the phenomena. There had to be an explanation. Otherwise, Monday could be a problem. A big one.

No. He would put aside his personal issues and conduct himself as a professional. Helping Branna learn the lay of the land, helping her understand about the college and her job, was something he could handle with politeness. Anything more—beyond another dance tonight—was out.

“Okay, one more dance. Are you a glutton for punishment or what?” Branna giggled. She glanced at his feet pityingly and shook her head, then maneuvered through the crowd.

He followed, admiring the view.

One dance turned into four.

And he never knew the power of a scowl until that night. It kept several people from blowing his cover. But his time was running out. Soon, he had to tell her. Soon.

“How ’bout a drink?” Branna asked, touching her fingers to her flushed cheeks.

He caught her around the waist for one last twirl. His feet could use a break; his toes would be black and blue tomorrow. Tonight it didn’t matter.

“I know the bartender personally. He’ll give us a free drink.” Branna winked.

“Wine? Or Hard liquor?” He gave her a once over, trying to guess her preference.

“Well, what do you think?”

He studied her intently. “I think...you’re probably both. But it’s not yet a tequila night. Wine,” he finally decided.

She laughed. “Water will do me fine. No alcohol when I drive. I’m leaving in a bit.”

“What? The night is young!”

“Ah, but this girl turns into a pumpkin at midnight.”

“Don’t you have your fairytales mixed up? Cinderella fled. The coach turned into a pumpkin. I’m a guy, and I know that.”

“I don’t think Coach,” she nodded her head in Riggs’ direction, “would appreciate knowing he might be a pumpkin at midnight.”

“Cute. Cinderella, I’ll want another dance before I put you in your coach. Wait right here. I’ll get you that drink.”

He wrangled his way through the crowd, grabbed two bottles of water, and returned to find Branna deep in conversation with Dr. Brown. As he approached, the glint in Branna’s eye said his identity had been revealed.

“I see you found him, Ms. Lind. This is the guy I wanted you to meet. The one who’s been dodging me,” Dr. Brown said gruffly.

“Yes, it does appear that I’ve found the famous Dr. James Newbern.” Branna’s grin was forced.

“Busted,” James said sheepishly, disappointed he’d been found out. He had no excuse for being an ass. Except as long as she didn’t know who he was, he hadn’t broken his rule of no fraternization. He could get to know her freely without any expectations.

“I believe you’ll benefit from Dr. Newbern’s assistance. The goal is to ease the transition of our new instructors.”

Dr. Brown shook his hand, leaned close, and whispered, “She’s got a lot of potential. A great asset to the college. Do your best, but keep it professional.”

With a wave, Dr. Brown and Vivian left them. Alone with Branna, James offered her the bottle of water. “You promised me one more dance.”

Branna drank slowly, smiled, then replied, “Really, Dr. Newbern? You want more?” She didn’t sound like she was into the dancing idea, but she held out her hand. He wouldn’t let her glare stand in the way of holding her in his arms one last time. Maybe he could convince her he wasn’t a total ass. Maybe.

This time when they danced, she moved mechanically in his arms, keeping a distance between them. She gazed at some faraway spot over his shoulder, rather than look him in the eyes. She stepped on his toes multiple times. Payback for his deception, he assumed. For once in his life, he could read a woman’s mind. Hers flashed—anger.

The moment the band stopped playing, Branna dropped her grasp of his hand and left the dance floor.

“Well, thanks for the dance.” Hoofing it to catch up to her, he was certain a different type of storm was heading his way. Had a hurricane ever started as tropical storm Branna?

“So you are the famous Dr. Newbern.” Her smile was saccharine-sweet, and her voice smacked with accusation.

“I don’t know about famous.”

“Dr. Brown said you’ve been dodging him for a couple of weeks.”

“Not dodging. Attending to personal business,” he corrected.

Her smile fell. “Oh. Well, that explains it. I guess I shouldn’t take it personally. Dr. Newbern, would you mind walking me out? In case someone’s blocked my car? You can use your disappearing powers to make it move out of the way.”

“Sure.”

He stood at the top of the steps as Branna thanked the Westcotts, then gathered a wooden salad bowl from the table. The crowd’s laughter drifted on the breeze. The white tents glowed red, green, blue, and yellow from the hanging colored lanterns. The break in the weather had made the festivities enjoyable. Mrs. Westcott had probably ordered that, too. From where he stood, surveying the party below, it looked like a spread from a magazine. Mrs. Westcott had done it again.

“Thanks for waiting,” Branna said. She climbed the back steps.

They walked in silence, making their way through the house out to the horseshoe drive.

“I’m being nosy,” Branna said, hitting the key remote for her car. The trunk of an old Volvo popped open, and she placed her bowl inside. “Do you see that truck over there?” She pointed to an old white pickup as she closed the trunk.

“Yeah.”

“Do you know the guy that owns that truck?” Her gaze remained on the vehicle. “Was he here tonight?”

Her thoughtful gaze made him wonder about her speculation regarding that guy, and her question solidly confirmed what he already knew. She hadn’t put two and two together. “He was there.”

“Is he a friend of the Westcotts? Does he work at the college?”

Was she fishing for something? “Yes, he’s acquainted with the Westcotts. Why?”

The dimly lit driveway made it difficult to see her face, but he hadn’t imagined her grimace.

“I met him once. I think he bought the Victorian by the lake. I thought maybe...” her words drifted off, and then her face brightened. “Oh, I just wanted to say, hello. That’s all.”

“Well, I’ll try to remember to introduce the two of you the next time you’re both in the same place.”

He closed her car door once she was inside. She waved good-bye before driving away.

The evening had surprised him. She had surprised him more. But what would she do when she learned he and that guy were one and the same?