In Shining Whatever (Three Magic Words Trilogy #2)(46)

Hart cocked his head to one side and looked around. There were a dozen or more couples on the floor, including Claud and Minnette. He wondered who Zac was playing the song for; then the band went into another fast song, and Kate grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the dancing to meet more people.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's a party," she said.

"No, the music. No one is singing, but it's a toe-stomping tune "

"Oh, that's just the `Bayou Teche."'

"No, I don't mean the sound of the bayou. The music. What's the name of it?"

She laughed and repeated what she'd just said. "That's the name of the piece they are playing. The kids love it and it's a good dance number. Not as lyrical as when they sing, but it's a good warm-up song."

She led him over to the table where Maw Maw sat with other women her age. Maw Maw made introductions and asked Hart if he was hungry yet.

"Just smelling that barbecue makes my mouth water," he said.

"Mais, good man, yes?" Maw Maw looked at her friends, who all nodded.

Zac and the band started a waltz and Maw Maw shooed them both off to the dance area, promising that the food would be served within thirty minutes. "Can't eat before full dark. It's too hot, chere," she explained.

Hart didn't have a bit of trouble dancing to the waltz. The accordion and fiddle blended together, and even without words he could almost hear a singer talking about the hot Louisiana night in a copse of live oaks, where he danced with the woman he could never forget.

"So you like the waltz better than the fast dancing?" Kate whispered.

The warmth of her breath in his ear shot desire though his body that he had difficulty controlling. "I like holding you"

"Remember that line, because Corrine is here," she said.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"You'll see."

A minute later, a tall, dark-haired woman with the blackest eyes Hart had ever seen tapped Kate on the shoulder and took her place in Hart's arms. She melted her body next to his and wrapped both arms around his neck. She was tall enough that she laid her head on his shoulder as if it were made to fit in the crook.

"I'm Corrine, Kate's cousin. And you are one handsome cowboy," she said, in a thick Southern accent that had most men melting at her feet. "So tell me all about yourself while we dance the Cajun waltz."

"Not much to tell," he said.

"You are a bull rider, no? And you fill out those jeans really well, yes? And cher, I bet you are a man who would not mind Corrine kissing you, right?"

Hart wasn't sure he'd heard the woman right. Surely she wasn't coming on to him that quickly, and she was Kate's kinfolk. What kind of family had he gotten tangled up with?

"So is the big, pretty cowboy tongue-tied? Maybe I could kiss away the fear of speaking. Want to take a walk with me to the bayou?"

He pushed her back a step. "What is this?"

"It's flirting," she laughed. "You think about my offer and later, after we eat, give me a wink and I'll slip away to the bayou."

When the waltz ended, he searched frantically for Kate. He'd been propositioned before, but never so blatantly. Maybe all Corrine's attributes went to making a lovely body and face, and nothing was left over to make a brain.

He felt a touch on his shoulder and spun around.

"Lookin' for me?" Kate asked.

"What is that?" He grabbed her hand and led her away from the noise toward the bayou.

"A waltz," she said.

"No, that woman. Corrine."

"She's my cousin. Your tone says you didn't like her. Be careful, Hart, she's kinfolk, and we don't abide people talking about our kin," she warned him.

I don't care if she's the queen of Cajun and talking about her will get me strung up for treason. Keep her away from me"

Kate put back her head and laughed so loud that it echoed in the trees, and the children at the edge of the bayou looked back to see what was happening.

"Did I hear my name, cher?" Corrine appeared like a creeping panther from the shadows.

Hart squeezed Kate's hand so hard that she feared he'd break her fingers.

"Corrine, this is my friend, Hart Ducaine," Kate said. "I think you met him on the dance floor."

"Did he pass?" Corrine asked.

"He did. You can go on and have a good time now."

"He's a good man, Kate. Don't be lettin' him get away from you now." Corrine disappeared into the same shadows she'd come out of.

Hart's grip relaxed. "Explain"

"You asking or demanding?"

"I don't care which one. What was that all about on the dance floor?"

Kate didn't like his tone one bit. "We don't have a dance floor. This is just a simple family get-together."

He dropped her hand. "You know what I mean."

"It's a family joke. When a new man comes on the scene, we turn Corrine loose on him first thing. If she can turn his head, then it's plain that he's not interested in the girl who brought him to the party."

"It's not funny," Hart said.

"Loosen up. Have a beer. Don't be an old grouch because she came on to you. You passed the test."