This Time(10)

After several frustrating minutes of trying to forget Burke and focus on her work, Belle gave up and powered down the computer. Saying goodnight to her father, she headed to bed.





Chapter Four





Friday night Burke entered the gymnasium with Grace Peterson on his arm, laughing and talking, greeting his former classmates. Yet, he couldn't keep his eyes from darting around the crowded room as he searched for Belle, longing to see her again.

Since their brief encounter Thursday, he'd not been able to get her out of his mind. He finally spotted her near the stage, laughing and singing with a small circle of her former glee club members. Her appearance seized him for a moment, and he drew in a deep breath. She wore a red and white, fringed blouse and thick-healed boots. Perfect for square dancing. Soft overhead lights captured the golden highlights in her burnished brown hair as she leaned casually against the front of the stage, her legs crossed and her hands buried in her jeans pockets. Her confident manner and gregarious aura reminded him of the Belle he'd loved.

On impulse, he steered Grace in her direction and causally introduced the two women. "Belle, I'd like to introduce Grace Peterson."

At the sound of his voice, Belle stiffened and stood up straight. "Hello," she said, monotone, shaking Grace's hand mechanically. Burke thought he saw her confident demeanor dimming.

The others in the circle starting talking at once, greeting Burke and introducing themselves to the Hollywood star.

Burke kept one eye on Belle, aware that her posture remained rigid and uninviting.

Silently, he reprimanded himself for not considering her feelings and the truth about their relationship. Until yesterday, they hadn't spoken in over twelve years. Tonight, he introduced Grace to her as if the mountain of unspoken words between them did not exist.

All his planning and rehearsing seemed to fade the moment he saw her. The reunion weekend had stirred his yearning to be close to her again and be done with the angst between them. He missed her, and more than ever regretted the impulsive, selfish action he'd taken so long ago. How could he have rejected something so precious?

"Burke's told me a lot about you," he heard Grace's velvet voice say.

Belle merely nodded, mumbling something like, "How nice." But the expression in her eyes revealed her discomfort.

Before the conversation could go any farther, other classmates joined the small circle, reuniting with Burke, congratulating him on his pro success and quizzing him about the upcoming football season. Then, politely, many of them asked Grace for her autograph, while welcoming her to their class reunion.

"Hi, I'm Dana Love," a shrill, eager voice called from behind Belle. A slender white hand slinked over her shoulder toward Grace.

Awkwardly, Grace greeted the audacious woman.

Dana squeezed in front of Belle, whispering over her shoulder, "Guess Burke found someone more to his liking." She prattled on with Grace about things she knew nothing of - like Hollywood and movie making, punctuating her sentences with an obnoxious cackle.

Burke burned inside when he overheard Dana's cruel comment. He watched a spark ignite in Belle's eyes as she turned to walk away. Impulsively, he stepped around the two women and touched her lightly on the shoulder.

"Don't listen to her," he said in her ear.

Belle looked askance at him with narrowed eyes, still lit with the same fire. "I don't need your reassurance."

He stared at her, searching for the right thing to say, desperate to chip away at the wall between them. But there were too many words for the moment.

"Anything else, or can I go?" she asked after a second, raising a brow, her tone clipped and caustic.

"No, that's all I guess," he said, forcing a smile.

***

Belle turned on her heel and stepped smack into Gates.

"You were rude," she said.

"Don't talk to me about rudeness. Talk to him," she bristled, jerking her thumb toward Burke. Why did the responsibility of her relationship with him fall on her? How could she make right the wrong he'd done?

Gates shook her head and wagged her finger under Belle's nose. "So help me, Belle, if you don't deal with him I'm going to hog tie you two together until it's done with."

"Why don't you talk to him about that, hum?"

"He's trying," Gates started.

Belle put up her hands. "Whatever, Gates. This isn't the time or the place."

Dana's snide comment had unearthed emotions and thoughts Belle preferred to keep buried. When the evening began, she ignored the nagging anticipation of seeing Burke again. Now she felt like an emotional volcano.

Fresh air, she thought. I need some fresh air.

She caught the glare of the exit sign out of the corner of her eye. Eagerly, she made her way through the crowd, head down, envisioning her escape.

But out-of-town classmates halted her retreat, stepping into her path, attempting to catch up with the years by asking simplified, generic questions about her life, the Bar J, and Duke. Then, those who didn't know about her break up with Burke asked innocently about her relationship with him, unwittingly turning up the heat under her volatile emotions.

Weren't you two heading for the altar? Of all the couples in high school, surely you two were the most likely to get married. What happened to you two? Do you keep in touch? Doesn't he look fantastic? What a career he's had, eh, Belle?