Cocoon Read Free Page B

into eyes the color of roasted chestnuts and saw the vulnerability lurking there.
    That he was sort of attractive behind those frames, in a decidedly rugged way, was the next thing to register.
    â€œHow about we show these folks how to dance?” she heard herself saying to him and was rewarded with a slow smile as he arose. The smile produced dimples as he swallowed her hand in his big one and in a blink had her moving with the music.
    He was remarkably graceful on the dance floor being as how he’d never had formal lessons, he quickly informed her.
    â€œI’d never have known,” she said truthfully.
    â€œOf course I spent a lot of time dancing years back,” he added. “I really liked the disco era. Gave young folks places to go to simply dance. Like this one. Nice place. Who owns it?”
    â€œMy daughter, Zoe.” With blatant pride she pointed out her lovely brunette offspring, partnering with the town jock, Scott Burns.
    â€œThat her husband?”
    â€œNo. But not for lack of his trying.” Seana grinned up at him. “He’s Paradise Spring High’s athletic coach and is determined to win my Zoe. She’s a challenge, something Scott cannot resist.” She whispered theatrically, “It’s in his blood.”
    Barth chuckled, nodding his head. “I see.”
    Scott’s pursuit of the wary, slippery-eel Zoe was by now what Paradise Springs’s legends were made of. Big, strapping, available Scott was all-American good-looking, with his butch haircut and muscular physique.
    Scott was at his best in contest. In this one, Zoe was the prize.
    Thus, the drama played on.
    Barth the newcomer was light on his feet for someone his size. And he was a quick learner and adventuresome, to Seana’s delight. She hadn’t had a good partner since Ansel and was excited to have someone so compatible, both physically – he was tall but so was she at five-eight to his six-one – and they both loved music and the pull and challenge of dance.
    Yup. Seana felt herself relaxing and enjoying simply being, like she had not since Ansel’s passing.
    It felt good.
    â€¢ • •
    In those next two hours, she discovered other things the two of them shared in common. One was a love of anything literary. The other was music. The gamut from country to classical. He was a musician, actually, played piano, saxophone, and guitar. And though Seana’s knowledge in holistic studies and health foods did not compare with his, she was fascinated by his expertise. He wasn’t neurotic, just smart about good health choices.
    â€œWhere’s your home?” she asked. “I can’t quite place your accent.”
    He looked at her long and hard, then chuckled. “Anywhere and everywhere.” When Seana continued silently waiting for a more thorough response, he shrugged, then added, “I’m originally from Canada.”
    So that was why she’d not been able to discern his origins. Still, the dialect sounded a bit familiar.
    â€œWhat brought you here to Paradise Springs?”
    â€œA friend of mine lives here. He’s been trying to get me here for a long, long time.”
    â€œOh? Anyone I know?”
    â€œKeith Melton.”
    A splash of pleasant surprise. “My pastor. Small world, huh? How did you know him?”
    â€œCollege pals.” He didn’t elaborate.
    â€œSo that’s where I’ve heard the dialect before.”
    It was like a door opened into a bright, new world for Seana. Oh, it wasn’t an overwhelming love-at-first-sight thing. Not at all. Barth was first and foremost a new, interesting friend. A fun companion. They began going out together.
    With him, Seana felt that long abandoned child within her slowly rising up once more.
    At first her daughter Zoe didn’t seem overly impressed with Barth one way or another. Which was not surprising. Zoe was not easily impressed. Period. Seana, after