“I’m committed to staying for the entire thing.” He entwined his fingers with hers, and Kelsey was fairly certain the only way she could feel any better would be if every animal at the shelter had just been adopted.
Dinner was enjoyed with highlights of Jan and Linda’s safari. Their pictures and stories were captivating, and Kelsey became determined to include a few in the next edition of the shelter’s newsletter. Volunteer spotlights were usually related to their service at the shelter, but that wasn’t a steadfast rule.
Determined to make it through the night without slurring, Kelsey switched to a semisweet Vignoles when the server came by, while Kurt stuck with Guinness. The dinner choices were grilled filet of beef tenderloin or chicken stuffed with Boursin and wild rice with bordelaise sauce. Kurt chose the tenderloin and Kelsey opted for the chicken, which ended up being the single best piece of chicken she’d ever had.
After dinner was over, the dancing began. Megan and Craig kicked off the traditional first dance. The talented band, a trio, played a rendition of “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Kelsey didn’t think there could be a more perfect song for them to dance to. They fit together better than a ceramic cake-topper couple. Their happiness seemed to wash over the room, and the dance ended in a hearty round of applause.
When the band began the next song and the lead singer, a woman, invited guests onto the floor, Kurt let out a soft humph. It took Kelsey a few beats before she recognized the song as Rascal Flatts’s “Bless the Broken Road.”
Kurt leaned toward her. “I’m not one for dancing, but I can’t not dance this one with you, Kels. That is, if you’d like to.”
He extended his hand, palm up and open, toward her. He could do anything with those hands, and all his attention was on her. It was enough to make her breathless. It took her a second, but she managed to collect herself. “I wouldn’t say no for anything in the world.”
He led her to the dance floor and pulled her close. She suspected her parents would be watching but didn’t care. As his arms locked around her, somehow, even though the rest of the world was falling away, she made eye contact with Megan. Her friend wiggled her eyebrows at her from over Craig’s shoulder. Kelsey smiled before burrowing her head against Kurt’s smooth neck and breathing in his scent. He didn’t smell like working Kurt tonight, his now-familiar blend of clean skin brushed with a touch of sweat and his delectable deodorant. Tonight, he was wearing a sultry cologne, underneath which she was still able to catch the familiar scent of his skin.
As the talented singer sang out the first lyrics, it occurred to Kelsey that they’d been so busy this last month that she hadn’t really learned about Kurt’s taste in music. Was it a general liking of country music that made him want to dance to this song, or something else?
She wrapped her arms tighter around him and savored the feel of him pressing against her. As she appreciated the singer’s magnificent voice, the lyrics hit home. She’d heard the song dozens of times but had never imagined she could one day be what someone’s broken road led to. The thought that she might be this for Kurt caused the hair on her neck and arms to stand on end.
She pressed her lips on the skin beneath his ear and above his jaw. “I love you.” It came out so quickly she couldn’t pull it back. Her words surprised her enough to lose a split second of the rhythm and have to find it again.
He stiffened enough for her to be certain it wasn’t her imagination.
Please don’t let this ruin things. Please, please, please. Her confidence was melting like Jell-O at a warm picnic.
He pressed his lips to her temple and left them there as they circled across the floor. The hand that was against the small of her back drew her closer. “I know,” he said an eternity later, his voice low and husky. “Forgive me for not saying it back. It doesn’t mean that I don’t.”
An uncomfortable heat blossomed in Kelsey’s chest, neck, and face. What did that mean? What on earth did that mean?
Kurt stopped dancing entirely. “The moon’s out and almost full. Want to step out on that amazing veranda for a few minutes?”
Not if it means you’re going to break my heart. A numbness was washing over her. It was as if her head didn’t belong to her body when she nodded.
Clasping her hand in his, Kurt led her across the dance floor, wove through the tables to the back of the room, and headed out the closest of the glass doors that led to the veranda. Like the room inside, the pergola roof of the veranda was woven with soft-white lights, and so were the trunks of several trees.
It was dark otherwise, and in the silvery moonlight, the rolling hills of the winery seemed to stretch on forever above the farmland below.
“It’s beautiful here.” She said it mostly to prove she was strong enough to find her voice. Her hands were shaky. She crossed to the edge of the veranda and placed them flat atop the wooden railing that separated the veranda from the stone patio that stretched out across the yard to the edge of the bluffs.
Kurt followed, stopping beside her and looking out into the night. “I’ve never been good with words. I know that. And lately they’ve been more locked up than ever.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I’m a bit buzzed, and it kind of slipped out. I don’t even know if—”
Kurt held up a hand to stop her. “No, don’t. Don’t make it less than it was.
