Love Again

"Grace!" Steve blushed. He had the sudden urge to go look at his butt in a mirror to see what Diana liked about it, but restrained himself. He'd done quite enough to look like an idiot in his sister's eyes.

"What? You're a hunky man, you can expect women to throw themselves at you."

"Hunky?"

Grace laughed. "You're really clueless, aren't you?"

Steve had already started placing value on the moments spent with Diana. Between finding reasons to stop by her classroom, helping her to move out of the inn, and seeking her out at Equal Opportunity, Diana was already a priority in his life.

He had to face the facts, he was considering starting a relationship with her. A month ago he would have said that it would never happen. How had Diana worked her way into his mind and heart without his permission?

He was sure Peggy would have encouraged him to find love again.

"Listen, Grace. Don't talk about this to anyone. Especially not to Diana."

"Of course not!" Grace looked into her brother's eyes. "Diana has been through a lot, too, but I truly believe you two would fit well together. Just be patient with her, okay? She's going to be slow to trust a man and she needs time."

Steve nodded.

"I think what we need to do is get the two of you into a more relaxed, social atmosphere," Grace announced.

Steve glanced at her with interest. "Like?"

"Like the End of Summer dance."

* * * * *

CHAPTER 23

The next day, Steve was waiting for Diana outside her class at the end of the school day. She smiled at him and he smiled back at her.

"Say you'll go with me to the End of Summer Dance. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"I don't know how to square-dance. Aren't the chaperones supposed to be instructors?" Diana pushed her hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I can teach you. It's easy. The caller tells you what to do and you just follow along."

"You mean now?"

"The gym is already set up for couples to practice. There's no moment like the present," he said offering her his hand. "It'll be fun."

"I don't know." Trying to hide the warmth spreading over her cheeks, Diana looked at the floor. The chance to spend more time with Steve, this joking, smiling version of Steve, made her want to say yes, but she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the whole school.

Dancing with Steve was better than sitting at home wondering all night whom he was dancing with. An image of Georgina rose in her head, and her stomach twisted at the thought of Steve dancing with her instead.

"Okay, okay. Let's do it," Diana said, taking Steve's hand.

* * * * *

For the sixth time during practice, Diana got in somebody's else way and screw them up. Steve gave her a good-natured smile and offered his hand again. The other three couples gave her an understanding smile.

"Golden Slippers" played on the CD player Irv the Pig had set up on a wobbly table.

Every other pair had their dance down pat; only Diana and Steve still fumbled. And it had nothing to do with Steve.

Diana tried to meet his eyes, but she couldn't fake a smile. She felt foolish because she couldn't master something so simple. How was she supposed to teach the students these steps tonight?

Steve should be with someone who matched him better. Someone who was more like Peggy. Diana had no right to entertain the feelings for him that swirled in her heart. But she couldn't help it. As she looked back, even when he tried to overprotect her, he did it in a way that made her feel cherished.

"Are you okay? Your brow is furrowed," Steve reached over and squeezed her shoulder.

"I'm not going to get the moves down by tonight," Diana hung her head and continued, "Wouldn't you rather dance with someone else?"

Taking his hand from her shoulder Steve moved it to cup her chin and drew her face up so their eyes locked. "But I want to dance with you."

She swallowed hard. "Maybe you should dance with Georgina instead."

Saying the words hurt, but knowing Georgina, she could probably do the dances in her sleep.

Steve's lips twitched. "Maybe not."

Diana pulled out of his hold. "You know, it would probably be a good thing for her. She could use a boost. I overheard some teens say downright mean things about her at the market. So many of the students respect you, if you showed up with her maybe it would make them kinder to her."

What was wrong with her? Who shoves a good man into the arms of another woman?

"Maybe I would if I was wired differently," he drew in a long breath. "But I can't dance with someone unless I feel something for them. Call me old-fashioned, but even holding hands, that means too much to me to do casually."

Diana slipped her hand into his. Did her action mean as much to him as it did to her? "But we had been dancing, so what's the difference?"

He just raised his eyebrows looking at her. Diana blushed.

"Do you know what your problem is, Diana?"

"No."

"You keep watching the other girls around you. Then, you watch your own feet comparing yourself to them, and when you try to imitate them you are out of time."

"Then what am I supposed to do? I don't want to make a fool of myself tonight."

He offered her both his hands, palms up. "I know the dance. Trust that I can lead you. Can you do that? Can you trust me?"

She bit her lip. Did he know what he was asking, how difficult that was for her to trust a man?

But, she realized she could. She could trust Steve.

"I do."

"Then look right at my face the whole time, and I promise, everything else will follow."

CHAPTER 24

The next Saturday, Steve sat at the kitchen table letting his cereal get soggy.

His normal routine would include stopping by the farmer's market with Grace and then heading over to Laura's to see if she needed anything, and then catch Diana at her place.

Not today. Tonight he was going to the dance with Diana.

"Are you sure you won't come with me?" Grace bumped her elbow to his.

He scrubbed his hand over the stubble on his chin. Maybe he should shave. "I need some time to myself."

"You aren't going to eat this, are you?"

Steve shook his head. Grace grabbed his bowl and dumped it into the sink. She kept her back to him for a moment, and then she whirled around, her eyes bright.

"You're thinking about Peggy, right?"

Steve nodded. "And Diana. A lot of feelings have surfaced that have surprised me. The last time I went to the End of Summer Dance Peggy was alive."

"Know what? I do know you, and I know sometimes you need to be alone, but other times you need to hear it like it is. Most of the time, you don't get that second part because everyone's afraid to say anything challenging to you."

"Oh, really?" Steve leaned back in his chair. This ought to be interesting.

Always a stream of constant movement, Grace straightened a pile of mail while she talked. "You've got to stop blaming yourself for everything that happens to people. You assume too much responsibility."

Grace grabbed the dishrag and washed down the counter. "When Peggy was shot you said it was your fault."

Resting his elbows on his knees, Steve put his head in his hands. Why would she bring that up? "Because it was my fault."

Grace clunked plates together loudly, making it impossible to speak for a moment.

He raised his eyebrows to her, trying to convey a brotherly knock-that-off cue.

Jutting the dishtowel in his direction, she let out a huff.

"Unless you have a time machine you're not telling me about, you have absolutely no clue what could have happened if you'd gone with Peggy. Everyone is a prophet with tomorrow's newspaper. We can't change the past, but you do get a chance to shape the present. Bro, you've been living in the past a long time. It's time to look ahead."

Grace dropped the rag into the sink then crossed back to sit on her chair. She laid her hand on top of his, and her voice grew quiet. "It was Peggy's choice that night to go to Equal Opportunity."

Then why did he feel like he'd failed her? Emotions clogged his speech and burned the back of his eyes.

He cleared his throat. "Tell me what's so bad about not wanting people to get hurt."

"Nothing... except that the pain-free life you want everyone to have doesn't exist. Bad things happen to everyone." She squeezed his hand. "Just check the news."

Steve moved his head up and down slowly.

"You do not get to pick when it comes or how challenging it will be. But, you get to choose how you respond to it. When adversity strikes, you have two options. You can throw your hands up and ask, 'Why me?', or you can learn from what happened and move on. You can get bitter or you can get better. So far, you have chosen the first one. Stop blaming yourself."

Steve braced his elbows on the table and stared at her.

"You've been wanting to say that for a long time, haven't you?"

Rising from the table, Grace smoothed out her hair in the hallway mirror and grabbed her canvas bag for the market.

"Today seemed like the right time."

With her hand on the knob, she looked at him over her shoulder. "Good talk?"

"I guess."

Flashing a smile, she left out the front door. Steve cradled his forehead in his hand. So much to consider. Why hadn't he processed through these issues before now? Because no one thought to confront him.

The front door swung back open. "Oh, and Steve, Diana is counting on you to make the right choice. Don't leave her hanging for too long."

Grace blew him a kiss and walked out the door.

Right. Diana. Her ability to stand up to him had been the catalyst to so much introspection lately.

Perhaps Grace was right. It was time to move on.

The door swung open again. "Oh, and if you do have a time machine, I want in on it."

"Go to the market." He grabbed a nearby throw pillow and lobbed it at her.

She giggled and finally left.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 25

For the first time in two years, Steve was actually looking forward to the End of Summer Dance. He was going to pick up Diana at her place.

He should have brought flowers. That was the customary practice for something like this.

He shook his head. What had gotten into him? He was acting like a teenager in love.

Hopefully, Laura wouldn't be there and she wouldn't make a big deal over this, like taking pictures with her phone or making them stand awkwardly together taking mock prom pictures.

As his truck bumped up the gravel driveway, his greatest fears were confirmed. Laura and Grace were waiting for him at the door. His stomach dropped.

What if the attention scared Diana? He'd have to walk in and whisk Diana out as quickly as possible.

"You look great in that cowboy hat, Bro. Students will be putting your handsome mug all over Instagram," Grace said before he could even enter Diana's house.

He sidestepped his sister. "Where's Diana? We need to head out."

At that exact moment, Diana walked out the front door and the sight of her made his heart take off like a racehorse from a starting line. For all Steve knew, someone had sucker-punched him in the gut.

The customary dress for the End of Summer Dance was jeans and flannel shirts. Diana was wearing a long skirt that flowed when she walked, shiny new boots, and a shirt that cinched at her small waist.

Beautifuldidn't describe her. It didn't mean enough. She was stunning, the deep green pools of her eyes shining like stars, her hair spilling down her back in large, loose, copper curls.

Steve tried to swallow the lump in his throat. This gorgeous woman who enchanted him, teased him, and challenged him daily was his date.

At least for tonight.

"You look... Wow!" Steve managed.

Giving him a lazy smile she shrugged. "I feel weird. I think Laura has it out for me." Pulling her skirt up a couple of inches, she showed off her shoes. "Look at how high the

heels are on these boots. I'm not used to walking in these babies yet, and now I'm supposed to dance in them."

"Just hang on to me tonight." Steve offered his hand and gestured toward his truck.

"You two are so cute." Grace bustled in between them, looping an arm through each of theirs. Dropping her voice she said to her brother, "You owe me big time for doing damage control, I made Laura promise not to embarrass you guys with pictures. She fought me hard on it, though. And, Bro, you better hurry to stake your claim on Diana, I'm afraid all the guys will be after her tonight."

* * *

Diana looked at Steve as he drove them to school. He had seen her crying her heart out, he been on the receiving end of her anger, listened to her deepest wounds, stayed with her when her heart was bleeding, and hadn't laughed at her when she voiced doubts about men and relationships. Even so, he kept choosing to spend time with her.

His cowboy-themed button-down shirt seemed molded across his shoulders. Clean-shaven, he glanced at her shyly out of the corner of his eye.

In a small town, it didn't take long to reach a destination. He pulled into the parking lot of the school and then rounded the truck to help her down.

"These shoes were a terrible idea."

"You can take them off when we get inside. Almost everyone ends up dancing barefoot anyway."

"Okay"

Steve offered her his arm as they walked into the building. One of Steve's students ran up to them and snapped a picture without warning. "I didn't know you guys were dating! Sorry, Mr. McAllister, but my friend is going to be devastated when I show her this picture. She's had a crush on you since last year."

Diana bit her lip. She should probably correct her before she spread the rumor that she and Steve were a couple all over the school.

The girl squealed. "You two look cute together. Nice work snagging him, Miss S." She glanced at the image on the screen of her phone. "This is so making it into the yearbook." She rushed off.

Heat raced to Diana's cheeks. "Teens can be so... nosy."

Steve chuckled. "Especially girls."

The gym was decorated with bales of hay and scarecrows lined the edge of the room. A giant table in the middle overflowed with a gurgling chocolate fountain, and a live band playing country and bluegrass songs on the stage.

"You look great, girl!" Amelia waved at Diana. She looked cute standing beside the lanky IT guy who worked in the school district's administration building.

"You, too," Diana mouthed as she and Steve moved across the room.

After the next song concluded, Principal Livingston took the stage and announced the start of square dancing. "The chaperones will run through the first two songs and then everyone else can form squares and join."

"Ready?" Steve pumped her hand.

"As ready as I can be." Diana grinned at him.

They launched into the first song, and Diana did what Steve had asked her, she trusted he could lead her. She looked right at his face the whole time. There were a few missed steps, but they laughed it off and judging by the applause at the end of the second demonstration, no one in the crowd minded.

Steve led her off the floor.

Amelia flashed a toothy grin. "You did good, Diana."

"I missed a couple of steps."

Amelia waved at her words. "We all do. I have to go.... I don't want Georgina flirting with my cute IT guy."

After a few songs, the square dancing morphed into normal teenage dancing. Diana and Steve made the rounds for their official chaperone duties and checked the hallways for mischief. Students kept asking to take pictures with them.

Steve squeezed Diana's hand. "I have to go announce End of Summer Dance king and queen."

"I think I'll grab some fresh air while you do that." Diana stepped outside and breathed in the crisp evening air.

Trust that I can lead you. Can you do that?

Steve spoke the words earlier today, but she knew now that they applied to their relationship.

Could she do that?

* * *

Livingston cornered Steve before he could make it back to Diana.

"I have a small favor to ask of you." The principal wore a rather large Stetson hat and a huge belt buckle.

"Wasn't me chaperoning this dance a small favor?" He scanned the dance room looking for Diana.

Livingston smiled at him. "Admit it. You're having a good time."

"Okay." Steve crossed his arms and shook his head good-naturedly.

"What's this favor?"

"I don't know if you heard, but Coach Quinn was rushed to the hospital this afternoon."

"The basketball coach? Is he all right?"

"He'll have to have his gallbladder removed and won't be able to perform his coaching duties for the next few weeks. I asked Irv, but he can't do it because coaching would interfere with that indoor soccer club he plays in. You're the only one I know on staff who plays beside him, and the boys have an important game this Thursday. League rules are that they must be accompanied by a coach or they have to forfeit. I'd hate to have all the students' hard work go to waste."

Thursday. He'd have to make sure Diana didn't go to Equal Opportunity that night. "Sure, I can fill in for him."

"I knew I could count on you." The principal slapped his back.

Steve spotted Diana right away. She was surrounded by some of the single male teachers. They were fluttering around her like mosquitos to a bug zapper. If only they would fry when they touched her, it would serve them right. He saw one offer his hand... probably asking her to dance.

Steve quickened his pace.

If he felt that strongly about seeing her talking to other guys, then it was time to stake his claim on her.

Diana excused herself from her present conversation with two other staff members as Steve started to cross the room.

He glanced at the people she'd been talking with.

"Everything okay?"

"Everything's great."

"Were they trying to get you to dance?" He scrubbed his hand over his chin.

She pursed her lips. "Steve McAllister, if I didn't know better I'd say you were jealous."

"Maybe I am." He took a step closer.

"We were brainstorming ideas for the spring musical." She jutted her thumb back toward two of the men, one was the choir director, and the other taught journalism. "That's all."

Steve took a deep breath. "I'm not good at this stuff, being in a relationship. Peggy and I were young when we decided we'd get married. So I missed learning all the dating rules in high school. But if you'll..." He stopped for a moment and leaned so they could have eye contact. "I know it sounds silly, but would you be my girlfriend?"

Diana gave a rapid-nod answer. "Yes."

"Really?" He squeezed her shoulder. "I might make a couple more mistakes along the way. Actually, I can promise you I'll make a lot of mistakes."

A small smile pulled at his lips, and when he opened his arms she didn't waste a minute flying into them.

"You don't look as horrified as I expected."

Diana smiled at him and confessed, "I don't think I'm as afraid of relationships as I thought."

His fingers found the soft skin at the nape of her neck.

"Maybe because, despite your fears, deep down you know I'm nothing like Scott or your dad," he whispered.

"I know you are not. Just don't hurt me. Please."

"I promise I won't hurt you." Steve's voice was soothing. "I love you." The words were out before he'd considered saying them, but they were true.

"I love you, too."

Steve kissed Diana deeply, and she returned the kiss with equal fervor.

When they parted, he pressed his forehead to hers for a minute with his eyes still closed. "This is all too good to be true."

"Were you faithful to your wife?"

He understood where she was coming from, so he just answered her question, "Yes."

"Have you been with a lot of women?"

"No. I fell in love with Peggy when I was fourteen."

He met her eyes, and she tried to understand what he was telling her. "Do you mean..."