Dancing in the Moonlight - Harlequin.com

RAEANNE THAYNE
197
She was starting to sag, though. As he moved around
the dance floor with his niece Natalie, he watched as she
shifted positions several times during one song as if she
couldn’t quite get comfortable, and though she smiled
with delight at something Marilyn Summers was telling
her, her eyes looked tired.
His love for her was a fierce ache inside him and he
didn’t know what in the hell he was going to do about it.
He couldn’t bear thinking about a life without her in
it, but he didn’t see any other choice.
“Ow! You stepped on my foot again, Uncle Jake!
I’m gonna go dance with Uncle Seth. He’s a lot better
dancer than you.”
He laughed and shifted his attention back to his
pouting niece. “Yeah, well, I’m sure he’s probably better
at a lot of things. He spends enough time practicing.”
Natalie looked remorseful, as if afraid she’d hurt his
feelings. “You know, I’ll practice with you anytime you
want. You only stepped on my toe a few times.”
He laughed again and kissed her on the top of her
head. “I won’t torture you anymore, sweetheart. Go find
your uncle Seth. Look for the big huddle of giggling
girls and you should find him.”
Natalie kissed his cheek then flitted off. When he
lifted his gaze, he found Maggie staring at him.
Their eyes had met occasionally throughout the
evening, but somehow this time seemed different. She
seemed to stop whatever she was saying and just stare
at him.
He had heard people talk about time standing still,
but until that moment he thought it was just hyperbole.