Selina and Calvin, she soon gave in. Now they spent half the time allotted for schooling, rehearsing instead.
Often, Devon spied out from the field to watch the dance. Though he was intrigued that Kianna could play the fiddle, he still thought the best parts were when Kianna got up from the bench and showed the siblings a step or two, corrected them, or added the next move to the dance.
As if the gods granted his wishes, Kianna rose to her feet and stood between her siblings. She lifted her arms, moving them side to side, her hands undulating with the movement. A breeze blew past, ruffling the skirt of her dress and blowing her long tresses back. The lake’s surface shone behind her, becoming a halo around her.
An angel.
She couldn’t be evil, because Devon was sure she was an angel.
His feet moved before he could register what he was doing. When he finally came to, he was halfway down the hill, his eyes glued to the young woman dancing beside the cheery tree.
Devon hesitated for a moment, but he had earned a break. He would just watch Kianna, Selina, and Calvin for a few minutes, then he would drink some water, and go back to the field.
Calvin was the first one to see him. “Do you want to dance with us?”
Kianna and Selina stopped the move they were practicing and turned to Devon. His cheeks heated.
“Oh no, I can’t dance,” he said quickly. “I was just taking a break and saw you dancing.”
“Want to see what we have so far?” Selina asked with a smile. She seemed excited about having an audience.
Devon nodded. “Sure.”
Selina grabbed Kianna’s wrist in one hand, and Devon’s in the other, and pushed them back to the bench. “Then sit there and enjoy.”
Devon stumbled onto the rough wooden bench, right beside Kianna. Instantly, he scooted to the edge of the bench.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
She narrowed her bright blue eyes at him. “For?”
He gestured to himself. “I’m sweating and smell bad.” Her eyes followed his hand, and he could swear he felt her gaze brushing over his skin. She was looking at him, staring at his chest and stomach.
Red tinted her cheeks and she averted her eyes. “It’s okay.” She cleared her throat, grabbed her fiddle, and waved at the kids. “Are you ready?”
“Yes!” Selina and Calvin shouted in unison.
Kianna began playing—though she didn’t seem like an expert, she could play well enough for a simple song—and the kids danced.
After five seconds, Devon’s head turned to the side, and his eyes fell on the young woman seated beside him. She had a faint smile on her lips, her chin bobbed with the beat of the song, and her hands moved skillfully over the strings through the chords. For a moment, he wished she would be the one entering the competition. He would have loved to see her dancing.
Her nails caught on the strings and she missed a beat. “Sorry. Keep going.” She caught up and the kids found the rhythm again.
“Ta-da!” Selina said.
Devon blinked and glanced to the kids. They had stopped dancing, and Kianna stopped playing.
And he hadn’t seen much of the dance.
“That’s it for now,” Calvin said. “Kianna still has to teach us a few more moves.”
“So.” Selina bounced up to him. “What do you think?”
Devon stared at her. “I think … that with enough practice, you two will do great.”
“Really?” the little girl squealed. “It’s all because of Kianna. She’s the expert.”
Kianna shook her head. “No, no. You two are the ones dancing.”
“But they wouldn’t be that good if they didn’t have a good teacher.” The words flew out of Devon’s mouth before he thought them through. Kianna stared at him, her eyes narrowed. Damn it. If he could, he would take those words back.
“Can we take a quick break?” Calvin said, pulling Devon’s attention. The little boy patted his throat. “I need some water.”
“Me too,” Selina said.
“Sure.” Kianna held her fiddle tight. “Five minutes.”
The kids dashed up the hill, toward the house.
Kianna stayed seated beside Devon under the cherry tree, clutching the fiddle.
The damn curiosity was back and Devon couldn’t help it. He said, “It’s obvious you used to dance, and you’re good at the fiddle too.”
The young woman laid the instrument in her lap and stared at it as if it was a forgotten lover. “I used to take lessons. Dancing, singing, music, painting. I wasn’t good at them all, except for dancing. I loved it so much. I think that’s the reason