recessed lighting gave the impression of crisp elegance and serenity.
He was alone in a waiting area. One wall was devoted to selling various dance shoes from ballet to tap and costumes geared toward children. One rack exploded with different colored tutus, another with sober black, white, and nude colored leotards. Music crept through the walls. He sidled over and cracked open a door to peer through.
Chaos reigned, and in the middle of children running hither and yon stood Anna in a carbon copy of what she’d worn the day before. The rainbow-colored tutu looked much more at home in the studio than herding a wayward sheep. The “Hokey Pokey” blared over speakers set into the corners of the room. His heart wanted to join the fracas on the dance floor, and he tried to flatten himself paper thin as he slid through the door to watch Anna at work.
She spun around and clapped her hands, the different colors of tulle floating around her legs. Her hair was plaited, the thick braid hanging over her shoulder. She was smiling. He swallowed hard. He’d seen her frown and harrumph and press her lips together in disapproval, but not smile.
Anna Maitland’s smile was something to behold. It crackled with energy and joy and an invitation to join her in the fun. If he had the talent of Robert Burns, he could compose an ode with the words tangling in his chest, but alas, as usual, he was left mute with the wonder.
* * *
Anna’s smile hurt her cheeks. The Mommy and Me class consisted of a dozen toddlers running in all directions while their moms and a lone dad attempted to corral them into a circle for the Hokey Pokey. Normally, the antics made her laugh, but today, her focus was on the clock, where a ballerina’s legs moved around the numbers in an impossible feat of flexibility.
A little girl with blond hair in pigtails tugged on Anna’s rainbow-colored tutu, which retained an earthy scent from her adventures the day before. The kids didn’t seem to mind. Anna scooped the girl up and propped her on a hip while they put their hands in and then took them out as the song bade them do. Then, she danced the girl in a circle.
“Good job, Sophie.” Anna squeezed the girl’s nose and made a honking sound. Sophie giggled and squirmed. The kids made her feel like the funniest person on earth, which was a decent trade-off considering the general air of stickiness and the unmistakable waft of soiled diapers.
The “Hokey Pokey” was their finale song. Hopefully, she would have enough time to change into more professional attire for her meeting with Iain. She sent another glance toward the clock, but never made it. Her gaze got stuck on the man standing inside the door like he was tar to her Brer Rabbit. She checked him out head to toe before she could control herself.
One got used to seeing men in kilts around Highland. The Dapper Highlander was dedicated to selling them, after all, but the air conditioning wasn’t strong enough for the sight of Iain Connors in a kilt. At least he had a shirt on today, otherwise she might have spontaneously combust.
He wore his utility kilt like it wasn’t a special occasion. He wore it like a cowboy wore jeans. His legs between hem and socks were well-muscled, tanned, and hairy. Manly. It was the only word that fit. Actually, the word could be used to describe the rest of him as well from his broad shoulders to thick arms.
Her thoughts flitted once more to the age-old question. What was or wasn’t he wearing underneath his kilt? She clutched her tutu and bit the inside of her cheek, shutting down the inappropriate wanderings of her thoughts. Why did he keep catching her in vulnerable scenarios? Bad luck and attractive men went hand in hand in her experience.
The dance studio was successful, and the festival hadn’t gone off the rails as of yet. She had worked up the confidence just that morning to fill out the paperwork necessary to file for her intent to run for mayor of Highland. Of course, a bossy, intimidating, self-important man would stroll in and screw it all up. If she allowed him to. Which she wouldn’t.
One of the kids tugged the back of her tutu and snapped the invisible tether between her and Iain. She turned away with a rush of relief to drop to a knee and