They went to the midway and stopped by a shooting gallery. Shannon held his cotton candy as he plunked down two bucks and took three shots. He won a stuffed dog and threatened to name it Son of Fluffy. But there was a little girl next to him who’d lost and was on the verge of tears, so he knelt down and gave it to her instead. She took the stuffed dog and hugged it, her tears turning to smiles.
They browsed through the craft booths, then sat down for a minute to watch a cooking demonstration where somebody was making homemade dog biscuits. As they rose to walk on, he saw the Preservation Society booth ahead. He imagined Loucinda holding court there, pontificating about their efforts to preserve the history of Rainbow Valley, even as she wished she could rid the town of Luke’s place in its history forever. He wished he didn’t feel uptight at the thought of running into her, but he just couldn’t make the leap.
He slowed, then stopped. Shannon looked at him questioningly.
“Maybe we’d better turn around,” he said.
Shannon looked ahead and saw the Preservation Society booth, and an expression of understanding came over her face. She nodded. They made a U-turn and started back up Rainbow Way.
As they strolled along, Shannon’s hand accidentally brushed against his, and it was all he could do not to take hold of it. But he refused to do that. He didn’t want any public display of affection he showed her now to cause her any grief later. The past few days had been wonderful, and the last thing he wanted as he left this town for good was Shannon having any regrets about what had happened between them. This time he wanted nothing but good memories to stay with her forever.
By the time Luke and Shannon returned the animals to the shelter, the sun was already hovering over the horizon. After everyone was fed, Luke stayed to take care of a few final tasks, telling Shannon to go home and get ready for the barbecue. She told him once she was ready, she’d walk the few blocks from her apartment to the square to meet him.
By the time Luke finished at the shelter, took a shower, and drove back to town, there were cars parked for blocks around the square. He finally found a space that might have been slightly illegal to park in, but he figured the sheriff had more on his mind that night than handing out parking tickets. As he walked to where people were congregated, he saw vendors dishing out barbecue, and beer was flowing like crazy. Multicolored party lights were draped everywhere, and picnic tables were set side-by-side to accommodate the hundreds of people who’d shown up for the celebration.
Eve spotted him and waved. “Hey, Luke! Over here!”
She and Tasha sat together, finishing off their dinner, and they scooted over to make room for Luke. Ginger and Eve’s dog, Brynn, stood by, hopeful for any tidbits of food that might come their way. He leaned over to give each one a friendly pat, and when he looked up again, his heart stood still.
Shannon was walking across the square, stopping to talk to people here and there. Instead of the jeans she usually wore, she’d put on a casual dress with a lightweight sweater over it. The dress swirled around her legs in the soft evening breeze. She reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face, turning as she did, and their eyes met.
A warm smile inched across her face, and even at this distance, the look she gave him made his heart beat just a little bit faster. She started toward him, looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen her before.
Finally she reached the table and sat down next to him. He leaned over and spoke to her softly.
“Barbecues are like rodeos,” he said.
“Oh? How so?”
“A guy’s got to be with the prettiest girl.”
“Is that a rule?”
“No. It’s the law. And I’m not breaking any laws tonight.”
She smiled, and his heart turned over. This was going to be a good night. A wonderful night. A night to remember.
“Eat fast,” Eve told Luke. “The band’s already started, and you’re going to be doing a lot of dancing tonight.”
Shannon and Luke got plates of barbecue and dug in. But Eve was true to her word. Luke had barely laid his