A Special Kind of Love (10 page)

“Why
would you say that?” Sharon asked. “Your son is one of the nicest men I have
ever met. Is there something about him I don’t know? Is he hiding a terrible
temper or latent maniacal tendencies?”

A
small smile tipped
Kamani’s
lips, knowledge and
patience in her eyes.

“No.
Tanner is a fine man. He has no bad qualities, except perhaps for an overblown
sense of responsibility. But, he is a fine
Native
American
man.”

“Is
that a problem? Do
you
have a problem
with him being with a white woman?”

Kamani
laughed softly. “No child. I don’t have
a problem with you being white. But many in this town may have a problem with
the two of you together. Tanner has an important job, and to an extent, he has
earned the respect of the people of Gaines, but there are still those that
harbor prejudice against
injuns
mixing with the white folks.”

Sharon
felt anger swell inside her chest.
Why
the hell does this world have to be populated with so many intolerant people? I’ve
faced it since Aaron’s birth, but obviously the West’s have suffered against it
for a lifetime. It is so unfair.

“Tanner
has mentioned that. But, really, in this day and age, I can’t see it being a
problem.”

Before
she could say more, Tanner’s hand landed on her shoulder and her anger faded
away. “The kids are all set. Would you care to dance with me, lovely lady?”

Sharon
turned in her chair, smiling up into his handsome face.

“I
would love to, kind sir.”

He
took her hand and led her to the small wooden dance floor. He tugged her hand,
pulling her in close and slid his arm around her back. She placed her free hand
on his shoulder and he cradled their joined hands against his chest. She
couldn’t resist resting her head against his broad chest. She took a deep
breath and breathed in his scent. He smelled so good, like the woods after a
storm, fresh and clean, woodsy and male. He kissed the top of her head and she
lifted her face to look into his deep dark eyes.

“Hi.”

Sharon
laughed softly.
“Hi, yourself.”

He
squeezed her a little tighter. “I’ve been waiting all day to get you in my
arms.”

She
could feel the blush crawl across her cheeks, not from embarrassment, but from
lust. This man heated her blood like no one ever had. She loved the feel of his
hard body pressed against hers. The hand at her back stroked up and down. Never
straying too far south, but igniting a fire inside her that she wanted this
fireman to stoke instead of extinguish.

He
released her hand, allowing it to drop to his chest, with a gentle hand to her
nape he beckoned her to relax against his strength. She surrendered to his will
and
lay
her cheek to his broad chest.

She
closed her eyes, relishing the feel of their bodies pressing together. His
strong thigh pressed between her legs and she almost melted at the delicious
pressure. The world around them dropped away, and there was only the two of
them.

They
swayed together to the slow pulse of the country ballad. All her worries and
tension faded away in the arms of this man. One song turned into two and they
continued to exist in their own little world. Then the music changed and a fast
song replaced the ballad.

Tanner
swung her in his arms.
Sweeping her along to the rocking
beat.
He swung her out by the arm and
spinned
her, then pulled her back into his embrace. He was an amazing dancer and she
laughed with pure joy. As the song came to its conclusion, he spun her out and
back into his arms again, ending in a dip that left her dizzy and dazed. He
stole a quick kiss from her lips and pulled her upright.

“Ready
to take a little break?”

“You
bet. I could use a cold drink and we should check on the kids.” She reached up
and pecked his lips, her heart so full of
joy,
she
just had to share it with him.

He
placed his hand on the small of her back and led her toward the gaming area. As
they wove their way between the tables Sharon noticed more than one set of eyes
following their progress. There was definitely a look of disapproval and
censure in many of the faces. A group of about five men sitting at a table
littered with empty beer bottles sneered in their direction.

“Injun
lover,” one of the men called, trying to disguise it as a cough.

“Why
don’t you stick to squaws,
West
?” another jeered.

“Yeah,
leave the white women for us white men.”

The
calls escalated, the men egging each other on. Tanner’s face looked carved in
granite, but he stoically refused to acknowledge the slurs. Sharon placed her
hand on his arm, attempting to offer him support and comfort.

A
large balding man with a flannel shirt straining at the
buttons,
stood up and moved into Tanner’s path.

“Hey,
chief,
you
gonna
do a war dance for us tonight?” he blustered

Tanner
took the hand Sharon had placed on his arm and tugged, positioning her behind
him.

“Excuse
us, Darrel,” Tanner said, trying to pass the man.

Darrel
moved to block the path and pushed Tanner’s shoulders.
“You
too good to talk to me, chief?
Think you’re such a big man with your
fancy job? You’re still
nothin
’ but a dirty
indian
.”

A
crowd was beginning to form around them, and Sharon was getting decidedly
nervous. Situations like this were dangerous. Too many people, too much
alcohol...one wrong move and they could be in the middle of a brawl.

Darrel
leaned around Tanner, getting in Sharon’s face, “What’s the matter with you,
girl? Why are you slumming with this heathen?”

A
uniformed man pushed through the crowd and walked up to Tanner’s side, placing
a hand on his shoulder. “Good evening, Tanner. Is there a problem here?”

“Hi,
Dane.”
Tanner gave Darrel a hard look. “I don’t know. Is there a problem here,
Darrel?”

The
drunk seemed to shrink in size, all the bluster leaving his body. His friends
were all of a sudden very interested in the table top. All the laughter and
raucous attitude disappeared.

“No,
no problem, Sherriff.” Darrel said as he slunk back to his place at the table.

“I’m
sorry about this, Tanner. You know how these boys can get when they’ve had too
much to drink,” Dane said.

Tanner
nodded stiffly. “Yeah, I know. Sorry about the trouble.”

“No
trouble at all, man. Try to enjoy the rest of your night. I’ll make sure these
bozos decide it’s time for them to go home.”

A
smile finally cracked Tanner’s stony façade. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

With
a pat on the back, Dane said, “No problem.”

Tanner
turned to her. “Come on, let’s go get those drinks and find the kids.”

Sharon
was so pissed she could chew nails. She had dealt with the nasty looks and
comments of the ignorant masses for more than ten years now. If they thought
she gave a shit what they thought of her, they could think again.

Yes,
she wanted to be part of this community, but she wouldn’t be judged by anyone.
They could accept her as she was, or go take a flying leap. She really liked
Tanner, and no one was going to get in the way of her exploring their
relationship further.

They
grabbed some soft drinks from the buffet and headed over to the game room.
Sharon hadn’t realized how long they were on the dance floor. Time really does
fly when you’re having fun…or not.

Sharon
was surprised to see Aaron patiently helping
Annebelle
throw beanbags at a wooden board with holes cut into its surface.

“That’s
cornhole
,” Tanner said giving her shoulder a squeeze.

“Hi
guys,” Sharon said. Aaron and
Annebelle
both looked
up.
Annebelle
launched herself at Tanner again, hugging
his legs fiercely. It was obvious she really loved her uncle.

“Hi,
Mom,” Aaron replied.

“You
guys having fun?” She noticed that
Annebelle’s
face
had been painted. Her cheek now sported brilliant fireworks in red, white and
blue. “Oh,
Annebelle
, your face painting is
beautiful.”

“Thank
you, Miss Sharon. Aaron picked it out.”
Annebelle
beamed a smile in Aaron’s direction, and Sharon tried very hard not to laugh.
It appeared that the darling little girl had a case of hero worship for her
son.
That is so cute
.

“Are
you getting hungry? Want to go and check out the buffet?”

A
chorus of
yeahs
echoed from the duo.

“Where’s
Josh?” Tanner asked as he scanned the crowd of children.

“I
think he’s over there by the video games.” Aaron pointed to the back corner of
the room.

“You
guys wait here, and I’ll go grab him.”

Tanner
returned in seconds, Josh in tow.
“Ready for food.
Let’s go see what goodies we can find.”

The
five of them made their way through the buffet line, exiting with plates piled
high with homemade treats.
Southern fried chicken, homemade
biscuits, cold slaw, baked beans, and more.
Aaron was able to find
plenty to fill him up too. Wonderful salads and fruit, and of course, some of
the Irish soda bread he had made.

Kamani
still sat at the table where they had
left her.
Although now several other ladies, about her age
sat with her.
The group engaged in lively conversation. She looked up as
they approached.

“Everything
okay, Tanner?” she asked.

“It’s
all under control, Mom.”

Kamani
gave Sharon a pointed look and then
turned her attention to the children. “It’s about time y’all came back. I was
beginning to think you forgot all about your poor old grandma.”

She
took the plate from
Annebelle’s
hands and placed it
on the table, giving
Annebelle
a quick hug, she
patted the chair beside her.

“Sit
down and eat,” she nodded to Josh indicating the chair across from her, “you
can sit there, buddy.”

Tanner
set his plate on the table and crossed to kiss his mother’s cheek. “Sorry,” he
whispered, and then in a normal voice, “Holding court are you?”

“Just
catching up with the ladies.”
Kamani
introduced her friends. Sharon shook hands
with the ladies and they excused themselves to let the family visit.

The
table was quiet for a few minutes as they all started eating. But the peace
didn’t last very long. Josh kicked
Annebelle
under the table and the two started
arguing.
Kamani
heaved a sigh. Placing her hands on
her hips and giving the two children
the
look.
Contrite looks immediately replaced the anger on their faces.
Damn, I wish that worked on Aaron. I’m going
to have to find out her secret.

With
the children’s attitudes properly adjusted, conversation resumed.

“Tanner,
what time do the fireworks start?” Josh asked.

“About
nine-thirty, I think. We’ll head out pretty soon to get a good seat. Do you see
your mom and dad?”

Josh
scanned the crowd, his face crumpled into a mask of disgust. “Yeah, I see them.
They’re making out on the dance floor.”

Sharon
turned her head to look for the couple and hide her smile. She spotted them
easily. They were a handsome couple, and as she suspected, they weren’t
making out,
just enjoying a slow dance. However
she did see Jasmine reach up and peck her husband’s lips briefly.

Tanner
waved to the couple, trying to draw their attention. Anthony nodded in their
direction and leaned down to whisper something into his wife’s ear. She turned
to smile at them and linked arms with her husband as they left the dance floor,
heading toward the table.