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after that I vowed I'd never allow myself to love a man who tempts fate."
"Then you're not willing to give me a chance," Josh said, in a flat voice.
"I don't know," Genie replied. "What all would it entail?"
"Having some faith in me, watching me work with practice bulls, coming to the rodeo and
watching me there," Josh said.
Seeing the look of expectation on his face, Genie sighed heavily, and replied, "Okay then, I'll try
to see things your way, but only through the rodeo."
The worried look on Josh's face vanished, replaced by the broadest grin Genie had ever seen.
"Thank you," he said. "Now go put on your pretty pink dress and I'll go set up the CD player." Lifting
the dress from the sideboard he offered it to her.
Taking the dress, Genie gave him a quick kiss, then walked over to where the overnight bags
were set randomly about, grabbed hers from the pile, and headed for the ladies' dressing room. After
twisting her mane of honey-colored hair into a coil on top of her head and impaling it with a couple of
wooden pins to keep it out of her face, she slipped into the dress. As she was leaving, she glanced in
the mirror on the wall and had to hold back a giggle. Now she looked like someone out of Little
House on the Prairie.
When she walked toward Josh, the expression on his face told her clearly that he liked the prairie
look, maybe even better than the rodeo cowgirl look, which he affirmed, when he said, "When I saw
the dress I knew you'd be my kind of woman in it."
Genie laughed. "Your kind of woman in this?" she said, while spreading out her arms and
displaying pink gingham and lace. "With all your rodeo involvement, I'd think you'd like the cowgirl
look, with tight jeans and a bust-hugging, western-cut shirt."
"I like that on you too," Josh said, "but you really look pretty in that dress, like you belong on the
homestead. Meanwhile, I've got to get the dancing started, but this conversation isn't over. Later
tonight I want to spend some time alone with you so we can start figuring out a way to make things
with us work because I intend to have it done by the time the rodeo rolls around."
Genie said nothing because the time of the rodeo would take her right up to the time when she'd
have to make a serious decision about the direction of her life, and the one direction she knew it
would not take was she and Abby trailering along with Josh from rodeo to rodeo, even if he could
convince her he was quicker than the bulls. But she did want some time alone with him later, if only
to sit with him under the stars and have his arms around her and snuggle close.
***
After whistling for everyone's attention, Josh announced, "Time to start hopping, guys and gals.
We'll be doing a few traditional, four-couple square dances, but before we start, I need a gal to help
demonstrate some dance moves." He looked directly at Genie, who was across the floor from him,
and held out his hand.
A rustle of quiet voices reaffirmed what Josh already suspected, that the campers knew
something was up between him and Genie, which didn't bother him, but must have bothered Genie
because she was batting her eyelids nervously, and her smile was more like a grimace. Still, he'd
decided at the outset that his time on the overnight with Genie would not be spent playing cat and
mouse in order to hide their relationship from the campers. "It's okay, babe," he said to Genie across
the floor, "they're on to us now and we're among friends." Everyone laughed.
Genie offered a self-conscious smile before stepping over to Josh and taking his hand. Lacing his
fingers with hers, Josh raised her hand high, and said to the campers, "This is my girl, Genie, and
that's spelled g-e-n-i-e, like the magic lantern. She comes by her name honestly though because she's
also a magician." He looked down at her then, and said, "You ready to tell me the thumb trick yet?"
Genie shook her head, and Josh laughed and said to the others, "It's an inside joke, so setting that
aside, Genie and I will start with a do-si-do and take you through the basic moves, so partner up and
follow along with us."
As the campers broke into couples, Josh leaned toward Genie, and said, "Annie told me you
knew how to square dance. Was she right?"
"She's right, but I haven't danced in a while," Genie replied.
"It'll come back," Josh said. "Is it okay that you're my girl?"
"We never discussed it and it really is premature," Genie said. "We're a long way from resolving
things and I don't want you to think it will all work out because, to be honest with you, I don't see how
it can. But I like the idea of being your girl, at least for a little while."
Josh couldn't help smiling because as far as he was concerned, he'd won half the battle with
Genie. Raising his hand to get everyone's attention, he said, "Okay folks, fold your arms for a do-si-
do." Turning to Genie, he added, "You ready, babe?"
"I'm ready," Genie replied.
Folding their arms, they passed around each other, first back-to-back, then face-to-face. Josh
smiled at Genie at that point, and as their eyes held, Genie paused for a moment and stared at him, as
if she'd lost track of things, so he took the opportunity to give her a quick kiss, which had her batting
her eyelids before collecting herself and completing the do-si-do. Glancing beyond her at the smiling
faces, Josh winked at the crowd, which brought another round of laughs.
"Now, promenade by connecting right hand to right hand." He reached across Genie and took her
right hand with his right hand. "And left hand to left." He repeated with their left hands. "And with
both partners facing the same direction, circle the ring counter clockwise... guys on the inside, gals on
the outside, so fall in step with us."
A couple joined in, then several others, and before long, little clouds of dust were billowing into
the air as couples promenaded around the flat clearing in a wide circle. When Josh looked at Genie,
her eyes were alive and she was smiling broadly.
After demonstrating an elbow swing, a grand right-left, an allemande left, and a few others, Josh
announced, "Now that you folks know the basic moves, we're ready to do the Grapevine Twist, so
form a square and remember, when circling, it's guys' hands palms up, gals' hands palm down, and
elbows slightly bent to keep the circle round."
After they'd finished the walkthrough, Josh held Genie's hand up and said, "I've got to manage the
music so my gal needs a partner."
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