Fire and Rain, Season 2, Episode 5 (Rising Storm) Read Online Free PDF Page A

their fingers together. “I’m happy, Annie. I want things to stay like this forever. Just like this.”
    “Me too,” she said, her heart feeling heavier suddenly, because though his words had been wonderful, his tone was sad and a little lost, and she was reminded of the things she’d never told him, things she’d like to avoid telling him forever, but if this was going to work, she knew that she needed to come clean, to put some closure on the more painful parts of their shared past, and move forward with a fresh start.
    Still, it was easy to convince herself to delay that talk for another day. Tomorrow , she told herself. Tonight I’ll let myself be carefree.
    The dance hall was busy but not too crowded for the two of them to snag a table and order a couple of beers.
    “I like this place,” Anna Mae said, looking around. There were couples of all ages, from her and Chase’s generation, down to the barely twenty-one crowd. “Great live music, but it’s not too loud, like some of those places used to be. And the crowd isn’t too wild. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I was worried it might be rowdy.”
    “You haven’t been here before?” Chase asked her.
    She laughed because he looked genuinely surprised. “You think I go out dancing often? Truth is, I haven’t been to a honky tonk in more years than I care to admit.”
    Chase looked happy to hear that. Men . Contrary, possessive creatures.
    “Well, that’s going to change. I remember how you dance, Annie, and it’s a downright shame to let those moves of yours go to waste for another day.”
    “You silly man,” she told him, but she couldn’t stop smiling.
    “You ready to dance?” he asked her.
    She took a swig of beer. “Let me finish my drink,” she hedged, feeling suddenly nervous. It had been so long since she’d danced that she wasn’t sure she even remembered how.
    “Don’t worry. You’ll pick it right up again. Like riding a bike.”
    She rolled her eyes at that analogy. “You’re crazy if you think I’d try riding a bike at my age. I never was any good at balancing on one of those damned things.”
    “But you were good at dancing, and you’ll get right into the swing of it as soon as we hit that floor. I promise.”
    She swallowed the last of the beer. He held his arm out to her, and she took it, letting him lead her onto the dance floor.
    He was right. It all came back to her with the first song. They moved together easily. Almost as if they had never been parted. They danced for a while, and she was having a great time. She could have kept going for hours, just like in the old days.
    A few things surprised Anna Mae about the outing, though.
    Chase had one beer and that was it, which was very uncharacteristic.
    And he wanted to leave after only an hour.
    She knew they weren’t as young as they used to be, obviously, but she’d been having fun. It felt like they’d just gotten started when he abruptly wanted to leave.
    “I’m sorry,” he said simply. “It’s time for me to call it a night.”
    “Already? Weren’t you having a good time?”
    “I was, but I need to go.”
    She agreed, because what else could she do?
    The car ride back was mostly silent. And Chase seemed beyond tense. She wasn’t sure if she imagined it or not, but it seemed that in the dark his hands were shaking on the steering wheel.
    “Are you okay?” she asked him.
    “Fine. I just need to get some rest.”
    “Have you not been sleeping well?” As it was only ten o’clock at night, she thought it was strange for him to be that tired.
    “No. I have. It’s just been a long day.”
    He parked the car in front of the B&B, just sitting there for a pregnant moment.
    Anna Mae was waiting for him to come around and open her door, out of habit more than anything else. It was just something he’d always done.
    Eventually she reached for the handle herself, but his words stopped her.
    “Wait. We need to talk.”
    “Okay,” she said