EXCERPT 1
Sloan Lancaster raised the hood of his jacket and raced through the downpour, skirting the water overflowing dips and deep potholes in the asphalt parking lot. This, plus the rundown brick and wood exterior, was all he needed to conclude that the Winding Creek Rehab and Care Center was past its prime. Especially dreary was the aging paint job, once white, but now a dull, dirty gray. Sloan summed up his first impression of this facility in one word: neglected.

As he ducked into the hands-free revolving door a commotion in the lobby caught his attention. Women and men in scrubs or lab coats were pushing and pulling furniture across the carpeted floor, while a couple of burly guys in maintenance uniforms dragged an oversized tarp into the far corner of the room where rainwater ran down the wall.

Two women a few feet in front of him struggled to pull a couch across the middle of the lobby. He approached from behind and called out, “Wait, let me help with that. Tell me where you want it.”

A woman spun around. “Thanks. We can use the help.” Her eyes opened wide in surprise. “Sloan?”

“Bethany?” He struggled to find his next words as he grasped the wooden armrest on one end. “I’d know you anywhere.” It was true. He hadn’t seen her since high school and she’d barely changed at all.

Not the time to ask a lot of questions. He made his early morning workouts pay off as he dragged the couch to the only empty spot on the other side of the lobby big enough to accommodate it. The space was already filled with a hodgepodge of tables and armchairs that had escaped the leaking roof and ceilings. 

Bethany pushed the couch from the other end. Her expression turned serious as she straightened up and put her hands on her hips. “You’re here to see your dad, I assume. Medical transport brought him here a couple of hours ago.”

Her burgundy pantsuit and crisp tailored white shirt gave her a professional look in the style of the women lawyers at his firm. That led Sloan to guess that his old friend Bethany Hoover was an administrator in this place, where, for better or worse, his dad was now a patient. The worn out exterior and general disarray in the lobby weren’t filling him with positive feelings about that. 

The opposite, in fact.

EXCERPT 2
“We don’t have the final estimate yet, and work on the news roof won’t start until spring, but we need to launch the campaign now,” Quincy, Sloan’s uncle said. “The board met online for a quick vote to give Bethany the go ahead to arrange emergency repairs. We have to get through the winter.”

Sloan mulled over his decision, but not for long. “Go ahead and pass the word that an anonymous donor will pay for the emergency repairs.” He and his uncle were alone in the corridor, but Sloan kept his voice low, anyway. 

“You’re serious?” Quincy’s expression showed equal parts surprise and curiosity. “You can do that without, oh, I don’t know, checking with your accountant?”

Sloan nodded. “Keep it between us, Quincy. I don’t talk much to my dad, so he doesn’t know my firm has had some sizable settlements. So, yes, I can do this.” 

“Do we need a bigger conversation about Winding Creek and what you’re prepared to do?” his uncle asked when they reached the lobby. 

Sloan had decided to put aside his concerns and keep his dad close to home. Besides, it was clear Lucas was sharp and could make his own decisions about where he’d land. “We can talk about that later. I’ll be here a while, so we’ll have time.” Sloan took a minute to gather his thoughts. “Go ahead and put Bethany’s mind at ease about the repairs.” 

Quincy stopped walking. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. But maintaining my anonymity is my only condition. Not a word to anyone.” Sloan had to laugh at how quickly he’d acted, but no matter how long between his visits or how distant he was from his dad, this little dot on a map was his hometown and family was family.  

EXCERPT 3
With Heidi in the middle, Bethany and Sloan roller-skated in a line of three. When a couple of skaters only a little older than Heidi sped past, she wobbled, but then tightened her hold on Sloan’s index finger to catch her balance. Then even talkative Heidi fell silent as they skated down the long rink to the beat of the carnival music and the noisy crowd as background. As his muscles remembered what he’d learned as a young boy, Sloan stopped thinking about every move. As if sharing a dance, he and Bethany synced their steps with Heidi’s and moved without effort in perfect rhythm.   

Bethany turned to look at him and mouthed the words, “This is amazing.” 

She didn’t need to explain. Their thoughts were synced as well as their movements.

EXCERPT 4
Her dad gave the counter a quick pat and backed away. He nodded toward Sloan and Heidi. “Good to have a backup on a day like this.”  

A lull in the foot traffic left Bethany free to watch Sloan twirl Heidi under his arm as she did a little dance to move a space up in the line. Bethany would have liked to hear what they were saying, but Sloan seemed to have no trouble interacting with a three-year-old. And Heidi wasn’t a bit shy around him. 

Bethany couldn’t take her eyes of the two, but as much as she enjoyed seeing Sloan so good with Heidi, it made her anxious, too. Hadn’t she declared her heart closed? She’d been definitive about it, even brushing off her parents, and Heather, who’d tried to point out how rigid she was being. Now, the easy way Heidi acted with Sloan poked holes in that stance.   

EXCERPT 5
Bethany poured them each a glass of wine. When she brought it to him, Sloan had taken off his suit jacket and was standing by the fireplace.

“Do you dance?” he asked.

Bethany’s heart immediately raced. “Uh, well, I do, sort of, but not for ages. How’s that for an answer?”

“The same one I’d give.” He put his wine on the mantel and held out his hand.

“Uh, there’s no music.” What came next was so simple. All she had to do was put her hand in his.

“We don’t need it. I’ll hum in your ear.”

She glanced at his hand, open and inviting. And then took it.

He drew her to him. “Let’s give it a try. Too bad I don’t have my old record album collection. That’s going to move with me. I’ll share some of my old 1960s and ‘70s favorites.”

“You’re a collector?

“A bit.” Sloan took the first slow dancing steps around the living room.

She hadn’t danced in a long time, but she recognized Sloan as a skilled, smooth dancer. She relaxed in his arms and went with him as they made a couple of turns in the empty space around the couch and coffee table. He managed to find the rhythm of “At Last,” and sang the words softly in her ear. 

“It’s been so long I forgot how much I enjoy slow dancing,” Bethany whispered.

“Me, too. It’s about time we remembered.” Sloan pulled back and stared into her eyes. With his arms still around her, he lowered his mouth to hers for a soft, gentle kiss. He pulled back, but she eagerly sought his mouth. Nothing seemed to matter except the warmth of his lips. She held onto him, catching the fabric of his shirt in her fingers.