Free A Holiday Fling by Mary Jo Putney

The ovation she received threatened to rip off the slate roof. She bowed again and again, her face flushed with excitement.
    Finally she raised her arms for silence. "I want to thank all of you for coming. As many of you know, the Revels were conceived as our attempt to raise money to save the tithe barn as Upper Bassett’s community center. I don’t know yet if we’ll be successful because time is running out, but win or lose, we’ve created something special here, something we’re all proud of. And it has all been done with volunteers. I want to thank everyone who didn’t appear onstage, starting with Alice Lyme, who as president of the community center council has been a tower of strength and wisdom."
    She blew a kiss to her mother, then swiftly listed others who had been essential for producing the show. "Lastly, I want to give special thanks to Greg Marino, the only American involved in this show, one of the world’s great cinematographers, and the man who filmed our production so those of you who wish to watch again at home will be able to. Not only is he an Academy Award winner but a good sport, willing to step in when our original dragon was laid low. Greg, stop hiding in back and come out to be thanked."
    Aiee! He wanted to dive to the floor and disappear, but eager hands pulled him forward. Blue eyes glowing, Jenny kissed him on his dragon snout and whispered, "Take this off so people can see you!"
    No way. Preferring to play the Beast to her Beauty, he dropped to his knees and laid his head against her waist, animal nature tamed by the lady. The crowd loved it.
    The curtains closed for the final time. Jenny patted Greg’s neck as if he were a large dog. "Will you come out from under there, my darling dragon?"
    He stood and removed the head piece. "You did well, Jenny. Everyone did."
    She grinned. "Even you looked as if you were having fun. Watch out, you may be hit by the acting bug."
    "Once was enough." He suppressed the desire to give her a real kiss, since what he wanted was not something that could be done in public. Originally he had intended to fly back to the States the morning after this last performance. Changing his plans had given him three more days of Jenny’s company.
    Only three more days.
    * * *
    Jenny laughed and joked with people who came up to congratulate her, but the show’s triumph was bittersweet. She hated to think this might be the last time she would ever perform in the tithebarn. They had yet to hear from any of the television networks, and time was rapidly running out. Next Christmas the barn might be hosting a fashionable cocktail party for a wealthy new owner who would hang angular modem paintings on the ancient walls.
    The dragon was a popular character; Greg stood beside her, signing autographs for the under-twelve set. She hoped that the post-show party didn’t run too late. She wanted to take Greg home and find out what it was like to bed a dragon.
    A familiar figure emerged from the thinning crowd. "This is even better in person than on video, Jenny." It was her BBC friend, Simon Oxnard, and his wife.
    "Simon, how lovely to see you," Jenny said, hoping his presence was a good sign. "Cassie, I’m glad you could come, too."
    Cassie smiled. "So am I. It was a marvelous performance, Jenny."
    "If I’d known you were interested, I would have found tickets for you."
    Simon waved off Jenny’s regrets. "No matter. Standing in the back took me back to our student days. We had a splendid time, and now I can tell you in person that we have an offer that might help you out."
    She caught her breath, afraid to hope. "You want to broadcast the show?"
    "Yes, and if you’ll sign a contract for two more Christmas shows over the next two years, each with a different theme, we can offer you three times the money."
    "What kind of themes would interest you?"
    "Since this was a medieval-style mummers’ play, perhaps next year you could do Victorian. Something different the year after