Free A Special Kind of Love by Tamara Hoffa Page A

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