Janet by Peggy Webb Page A

Doc. This kind of dancing could lead to
other things.”
    “What other things, Coach?”
    He chuckled softly. “Is that an invitation
for another demonstration?”
    She leaned back slightly so she could look
directly into his eyes. “I’m not sure I could survive another
demonstration with either my sanity or my honor intact.”
    “Neither could I. Why don’t we call a simple
truce for the rest of the evening?”
    “Agreed.”
    Cuddled even closer, they continued their
slow swaying movements in front of the warm winter fire. She
thought he was tender and funny and endearing and enormously,
dangerously sexy. That she had once thought him hopelessly
old-fashioned now seemed a rash judgment. And she was
extraordinarily close to losing her head over him.
    He thought she was gorgeous and talented and
sweet and heart-stoppingly desirable. That he had ever considered
her ridiculously modern seemed a foolish notion to him. And he was
dangerously close to losing his heart to her.
    When the music ended they slowly drew
apart.
    “Thank you for the dance, Doc.”
    “Any time, Coach.”
    He ran his hands carefully down her arms, as
if he were taking her measure for future reference. Then he stepped
back.
    “I think one good turn deserves another,
don’t you?”
    She smiled. “That’s a nice old-fashioned
philosophy. But I can go along with it.”
    “Since you’ve taught me to dance, I want to
share something with you”
    She waited, not knowing what to expect, half
hoping he would suggest some outrageous proposition that would
continue their game, half hoping he wouldn’t.
    “Something very important to me.” He paused,
looking deep into her eyes. “Doc, will you go with me to the soccer
game Thursday night?”
    “Your team?”
    “Yes. The Eagles. We’ll be playing our
archrivals from West Point, The Mastiffs. Can you come, Janet?”
    “What time?”
    “Six o’clock. Junior-high games always start
early.”
    “I’ll be there... unless I have an
emergency.”
    “Wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to
do a lot of yelling.”
    “Why is that?”
    He chucked her under the chin. “Doc, I see I
have a lot to teach you about ball.”
    “It has to be easier than baking
cookies.”
    From somewhere in Dan’s enormous house, a
grandfather clock struck the hour. Eleven o’clock. Time for a
working physician to be in bed.
    Dan helped her on with her coat and walked
her to her car. After he had tucked her inside, he leaned down,
took her hand and pressed a warm kiss into her palm.
    She felt the pleasure all the way to her
toes. Still, she was wary. “A game tactic, Coach?” she asked after
he had released her.
    “No. A simple kiss between friends.” He
closed her car door and waved. “Good night, Doc.” Then he stood in
his driveway watching until her taillight was merely a tiny flicker
of red in the distance.
    It wasn’t until Janet got home that she
spotted Dan’s sweatshirt in the backseat of her car. She snatched
it up, went inside, and wore it to bed. That night she dreamed she
was walking down the aisle in bridal white while Molly and Joanna
sang
Someone to Watch Over Me.
    o0o
    Thursday took forever to come. Or so it
seemed to Dan. Fortunately he had been too busy with teaching his
classes and getting his team ready for the soccer game to have much
time for worrying about Janet.
    That evening, standing on the sidelines of
the soccer field, he finished giving his team their pregame pep
talk and looked up into the bleachers. She wasn’t there. That much
was certain. The fields at Sportsplex weren’t enormous, and with
the bright electric lights flooding the area, it wouldn’t be that
hard to spot one gorgeous auburn-haired female doctor. He scanned
the crowd again. Two minutes to game time and Janet was not there.
To top it all off, it had started to rain—just a light drizzle, but
enough to make the field soggy and the air damp and miserable.
    Dan turned back to his team. It wouldn’t do
to let