Read A Moment To Dance for Free Online Page A

attracting new business. The first step is fixing up the town square. And what better way to raise money than by having some fun? Even Tony bought a couple of tickets.”
    His brows scrunched together. “You mean the ones you forced on me.”
    Tony certainly had Ella’s full attention now. He held two tickets he apparently didn’t even want. The paramount question was, would he give them to her? They certainly weren’t on the best of terms, but if he didn’t want them, someone should put them to good use.
    Ella swirled the spoon around her cup before taking a sip. The liquid rolled over her tongue. Definitely too much sugar. She nearly choked on the syrupy coffee. With great effort, she swallowed.
    The brew hit her stomach, making her feel nauseated. Or was that Tony? He wasn’t going to make this easy on her. Not at all. How exactly should she ask for his tickets?
    “Ella’s interested in entering the contest,” Carlota uttered before Ella could muster up the courage. “Since you haven’t found a partner yet, maybe you two could team up.”
    He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
    Oh, no. He wasn’t going to dismiss the idea that easily. He had absolutely no clue at the depth of her desperation. At this point, she had no backup plan, nowhere to go. She needed to retain ownership of the cabin and make it livable again.
    Before she could formulate a rebuttal, Carlota continued, “You just got done telling me this morning that the court investigator complained about you spending too much time overseeing this ranch. If you participate in the contest, you’ll not only be helping the community, but you’ll also be participating in the same fundraiser as Johnny. Remember, he’s singing in the opening performance. You’ll be teaching him social responsibility.”
    Tony crossed his arms. “When you came up with this idea, I told you I didn’t want to be involved. That hasn’t changed.”
    Carlota turned back to Ella. “What my son keeps forgetting is that he’s the fire chief. He has an obligation to participate in the Dancing with the Firefighters Contest.”
    “And what you insist on forgetting is that I don’t dance.” Tony’s tone was firm.
    “You can learn. And besides, consider how you’ll be helping Whistle Stop by aiding one of its teachers. You know how hard it is to attract teachers to these remote desert towns. And if the board hires her on permanently, she’ll eventually be Johnny’s teacher. So you’ll be helping everyone by dancing with her.”
    Wait. This wasn’t exactly what Ella had in mind.
    She eyed Tony’s towering height and broad chest. The thought of him holding her close revolved in her mind at a dizzying pace. He was certainly attractive enough, but she had no intention of being swept across the dance floor in his very capable arms.
    Her fingers tugged at her long-sleeved T-shirt. She wasn’t about to give this macho man an opportunity to stumble across her ugly secret, and then have to stare into his milk-chocolate eyes that would be filled with either pity, or worse, revulsion. Been there, done that. The last man she’d felt secure enough to share her physical imperfections with had been repulsed to the point of walking out on her. She wasn’t dancing with Tony. No way. Never. There had to be someone else she could dance with.
    “Ella, why don’t you stay for lunch?” Carlota turned to her. “I’m going to grill some burgers. With this being a working ranch, we eat what we raise.”
    “I’d love to try one.” Anything would be a welcome change after a steady diet of ramen noodles. More important, she wasn’t about to give up on the contest. Tony didn’t want to dance with her or anyone, so maybe she could talk him into giving her both of his tickets. Surely finding another dance partner couldn’t be too terribly hard.
    “Good. I’ll fire up the grill.” Carlota started for the back door when the phone rang. She frowned and hesitated, as though