A Moment To Dance by Jennifer Faye Read Free Book Online Page A

background check on Ella before hiring her. And she’d won Johnny over when she’d helped with the puppy. So what was he waiting for?
    Tony swallowed hard. “I want you to tutor my nephew after school.”
    She shook her head. “I meant a dollar figure.”
    “I don’t want cash. Johnny must pull up his grades. I can’t afford for the court investigator to give the judge an unfavorable report.”
    “Why me?”
    “He gets frustrated when I show him how to get the answers, and my mother is too much of a pushover to make him listen. I looked into hiring a teacher in the area, but they’re in short supply. The ones I talked to have families of their own and can’t spare the time.”
    “I don’t think so. We didn’t get off to a good start.”
    Tony kicked at a stone. The woman was as frustrating as she was beautiful. “How long are you going to hold that against me?”
    “Not you. Johnny.” She craned her neck to look up at him. “He wasn’t happy when I stretched his T-shirt trying to pull him out of the roadway.”
    “Oh, don’t worry about that.” The tension in Tony’s shoulders eased. “You totally won him over when you helped with the puppy. He even thinks you’re pretty.” Now why in the world did he go and add that? But as a splash of pink tinged her cheeks, his only thought was of how cute she looked. His nephew certainly had good taste.
    “I don’t know.” She clenched her hands and glanced away.
    “I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work.”
    “So you’re offering to be my dance partner if I tutor your nephew?”
    Dancing was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. “Yes, I’ll be your partner. Do we have a deal?”
    “The thing is, I must win. I need the money to pay the back taxes on the cabin and repair the hole in the roof before the wind and rain destroy it.”
    So that had been desperation he’d seen in her eyes. He now realized why she was so eager to get his extra ticket. The thought of her in a run-down shack gave him pause. She wasn’t exaggerating about her need to win. He wasn’t Fred Astaire, but he’d give it his best attempt. They both had a lot riding on the outcome of this contest. She needed the money, and he needed Johnny to improve his grades so his adoption wasn’t held up, or worse, denied.
    Tony lowered his arms, hitching his thumbs in the corners of his jean pockets. “I understand. I’ll do my best to see that we win. So is it a deal?”
    “Slow down. Can you dance?” Her gaze searched his.
    “A…a little.”
    The sunlight made her flaxen hair shimmer. “Not good enough. I need someone with experience if winning is to be an option.”
    This opportunity was slipping through his fingers. He had to find a way to make it work. Johnny was counting on him. “You’re new to town. Where else are you going to get a dance partner on such short notice?”
    “Good point. But if you aren’t any good, it’d be a waste of time.”
    Tony paused, considering the problem. And then it dawned on him. If he was going to help his nephew and score points with the court, he’d have to pull out all of the stops—no matter how uncomfortable it made him. “What if I spring for dance lessons?”
    Her eyes rounded. He’d finally succeeded in leaving her speechless. It took some of the sting off the thought of wasting his time learning to dance. He sure hoped he was a quick learner.
    She studied him with those very astute blue eyes. “Are you that worried about Johnny?”
    Tony shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He really didn’t want to go into details of just how bad things were, but if he wanted to get help for his nephew, he had to suck it up and lay it all out on the table. He’d do anything for Johnny, from dance lessons to groveling.
    “Yes, I’m worried.” He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid they’ll hold him back a year. But most of all, I’m worried they’ll take him away from the only family he has left. So will you please accept