"Air," said Howie, breathlessly, grabbing Natalie's hand. "I need air."

Natalie laughed and squeezed his hand. "Come on, City Slicker, let's give them a chance to talk about us."

They went out of the hall and wandered down the street. They enjoyed the full moon and the soft breeze and each other's company. Neither was inclined to let go of the other's hand.

"Are they all as wonderful as you?" asked Natalie. "The Boys, I mean."

Howie laughed. "Well, we've had ten years of practice. That's not the first crying girl I've come across."

Natalie smiled. That wasn't really what she meant. She had watched him dance every dance. She had been wrong to tell him 'wallflowers first' and she was glad that he had realized it. By dancing with Mandy first, he had done two things, complimented his erstwhile hostess and proved himself to be a man who danced with pretty girls. The next girl he asked 'just happened' to be standing where he and Mandy stopped at the end of the song. She was the homeliest girl in the place and she knew it. Her dress was old-fashioned and too big for her and her slip was showing. Her hair was long and stringy and she kept her head bowed, using her hair like a curtain to hide her face.

When Howie asked her to dance, she looked over both her shoulders, trying to figure out who he was talking to. He held out his hand. "Please." Her feet moved her forward. Natalie didn't know what he said to her while they danced, but by the end, the girl was glowing.

Howie had moved effortlessly around the room, seeming to pick girls at random, but Natalie could see that he had already reached most of the wallflowers, as well as the bride-to-be and her mother.

At first, the men had stared at him suspiciously. He had made Becky Wilson cry and that had raised their hackles. They had accepted the explanation but it still didn't set right with them. And here he was, making them all look bad by dancing every dance.

Most of the men attended these dances because their women made them. They would enjoy the male company and the visits to the coolers in the parking lot, but they could have done without the dancing.

Usually, no one danced for the first few songs. Then the bride-to-be would force her intended out onto the floor. The single men would dance with their girlfriend and one or two of her unaccompanied friends. The married men had no choice, of course. They followed their wives' beckoning index fingers.

The single women would gather at the refreshment tables or in little groups around the room, trying not to look desperate, trying to look totally disinterested in such an activity as dancing. They would glance hopefully at any man who made a step in their direction. Finally, after an hour or so, they would give up and start dancing with each other.

And this City Fella was upsetting the routine. He began dancing as soon as the music started. This took away the usual half-hour reprieve as women with significant others hauled them out onto the floor. Once a bunch of them started dancing, all bets were off. Some of the single women even started asking men to dance - men who were too startled by this turn of events to say 'no'.

It was hard to hate the guy, though. When he had walked up to Steph and Pete, he had actually asked Pete's permission to dance with his fiancée. "Sure, go ahead," said Pete, and then watched warily as Howie guided Stephanie around the floor. The guy was a good dancer, no doubt about that.

"So what have you been up to while I have been squiring the lovely ladies?" asked Howie. He had seen her moving around, had rarely taken his eyes off her, in fact.

"I've been getting to know people," said Natalie.

"Going to write a mystery about them?" asked Howie.

"No, I've been solving one," said Natalie. "Finding out why Ty is so gunshy of marriage."

"Because Cass Whitney broke his heart," said Howie with a grin.

"That's right!" said Natalie, in surprise. "How the hell did you find that out?"

He shrugged. "People tell me stuff. I don't know all the details, though."

"They were high school sweethearts," said Natalie, "the perfect couple - the jock and the cheerleader. Everyone figured they'd get married, especially Ty. His dad died when he was in his senior year of high school and he had to forgo college to take over the farm. He didn't mind too much, he hadn't really wanted to go to college anyway. But Cass did. So off she went and she came home the first summer to plan the wedding and the second one to cancel it. She had outgrown him, she said...him, Big Timber and the entire state of Montana. She was going to California to make her fortune in the movies."

"Did she make it? Her fortune, I mean?" asked Howie.

"She worked as a secretary for a press agent for awhile and then married some guy and had three kids. She never comes home, apparently."

"And Ty isn't willing to put it on the line again?" guessed Howie.

"Yes, it seems that Mandy is the soul of patience and has gotten him close a couple of times, but then he backs away.

"Any other women interested?" asked Howie.

"Well, in the early days, apparently quite a few of them took a run at him, but Mandy's been the one with staying power and it's kind of an unwritten rule now...Hands off Ty!"

"Sounds like everyone thinks they're made for each other, except Ty," said Howie.

"Oh, I think he knows it too," murmured Natalie. "I think he's afraid to mess with the situation the way it is in case he wrecks it." Yes, thought Natalie to herself, it was going to be up to Mandy.

They had made their way back to the hall. They could hear the music start again.

"Back to work," said Howie, with a sigh.

"Ah, you love it," said Natalie, letting go of his hand. He winked at her and headed back into the dance.

Natalie lingered in the foyer. There was a lineup for the ladies room. She joined it. The lady in front of her was the one who had greeted them on their arrival. She turned to Natalie and held out her hand.

"It's an honor to meet you, Miss...um...Ms. Reardon," said the woman.

"Call me Natalie,"

"Natalie. I'm Shelley Burton. I'm the town librarian. I've read all your books."

"Thank you," said Natalie, simply. She shook the woman's hand. "I'm pleased to meet you."

"Yes, I've read all of them...and more than once! They're very well-written."

"Thank you," said Natalie again, wondering why anyone would want to read a mystery twice. Then she looked toward the hall. This was the woman Howie had met yesterday. He'd gone to the library?

"Is Mr. Dorough enjoying the book?" Shelley asked, and then stopped. "I mean...I'm sure he is...I...I...it's my favorite, the one I recommended to him. The Treasure Trail."

"He came to the library?" asked Natalie. "To get one of my books?"

"Yes, he asked if we had any Natalie Reardon books, and I said, of course we do, they're very popular and he asked me to recommend one. Was that okay?"

"Yes...yes, of course. That was very kind of you. Good choice, too! It's my favorite, as well." Natalie smiled at the woman, who beamed back.

"So Mandy says you're here to do work? Does that mean we'll be getting another Natalie Reardon mystery soon?" ventured Shelley.

Natalie nodded.

"Set in Montana?" asked the librarian hopefully.

"Not this one," replied Natalie, "but maybe the next one."

Shelley had reached the front of the line. Natalie stared at her shoes for the minute or so it took until it was her turn. She went into the small room. Why did they always paint these rooms that sickly green, she wondered.

When she came out, she saw Mandy standing at the table, glancing through the guest book. She glared at Natalie. "I understand you been asking a lot of questions about Ty," she said.

"Pounce on him," said Natalie, cutting across the other woman's words.

"What?!"

"Pounce on him. He feels the same way about you as you do about him."

Mandy's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

"I mean it," said Natalie. "Rope him, tie him, whatever the Montana equivalent of 'pounce' is, but go after him." She softened her voice. "He wants you to."

First, Mandy looked suspicious, then thoughtful. Then, without a word, she turned on her heel and walked away. Natalie followed her into the dance. She looked around for Howie. She spotted him on the dance floor with a very attractive woman in his arms. I guess he worked his way through all the wallflowers, she thought, with a twinge of jealousy.

Out of the corner of her eye, Natalie saw a flash of red, as Mandy made her way to Ty. She reached up and put her mouth at his ear. Whatever she said made him turn beet red. She raked her fingernails down his shirt front and pushed him backward onto the dance floor. She melted into his arms and they swayed together.

Natalie smiled to herself and looked around the room. There were many nudges and smiles of satisfaction, and not just among the women. Go, Mandy, go!

"May I have this dance?"

Natalie turned to find Howie at her shoulder. He held out his hand. "Please."

Natalie made a face. "What if I...?"

"You won't," he assured her.

She moved into his arms. It was a slow song and they didn't move much...at least not their feet. Their hips swayed together and the music moved through them. Howie held her hand in his and placed his other one gently in the small of her back. She put her head on his shoulder and put her arm around him. She couldn't resist playing with the curls on his neck.

There were more nudges and smiles throughout the hall. Better alert the Volunteer Fire Brigade. Sparks were gonna fly out at the McAllister place tonight!