Shadow of Shame: Book 1 of the Shadow series by Barbara Goss

Quinn.”
    “I might. I just might.” Quinn sobered. “C’mon Jonas. Come with us.”
    “Seriously, Quinn, why do you want me there so badly?”
    “I’m worried about Boyd with Ivy,” he said.
    “You weren’t when you set her up with him to pick out a horse,” Jonas said.
    “I know, but Phil Monroe just told me Boyd’s been at the Silver Slipper most of the afternoon, drinking, and who knows what else. So now I’m worried—I’ll be busy with Beth and won't be able to keep a sharp eye on him. I admit it’s all my fault, which makes me feel even worse about it and worry all the more.”
    Jonas felt a little uneasy about it now, too. He thought about Boyd being inebriated while he was with Ivy, and his blood began to boil. “What time does this thing start?”
    “Around seven,” Quinn said.
    “I can’t go with you now—I have a man coming to pick up a horse—but I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said. “But I’m not dancing.”
     
    After the man picked up his horse, Jonas asked his foreman if he’d mind staying a bit later to watch the place while he was gone. He wasn’t used to leaving the ranch at night, and he felt uneasy about it. It was easy to get a worker to watch the place, since they all liked the overtime.
    He looked at his pocket watch; it was six-thirty, and he hadn't washed up or changed his clothes yet.

     
    Ivy watched Boyd rein in at the front of the Jeffries' home in a buggy as fancy as Jonas’s. Ivy invited him into the foyer when he came to the door, and introduced him to her parents, who were seated in the sitting room off the foyer. They were courteous, but not overly friendly. They didn’t like dances, and were a bit upset that Ivy was going to one. Ivy’d had a bit of a discussion at dinner with them about it, and they'd communicated to her how they felt. They told her that if she wanted to go, she certainly could, but they still did not approve.
    Ivy felt that sometimes her parents were a bit too strict, and followed the Bible a bit too literally. Times change, she thought.
    Ivy and Boyd made a hasty retreat.
    Boyd assisted Ivy into the buggy, and then he lighted the lanterns on the sides of his buggy, because it had grown too dark to see the road. He headed the buggy toward the Hanleys' barn dance.
    As they approached the Hanleys', the sight nearly took Ivy’s breath away. The oversized barn had its doors thrown wide open, and the ground had been strewn haphazardly with straw. People danced, not only in the barn, but also in the yard in front of the barn. Lanterns were strung around the entire area, painting a festive atmosphere. She could hear the fiddles and people laughing as they had danced, and she couldn’t wait to get out of the buggy to see things first hand.
    Boyd rode around to the side of the barn where the buggies and horses were parked. As soon as he stopped, she started to jump down.
    “Wait!” he called, “not so fast. I need to talk to you a minute.”
    Ivy slid back into place and waited. He leaned closer. When he spoke, it was close to her face. “I just wanted to tell you how lovely you look tonight, and that I’m happy you agreed to come with me.” He patted her hand.
    She smelled alcohol on his breath, which shocked her, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. Was he drunk, or had he just had a drink before he'd picked her up? She'd never been in this situation before, and she didn’t know quite how to handle it. Instinctively, she backed away.
    “No problem. Can we go now? I’m anxious to see my first barn dance up close.” She slid out without waiting for his answer, and began walking toward the front of the barn.
    “Hey, wait for me!" he called after her. "I want everyone to see who I’m with tonight.”
    He caught up with her, and put his arm around her, but she shrugged it off. “Don’t, Boyd. We’re just friends—we're not a couple.”
    “What?” he pulled on her arm, halting her progress.
    “Let me go,