She drove around the small town, checking on other bars. She had driven through those parking lots before she spotted his automobile. There it was! A sigh of relief escaped her as she pulled into the nearest available slot and climbed from her own small import. This didn't seem a likely place for Tom. The sound of live music came out from the door as a couple ahead of her entered. Above her was a brightly lit sign that read: Country Music Dancing.

She couldn't understand her Tom coming to a place like this. Sheila shrugged her shoulders and pushed through the door. Maybe Tom had to come here to meet some buddy of his. She stepped into the dimly lit interior and groped her way over to the bar. She found an empty stool and sat down while her eyes became accustomed to the light.

"Well!" a man on her right gasped. "You're the prettiest thing to step in here in years!"

Sheila ignored him, her eyes roaming about the bar, searching for Tom. He wasn't at the bar. She was sure of that. She looked back along the row of booths, interrupting her survey of them as she spatted two pool tables off to the side. He wasn't at the tables, to her disappointment. She returned to the booths, still not able to see him anywhere.

Then she saw him! He was standing beside one of the tables out around the dance floor. Tom was leaning down and talking to some girl. His back was toward Sheila so that she couldn't see his face. She could surely see the face of the slender brunette, though. She could see the clear expression of pleasure as the girl talked to Tom. The redhead kept warning herself against getting angry. Hell, the girl was probably the wife or girl friend of some buddy of Tom's. Sheila knew that wasn't so, but still she kept telling it to herself.