by Diana Palmer
She sighed. “Well, maybe Janey wouldn’t recognize Paul. I could tell her he’s a friend from grammar school. Which is true,” she added.
“And you could swear her to secrecy, at least until you and Paul get your mojo back.”
She laughed. “Burt, you make everything sound so simple.”
“Most things are, until people complicate them,” he said.
“Where did you compete?”
“Oh, I was small potatoes compared to you,” he replied. “I never got past Nationals, and I placed just out of the top five even there. But even so, better than Lindy,” he added with a wicked smile. “She won a bronze in division, didn’t even make it to Nationals. To hear her tell it, she was robbed. But I’ve seen her skate, and she wasn’t.” He shook his head. “Like watching a robot go through the motions.” He looked up. “You, on the other hand, are poetry in motion. You and Paul together were magic. I’m sorry about the fall. But you’re doing fine. You just go slow, take it easy. Don’t overdo. And keep up with your appointments with your doctor. Make sure he approves, first.”
“I’ll go see him this weekend,” she promised.
He lifted his head and frowned. “Isn’t that the phone?” he asked.
“I’ll go see.”
It was the phone. Karina picked it up. “Hello, Torrance residence,” she said.
“Where the hell is Micah?” Lindy demanded hotly. “We should be taking off at the airport right now or we’re going to miss dinner and the show!”
“I’m so sorry. Dietrich has bloat. They’re operating. He’s at the vet’s.”
“What’s so special about a stupid dog?” she demanded. “If he dies, they can get another one!”
She bit her tongue. “Dietrich is Janey’s...”
“I don’t give a damn who he belongs to, he’s just a dog! Why won’t Micah answer his damned phone?”
She drew in a calming breath. “There’s a dead spot there, where cell phones don’t work,” she said, remembering Billy Joe say something of the sort.
“Then you drive over there and tell him to get off his butt and get over here right now!” She hung up.
Karina, shaken, went back out to Burt.
“What happened?” he asked, noting her expression.
“It was Lindy. She said Micah was late picking her up and that Dietrich was just a dog, if he died they could get another. She said for me to drive over there and tell him to pick her up right now so they didn’t miss the show in Vegas.”
He chuckled. “Love to see you do that,” he commented. “The boss would have you for lunch and then he’d have Lindy for a snack.”
“That’s what I thought. So what do I do?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Let her fume. She’s the boss’s problem, not ours.”
She rubbed her arms. “Poor man,” she said.
“He made his bed,” he replied. “She sashayed up and played on his senses. She likes rich men. He knew what she was, but he let her lead him to a jeweler’s to buy her an engagement ring. He’ll get what he deserves for mixing up with a woman like that.” He noted her frown. “Have to let people make their own mistakes and learn from them, kid. You can’t take the licks for them.”
She smiled. “Burt, you’re a philosopher.”
“Not quite, but I’m working on it.” He finished with her skates and started on Janey’s. “You should call Paul.”
She sighed. “Yes. I guess I should.”
She went back into her room and pulled up Paul’s private number. She called it.
“Maurice,” he answered, his voice sounding dull and heavy.
“Paul?”
“Karina!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t look at the caller ID! How are you? How’s the ankle?”
“It’s mending nicely. I’m skating again. I did a triple this week!”
“C’est vrai? Magnifique!” he exclaimed.
“There’s something else. Remember Hilde Meyer, who choreographed those exquisite routines for her skaters? They dumped her, so she came to Catelow and bought an ice skating rink. She’s not coaching anyone.”
“Oh, this is too good,” Paul said with a long sigh. “Too good! My partner recovering, a coach without skaters, a rink for practice. What else do we need to win the Olympics, ma belle amie?” he chuckled.
She grinned. “Not much. Instant stardom, just add Paul.”
“I’ll pack up Gerda and the boys and we’ll be residents by next week!”
She grimaced. “Paul, nobody knows who I am. Especially not my boss.”
“Oh, dear,” he said. “Then if I show up with my family, there will be questions, yes?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Well, it would be difficult. The boys are in pre-K, anyway, you know. It would mean taking them out. So I will work it out with Gerda. Perhaps I can rent a room for weekdays and come home for Sundays. Yes. That will work, I think.”
“Tell Gerda I’m sorry. I’ve sort of put myself in a fix here, not telling people who I really am. I didn’t want the attention, and at first, I wasn’t sure I would ever skate again.”
“So was I,” he replied solemnly. “I know what the doctor told you.”
“Hilde says he tells every skater that,” she replied, laughing.
“Well, he might not be so far wrong, sometimes. But if your sports medicine doctor says it’s okay, I’d trust him. We can try, n’est-ce pas?”
“We can win,” she replied firmly. “That’s all I ever really wanted, to win the gold just one time.”
“Afterward, we can sign on with the TV networks to sit at a microphone and make rude comments about other skaters,” he said mischievously.
“We’d be kind,” she retorted.
“Mostly kind,” he said. “I’ll speak to Gerda. She’ll be thrilled, and I mean that. She’s been sad for me. I’ve been moping around making everybody miserable since my prospective new partner threw me over.”
“This partner will never throw you over, and we’re going to win the gold. Tell Gerda that.”
He laughed. “I will. Later, chérie.”
“Later.”
* * *
SHE WENT BACK out to tell Burt.
“Now that’s something to look forward to,” he said. “Pyeongchang next year. And I’ll be in the audience cheering you on.”
She knew without saying that the boss and Janey wouldn’t be, because she couldn’t afford to let the boss know about her ambitions. He hired her, not even knowing that she was so much as a casual skater, to look after his daughter. She’d be watching Janey and training for the Olympics at the same time. What if the boss recognized Paul? What if he found out who she was? Would he fire her? Without a job, she couldn’t afford her doctor, her small apartment in Jackson, equipment, anything! She didn’t dare tell him.
“Stop worrying yourself to death over what-ifs,” Burt said wisely. “Just go with the flow.”
She laughed. “Am I that obvious?”
“To an old guy like me, yes. Don’t worry. I won’t sell you out. Neither will Janey. For a nine-year-old, she’s pretty good at keeping secrets.”
“Well, except for the triple,” she recalled.
“She slipped once. She won’t do it again. She loves you.”
“That feeling is entirely mutual,” she replied.
He shook his head. “Lindy belittles her all the time. Boss doesn’t even seem to notice. I guess he’s used to her carping at him.”
“She has a nasty temper.”
“You haven’t seen how nasty, just yet,” Burt said. “If she comes into this house, I’m going out the back door and I won’t come back. I can’t live with her.”
Her heart jumped. “Neither could I,” she said. She bit her lower lip. “Have they set a date for the wedding?” she asked worriedly.
“Well, maybe there’s hope.”
“There’s always hope. I just wish...”
The sound of an approaching SUV being driven hurriedly up the driveway stopped him in midsentence.
“That’s the boss again,” Burt said.
“I hope it’s good news,” she added. “I’ll go see.”
* * *
MICAH OPENED THE DOOR. He’d taken off the overcoat. He was wearing a suit and expensive boots with that top-of-the-line Stetson, cream colored and wide brimmed. He looked down at her and frowned.
“How is he?” she asked worriedly.
He drew in a breath. “He’s out of surgery,” he said. “Now we wait. But the doctor is cautiously optimistic.”
“Oh, thank God! I was worried about Janey.”
He scowled. “Janey is my problem, not yours. You just babysit. That’s all you do.”
He was back in boss mode, authoritative and combative. She lowered her eyes and tried not to look as intimidated as she felt. “Yes, sir.”
He drew in a rough breath. Her submissive tone bothered him. He’d just had a call from Lindy and she was mad, furious that he’d cared more for a family pet than her desire to see a Las Vegas revue. Surely she was more important than a stupid old dog, she’d raged. They could get another dog if Dietrich died, so what was the problem?
To contrast that, here was Karina, soft and sweet and concerned for his daughter’s feelings about the dog. Lindy was never concerned about Janey. She hated the child and made no secret of her desire to have the kid sent away to boarding school right after the wedding. It was their biggest point of contention.
He lifted his chin and studied Karina’s dejected figure. He felt guilty and he didn’t like it.
“Don’t you have something to do?”
“Yes, sir.” She went back out to where Burt was still working on Janey’s skates and sat down.
Burt looked up past her to the boss, who was glaring after her. He went into his bedroom.
“You were lunch, I gather?” Burt mused.
She sighed. “I guess. I set him off by breathing.”
He only smiled. He was getting some ideas about that. It wasn’t like the boss to be unpleasant to any employee. If he was guessing, the boss was bothered by the babysitter, and felt things he didn’t want to feel. Boss had a sense of honor, from that military upbringing. He wouldn’t cheat on his fiancée. But that didn’t stop him from being interested in their newest resident. Karina was pretty and sweet and she loved Janey. That made a tremendous contrast to Lindy, who was selfish and cold and hateful toward the child. Boss loved Janey more than anything. Trouble was brewing. It was just a matter of time.
* * *
KARINA WENT TO pick up Janey at school. She was afraid to tell the child about Dietrich, after what Micah had said, so she put on a happy face and they talked about school and skating all the way home.
Janey ran inside with her school bag and looked around. “Where’s Dietrich?” she asked. “Is he outside?”
Karina’s face fell. She didn’t know what to say. The boss’s SUV was still there, surprising after Lindy’s tirade. She just stood still.
Micah came to the door of his study when he heard the child. He opened it. Janey’s curious expression and Karina’s tortured one told him all he needed to know.
He went down on his knee and called the child to him.
“You have to be brave,” he told her. “Chin up. Okay?”
“Dietrich is dead?” Janey exclaimed, her face contorting.
“No. He’s not dead. He got bloat. The vet operated on him this afternoon, and he’s holding his own.”
Janey took a deep breath. “Do you think he’ll get better?”
“I’d bet on him,” he replied. “He’s tough.”
She relaxed. “Okay, Dad.” She smiled. “Thanks.”
“You might thank your babysitter as well,” he added with an odd look as his eyes went to Karina. “She fought off a bear with a stick to keep him from getting mauled before he was taken to the vet.”
“What?” Janey exclaimed, turning to Karina.
Karina winced. “Well, Dietrich was lying on the ground helpless and the bear was going to attack him. Nobody else was around. I had to do something!”
Micah studied her. Most women would have run away screaming from a bear. It took rare courage to go after one with a stick. His employee was full of surprises.
“Oh, Karina, you’re so brave!” Janey ran to her and hugged her and hugged her. “Thank you!”
She hugged the child back. “I love Dietrich, too, you know. But I think it was the yell that made the bear run. Not the stick,” she laughed. “I ran at him screaming. I had a tae kwon do instructor when I was small who taught us that a yell is sometimes as good as an attack.”
“Tae kwon do,” Micah mused.
“I liked athletics,” she said. “My father taught me. He was a black belt.”
He pursed his lips. “My, my.” His brown eyes twinkled with something like affection.
“Weren’t you supposed to go to...?” Karina began, and then bit her tongue. He was going to snap at her for butting into something that wasn’t her business. She pressed her lips together tightly, waiting for the explosion.
“I told her to go by herself if she was so hell-bent on Vegas,” he replied mildly. “I even offered her a ride in the company jet.”
Janey looked confused.
“Lindy wanted to go see a show in Vegas,” he told the child. “I said I had worries here, and I wasn’t going.” He made a face. “My ears are still ringing.”
Janey laughed. She ran to her dad to be hugged again. “Dietrich has to be okay,” she said. “He just has to.”
“We’ll have to wait and see about that,” he replied, not pulling his punches. He looked over her head at Karina. He smiled.
It was the sort of smile that kept her awake for hours. She didn’t understand why it seemed so different.
The next morning, he was back to his normal, abrasive self. He was on the phone most of the day. The rest of it, he was giving Burt hell for anything he could think of. Karina stayed in her room, hoping to avoid being barbequed.
The one nice thing that came out of the night was a call from the vet, saying that Dietrich was holding his own.
* * *
PAUL DROVE UP on the weekend. He was at the rink, skating, when Karina and Janey came inside. He came off the rink and put the guards on his skates as they approached.
“Paul!” Karina exclaimed. She ran to hug him. “It’s so good to see you.” She pulled away and smiled at Janey. “This is Paul, my best friend from grammar school!” she said. “Paul, this is Janey. She’s just learning to skate. I take care of her when her father’s away. Oh, what a surprise to find you here!” she lied.
He laughed. “I had a day off from work and I wanted to see what Hilde was doing up here. A surprise to see you here, as well,” he lied, smiling at Karina’s approving glance. “She grew up near Jackson Hole,” he told Janey. “I moved there with my parents from Quebec when I was eight. Karina and her family lived near enough to go to the rink every day. So she and I skated together after school until we graduated.”
“Gosh, you’re so tall!” Janey exclaimed.
He chuckled. “So I’m told.”
Karina felt as if the world had grown golden again. She spotted Hilde, coming toward them.
“I’m going to visit with Hilde for a few minutes. Then we might skate...?” Paul asked Karina. “If your small friend doesn’t mind.”
Janey laughed. “I don’t mind. Mrs. Meyer has a coach now who works with beginners. I can take lessons every day. Karina’s free while I’m being taught!”
“Yes, I am,” Karina said, smiling up at Paul
.
“So I’ll see you in a minute, then, when you get your skates laced up,” he said, waving to Hilde.
He went to join her.
“Janey, let’s get our skates on,” Karina said.
Janey smiled. “Okay!” She sat down beside Karina. “I like your friend. He’s nice. Do you like him?”
“As a friend, I truly do,” Karina agreed. She smiled. “But he’s more like the brother I never had. I was an only child. So was Paul. We were both lonely.”
“Oh. So he’s not a boyfriend or anything?”
“No,” Karina said softly. “It was never like that. But we loved skating together. His parents and mine were interchangeable. I was at his house or he was at mine until we got out of school.”
“He’s really nice,” the child said.
“And he can skate,” Karina said. “You’ll see.”
* * *
HILDE AND PAUL spoke until Karina took Janey over to her new coach in a big roped-off area.
A minute later, Paul, on skates, came out into the rink.
“Ready?” he asked Karina.
She looked up at him affectionately. “Ready.”
* * *
THERE WERE A lot of people, many of them beginning skaters, so it wasn’t possible for Paul and Karina to practice their old routine. Mostly they just skated, with a few turns and easy loops. Camels and laybacks and sit spins were more comfortably done in the confined area they had for skating.
Karina’s layback caught the attention of other skaters. It was graceful, beautiful, the most telling move she’d accomplished in her years of skating. Paul watched her with approval and a big smile.
In the doorway that led to the outside, a big man in a shepherd’s coat, jeans and a battered black Stetson was glaring down at the rink with angry brown eyes. That is, until he saw Karina, and the layback that almost hypnotized him.
Who was she, he wondered, that she could perform a perfect, balletic move like that? She was no beginner, that was certain. But why was she willing to work for wages at his ranch, with skill like that? He was going to have to talk to her. Secrets made him angry.
While he was thinking that, he noticed the tall athletic blond man who moved to her side and took her hand, twirling her around gently on the ice. He had to contain a rage he hadn’t felt in his life. He didn’t like the blond man touching Karina. He didn’t like it at all!