Wyoming Legend

by Diana Palmer

  She walked out and closed the door behind her, shutting him out.

  Lindy gave her a brief glance, stopping at the younger woman’s red eyes. “So he fired you.”

  “No. I quit,” she said shortly.

  Lindy laughed. “Good. Now you can’t file for unemployment, can you? My, my, how will you afford those expensive skating lessons with your coach now, Miss Carter?” she added, alluding to Hilde. “You’ll never go anywhere in skating. I should know. I’ve been in competition.”

  Karina just looked at her, without saying a word.

  Lindy made a face and went back to watching television.

  * * *

  KARINA PACKED, FIGHTING TEARS. She hoped that Lindy and the boss would be gone when she got up, so that she’d have a minute with poor Janey. Dietrich was going to live with Billy Joe. Lucky Dietrich. Janey would adjust, but it would be a hard life with Lindy. Karina felt bad for her. She loved the little girl. It was going to be a wrench to leave her. She didn’t try to think how it was going to feel, being without Micah. She didn’t dare.

  * * *

  OF ALL THE mornings to oversleep, Karina thought as she looked at the clock and grimaced. She’d be late getting Janey to school. She assumed that she’d do that, one last time, and they could talk.

  But when she left her bedroom, Janey was nowhere in sight. Fortunately, neither were Micah or Lindy.

  “At least have breakfast before you go,” Burt said sadly. “I made you those bacon and egg sandwiches you like so much,” he added with a forced smile.

  “You’re so sweet, Burt,” she replied, and fought tears. “I guess he told you, huh?”

  “He did.” He glowered at her as she sat down. “I was ready to tell him some things, too, but Lindy said they were dropping Janey off at school and going on to Vegas. They walked out without breakfast.” He sighed. “Boss was so subdued I wondered if he was the same man I’ve been working for.”

  Subdued wasn’t a word she associated with her boss. Not ever. She frowned. “Why?”

  “Lindy must have upset him again,” he said. “Stupid man. She’ll ruin his life. Not to add what she’ll do to poor Janey. He must be out of his mind!”

  She sat down and started eating. “He’s a grown man.”

  “He’s an idiot. Lindy said you’d quit,” he added, sitting down with black coffee in a humorous mug. “Did you? Or did the boss force you to?”

  “He said I could quit or get fired,” she replied. “He says I’m living in a dream world, that I’ll never win a skating competition. It’s hard to even win a local one, he added. Besides, Lindy says I don’t have what it takes.”

  “And she knows that because she won a medal at regional competition,” he scoffed. “Should have thrown your Worlds gold in her face.”

  “It wouldn’t accomplish anything,” she replied sadly. “It wouldn’t change anything.” She looked up at him. “Don’t tell them anything about me,” she pleaded. “Just take care of Janey. She’s the one I’m worried about. Lindy wants to put her in a boarding school.”

  He didn’t comment. He wasn’t sure anybody could stop the boss from doing that. “He grew up without love,” he said. “His mom died when he was a baby, his dad was career military. The general used a belt on the boy if he cried at all, even when he was little.” He smiled sadly. “Boss hasn’t ever been in love. Not really. He thinks love is something that happens in bedrooms.”

  “That’s sad.”

  “Sadder than you know.” He shook his head. “He was going to break it off with Lindy. Told me so last week. Then he brings her home with him last night and they’re all cuddled up together. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

  “Well, it’s not my problem anymore. I’m going back to my apartment in Jackson. Paul will go, too. I hope Hilde can come down to coach us.”

  “She will,” Burt said. “You’re a winning team. You’ll see. And when you win the Olympic gold, I’ll sit the boss in front of the TV, tie him to a chair and hit Replay on the recorder. I’ll make him watch it until he turns blue!”

  She laughed. “Oh, Burt. I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you, too, Karina.” He sighed. “I wish you could stay.”

  “I do, too, for Janey’s sake. Take care of her.”

  “You know I will. You take care of yourself.”

  * * *

  KARINA CLIMBED INTO her car, waved goodbye to Burt, standing in the doorway, and drove to the rink. Paul would be waiting. She had sad news for him and for Hilde. She didn’t cry. But it was hard. She’d never see Janey or Micah again. It broke her heart.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  HILDE WAS BELLIGERENT. “He would fire you for such a petty reason?” she huffed. “When you and Paul are world champions in pairs, and he wants you to give it up because it is a pipe dream?”

  “He doesn’t know who I am,” she told Hilde sadly. “I’m not sure he’d even care. He and his fiancée are getting married next month. I’m just sad for Janey. I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” she added, fighting tears. “At least I have a way to contact her, unless they stop her from associating with me.”

  “There, there,” Hilde said, hugging her. “It will be all right. You and Paul go on to Jackson. I will find someone to manage the rink here and I’ll get an apartment there, so that I can go on coaching you.”

  “I hate for you to have to do that,” Karina said worriedly. “It’s your livelihood. We’re paying you to coach us, and we get a stipend from the national organization to help with it, but...”

  “I still have some money left over from my career. I invested wisely. Besides,” Hilde added with a grin, “if I coach a team that wins pairs at the Olympics, think what I can charge my future students.”

  Karina chuckled. “I want to win for that reason alone.”

  “You also want to win to show your unpleasant boss that he’s no judge of character,” Paul added with a grin. “Not to mention, his fiancée as well.”

  “Yes, I do,” Karina said. Her mouth made a straight line. “I’ll work harder than I’ve ever worked in my life. That gold medal, I will throw in his face! And hers!”

  Paul chuckled. It amused him to see his partner’s fury. She was eloquent when she lost her temper. But it gave away the hurt underneath the words. She was in love with the man. He was sorry for her.

  “I’ve already interviewed ten potential managers for the rink,” Hilde added, laughing at their shocked faces. “Well, you know, I always planned to go with you to the competitions. I had to find someone to stay here and take care of my business. He’ll just be doing it for a little longer than I thought. It’s not a worry. We’ll all go to Jackson and skate at the big rink there.”

  “That will be one worry less, for me, having you coach us there so we don’t have to commute to Catelow for lessons,” Paul said, and Karina nodded. “We can’t lose you now. Too much is at stake.”

  “Yes, it is,” Karina said. “I’m so happy that you’ll do that for us. It will make more problems for you.”

  “No, it won’t,” Hilde said brusquely. “We all have things to prove to other people.” She laughed. “I’m going to prove to all my former skaters that I’m not over-the-hill. And you two are going to prove to one stubborn rancher that you don’t have impossible aspirations!”

  They all smiled. It was a goal to win. Now they had purpose and ambition and determination. All it needed was much work and practice. Jackson would give them that.

  * * *

  BURT WENT TO pick up Janey at school. She knew without Burt telling her that Karina was gone.

  Her father and Lindy were nowhere in sight when they got home. She was glad. She was very angry and she wouldn’t be able to hide it. Lindy would be impossible.

  “I’m so sorry, honey,” Burt told her gently.

  “I’m supposed to
go down to Jackson next week for my first test,” she wailed. “They’ll never let me go, now!”

  “If they won’t, I’ll drive you myself,” Burt said haughtily.

  “Oh, Burt, you sweetheart!” She hugged him and then turned away toward her room. “I was so happy,” she said miserably, glancing back at him. “Why is life so hard?”

  “I wish I knew,” Burt said softly. “Want some milk and cookies?”

  “Thanks. But no. I don’t want anything.” She went into her room and closed the door. She cried until her heart felt broken. She was furious at her father. Why had he insisted that Karina give up skating, when he knew how much she loved it? Why? He’d never seen her skate with Paul. If he had, he’d know that they had the talent to go all the way. She could tell him that, but he was unapproachable in these moods. And Lindy would find ways to keep Micah and his daughter apart, as she always did when she spent weekends with them. She was so jealous of Micah that she even saw his own daughter as an obstacle. Janey had learned to hate her visits. They always ended in misery.

  A beep alerted her to an incoming email. She had very few friends that contacted her that way. She pulled out her cell phone and looked. It was from Karina!

  “I’m back in my apartment in Jackson. Paul and I got here safely. Don’t worry about us, okay? If you have to, get Chad to talk to your father about that competition. He knows you’re good enough. He’ll fight for you. Don’t forget me, okay? I love you.”

  The tears came back, full force. Janey pulled up the reply screen and sent back a message of her own, ending it with, “Wish you were here. I love you, too.”

  At least they could still speak to each other. She’d have to make sure that her father didn’t know. He was perfectly capable of hiding or destroying her computer and cell phone to keep her away from Karina.

  * * *

  AT THE RINK, Paul and Karina practiced every single day, for hours at a time. They were getting to the point now that they remembered each detail of the program without having to have Hilde remind them.

  Karina was improving by the day. She was almost back to her old level of perfection. Her ankle bothered her a little, the injury resulting in arthritis in the joint. But she had anti-inflammatories for that, and they worked. She had to regulate the dosage carefully, though, and only take them when she wasn’t skating. The loss of even a tenth of a second in the rink could mean disaster. Her mind had to be clear.

  The Nationals were in January. They had less than two months to train, which would mean pushing practice to the limit. Fortunately, all the skating Karina had done with Janey had helped her regain her strength and speed in the rink. Now it was just a matter of perfecting the moves in unison, which settled into place with ease since she and Paul had skated together for so many years.

  It was exciting. Karina was certain that she and Paul would manage to get into at least the top five at the Nationals. If they did, that score, added to their scores at the World Championships and the Four Continents Championships earlier in the year, would almost certainly give them a shot at Pyeongchang in February. They were consistent in their programs and they always received high marks in any competition they entered.

  Maybe it was a long shot, but Karina didn’t think so. She was far more confident than she’d ever been before. And the biggest incentive was that she wanted to show that doubting rancher that she could skate far better than his snippy fiancée. It would be worth all the aches and pain and stress to get that Olympic gold medal. If she and Paul managed it, she was going to have a poster made of them on the podium with their medals sent to Mr. Arrogant Rancher, express. Then let him belittle her talent!

  The worst of it was that she missed him. Days had passed without a word from Janey. And then, on the very next day, she had an excited text from Janey.

  “Chad came to the house and talked to Daddy, so he’s taking me to Jackson for my competition! Chad’s coming, too. I’m so excited! I’m wearing that special skating costume that Daddy bought for me, the one I showed you. Lindy’s coming, too,” she added with an emoji of a frowning face. “But I’m just going to ignore her and skate my best. You were right about having Chad talk to Daddy. Lindy got mad, but Daddy said he was taking me anyway and she could just shut up. Daddy’s not eating. Burt thinks Lindy is spoiling his appetite. Maybe I’ll see you while I’m at the rink!” She added the time she and her father were going to come to the rink.

  “We can’t practice from two to four tomorrow,” Karina told Paul quietly.

  “Why not?” he asked, puzzled.

  “Janey has her first test,” she said. “And her father’s coming with her. I don’t want to see him.”

  “Pauvre petite,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I thought maybe he’d regret what he said,” she replied, downcast. “That really was a pipe dream,” she added on a hollow laugh. “I don’t think he regrets anything.”

  “Sometimes men don’t know what they want until they lose it,” he replied.

  “And sometimes they just wave it off and never look back,” she laughed. “It doesn’t matter. We’re doing really well. Hilde thinks we’re ready for Nationals right now. That’s high praise, coming from her.”

  “We’ve put in a lot of practice, and you’ve bounced back far quicker than I thought you would.”

  “I’ve surprised myself,” she agreed. “I can’t forget how afraid I was to go out on the ice again.”

  “All skaters who suffer injuries have those doubts and fears. But most of us conquer them. You recall my broken arm seven years ago?” he asked.

  She smiled. “You came back even quicker than I did.”

  “Well, I didn’t have to land on my arm,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.

  “But you did have to lift me, which you couldn’t do until it was totally healed.”

  “Also true. Nobody escapes bruises and sprains in this sport.”

  “But it’s worth every bump,” she replied.

  He smiled. “So it is.”

  * * *

  THE RINK WAS crowded the next day. Karina didn’t go down to the rink until she was certain that Janey’s test was over. She hated missing the child’s big moment, but she was too raw to encounter Micah.

  Paul was waiting for her. She skated onto the ice with him for practice.

  “Did you see her?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Are you certain it was to be today?”

  “Yes. At least, I thought it was. Maybe I got the day wrong.”

  “Maybe so. Come. We have an area roped off for us.”

  He led her over to it. Hilde had already started the music for them, the beautiful Rachmaninoff piece that set the stage for their routine.

  She skated with her whole heart. This was her life. How had she thought she could ever give it up? It was in her blood, her mind, her very soul. She gave in to the music and let it take her, following Paul’s movements so perfectly that they might have been attached to each other with silken cords.

  When they finished, Karina was flushed and winded, but happier than she’d been in days.

  “And so, you become better and better,” Hilde remarked with a grin as they skated over to her at the barrier. “I am so proud. You will certainly go to the Olympics. And you will win,” she added with firm conviction.

  “I must confess that I think the same,” Paul replied. “In fact...” He broke off as he stared over Karina’s head. “Oh, dear.”

  She turned around and there was Janey, skating toward her like a comet.

  “Janey!” she exclaimed.

  She caught the child in her arms and held her close, hugged her tight. “Janey!” she exclaimed, her face alight with happiness. “I’m so happy to see you!”

  “I’m so happy to see you! I passed!”

  “You passed? I’m so proud of you!” she exclaimed.
“But when did you skate?”

  “Oh, two hours ago,” Janey replied. “I didn’t see you. I’d hoped you’d be here, but I guess you didn’t want to be. Because of Daddy.”

  “I’m sorry,” Karina said and meant it.

  “It’s okay,” the child replied. She sighed. “Daddy’s been horrible. Just horrible. He yells, he curses. And she’s always around. Burt’s quitting. He says he can’t live with her. Daddy’s away more than he’s home. I can’t even have Dietrich in the house. I’m just miserable.”

  “I’m so sad for you,” Karina replied quietly. “But life has storms. We just have to get through them. You’re tough. You can do this. It isn’t forever. In a few years, you’ll go away to college.”

  “Or I’ll go away to the Olympics,” Janey teased.

  Karina laughed. “College is necessary. I only lack a semester to finish my bachelor’s degree. Paul already has his bachelor’s. We plan ahead. You can’t compete forever.”

  “Are you going to the Olympics?”

  “We hope so,” Karina said. “Our scores from the other competitions this year place us very high. We’ll have to wait and see.”

  “We’re a shoo-in,” Paul chided. “She’s a pessimist.”

  “True,” she had to confess.

  Janey was looking behind her. She grimaced. “They’re back. I told them I wanted to watch the other kids skate. I thought you and Paul would probably be here. I wanted to see you.”

  “I’m glad you came back,” Karina said softly, smiling at the child.

  “You should let Daddy watch you skate,” she said. “He’d change his mind.”

  She looked past the child at a glowering Micah on the other side of the rink, holding hands with a smug Lindy. “I don’t care what he thinks,” Karina said quietly. “But I do care about you. I’m very proud of you. Keep up with practice. In no time, you’ll be back down here taking the next test up.”

  “I hope I will. Lindy says I need to quit wasting time at the ice rink and spend time on my homework.”