For the moment though, he needed to get Jack Hansen's permission to use the shop, which meant convincing the man that his daughter would not be whisked off to Las Vegas on a magic carpet. Holding that thought, he trailed after Jack Hansen into the stock barn, where he called out, "Mr. Hansen, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"
Jack turned and waited for Dimitri to come to him.
"It's about using the shop," Dimitri started in. "I'm pressed for time because I have less than two months to put together a disappearing-horse act that will get me my own show on the strip in Las Vegas. I have a woodshop at home because I build all my own props and devices, so I'm familiar with shop tools, but because I'm running out of time, while I'm here I'd like to build a donkey box that could translate into a large-scale prop for making a horse disappear."
"I'm not opposed to your using the shop, but I am concerned that Maddy has her head in the clouds right now," Jack said. "She's riding around in a limo, and you're buying her clothes, and she's taken in with being your assistant. You're also aware of the issue with Jeremy and his wife in witness protection because of mob affiliations in Las Vegas, which is another reason for this family to stay away from there. But I also want you to understand clearly that if you were performing in another city, I'd still be against Maddy being your assistant. She's not cut out for your kind of life and you know it, even if you choose to ignore it, for whatever reason."
"I understand your concern and I agree with you completely," Dimitri replied. "I won't deny I'm attracted to Maddy, but that's where it ends. In fact, right now my father's actively looking for an assistant for me when I return to Las Vegas, just to make sure things stay on course. He's also aware that Maddy doesn't belong there."
"Good," Jack replied. "As long as we understand each other."
"So then, it's okay if I use the shop?" Dimitri asked.
"Yes, as long as it's not needed for ranch work," Jack replied.
"Thanks. I'll try to wind things up quickly and be out of the way."
"I think that would be best for everyone, especially Maddy," Jack replied.
When they parted, Dimitri knew exactly where he stood. If there was any lingering hope of getting something going with Maddy or offering her the job as his assistant when he returned to Las Vegas, it was dashed. But at least he'd be able to use the shop to build the donkey box, and he'd start as soon as he completed his materials list so he could select the materials from a local building center and have them delivered to the ranch.
For now though, there was a pack of kids waiting near the stable for him. He'd promised to show them more magic before his riding lesson, although he wasn't sure the lesson was still on. Clouds had been building since morning and it was beginning to hint of rain. But if Maddy was still game to go, so was he. There was something about the mountains and the view up there that was calling him back. The mountains and view, that is, not the cabin. Being alone with Maddy there would definitely be a temptation he didn't need.
As he approached the kids, he saw Maddy waiting for him at the stable, so he assumed the riding lesson was still on. Hers was a totally cowgirl stance, with her western hat tipped slightly, her arms folded as she leaned against the open doorway in the stable, and one leg crossed in front of the other, with the toe of her boot propped against the planked floor.
Dragging his attention away from her, to the kids who were standing in a group just outside the stable, he was ready to show them some magic if only to shift his mind away from Maddy's bust-hugging shirt and tight jeans. As the kids gathered around him, he said," Okay, guys and gals, today I'll do cups and balls to get us started, then I'll do some sleight of hand, which is making things appear from out of thin air, so watch carefully."
If it had been a group of teens or adults standing around him, he would have gone into a dialog about psychology, timing, misdirection, and choreography in accomplishing a magical effect, all the while performing it in front of them but in a way that would leave them stunned and baffled. But with young kids, the oration didn't work, so saying nothing more, he proceeded to perform cups and balls, followed by pulling a rubber frog from out of a boy's cap simply by taking the cap from the child's head and lifting out the frog. And he snatched coins from out of pockets, and flowers from behind ears, and angel dust appeared from the tips of his fingers.
He had just completed a trick in which, with the snap of his fingers, a crystal ball the size of a golf ball magically appeared in his hand, to the amazement of the wide-eyed kids, when a little girl made her way forward, looked up at him with hopeful brown eyes, and said, "Can you make me well? Can you get me a new heart?"
Dimitri saw at once that the little girl's skin was pallid and her lips had a bluish cast. In the past his magic had always brought joy to kids, and he loved the expressions on their faces when he'd make something appear as if from out of thin air, but for the first time in his life, he had no magic. All he possessed was the ability to create illusions. Stage untruths. Lies.
After an extended period of silence in which he prepared himself for seeing the spark of hope in the little girl's eyes die, he said, "I don't have the magic to get you a new heart, but I can make you smile. How would you like to learn some magic tricks?"
The little girl's brows gathered, as she replied, "I could do what you do?"
Dimitri nodded. "We'll put on a magic show together."
The little girl smiled, and in an instant the disillusionment in her eyes was replaced by flickers of enthusiasm. Dimitri glanced across the heads of the children at a woman who was looking anxiously their way, and said to her, "Are you her mother?"
The woman nodded. "I'm Sharon Glassell and we're here at the ranch, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Katy just had her eighth birthday, and this was her wish."
Dimitri eyed the little girl, who he now realized might have celebrated her last birthday, and said to the mother, "Will you be staying for the rest of the week?"
The woman nodded. "And part of next week. Katy's here to ride horses."
Dimitri looked down at Katy, who was smiling after the mention of horses, then said to her mother, "Would you object to my teaching Katy a few magic tricks that she could perform in a magic show here with me? They'd be simple tricks that wouldn't take much preparation."
Katy looked at her mother with expectation. The woman regarded her daughter with sadness in her eyes, but a smile on her lips, and said to Dimitri, "I think she'd love that, and thank you for offering. Is there something special we need to do?"
Dimitri placed his hand on the little girl's thin shoulder, and replied, "Just give Katy and me a chance to spend some time together."
Katy grinned, and in her eyes was new hope, not the kind of hope he saw earlier when she thought she'd found the answer to her prayers in a man who'd fooled her into believing magic was real, but because she had something to look forward to that excited her.
It came to him then, that this unplanned magic show, which would probably take place in the barn, was more important than any show he'd ever performed. He also sensed that by the time he finished teaching Katy some basic tricks that would convert a frail child into a young magician, his own life would be changed forever.
CHAPTER 10
Maddy watched Dimitri as Katy and her mother walked away from him. His face was troubled. Thinking he no longer wanted to ride, she said, "There's a good chance it might rain. Do you still want to go for a ride?"
Dimitri shrugged. "Sure, why not. I'm here to learn about horses so I might as well learn to ride in the rain."
It bothered Maddy that there was no humor in his words. It was unlike him to be so serious, a side of him she hadn't seen.
While they were saddling the horses, and most of the way up the mountain, Dimitri was quiet, and Maddy suspected it was because he'd been affected by the sick child, so deeply, he didn't want to talk about it, and she understood.
When she was a child and their dog Pumpkin died, she was too upset to talk about
it, so she said nothing. At the time, she felt that the family thought she didn't care about Pumpkin, but her father understood. Taking her aside, he lifted her in his arms and held her against his broad chest, and said, "Sometimes things happen that are too painful to talk about and it's nice to just hug someone," which she did, but she also broke down and cried, and that seemed to help…
"What's the story with Katy?" Dimitri asked, in a sober voice.
"She was born with a complex congenital heart defect they haven't been able to correct through surgery or medications, so the only option left is a heart transplant," Maddy replied.
His gaze straight ahead, Dimitri said, in a morose voice, "I gave her the promise of a new heart then couldn't deliver."
"That's just not so," Maddy replied. "You were entertaining kids with magic, but you had no way of knowing a sick child was among them."
"You didn't see her face. In ten minutes I gave her more hope than any of the doctors who'd been treating her since she was born, and then I let her down."
"But you also gave her something to look forward to," Maddy said. "I saw the smile that lit her face when you offered to teach her some magic and put on a show. You saw it too."
A lengthy silence followed as the horses continued to make their way up the trail, but after a while, Dimitri looked askance at Maddy, and said, "I've been going over in my head some tricks Katy should be able to handle. What are her limitations?"
"She's okay with activities that don't require much energy because she tires easily," Maddy replied. "She's a real little trooper though. In spite of everything, she smiles a lot."
"Then I'll work up something she should be able to handle. Putting on a magic show for the ranch will make her feel special. She needs this."
Maddy stared at Dimitri, surprised at his level of involvement with a child he'd only just met, a side of him she'd never seen, that touched her heart.
"We'll use the Sleeping Beauty prop," Dimitri said. "Katy can be the princess and she won't have to do anything but pretend to be asleep. I'll give you some money to buy her a dress and shoes, and when she leaves she can take them with her."
"The resale shop has a wedding section with a whole range of flower girl dresses," Maddy said. "I'll pick up something there."
"Maybe a small tiara too, so she'll feel like a real princess." Dimitri smiled and his gaze became distant, and his expression tender, like he was holding Katy's face in his mind, and Katy was smiling back at him.
The quiet moment was broken by a far off rumble in the sky, and with it, the air became suddenly cool. Hearing another rumble, Maddy looked skyward. The clouds were darkening and she felt dampness on her face. If they pressed the horses they could make it to the cabin in less than ten minutes and wait out the rain there. On the other hand, maybe they should do the logical thing and head back to the ranch, away from the direction of the darkening clouds.
Her quandary ended with a bright flash and another rumble in the sky, this time considerably closer, which brought the first real drops of rain. "Come on," she said. "Let's head for the cabin and hope we make it before the sky opens up."
She kicked Blackjack into a gallop, and as they raced for the cabin, Maddy tried to tell herself that taking shelter there was the most logical thing to do, but she knew it was her justification to be alone with Dimitri. She couldn't set aside the way he looked at her just before the Sleeping Beauty kiss, like he might want her for more than just his assistant. He kidded with her a lot, but there were moments when she'd find him looking at her the way her brothers looked at their wives, with a combination of amusement, affection, and love.
When they reached the clearing where the cabin stood, rain was falling steadily, and by the time they'd removed the saddles and taken them into the cabin, then turned the horses into the corral, both Maddy and Dimitri were soaked from the rain.
Once inside the cabin, Maddy dragged a tub of kindling in front of the fireplace and said to Dimitri, "If you can get a fire started, I'll find some towels and get the coffee pot ready. There are matches on the mantle and newspapers in a box in the corner."
Maddy went into the bedroom in search of towels and located a stack packed away in a small trunk at the foot of the bed. After using one to blot her shirt and hair, she took several more and returned to the living room where she found Dimitri crouched in front of the fireplace, stripped to the waist, stacking a crisscross of kindling over some scrunched-up newspapers. The sight of his smooth, muscular torso made her hands feel restless. It made other things happen too, like feeling tingles in places that usually remained dormant.
Looking over his shoulder, Dimitri said, "This should be going well in a few minutes. We can put a couple of chairs in front of the fire and dry our shirts. You can put one of those towels around your shoulders."
Maddy knew he was serious this time, but his suggestion was exactly what Adam warned against, and with good reason. The thought of Dimitri's hands exploring her body was beginning to occupy her mind far too much. "It's safer to let my shirt dry from the inside out," she said. "Meanwhile, I'll get the coffee pot ready."
Once the fire was going, Maddy moved a small grate on a pivot over the fire and put a the coffee pot on it to perk, then handed Dimitri a towel to dry his saddle, and started on her own.
While Dimitri was blotting the dampness from the leather, he said to Maddy, "After your dad had a man-to-man talk with me, he gave me the okay to use the shop."
Maddy eyed him, dubiously. "Using the shop took a man-to-man talk?"
"Something like that," Dimitri said. "I'm cleared for working with Homer."
Maddy laughed. "I get it. Dad isn't subtle when he wants to get his point across, his point being that you're not cleared for hanging around me. But now that you can use the shop, when do you plan to start building your donkey box?"
"In the next couple days," Dimitri replied. "Katy can hand me screws and be a part of creating the illusion, and when it's ready, I'll send Chris to pick up Katy and her mother and bring them to the ranch so they can watch us do a run-through for the ranch guests before we perform it at the Coyote."
Maddy looked at him, thoughtfully. "Helping Katy is really important to you, isn't it?"
Dimitri let out a short, ironic laugh. "So far I haven't done much in my life that's made a difference. Maybe this will."
Maddy was surprised at his comment. He clearly loved performing magic, but for the first time since they met, she sensed he wasn't completely fulfilled with what he did, and even though she'd acknowledged early on that it was a pretty self-serving profession, magic did take people away from their mundane lives for the duration of a performance.
"Don't sell yourself short," she said. "Being a magician brings enjoyment to hundreds of people whose lives may not be as rosy as they appear."
"That's a good way of rationalizing it," Dimitri said, with irony.
Maddy started to argue her point but knew Dimitri wasn't open to pandering, but to help lift his somber mood, she said, "Since you plan to start the donkey box, I assume you figured out how it works."
Dimitri nodded. "The back wall drops down onto a platform where the donkey can stand, and a fake comes down to replace the back wall, making it look like the donkey disappeared. It's simple, but effective."
Maddy was pleased to hear the enthusiasm in Dimitri's voice. She was also excited to learn another secret, and hadn't expected Dimitri to reveal the secret to the donkey box so soon. "Since I'll be dressed as a clown, at least my folks shouldn't object to my costume," she said.
Dimitri laughed. "That's what you said when I sent you out to buy the western outfit and you came back in hot pink. This time you could turn out in hot-pink jester tights."
"Then we can establish a new bunny, the kind that has the hots for illusionists."
Dimitri eyed her with wry amusement. "Do you have the hots for illusionists?"
"I'm a cowgirl and cowgirls have the hots for guys in chaps," Maddy said, "except when you st
rip down for the water torture escape you definitely give me the hots. So, moving on. I'll get a conventional clown costume and look respectable."
"Two clown costumes," Dimitri said. "I'll need someone to be the second clown."
After he explained the reason for having two clowns, Maddy said, "Why not Genie? She's about my size, and since Josh was a rodeo clown he could make us up to look alike. It would also give you a chance to see Abby."
Dimitri grinned. "I'll buy that. Abby knows some magic tricks, and Katy will too, so they could put on a mini magic show to go with the disappearing donkey illusion."
Hearing the animation in Dimitri's voice, it came to Maddy that he truly loved children. He had a natural way with them too, and they love learning magic, especially children like Katy whose activities were limited, and also like the kids she'd be working with in her riding program. Maybe she'd bring it up to Dimitri at some point and see where that led.
After oiling the saddles, Maddy poured two mugs of coffee and settled beside Dimitri on the couch. He seemed to be back to his old self, even having a kind of devious look in his eyes when he said, "For Katy's show I figure she could open by pulling a rabbit out of a hat, and close with Sleeping Beauty, and I'll teach her some basic sleight of hand for in between."
Dimitri's mouth twitched at one corner, the way it did when he was holding back a smile when he was up to something, which had Maddy curious. "Nothing about sleight of hand seems basic," she said. "What can you teach a child?"
"How to use misdirection with one hand." Dimitri reached out to tuck a stray curl into her braid. "So when she snaps her fingers with the other hand, something magically appears." In an instant, a tiny gold donkey appeared between Dimitri's fingers.
Maddy stared at the charm. Taking it from him, she said, "Okay, I won't ask how you do this, but obviously you intended to tell me the secret to the disappearing donkey illusion during our ride, and I'm curious to know why."
"Simple. It looked like it was going to rain, and I figured if we ended up here waiting out a thunderstorm, we'd better have something to occupy our time, and talking about the illusion would keep my mind on donkeys instead of other things."
Imperfect Magic (Dancing Moon Ranch Book 11) Page 12