Imperfect Magic (Dancing Moon Ranch Book 11)

by Patricia Watters

  As Maddy watched them walk away, she hoped Tyler would be so distracted by the birthing that he'd completely forget about the untimely kiss. She couldn't begin to imagine the uproar that would follow if he said anything to her parents, or her brothers.

  "Did I just get you in a whole lot of trouble?" Dimitri asked.

  "I don't know," Maddy replied. "I'm still trying to figure out what platonically affectionate means."

  "So am I," Dimitri said, "but I'm pretty sure that, long-term, your family won't like it."

  His wording was in the affirmative, Maddy noticed—won't like it instead of might not like it—which restated his earlier talk of marriage. The thought brought a ripple of pleasure, followed by a big dose of reality. The only way that could happen would be for her to leave the ranch and the family she loved and move to Las Vegas, a very troubling thought.

  ***

  "Are you really going to make a donkey disappear?" Katy asked, as she watched Dimitri drive a screw to connect the last of the plywood panels to the trapezoidal framework.

  Dimitri looked into the curious brown eyes of a little girl who reminded him of Abby, even the way she was sitting on a low stool, with her elbows propped on her knees and her chin braced against the heels of her hands, and said, "The idea is to make the audience think the donkey disappeared. He'll still be around, just not in sight. That's what magic is all about, misleading people into thinking they saw something they didn't see because their mind told them they did."

  "Like when you pull things out of the air?" Katy asked.

  "Exactly," Dimitri replied. "You'll be pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It's an old trick, and I'll teach you how to do it."

  Katy lifted her face from her hands, and looking at him wide-eyed, she said, "A real rabbit?"

  "We'll practice with a stuffed rabbit first and if you can manage that, we'll use a real rabbit. Either way, it works. We'll be using a special hat and a special table, but the audience will think they're ordinary things."

  A puzzled frown creased Katy's brow. "When you made the balls go through the bottom of the cups, were they special cups?"

  "No, they were ordinary cups," Dimitri said. "It has to do with the way I handle them."

  Katy's frown deepened. "If you can make it so balls can go through cups, can you make it so my blood can go through my heart better?"

  Dimitri looked at Katy, whose eyes were again filled with hope, and he wondered at the dichotomy. She had an unusually good understanding of her medical condition for someone so young, yet she still didn't understand that magic was trickery.

  He looked to where Katy's mother was talking to Maddy about Katy's limitations when it came to riding a horse, and deciding not to disturb them, he said to Katy, "The kind of magic I do is all tricks, so I can't fix your heart or get you a new one, but your doctors know what to do, and when the time's right, they'll get you a heart and put it in place." He hoped he wasn't making things more complicated for Katy with his simplistic explanation.

  Katy again had her elbows propped on her knees, but now her hands were clasped together in front of her, like she needed something to hold onto, as she said, "Why can't the doctors fix the heart I have?"

  Dimitri realized he was in line for a barrage of questions that would demand answers, much the way it was when Abby was on a mission to get the answer to something, and short vague responses didn't work, so he said what he hoped would be the right thing, "Your heart is like a motor. It makes things run inside you, and just as your heart runs your body, a motor runs a piece of machinery. It can make a drill spin, and turn a fan, and run your mom's vacuum cleaner, but sometimes something in the motor breaks and the motor can't be fixed, even when the rest of the machine is still working, so a new motor has to be put in."

  "When Mommy's vacuum cleaner broke, the place where we took it said it couldn't be fixed and they threw it away," Katy said.

  Dimitri knew he'd better answer this one carefully because in Katy's mind she could also become a throwaway. "The thing is, your mom's vacuum could have been fixed, but it's cheaper to buy a new one than to pay someone to fix the motor, but no one throws away a person who needs a new heart, which is why you'll be getting one when the time is right."

  "Where do new hearts come from?" Katy asked.

  Dimitri looked at Katy with a start. "Your mother didn't tell you?"

  Katy shook her head. "She said it comes in a special box, and when it gets to the hospital, we have to go right there. The doctors will give me something to make me sleep so I won't feel anything and then they'll unhook my heart and put in the new one, and I'll stay in a special room for a while, and when I'm in the hospital I'll meet other kids who are also getting well."

  "Then that's the way it will be." Wanting to get off the subject of exactly where the new heart would come from, Dimitri said, "I'm finished here for now, so let's get your mom and go to my cabin and I'll set up a table and teach you how to pull a rabbit out of a hat."

  "Will you carry me?" Katy asked. "If I have trouble breathing, Mommy will make me lie down and I want to learn the trick."

  When Dimitri glanced over at Katy's mother for confirmation, he found her looking his way and knew she'd heard their last exchange, which she verified when she said, "If you don't mind carrying her, that would be great. I know this is important to her."

  Dimitri smiled at Katy, who lifted her arms to be picked up, and when he did, Katy wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist the way Abby did when she greeted him after he'd been gone awhile. But unlike Abby, Katy felt light and frail in his arms, which was a reminder that not only did he miss his little sister, but that life was tenuous.

  "Daddy carries me this way," Katy said.

  "You miss him, don't you, honey?"

  Katy nodded against Dimitri's neck. "Mommy says when I get my new heart, Daddy can come home and be with me, but when I'm better he'll have to go away again, so I don't want to get well fast. It makes me sad when he goes away."

  Uh boy. This was getting tough. The kid needed to be upbeat to get through the surgery, yet she wanted to stay sick to keep her dad around. It made him wonder how Abby felt when their dad was always leaving, even though Josh was filling that spot. But Josh didn't take the place of Abby's big brother, who only came around a few times a year. He made a promise to himself to set that right, although if he got a contract for a show, he'd be bound to performing several shows a day, seven days a week, with little time off.

  Dismissing that disturbing thought, he decided to concentrate on lifting Katy's spirits and getting on with the magic. "Do you like to wear ribbons in your hair?" he asked.

  "Yes," Katy replied. "Mommy puts bows in my hair when I go to school."

  "Good because when we have our magic show, you'll wave a magic wand and a glass box will fill with bows, and when you leave here you can take the bows with you."

  "I don't want to leave," Katy said. "I can ride a horse here and there are kids to play with."

  Dimitri looked toward the stables where the kids who usually trailed after him, most of them Sam and Jack Hansen's grandchildren, were taking turns riding the donkey under Adam's supervision. Every child was healthy and happy and full of energy. Even Rose and Tyler's new baby girl had been born without incident, weighed almost eight pounds, and had an amazing set of lungs, as Tyler announced to the family.

  Dimitri remembered being in the hospital when his mother was in labor with Abby and wondering if Abby would be okay. There was question she might be a Down's baby because his mom was forty-five, and there were irregularities during the pregnancy, but when the doctor announced that Abby was fine and healthy, the whole family had been relieved. Now, he wondered how it would be if Abby was in line for a heart transplant. The one thing he did know was under those circumstances, time with Abby would have been precious, so being away from her would not have been an option.

  Realizing Katy was waiting for a response about being with kids, he said, "After you get you
r new heart, and when you're able to do all the things the other kids are doing, maybe you and your mom can come back to the ranch."

  Katy's mother eyed him with uncertainty. "Katy only gets one wish from the foundation so we won't be back, but there will be lots of places she can go when she's well."

  Dimitri made a mental note to tell Sharon Glassell that the bill would be on him. In the meantime, he and Katy would put on a show that would knock the socks off every member in the audience.

  ***

  Two days later, with help from Maddy, Kit, and Marc, who warmed up to Dimitri some, they managed to put together a makeshift stage in the barn where the ranch held regular Friday night square dancing. They arranged fifty folding chairs in an arc around an open area that would become the stage, then positioned a couple of lights to illuminate the area.

  Maddy, with the help of drawings provided by Tyler, made flyers to post around the ranch, advertising the magic show that would feature Katherine the Great and Dimitri, with the words 'and Dimitri' in small letters.

  Alone in the barn, less than a half hour before the show was to begin, Dimitri was in the process of positioning the prop for the Sleeping Beauty illusion when Maddy entered the shadowy interior, and said, "Katy's about as excited as a kid needing a new heart can be. She's wearing the little tuxedo, top hat, and gloves we bought, thanks to you, and her mother is trying to keep her as quiet as she can. They're just outside. Are you ready for them to come in?"

  Giving a little ironic laugh, Dimitri said, "I haven't been this nervous since I was twelve, and Dad had me come on stage in Vegas to perform with him."

  Maddy walked over to Dimitri, and when she smiled, her eyes sparkled with devilment as she said, "You'll do fine. Just follow Katy's leads and she'll get you through it."

  Dimitri laughed because Maddy had a way of pointing out the ridiculous. "We'll be using a fake rabbit since Gracie's bunny kept getting away, but I picked up a stuffed rabbit with fur on it that looks real. Katy can take it with her when she leaves."

  "Along with the tuxedo and top hat, princess dress, silver slippers, tiara, and all the stuffed animals," Maddy said. "Sharon was in tears when I told her you gave us money to buy all those things for Katy. That was very special." She smoothed her hands up the silk lapels of Dimitri's tuxedo jacket and curved her arms around his neck and kissed him in a way that told him she was in their relationship for the long haul, even though he hadn't figured out how to make that a reality, but he was actively working on it.

  When the kiss ended, Maddy straightened his top hat, which was a little askew after the kiss, and said, "I'll send Katy and Sharon in, and while you're getting Katy set up for the rabbit trick, I'll let everyone know the show's about to begin. Everyone on the ranch is coming, including baby Claire, so get ready for the rush." Maddy kissed him one last time, then motioned for Katy and Sharon to come in, and went to round up the family and ranch guests.

  Dimitri smiled when he saw Katy in her mini tuxedo and small top hat. "Well, Katherine the Great," he said, "are you ready to amaze your audience?"

  Katy bobbed her head and smiled at her mom, whose eyes glistened with tears of happiness, which had the effect of getting Dimitri a little choked up. Placing his hand on the back of a chair positioned behind the table for the rabbit-in-the-hat trick, he said, "You'll be sitting here when the audience comes in, and after they're seated, I'll make the announcement, which will be your cue to stand up and do your rabbit trick."

  "With Gracie's rabbit?" Katy asked.

  Dimitri shook his head. "With your new stuffed bunny. He's waiting inside the table for you to pull him out of the hat."

  Katy walked over to the table, and reaching through the top hat, which was positioned upside-down on the table, she pulled a stuffed rabbit out of a hidden chamber in the table. Holding it by the ears, she said, "I'm naming him Dimitri, and when I go to the hospital to get my new heart I'm bringing him with me because he's magic and he'll make me well."

  Dimitri wasn't sure if believing in magic was appropriate for a child who should be believing in her doctors instead, but said nothing, deciding not to complicate her small world with too much reality. "So then, are you ready to begin?" he asked.

  Katy nodded, stuffed the bunny into the table and sat in the chair.

  As the barn began to fill, Dimitri knew, from the way Katy was beaming as people talked to her, that this would truly be a day she would always remember. The knowledge that he was bringing so much joy to a little girl, whose life hadn't been so great until now, was satisfying in a way he never would have expected.

  Once every chair was occupied, Dimitri introduced Katherine the Great, and the show began with Katy reciting the short spiel she'd memorized, after which she pulled the rabbit out of the hat, performing the trick in a way that surprised Dimitri because her timing was unusually good. The audience also reflected surprise, which had Katy grinning. After they performed cups and balls together, Dimitri did some card flourishes, followed by Katy making the rigged crystal box fill with bows, to the gasps of the audience. And then came the finale. Sleeping Beauty.

  Katy moved behind a screen, where Sharon and Maddy quickly helped her into the princess gown, while in the shadows of the barn Dimitri replaced his tux coat and top hat with the prince's white silk jacket with epaulettes on its shoulders, and covered that with the long black cape and high peaked hat of the sorcerer.

  A few minutes later, Katy sat on the 'bed' and pretended to be drowsy. After arranging her long skirt over the edge of the bed the way she'd been instructed, she stretched out on her back and 'fell asleep.' The illusion went without a hitch, ending with the sorcerer removing the chair and board and leaving Sleeping Beauty floating, to the shocked surprise of the audience. At that point Dimitri slipped behind the screen and returned as the prince, dressed in white silk. Finding the floating princess, he said his spiel, replaced the chair and returned the board, then kissed Katy on the forehead, to which Katy responded by sitting up, looking around as if surprised, and grinning. As the audience clapped vigorously, Dimitri took Katy's hand and helped her down, and together they took their bows.

  Immediately, the kids swarmed around Katy, whose face was glowing with enthusiasm. But in the middle of the excitement the sound of a beeper came from the direction of Katy's mother, who walked toward the back of the barn, away from the noise.

  Maddy, who had been standing with Sharon, walked over to Dimitri, and said, "That's the pager the hospital gave Sharon so they could contact her if a heart became available."

  Dimitri watched the body language of Katy's mother as she listened, and when her face lifted with a smile, and she looked at them and nodded, and her eyes were gleaming with tears, there was no question what the call was about.

  The call complete, Sharon rushed over, tears streaming down her face, and said, "We have our miracle. We're to go straight to the hospital."

  "I'll have Chris drive you in the limo," Dimitri said.

  Sharon shook her head. "An ambulance is on its way. For the operation to have the best chance, the donor heart needs to be transplanted within four hours of being removed from the donor." She looked at Katy, who was talking with enthusiasm to the kids crowded around her, and said to Dimitri, "She's a happy little girl, and soon she'll be able to run with the other kids. Thank you for bringing that happiness to her." She put her arms around Dimitri and hugged him.

  "And Katy's father?" Dimitri asked. "Will he get here in time?"

  Sharon nodded. "As soon as I call, he'll hop a military flight and be on his way. His face should be one of the first Katy will see when she comes out of ICU."

  "Will you keep us posted?" Dimitri asked. "I want to see Katy when she can have visitors."

  "She'd love that, and yes, I'll keep everyone posted." Sharon turned and went to get Katy.

  As Dimitri watched Sharon telling Katy about the heart, he said to Maddy, "I want to get them back to the ranch next summer, including the father. I'll cover the bill. We
'll put on an even better magic show."

  "Which means you plan to come back too," Maddy said.

  "I was thinking more along the lines of we'll plan to come back," Dimitri replied.

  When he saw the expression on Maddy's face change from excitement to uncertainty, he knew he had less than two weeks to convince her to give them a try. He just wished there was a way to provide what she'd be giving up, because for her, leaving the Dancing Moon Ranch with him would be a bittersweet decision.

  .

  CHAPTER 12

  The following day, Maddy rushed up to Dimitri, who was coming out of the workshop, and said, "We just heard from Sharon. Katy made it through the surgery, and although she's still in intensive care, she's off the ventilator and doing well."

  "Thank God," Dimitri said. "How long will she be there?"

  "A few more days in ICU, then she'll be moved to the general cardiac ward."

  "Did Sharon say when she could have visitors?" Dimitri asked.

  "As soon as she's out of ICU, as long as we come in small numbers," Maddy replied.

  "We'll do it. Meanwhile, I have the workshop to myself right now."

  Maddy smiled and darted inside, and in an instant she was caught up in Dimitri's arms in a passionate kiss, but before long she broke the kiss, and said, "This is too risky, but we'll have twenty minutes in the limo on the way to and from the Coyote tonight."

  "Do you realize how inadequate that is?" Dimitri asked.

  "Yes," Maddy replied, then gave him one last kiss and left.

  The next four days passed in a blur of shows at the Coyote at night, in which Dimitri began with his opening materialization followed by levitations and card flourishes, the rope tying escape, walking through the wall, Sleeping Beauty, and his regular finale, the water torture cell escape, and by the end of the week, Maddy felt confident on stage in a way that she could never have imagined two weeks before. She'd even mastered walking on the stiletto heels. And in the limo on the way home each night, their sessions together became increasingly heated, until she was beginning to think Adam was right in that unplanned things could happen, yet she still managed to stop what they were doing before they were beyond the point of no return.