On Ice (20 page)

“
Nothing. I’m just anxious to get out into the great outdoors!” The note of forced gaiety in her voice sounded contrived, even to her ears. She saw the look of doubt cross Seth’s face.

“
Don’t you want to go, Mom?” His expression twisted her heart.

“
Of course.” She knelt beside her son. “I’ve never been out in the woods before. I’m a little scared.”

“
Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“
Thanks. I’ll keep an eye on you and Sara and you can look out for us, too.”

“
I don’t think Mr. Brett would let us get hurt. He knows about fishing and things.”

“
True,” she said. “I guess I don’t have anything to worry about.” She started as she heard the Hummer crunching its way into the clearing. “I’m not dressed!”

Scurrying into the bathroom, she grabbed the new jeans and the shirt she planned to wear. By the time she threw on her clothing and brushed her teeth and hair, she heard Brett’s deep voice contrasting with her son’s higher pitch. Cautiously opening the door, she saw Brett sitting on the sofa helping Sara get dressed. The picture they presented sent a wave of longing through her entire body. Why couldn’t this be? She knew the answer.

“
Good morning!” He greeted her, glancing appreciatively over her figure.

Yes, she had chosen to wear the jeans that fit well. Guiltily, she grabbed a loose-fitting jacket to throw over her outfit.

“
How about some breakfast?” she said.

“
Thanks. Mrs. Jolly force-fed me pancakes.” Brett grinned as he shook his head. “I would take a cup of that coffee.”

She brought him a cup and quickly poured cold cereal into bowls for the children, wishing she’d made pancakes. The children didn’t seem to mind, digging in as soon as she splashed the milk over it.

Feeling the weight of Brett’s gaze upon her, Rene resisted the urge to turn toward him. Instead, she opened the refrigerator, pretending to look for something while she fervently prayed for help in getting through the day.

Brett drove them to a place so beautiful it took her breath away. A tributary of the Sad Horse had been dammed by industrious beavers to form a quiet, deep pool. Water spilled over the dam, breaking the magnificent silence with continual trickling. The deep green of the woods came up almost to the water’s edge, with pristine white peaks in the distance reflecting in the pool’s depths.

Brett arranged some chairs and a metal table, placing a stove with two burners on one end, though they only planned to spend the day.

“
Are we cooking?” she asked.

“
Only if we catch some fish,” he said.

She began to relax. He didn’t seem to have any designs on her beyond teaching her children to fish. She inhaled the richly scented air, taking in great lungfuls till she felt a bit lightheaded from the effort. Plopping down into one of the chairs, she watched Brett show Seth how to cast his fishing line. He flicked his wrist sideways and the line arced gracefully over the water landing with a plop as the weight and lure hit the surface. Concentric circles rippled outwards till they disappeared. He handed the rod to Seth who stood intently staring out at the place where line and water met.

Brett turned his attention to Sara, casting a much smaller rod for her. Sara jumped up and down with glee.

“
Mommy! Look at me. I’m fishing!” she called out.

“
I see.” Rene laughed at the expression on Brett’s face. He seemed to be enjoying himself as much as the children.

The afternoon progressed, Seth enthralled with the process of fishing, Sara tiring quickly. Brett pulled out a fat trout followed by a shriek from Seth as he felt a tug on his line. Rene watched with interest as Brett coached Seth, but let him bring in the fish by himself.

“
Look, Mom!” Seth held up the shiny, wiggling fish.

“
Amazing!” Rene shaded her face with her hands. She felt tears sting her eyes as she saw the pride glowing from her son’s face. The fishermen continued their mission with renewed enthusiasm, but Sara got fidgety, a sure sign of boredom.

“
Let’s go for a walk.” Rene held out her hand.

“
Don’t go too far,” Brett cautioned.

They set out, staying close to the water’s edge. Ahead, Rene spotted wildflowers growing profusely in some grasses. When they reached the flowers, Sara began to pick them, squatting down to gather the tiny blossoms. Intent upon her task, she hummed a nameless tune, her head barely visible above the grass. Rene glanced back to where Brett and Seth were also intensely occupied.

As she turned back to Sara, Rene froze. Just beyond the place where her daughter gathered flowers, a huge black bear fished with equal intensity. The bear held a flopping fish in her powerful jaws as she walked on all fours back to where her cubs played. Rene held her breath.

“
See, Mommy!” Sara stood up suddenly, holding a fistful of flowers aloft.

The bear dropped the fish and her cubs ripped it apart with a ferocity worthy of much larger animals. The mother bear spotted Sara and Rene, her glossy dark eyes darting from one to the other. The bear stood erect, rising to an enormous height.

“
Sara, don’t move at all.” Rene kept her voice as close to normal as possible. Her heart raced as she struggled to control her fear. The bear ignored Sara and held Rene’s gaze. A deep rolling growl rose from the inner depths of the animal. Rene understood how she felt. She was protecting her cubs from these dangerous intruders.

“Sara. Come to me slowly. Don’t run. Just come here now.” Rene held out her hand, not making any sudden movements as she strained to hold the bear’s attention. She gripped Sara’s hand while staring into the bear’s eyes for some minutes, neither giving way. Then the bear dropped back down on all four feet and joined her cubs in gnawing at the fish.

Rene backed away slowly, clutching Sara to her. When she turned she saw Brett holding a large rifle to his shoulder.

“
Just keep walking toward me,” he said calmly.

“
Please don’t shoot her.”

“
Only if she charges at you. Please, come on.” When Rene and Sara had walked past him, he held his stance for a few moments, then lowered the rifle and escorted them back to the campsite. “I told you not to wander very far.”

“
It didn’t seem far,” she whispered. Her legs felt like jelly.

He gathered Rene and Sara in his arms and gripped them in his strong embrace.

Rene had no desire to be released, realizing that she held on to Brett just as tightly.

“
Mommy, I’m scared,” Sara said, her small arms clasped around Brett’s neck.

“
Me, too,” Rene said.

“
Me, too,” Brett added.

“
Me, too.” Seth threw his arms around all of them.

~*~

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Maddy figured Ted was due for a stroke about now. He waved his hands and paced as he spoke. “You should have called me on my cell phone. I could have been here in twenty minutes. You should never have gone outside. Maddy, you gave Mark just the opportunity he was looking for.”

“
Do you understand that if I hadn’t gone out to the garage, Terrence might have died?”

“
Do you understand that Terrence Kilbride is not my number one concern? Mark could have killed you!”

She sighed and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. She had endured a great many recriminations from her beloved husband. “I’m sorry, but I think I handled him pretty well under the circumstances.” She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him solemnly.

“
You should never have put yourself in those circumstances.”

“
Ted, I swear, if you say “should” to me one more time, I will scream.”

“
Okay.” Ted raised both hands in surrender. “But, I want you to promise me you will never again take chances with that lunatic.”

Maddy looked up at her husband, raising her eyebrows. She waited.

“
Okay, okay! I know I’m over-reacting. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

“
And?” Maddy gazed at him coolly.

“
And--I think you were magnificent. I’m going to call you Maddy, Warrior Princess from now on.”

She tried to maintain her pout, but her lips spread into a grin. She covered her mouth with both hands as she giggled helplessly. “Maddy, Warrior Princess, accepts your apology and will be happy to explore the possibilities with Ted, the Captive Slave Man, later this evening.” She smiled at him.

His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Ah, yes.” He grinned back at her.

~*~

Brett filleted the fish and cooked them in an iron skillet on the propane stove. The morning’s activities had been a strain on everyone’s emotions.

Rene’s mind whirled as she set out Mrs. Jolly’s potato salad and sandwiches. She relished the comfort of Brett’s arms wrapped around her. He was spontaneous and real, acting out of concern.

She found it difficult to hold her emotions in check. Memories of Mark slammed her back down to earth. In spite of this, she smiled as she went about her tasks, feeling almost buoyant. Why did Brett have this effect on her?

“
What’s in here?” She held up a stainless steel container with a lid.

“
Those are my special baked beans,” Brett said. “I’ll heat them up.”

“
You made them?”

“
There are a few things I can cook. I’m not totally helpless.”

“
I never for one instant thought you were,” she said, as their eyes locked for a moment. Rene looked away first but couldn’t help smiling again.

When they returned to the cabin that evening, Brett carried a sleeping Sara in his arms. Seth was worn out, but still elated over his catch.

“
This was the best day of my whole life,” he said.

Brett put Sara gently on the sofa then turned to Seth. “It was a pretty good day for me, too.” He glanced at Rene over Seth’s head.

She met his gaze and felt a flush creeping over her.

“
Let’s plan on having a lot more great days, okay?” Brett held out his hand and Seth gave a small leap to slap it soundly.

“
Okay.” Seth barely got the word out before a huge yawn split open his face.

“
Time for a quick shower, Seth. I’ll start your water.” Rene turned on the taps and inhaled the warm steam that formed.
Why couldn’t life be this simple?

While Seth splashed happily in the shower, Rene and Brett were alone together for the first time since their encounter in his office. She struggled to find something to say.

“
We had a great time.”

“
Me, too.”

“
Thanks for everything.”

“
I enjoyed it.”

When he leaned forward to kiss her, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. What started as a tentative kiss, deepened as his arms came around her and he lifted her off her feet. Rene felt her senses swirling dizzily as her passions swept away all thoughts of right and wrong. When he set her back on her feet, she shook her head to clear the lingering effects of the kiss.

“
Wow!” she said.

“
Me, too.” He kissed her again lightly and left her grinning after him.

~*~

After church the next day, Rene and the children enjoyed Mrs. Pindar’s cookies and juice. Nadine and Sam hailed her from across the room.

“
Your gun came in,” Sam said. “Come after lunch and pick it up.”

“
It’s so light,” Nadine said. “I can’t believe it shoots real bullets.”

“
You’re going to teach me to fire it, aren’t you?”

“
Sure. We can go out in the back. There’s nobody around for miles. We have some targets set up for practice.”

“
I’m excited and scared at the same time.” She felt a shiver creep down her spine. “I guess I’ll get used to it.”

“
You’ll probably never need to fire it, but it’s good to be prepared.” Nadine said.

When Rene and her children arrived at the hotel, Mayor Wolfe and his son were just pulling up. They ate lunch at the same table, joined by Nadine and her family. Conversation among the adults came to an abrupt halt when a loud argument broke out between Seth and Nadine’s son Max.

“
That’s such a big fib!” Max yelled. “You made it up!”

“
Did not!” Seth yelled hotly.

“
What’s going on?” Sam Burke’s deep voice intervened.

“
He said his mother almost got eaten by a bear yesterday.” Max’s red hair was the same deep color as his face.

“
She did!” Seth insisted.

All eyes turned to Rene. “I’m sure she was considering me for an entrée, but the fish looked better.” She shrugged her shoulders, trying to appear calm.