Rocky Mountain Holiday (To Love Again Book 4) (10 page)

“I can walk,” she complained.

“Hospital policy,” the orderly said. “It’s not far.”

~~~

Tray rose as Isabel strode across the emergency room toward him. “How is she?”

“She’ll be fine. The doctor sent her for x-rays, but it’s just a sprain. They’re wrapping her now.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yeah. Look, I’m sorry Shelly was so rude back there.” She placed a hand on his arm. He was so sweet, he didn’t deserve this.

“Don’t worry about it. She’s young and probably embarrassed about falling.”

“That’s generous. It’s unlike her, for sure. And I’m not just saying that ‘cause I’m her mother.” She sank into a chair. “They’ll be out in a few minutes.” She twisted her scarf into knots.

“So why are you worried?”

“She’s fine, it’s just… they decided they want to stay with me tonight. They want to order pizza and watch a movie.” She looked into his eyes, seeing his disappointment. She rushed on. “I’m sorry. I was looking forward to being with you tonight.”

“It’s fine. You should be with them. But …” he paused, “I get the sense they think I’m a player.”

“They misunderstood the situation with Chrissie at the party.” She put her hand on his arm. “They’ll come around once they get to know you.”

“I hope so. Wait, we didn’t get a chance to talk about New Year’s Eve.”

“Tomorrow? I thought our plan was to play it by ear? Casual dinner and then whatever happens?”

“Except … Barry got us tickets to the biggest ball in town.” He grinned widely.

“Really? How did he swing that?” She couldn’t believe it, she’d always wanted to go. Would the dress she packed be formal enough, she wondered. “Oh, wait, I can’t. We promised to spend it with Kip and Jenny. We can’t bail on them.”

Leaning forward, he took her hand. “He has four tickets and offered them to us and Kip and Jenny. Apparently, he’s on a match-making mission.”

“What about Barry?”

“He’s going to a house party with Valerie. Some friends from their ski club.”

“That sounds great, then. Jenny will be thrilled. What time?”

“Let’s see. Tomorrow I’m ice-fishing with Barry, something we do every year on the last day of December. Sort of a rite of passage to reflect on the year that just passed,” he explained. “We catch fish, too, of course. So, I’ll pick you up about two hours after dark. It starts early.”

She paused. “I thought Ken said the ice wasn’t safe?”

“Not safe for sleds, snowmobiles, things like that. It’ll be fine for ice fishing. Don’t worry,” he squeezed her hand. “I’ll be back before you know it and we’ll ring in the New Year together.”

She glanced down the hallway, then leaned over and kissed him. “I can’t wait. I’m sorry to drag you in here this afternoon. Not much of a date, hanging out at the hospital.”

“I’m happy as long as I’m with you.” He winked. “Anyway, you never know when you’ll need a hospital in a hurry.”

“Don’t say that,” she punched him on the arm, laughing. “You’ll curse us.”

He laughed. “On Saturday, if we’re not partied out, I want to take you cross-country skiing. There’s a beautiful trail in Canmore.”

“I didn’t bring cross-country skis.”

“There’s some at the cabin. We’ll stop there and get gear for you.”

He had a solution for everything. She’d never felt so taken care of. This holiday was turning out to be one of the best weeks she’d ever spent in the mountains. Scratch that. One of the best weeks she’d ever spent in her life. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow night. When the clock struck twelve, she was going to tell him how she felt.

“Mom?” She turned to find Karin and Shelly coming toward them. Shelly’s wrist was wrapped and she held an ice pack to her arm.

“You okay?” Isabel asked, giving her a half hug.

“I’m fine, Mom.” She turned to Tray. “Thanks for staying with us, and for taking us dog sledding today.”

“Yes, Tray,” Karin echoed. “Thanks, it was really fun.”

“My pleasure,” he said, rising. “Let’s get you ladies back to your hotel.”

DECEMBER 31 ~ DAY

Isabel grabbed the phone on the second ring. The girls had left after breakfast, anxious to get back to Barbie’s and tell everyone about their adventure. She was set up at the desk with a carafe of coffee, determined to stay put until she’d reviewed the complete manuscript. It was another sunny day, a little on the warm side for this time of year, thanks to the lingering effects of the chinook.

“Yes?” she said into the receiver.

“Dr. Chapel?”

“Yes,” she replied, wondering if the girls were all right.

“We have a delivery for you at the front desk.”

“Oh.” That was surprising, she wasn’t expecting anything. “You need me to come down for it?”

“No, Dr. Chapel, I’m just calling to be sure you’re available to receive it. I’ll send someone up with it in a jiff.”

“Thank you.” She replaced the receiver, and rifled through her purse looking for a suitable tip. Who could be sending her something here?

When the knock came, she opened the door to a large bouquet of roses blocking the bellhop’s face.

“Delivery for you, Dr. Chapel,” he quipped, passing her the vase.

“Thank you.” She placed the tip in his waiting palm.

“Happy New Year to you, Dr. Chapel,” he smiled, as she swung the door closed.

“And to you.” She carried the bouquet to the dresser and placed it carefully in front of the mirror. Two dozen roses, a gorgeous yellow color with red tips. She leaned in to smell one, and turned the vase searching eagerly for the card.

She read it aloud. “To the most beautiful, kind, sexy woman I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to ring in the New Year together and get started on the next part of our adventure, xoxo, Tray.”

She placed the card over her heart, holding it there as she would an infant’s head, warmth radiating through her. He was falling for her, too. Despite her efforts to derail him - holding him back and even insisting he didn’t even know his own feelings. He was brave enough and man enough to keep coming for her. Love surged through her. He was everything she’d ever dreamed of in a man.

She glanced at the clock. Just before eleven. She had at least seven hours until she’d see him. She got back to work, knowing she’d have one eye on the clock and the other on the roses for the rest of the day.

~~~

Tray and Barry sat on small canvas stools on opposite sides of the fishing hole. Around them, at distances of about ten yards, clustered other small groups. The sun was bright and the wind warm, still they were bundled up against the elements. Spending a day on the ice could take a toll.

Barry hunched forward, jigging his line. “How many years we been doing this now, twelve?”

“Hard to believe, isn’t it? We were just students.” Tray laughed.

“You’re still a student,” Barry said, shaking his head. “How’s that going for you?”

“Good, almost finished.” He pushed his hat down further on his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun. He gave up and shifted his stool a quarter way around the ice hole. “I can’t wait to get back to the real world. You? Didn’t you say you were up for promotion this year?”

“Didn’t happen. Another guy in my division got the detective spot.”

“That sucks. You have another shot at it this year?”

“Not sure I’ll bother. I like working the street. Got a good partner - you met him.”

“Sure, but … aren’t your talents wasted in the patrol car?” Tray eyed his friend carefully. “You’ve always wanted to be a detective.”

“My time will come, if it’s meant to be.”

“That’s very zen of you,” he teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

Barry shrugged. “What’re ya gonna do? Sometime it’s more about who you know than what you know.”

“I know,” he agreed, sorry he’d brought it up. Barry was a damn fine cop, but not good at working the small ‘p’ political scene at the station.

Barry, anxious to move the conversation along, kicked Tray’s boot. “Things seem to be going well for you and Isabel.”

“Really well. Not sure her daughters like me, though.”

“They’ll come around,” he said.

“That’s what Isabel said,” Tray said, jigging his line. “I think —”

“Got one!” Barry stood and pulled the line up. Tray grabbed the net and quickly placed it under the fish just as it cleared the water. “Finally. We’ve been at this, what, two hours already?”

“It’s a keeper,” Tray said, tipping it out of the net into the bucket beside them. He settled back into his seat, dropping his line back into the water.

“You think what?” Barry asked, picking up Tray’s early comment. “You think I’m going to catch more fish than you?” He guffawed.

Tray shook his head. “Not a chance.”

“Seriously, about you and Isabel. What were you going to say?”

“Well,” he toed the bucket, keeping his head down. “It sounds stupid ‘cause it’s only been a couple of months, but … I think she’s the one.”

“Seriously?” He fixed his gaze on him and Tray nodded his confirmation. “Well, you guys do look happy together. And really, it’s the first time I’ve seen you serious about someone. I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“She’ll be surprised.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. She doesn’t know how you feel?”

“She’s like a deer in the headlights,” he explained, feeling foolish. He and Barry had talked about a lot of stuff over the years, but this was making him feel too damn vulnerable. “She’s so skittish. At first she didn’t want any kind of relationship at all with me. Just a casual thing.”

“That was then and this is now. I saw the way she looked at you yesterday,” he said. “That girl has it bad for you, too.”

“You think?” Tray’s mood lightened.

“Absolutely,” Barry said, nodding. “You should tell her tonight at the ball.”

“That’s my plan. When the clock strikes twelve … that way if she goes screaming from the room, nobody will notice with all the chaos.”

Barry laughed and jumped up. “Another one.”

“You lucky bastard,” Tray said, reaching for the net.

~~~

The sun was sinking below the horizon, the temperature dropping with it. Around them, people were starting to pack up.

“I guess we better think of packing up soon, too,” said Barry.

Tray nodded. “What the hell? Look at those crazy kids.” He pointed to the snowmobile starting across the lake fifty yards down the shore. “Don’t they know the ice isn’t thick enough after the weather we’ve had the last few days?”

“Apparently not.” Barry stood and started waving his arms. Tray did the same. The kids continued on, oblivious. “That’s too much weight on that ice, it’s almost black in spots.”

“Maybe they’ll stay near the shore,” Tray said, his stomach sinking as the machine picked up speed and headed across the lake.

“Maybe they’ll be all right,” Barry said. They both turned as they heard a second snowmobile come out of the woods and follow the first onto the lake. “What the hell is wrong with these guys? Don’t they check the ice reports? It’s clearly marked in the parking lot.”

“They didn’t come through the lot, and I think they’re just kids,” Tray said. The other people nearby were starting to stand, waving, yelling, trying to get the attention of the four kids.

A large crack reverberated through the air and the nose of the first snowmobile dipped, then jumped back up. The boy on the back held on to the driver as the machine angled dangerously backwards, then leveled and pulled back onto the flat ice. They pulled a few yards forward and stopped, just beyond the large crack in the ice. More shots rang out through the twilight air, like rifle shots, as a large chunk of ice broke away, leaving a gaping hole.

“Oh my God,” said Barry.

The driver of the second machine saw the hole at the very last second. He was going too fast to turn, and instinctively hit the brakes. The machine slowed, skidded, then surfed across the open hole. Tray grabbed the shovel and started running across the ice.

The front skis caught the edge of the ice on the far side, the driver trying to force the machine forward, the extra acceleration coming too late. The exhaust sent water flying from the rear. The rider clung desperately to the boy in front, as the snowmobile tipped rear first into the water, at a ninety degree angle, and started to sink. The boy on back slid into the water.

Tray didn’t dare take his eyes off the kids, but he could hear Barry kick into gear behind him. Barry started running, yelling over his shoulder. “Somebody call Search and Rescue - now! And bring blankets, as many as you can find.” Tray sprinted across the ice - he was almost there. Pandemonium broke out among the other fishermen, as they ran to get rope and blankets.

Tray heard others following Barry across the ice. That was the last thing they needed. The ice was unstable. “Barry, keep those people back, the ice is too dangerous here.”