The Friendship Star Quilt (24 page)

****

“Why on earth did I agree to do this?”

Anne stood at the edge of the slope, staring downward with trepidation. The sixty-foot drop wasn't especially steep, but the snowy bottom seemed a very long way down. Around her, scores of children wiggled impatiently as their parents adjusted scarves, mittens, and hats.

She hadn't gone sledding in years, but Jennie's pleas the day before had been impossible to resist.

“Please come sledding with us at Charlie's Dump, Miss Anne. It's so much fun, and you don't have to work at the shop. Please.”

“You're going sledding in a dump?” Anne asked, throwing a skeptical glance at the child's dad. “Isn't it dangerous?”

“It's not a garbage dump,” Brad assured her. “In fact, it isn't actually a dump at all. According to one of my colleagues at the high school, it's called Charlie's Dump because a man named Charlie owned it a long time ago. They mined gravel there for years, which is why it's now a big crater. After Charlie died, it became sort of a dump, but then the township bought it and cleaned it up. The area is large enough for a soccer field, so teams play there in the summer and spectators sit in the grass to watch.”

“So it's a field? How do you go sledding across a flat field?”

“It's more like a huge, grassy bowl. The soccer field is at the bottom. Jennie and I watched a couple games there last summer. In the winter, it's a great place for sledding since you can go down it from anywhere around the rim. The field at the bottom is big enough to prevent kids from crashing into each other.”

“Come with us,” Jennie begged, turning her big blue eyes on Anne. “Please. It'll be fun.”

“Please, Anne?” Brad's deep voice chimed in, sending a flutter of excitement through her. He gave her a boyish grin. “Don't tell me the fearless country girl is a chicken after all.”

“No. I just—”

“Just what?” he prompted.

“Well, I don't have any clothes to wear sledding. All I have is jeans and my fleece coat, and those wouldn't be too practical for playing in the snow. They'd be soaked in nothing flat.”

“Hmm.” Brad considered for a moment then snapped his fingers. “I have an idea. My mom and dad love to cross-country ski. The first time they visited Grandville, they discovered several great ski trails around here. They left an extra ski outfit here with me so they didn't have to haul their gear all the time. But I think Mom's forgotten, because she still brings an outfit from home whenever they visit.”

“Aunt Bonnie says it's because Grandma Barb likes to buy a new outfit each year,” Jennie piped up.

“Knowing your grandma, that's probably true,” Brad told the child then turned back to Anne. “Mom isn't quite as petite as you are, but her things should work.”

“Brad, I couldn't borrow your mother's ski clothes!” Anne protested.

“Nonsense. Mom won't mind,” he insisted. “In fact, she'd lecture you on dressing properly for the weather. But if you don't believe me, we can give her a call…”

In the end, Anne had agreed. Which is why she now stood in a stylish powder blue-and-navy ski outfit, complete with matching hat, scarf, and mittens, and stared down the worrisomely high hill. She held a hand to her middle, trying to calm the legion of butterflies gathering there. It wouldn't do to let Jennie know she was, indeed, a chicken.

“You know, Anne,” Brad said, moving up beside her. “My mom never looked so sexy in those clothes.”

Anne laughed, but his appreciative glance drove all coherent thought from her mind. Despite the cold air, she felt her cheeks heat and hoped he wouldn't notice.

Apparently he didn't. He glanced down the hill with eager anticipation. “Ready to make a run?”

It was the last thing she was ready for, but Anne nodded anyway. Her hands shook. She wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from her nerves. Nervously, she took her place on the sled with Jennie tucked between her knees and tried to pretend she was having fun.
Why on earth am I doing this?

The sled perched at the top of the huge bowl. Around her, people lined the rim, ready to slide down to the bottom. She'd have been happy to let any of them take her place. Then Brad slid into position behind her, his muscular body pressed against her back, and she decided she liked where she was just fine.

Using his feet, Brad scooted them to the very edge of the hill then tucked his feet up on the sides of the sled next to hers, his long legs bracketing hers. Anne took a deep breath and held tight to Jennie as Brad leaned forward and rocked the sled. It teetered for a moment on the rim before tilting downward. The metal runners glided along the packed snow, and they were flying down the slope.

A high-pitched scream pierced the air, and it wasn't until she stopped to breathe that Anne realized the sound had come from her. Embarrassed, she ducked her head, burying her face in the soft fleece hat of Jennie's hat. The little girl leaned back into her, giggling delightedly as they flew down the side of the basin. As she snuggled the child even closer, Brad's arms tightened around hers, his warm breath tickling her cheek. A deep yearning filled her.

Why couldn't I have married someone like Brad and had a child as precious as Jennie? Why couldn't this be my life instead of a moment of borrowed pleasure?

All too soon, the sled landed at the bottom of the basin and slowed to a stop. Jennie hopped off, eager to make the ride again. Brad rose from behind Anne, taking his warmth with him. When he extended a hand to help her up, she felt a jolt of electricity at the contact. His sharp indrawn breath told her he'd felt something, too. She raised her face and nearly lost herself in his rich chocolate eyes. For a magical moment, time stood still as he drew her toward him.

“Come on, Daddy. Come on, Miss Anne,” Jennie exclaimed. She grabbed the edge of Anne's jacket and tugged. “Let's go again.”

Reluctantly, Anne released Brad's hand and took Jennie's. Together they scrambled back up the hill, leaving Brad to pull the sled. When they reached the top, Anne laughingly insisted Brad go down the next time alone with Jennie.

“I need time to catch my breath,” she said. But what she needed was a few minutes alone to regain her composure.

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely. Go. Have fun. I see one of my friends from the quilt group here with her kids. I'll go over and say hello while you take Jennie down the slope.”

She raised a hand and waved at her friend Tee to reinforce her words. Once Brad and Jennie took off down the hill, she walked over to join Tee on one of the benches at the top of the hill.

“Not going down the hill with the kids, Tee?” she asked, dropping down beside her.

Her friend shook her head. “Dory and Dylan are at the age where they'd rather hang out with their friends. I just get to play chauffeur, which is fine with me. It beats getting all snowy and wet.” She glanced down the hill to where Brad was helping Jennie off the sled. She leaned closer and nudged Anne. “Although, if I had a hunk like him sliding with me, you'd never get me off the hill.”

“He is very attractive.” Anne agreed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the understatement of the year.” Tee laughed. “Annie, sweetheart, your guy is smoking.”

“Oh no. It's nothing like—I mean Brad isn't my guy. We're just friends, Tee.”

Her friend pursed her lips. “You don't find him attractive?”

“Well, yes,” Anne admitted, feeling the color rise to her cheeks. “But he—”

“Devours you with his eyes every time he's around you,” Tee said.

Anne gasped. “He does not!”

“Does, too. See how he's scanning the slope?” her friend said. “He's wondering where you went.”

She waved as Brad and his daughter arrived at the top then nudged Anne. “Go and enjoy yourself. But I want to hear all about it at our meeting next week.”

“Ready for another ride, Anne?” Brad asked as she joined them in line.

“You bet,” she answered. “Let's have fun.”

The trio made the trip up and down the incline together several more times. Then, Anne and Brad took turns riding down alone with Jennie. Finally, the little girl plopped down on a bench at the top.

“Are you tired, Princess?”

“No.” Jennie shook her head denying she was worn out, but her limp posture told them otherwise. “I think you and Miss Anne should go down together this time, and I'll watch you.”

“Sweetie, we can't leave you up here all alone –” Anne protested.

“I'll sit with her,” Tee said, walking up in time to hear the exchange.

Brad seemed dubious, but Jennie smiled at Tee. “Hi, Mrs. Donovan.”

“Hi, sweetie. I've missed seeing you at The Stitching Post.”

“Daddy's band is done with their practices now, so Miss Anne doesn't have to watch me,” the little girl told her. “See, Daddy? Mrs. Donovan knows me, and she is Miss Anne's friend, so I'll be okay with her. Miss Anne wouldn't be her friend if she wasn't a nice lady.”

Tee chuckled at the child's words. “I couldn't ask for a better reference than that, could I? Now, you two go have fun. Jennie and I will sit here, and she can tell me what Santa brought her for Christmas.”

“Oh, I don't know…” Anne began, but Brad grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the edge of the hill.

“She'll be fine with Mrs. Donovan. We can't waste this great snow,” he said and drew her with him to one of the steepest parts of the bowl.

It felt odd to sit on the sled without Jennie in front of her. Anne settled her feet on the front then wondered where to put her hands. Brad slipped into place behind her, his muscular thighs pressing against hers. He linked his fingers through hers then wrapped their arms around her middle, pulling her so tightly against him that Anne could feel the beat of his heart against her back. Or maybe it was her heart, which seemed to be suddenly beating double time. Before she could decide which, he pushed off from the edge.

They raced down the slope, metal runners skimming the surface. He leaned forward, bending her at the waist to cut their wind resistance. She gasped as the sled picked up more speed, moving even faster down the high slope. But Brad expertly steered the vehicle with subtle pressure of his feet against the front rudder. With his arms around her, he leaned one way then the other, shifting their weight to steer by other sliders. The wind rushed past Anne's ears as they hurtled downward. As they reached the bottom, a cry of pure joy bubbled up from her depths to mingle with Brad's shout of laughter.

He put his hands under her arms, lifting her from the sled then swung her around with a loud whoop. “Now, that was absolutely incredible!”

“Brad, put me down!” she insisted, but his laughter was infectious.

“Never,” he declared, his eyes sparkling. “I can't remember the last time I had so much fun.”

“Neither can I,” she admitted, throwing her arms around his neck and smiling with delight. She leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek, but he turned his head at the last moment.

His lips claimed hers, playfully at first then with a hunger that resonated within her. A glorious sensation like liquid sunshine spread through her limbs, filling her with a sense of well-being. She leaned into Brad, responding to the kiss, savoring the taste of his mouth on hers. She heard someone, most likely one of the teens they'd passed on the way down the hill, call, “Get a room!” Embarrassed, she tried to pull away but Brad held her in place, continuing the kiss for another glorious moment.

When he finally released her, he leaned down grinned. “Now that we've shocked half of Grandville and most of Jenison, what do you say we reclaim Jennie and go have some pizza?”