“Are you warm?” he asked and tucked the blankets close behind her.
“Uh-huh.”
Finally she fell asleep.
S
HE REFUSED TO
open her eyes. She wanted to fall asleep again, because in sleep there was no regret, no incrimination.
“Kelly!” Her name was a soft whisper wooing her from the land of Nod. She turned her face into the pillow and the insistent voice grew crisper. “Kelly!”
“What do you want?” she said crossly into the pillow.
“It’s nine o’clock.”
“Nine o’clock?” Her eyes flew open and she turned to glance up at Jonathan standing beside the bed with a mug in his hand. “Nine o’clock? I don’t believe it!”
“You’ve been sleeping like a baby for hours.” He sat down on the bed. He had shaved, his hair was damp from the shower, and he was fully dressed in clean denims and a soft flannel shirt. “Drink your coffee and come alive, woman.”
Kelly freed her arms from the confines of the soft, fleecy blanket and pushed her tangled hair back from her sleep-flushed face. She looked into teasing, brown eyes and was flooded with the sudden memory of the ecstasy she had shared with him just hours before. Shame and humiliation made her voice sharp.
“Nothing is changed!”
“What do you mean?” He handed her the mug which she was forced to take.
“You know what I mean. You seduced me, wore me down. I’ll never forgive you!”
“Kelly, Kelly . . . I’m not asking for your forgiveness. All I did was make love to my wife, a normal, healthy expression of emotion.”
The calm inflection in his quiet voice grated on her nerves and resentment burned in her eyes.
“Expression of emotion? Lust, you mean!”
“Lust or a biological urge. I prefer to think of it as making love.” He smiled at her warmly.
“Love had nothing to do with it!” She spat the words at him and jerked the blanket up to her chin.
He laughed and she wanted to hit him. “Okay. Call it anything you want . . . but I liked doing it!”
“I don’t give a damn what you call it! It won’t happen again. I won’t be a . . . vehicle for your lust!” The words exploded from her tense lips.
“My lust? Our lust, dear wife. Or is lust too masculine a word to describe a woman’s sexual desires?” Amusement glinted in his dark eyes.
“Sex? Lust? Is that all you can talk about?”
Heavy lids hid his eyes and a secretive smile curved his mouth. Bending forward, he brushed his lips tantalizingly across hers. “Let’s not fight, Kelly. Let’s make love.”
With a groan of irritation, she turned away from him. “I wish you hadn’t come here!” she said viciously.
“You’ll get over it. After I’ve been here a few weeks, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without me.” He took the mug from her hand and set it on the bedside table, then rubbed his fingers back and forth across her cheek. “We’ll discuss this tonight while we’re lying together in this bed, our arms around each other. It’s good, isn’t it? This touching and feeling every part of each other? We make love well, darling.”
Kelly wanted to jerk away, but pride forced her to pretend his touch didn’t bother her. She remained perfectly still, although her heart pounded like a scared rabbit’s, and she kept her eyes averted. With a quick movement he flicked aside the blanket to reveal her long, slender, naked figure.
“Stop that!” She grabbed for the blanket.
He laughed and went around the end of the bed toward the door. “I’m expecting a chopper in about fifteen minutes. One of my men is bringing in some paperwork. I thought I would do the work in the chopper. Do you think you can get along without me for an hour or so?”
“Try me.”
He grinned broadly. “I’ll send the chopper away if you think you’ll die of lust before I can get back.” The amusement on his face enraged her. She clamped her lips together and refused to speak the words that boiled up in her. “The water is hot for your shower. Leave the water tank turned on. We can afford to have hot water all day.”
“Sure. Now that Mountain View is part of a big conglomerate, we’re merely a tax write-off.” The reminder that her home was no longer hers tore at her heart.
“Think what you like, Kelly.” He drawled her name. “There are times when you tempt me to swat your behind.”
Across the room her eyes challenged him and her thoughts whirled. If she stayed another night with him . . . if she slept another night in his arms. . . . Oh, she had to hold out against him!
“You’re not staying here!” she almost shouted at him, but he had already left the room.
On her way to the lodge, Kelly paused to play with Charlie for a few minutes. Mike’s utility truck was parked in the shed and a plume of smoke came from his cabin chimney. For one wild instant Kelly was tempted to go there and tell him what Jonathan had done. There was no doubt in her mind that Mike would agree to go away with her and leave the property to Jonathan. But she couldn’t do that to Mike. He would expect her to divorce Jonathan and marry him. Head down and hands buried deep in the pockets of her coat, she headed toward the lodge, her mind so busy she failed to see the tall doctor waiting beside the steps.
“You look as gorgeous today as you did yesterday.”
Kelly looked up into his smiling eyes. “Hi, Andy. Bye, Andy. I’m headed for the kitchen and gallons of coffee.”
He slipped his hand beneath her elbow and they went up the steps together. “I had breakfast with your husband. He said you were tired and sleeping in.”
The statement required no answer and Kelly shrugged out of her jacket and slipped off her boots. She could like Andy, if only Jonathan hadn’t come to the resort and stirred up all the emotions she had thought dead. If only Jonathan was more like Andy . . . Kelly put a brake on her thoughts. She could
if only
until doomsday and it wouldn’t change a thing.
“Come out, come out, from wherever you are!” Andy bent down and grinned into her face. “Back among the living? Do you suppose that husband of yours would let you take a snowmobile ride with me?”
“What’s it got to do with him? How about askin’ me, buster?” Although Kelly’s tone was teasing, she held an underlying note of seriousness.
“Okay.” He placed his hand over his heart. “Andy Mullins respectfully requests the honor of your presence . . .”
“Oh, stop!” Kelly laughed. “I’d love to go, but first I need to fortify myself with some of Bonnie’s toast and coffee.” She led the way into the kitchen. “What about your friends? Would they like to go, too? We can carry four.”
“They’re busy resting, sleeping in. I wouldn’t be surprised if it took all day for them to rest up.” His eyes twinkled down at her. She ignored the implication.
“If you say so. Morning, Bonnie.” She took a cup from the rack. “Coffee, Andy?”
“Sure. A roll, too. I’ve already asked Bonnie to divorce Clyde and marry me. She’s not only beautiful, she’s also got the fastest cookstove in the West!”
“You ain’t gonna eat again!” Bonnie put her hands on her ample hips, tried to look disgusted, and failed completely.
“Now, darlin’, you said, and I quote: ‘Ain’t nothin’ does my heart so good as to see a man what likes his vittles.’ You said that not an hour ago.” Andy took the cup Kelly handed him and sat down at the table. “All I want is one little ol’ roll.”
“You don’t have to pay no attention to everything I say! You’ll spoil your dinner, that’s what you’ll do,” Bonnie scolded. “I’m having Irish stew for dinner and barbecue ribs for supper. Clyde’s already got them in the smoker.”
“I promise to eat my share. Now hand over that roll before I shoot up the place.” He shaped his hand like a six-gun and pointed it at her.
“I swear to goodness, Kelly,” Bonnie complained. “I thought Jack could eat a lot, but this kid can outdo even him. I think we ought to add another twenty bucks to his bill.”
“Good idea.” Kelly lifted the bread from the toaster and sat down across from Andy. “Some kid!” she said softly for his ears alone.
“Jack had a stack of hot cakes and three pats of sausage this morning,” Bonnie volunteered. She set down in front of Andy a roll as big as a saucer, dripping with melted butter, and glazed with icing. “He said a friend was coming in a helicopter to bring him some things and to make a list if I wanted anything. I said, well, we sure could use a new washer and dryer ’cause the ones we got must have come with the gold-rushers.” Kelly looked up sharply and Bonnie, catching the disapproval on her face, added quickly, “I was just a teasin’. I didn’t put nothing like that on the list. I wrote down some things like spices and a couple cases of tomatoes and a new broom. I wanted to add towels, but thought that better wait till one of us can go to the discount store. Men ain’t got no sense a’tall when it comes to a buyin’ something like that.” She went back to the stove and lifted the lid on a large cooking pot. The grin she shot over her shoulder held just a dash of superiority. “Smell that, Andy? That stew’s goin’ to be just right!”
Kelly drove the snowmobile and Andy sat in the seat behind her. Her spirits picked up when they headed for open country. The snow was light and the churning lugs of the machine left a soft, fine cloud behind them. They followed animal tracks just to see where they were going and once Kelly stopped the machine when she saw a small herd of moose move out of the timber.
“You can never tell what a moose will do,” she explained to Andy. “If pointed in your direction, they might run right over you. They get confused and sometimes jump out in front of cars. It happened to Mike and me once. We saw the moose coming and there was nothing we could do. Mike shoved me down on the seat and boom! We had a moose draped over the hood. The windshield popped out and we almost froze, driving in below-zero weather without a windshield.”
Andy was a pleasant companion. Kelly showed him wolf tracks and told him that the legend about the wolf being a vicious killer was a myth.
“My father always thought the wolf was a very misunderstood animal. He kills only to eat, and rarely attacks man. He is a lonely animal. Occasionally, on a clear night we can hear his mournful howl. A wolverine is an altogether different and much more dangerous animal.” Kelly shuddered.
As they drove back to the lodge, the breeze rushing against Kelly’s face and the snow whipping about her cleared her head and soothed her taut nerves. She had deliberately stayed away from the helicopter, which sat like a large insect on the white snow.
In the deserted family room of the lodge they sank down onto the couch and Andy told her about his job on the reservation. A soft light came into his eyes as he talked. He was dedicated to his work among the Indians. He told her of their pride, their dignity, and their great need. Andy was a fine man, she decided.
“Have you ever been married?” she asked suddenly.
“Sure,” he laughed. “Hasn’t everyone?”
“Divorced?” She didn’t know why she persisted.
“Ages ago. She’s married to a banker now. Couldn’t stand my lifestyle. Nothing prestigious about living in a five room bungalow on an Indian reservation.” All traces of merriment were gone from his face.
“She and Jonathan would have been great together.” The words came before Kelly realized she was saying them.
“Now, now,” Andy chided gently. “Methinks you . . .”
Kelly was saved from hearing more by Bonnie entering through the swinging doors.
“Dinner is ready anytime anybody wants to eat it.”
Kelly’s laughing eyes caught Andy’s. “We’re very informal here, or hadn’t you noticed?”
“Is that what it is?” Andy asked innocently. “I like it. Reserve me a room for the last weekend of the month. I’m attending a seminar in Anchorage or I wouldn’t leave here at all.”
“Landsakes! I’ll start a cookin’ on a Thursday if I know he’s comin’ on the weekend. I’ll have to get me a runnin’ start to fill him up!” Bonnie’s face was a wreath of smiles even as she complained.
“Marty and Tram will be here by then. Maybe we can plan an overnight ski-tour.”
“Overnight?” Andy frowned, then grinned. “Dibs on sharing my sleeping bag with you.”
“You’re nuts! Do you know that?”
“Jack would have something to say about that,” Bonnie said. She cocked her head and listened. “That’s the chopper leavin’. Jack ought to be up here in a few minutes.”
He was.
The instant he stepped inside the door, his eyes locked with Kelly’s and she felt a pain deep inside her. Their hours of making love had pried open the dark door between them and brought her face to face with the Jack behind the sophisticated facade of Jonathan Templeton the Third.
Jonathan left his coat and boots beside the door and went directly to Kelly, pulling her up from the couch.
“Enjoy your ride, darling?” His arm went possessively across her shoulders.
“How did you know?”
He chuckled and his arm tightened. “How could I miss that yellow cap of yours?”
“True,” she murmured drily.
“What we need is a good bit of that stew.” Bonnie seemed to sense the tension and burst into speech. “I’ll just step out on the back step and holler to that ugly old Clyde. He’s out there a tinkerin’ with that old motor again. Yaw’ll go on in . . . everything’s ready. I’ll be right along and dip up the stew.”
They had scarcely reached the kitchen when they heard Bonnie scream.
Kelly dashed for the back door, but Jonathan was there ahead of her. Bonnie lay in a heap at the foot of the steps, her leg twisted under her and her back against the rise of the stairs. They could see the path her feet had made when she slipped on the loose snow covering the icy platform at the top of the steps.
Andy was beside her in an instant. “Don’t move. Lie still, Bonnie. Let me see what you’ve done to yourself.”
Clyde came running from the shed. “What did you do, honeybunch? I told ya to be careful on that ice. Are ya hurt?”
Bonnie looked dazed. Her face and hair were wet with snow. “Clyde! Clyde, honey, I hurt my back . . . and my leg . . . ’n’, oh, hell, I hurt all over!” Her face twisted with pain and her lips quivered.
Andy’s experienced hands were traveling over her leg.
“Get a blanket, Kelly,” he said without looking up. Gentle fingers lifted Bonnie’s chin. “For one thing, you’ve gone and busted yore leg and I’ll have to shoot ya!” he said in a perfect imitation of her Oklahoma twang. To Clyde he said, “We need a flat board. She may have injured her back.”