Winter Dreams

by Simmons, Trana Mae

  "Why bother if you aren't sure you're gonna need the house open right now?" Pete asked logically. "Knowing how you hate housework, you could wait till Katie's granddaughter comes up to help with the weekly heavy work in a couple days."

  "I suppose," Laura agreed. "But I don't have anything else planned this afternoon, since I thought I'd be showing Mr. Montdulac and his family around. The linens were supposed to be in last week, so the beds could be made up then, but they weren't in that order. Just in case Sandy and his family do show up, I ought to have them ready. And Katie's arthritis is bothering her, although she'd die before admitting it."

  Pete lifted an inquiring black brow. "Sandy?"

  "Uh . . . umm . . . that's Mr. Montdulac's first name. I assumed you'd figured out from what I've said so far that I actually did meet him this afternoon — and his beautiful little daughter, Tracie. His telegraph said he was bringing his sister, Cristy, with him, too, but I didn't see her. And he didn't mention where she was."

  "Sandy," Pete repeated with a smile that told her he didn't buy her attempt to switch the focus of their conversation to her prospective trainer's sister. "All right. I'm heading out." Smiling slyly and whistling a jaunty tune, Pete quickly walked away.

  Laura shook her head at how easily Pete saw through her at times. Unhitching Blancheur, she led him to his chain, stroking his head briefly before she headed back to the house. She found Katie, their elderly housekeeper, in the kitchen cradling a cup of hot chocolate at the table. The spicy smell of cinnamon intermingled with the chocolate aroma, and Laura's mouth watered. Cinnamon-laced hot chocolate was her favorite, as well as Katie's.

  "There's some left in the pan on the stove," Katie told her. "What happened to your trainer and his family?"

  As she hung up her cloak and unbuttoned her gown, which she removed and placed on an adjacent hook until she could take it upstairs to her room, Laura once again repeated her tale of Sandy Montdulac. Dressed in the trousers she had her dressmaker sew for her, much more comfortable to work around the kennels in, she poured some chocolate. Sipping it, she sighed in appreciation.

  Katie motioned to a chair, but Laura shook her head and remained on her feet, making innocuous conversation as to the other acquaintances she had seen in town whom she and Katie had in common. Finished, she rinsed her cup in the sink and set it with a few other dishes waiting to be washed and headed out of the kitchen.

  "You already know I'll be having dinner with David in town this evening," she reminded Katie. "And Pete asked me to let you know he'll be eating at Mrs. Sterling's tonight, too."

  "You off to doing my job again for me, Missy?" Katie demanded astutely. "I saw them packages on the back porch. Looked to me like that order of bed linens came in."

  With a sigh, Laura turned to face her. "Katie, I wish you'd let Father hire you some permanent help. Land sakes, you've taken care of us since before I was born. I know Meg doesn't want to work full time, since she has her own young ones at home, but . . . ."

  "The day I can't handle my duties," Katie broke in softly, "is the day I'll go live with one of my sisters. I don't need no charity."

  "It's not charity," Laura said in exasperation, then instantly gave up. She and Katie had had this discussion already — several times in the last couple years. Walking over to the woman she loved almost as much as her father, she dropped a kiss on Katie's forehead.

  "I'm going out to the guest house and make up the beds," Laura admitted. "And I'm doing it because I know your hands are bothering you today from your arthritis. It won't hurt me one bit to do a little housework around here."

  Running a gnarled finger down Laura's cheek, Katie chuckled tolerantly. "You're a little love, Laura, darlin'. Go on with you. Maybe I'll reward you by makin' some butterscotch pecan rolls for breakfast tomorrow morning."

  "Yum! But only if your hands feel like kneading the dough."

  "Get on with you."

  #

  In deference to the expectation that evening diners at the restaurant would dress, as well as because she truly did enjoy being completely feminine sometimes, Laura bathed and donned a stylish gown before David got there that evening. When he yelled up the stairwell, she called back just as loudly, "I'll be down in a minute!"

  "Yeah," David replied. "Make sure it's a real minute and not a Laura minute!"

  Deciding to surprise him, she gave her hair a final adjustment and left the room. When she descended the stairs, he looked up from beside the fireplace where he was conversing with her father.

  "I don't believe it," he said, and she mouthed the words right along with him. Chuckling, he continued, "There might be hope for you being able to tell time yet, Laurie, honey."

  She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out. Instead she tipped her nose up just a tad and walked toward him, then circled him. His dark suit and a snow-white shirt set off his hair, slicked back and nearly as black as Pete's. One renegade lock fell across his forehead, though. Stopping in front of him, she flicked a nonexistent piece of lint from his lapel, then brushed the curl back into place. It immediately fell forward again.

  "Evening, Davie," she murmured.

  Brown eyes sparkling with mischief, he dropped a brief kiss on her lips. "Evening, Laurie. I'm hungry. Let's get going."

  Tom Goodman laughed at them, shaking his head. "You two sound more like brother and sister than an engaged couple. But I'll have to admit, friendship is a stable building ground for a good marriage. Why, Alice and I were childhood sweethearts — "

  " — from the time our nannies changed our nappies together," Laura and David chorused along with him. All three of them burst out laughing, and Tom waved them away.

  "Get on with you both. Katie and I are eating in the kitchen tonight. She's cooking moose steaks for us."

  "Moose?" Laura curled her lip. "I'm glad we're going out."

  "Well, if I'd known what Katie had planned," David contradicted, "I'd have found some way to get invited here this evening instead of going to the trouble of taking Laura out."

  Laura whapped him on the arm. "You just remember that if you want moose or venison or any of those other wild meats you like so darned well after we get married, you'll have to find someone else to cook them. All I can see when I look at that sort of meat are those beautiful animals' eyes."

  "Good thing you don't think of cows that way," David mused. "I've seen you dive into your steaks. And as far as asking you to cook anything at all for me — wild or tame — no way! The first thing on my agenda when we set a firm wedding date is hiring a cook, so I can train her in the things I prefer before you start living with me."

  "You better," Laura agreed. "And get a housekeeper, too, who'll wash your dirty socks. It's the nineteen hundreds, Davie, and women can be more than some man's chattel. What do you want to bet we'll have the vote before long?"

  David gave a mock shudder and slipped Tom a wink. "Can you imagine what sort of shape the country will get into then?"

  That comment earned him another rap on the arm. Then Laura swept over to the front door, reached inside the closet and took out her more dressy cloak. A few minutes later, she and David were warmly ensconced beneath the wool blankets in his buggy. He picked up the reins and clicked his tongue at the horse, setting it in motion.

  Stars scattered across an ebony sky above them. Whenever they passed an opening where they could see the lake on their right, she spied a half moon hanging low on the far horizon, spilling a creamy light across the water surface. Only a faint breeze soughed through the towering pines lining most of the trail, and the snow from last night had already melted. Soon the pines would be covered with a snowy icing until spring, their branches bending with the weight of the pretty decoration.

  She and David didn't need to perpetually carry on a conversation. There weren't many things they didn't already know about one another — from the past or even on a daily basis, since hardly a day went by they didn't see each other. She enjoyed their easy camaraderie and looked for
ward to the same stability down through the years.

  But first, she wanted her one chance at excitement — the Alaskan race.

  The trip into town took only a little more time than it had taken her and Blancheur earlier this afternoon. The downhill trail descended gradually, and even the uphill return trip would be fairly easy on the horse — at least until the heavy winter snows hit. Then most of the transportation in the area would be by dogsled, snowshoes or sleighs pulled by the stronger draft horses.

  Laura loved winter and the jangle of sleigh bells. And fall, with the cool days and beautiful colors on the leaves. And spring, with the awakening of forest around her and return of the loons and geese. And summer, with its brilliant days of sunshine and the picnics and socializing the townspeople organized to have memories to carry them through the long, snowbound winter season. She heaved a huge sigh as David pulled the buggy up beside the restaurant.

  "What is it?" he asked.

  "I was just thinking how much I enjoy each different season," she replied. "Every one of them has something wonderful about it."

  Climbing down, David tied the horse to a hitching post before returning to the buggy and holding out his arms to her. "Well," he said, helping her down, "all you've ever had to do is enjoy yourself. And I'll make sure I keep your life that way."

  "You make me sound rather useless," Laura grumbled as they walked up the pathway. "Maybe that's why I want to go to Alaska. At least I'll have accomplished something on my own, instead of just spending my life as an ornament on your arm and a hostess for you at your business parties."

  Just before they opened the door, David dropped another kiss on her face, this time on her nose. "Don't forget being a mother to all the children we'll have. Remember, we both decided we wanted a full half dozen."

  Laura smiled up at him. "That's one thing I really am looking forward to. I missed having any brothers or sisters myself, and I'm going to teach the girls to drive a sled right alongside me."

  "I don't know if Cook County is ready for a bunch of little Laura's tearing all around in miniature dogsleds." David rolled his eyes. "But I guess it will have to put up with it."

  "Yep," Laura agreed saucily.

  David held the door for her. As usual when they dined here, their regular table beside a far window waited for them. Knowing every person in the room, though, it took them a while to get to it, as they spoke to everyone they passed. While they chatted, Laura caught herself looking for the Montdulac's and spied Pete instead. He winked at her, then nodded at the table along the wall just past hers and David's.

  Tracie spotted her first. "Miss Laura!" the little girl cried. "Come eat with us!"

  Sandy put an admonishing hand on his daughter's shoulder, and Laura smiled to herself. That must be Sandy's sister on the other side of Tracie, since the young woman definitely resembled him. Laura glanced at David, who had halted abruptly, his gaze on the Montdulac table.

  "Can we say hello to them, David?" she asked. "That's the man Father offered the job as my trainer to."

  "Huh?" David gave a start. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

  Frowning, she took his arm. "I asked if we could say hello. It would be extremely rude of you not to welcome them to town, since you'll be seeing a lot of them if Sa . . . uh . . . Mr. Montdulac takes the job."

  "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, sure," David repeated, then swallowed hard.

  "Are you all right, David?" she questioned.

  "Of course. Come on. Let's go on over."

  Sandy rose at their approach, greeting Laura politely. As soon as she introduced David, Sandy presented his sister, Cristy, who studied them with interest while she nodded hello. Tracie fidgeted in her chair until her father smiled tolerantly and told David who she was.

  "Are you gonna eat with us, Miss Laura?" she asked. "We's got plenty of room at our table."

  Laura laughed at her enthusiasm, but shook her head. "No, but we have the table right next to yours, honey. That will be almost like eating with you."

  "All right," Tracie agreed, quickly firing another volley of questions at her. "Did your doggie bring you to town? Is his name Bl . . . Blancheur? I thought that's what I heard you call him when you told that man to get him off Daddy. What's Blancheur mean? Is it somethin' only Huskies get called? I never heard of a Malamute named that, but I've heard lots of them called Brutus or Lady or Prince."

  "Tracie," Sandy said in an exasperated voice. "Miss Goodman's here to have dinner, like us. You can ask her all this stuff another time."

  Tracie tilted her head at her father. "But you tol' Aunt Cristy we mights not be stayin', and . . . ."

  "It's all right, Mr. Montdulac," Laura said with a laugh. "No, honey, we came to town in a buggy. And yes, the dog's name is Blancheur. It's a French word meaning whiteness, and it probably wouldn't fit a Malamute. Most of them are black and white, although I've seen a few pretty gray ones."

  "The Eskimo doggies are white. They's different than Malamutes, you know."

  "I've heard of them," Laura said. "In fact, a few years back I was debating whether to buy them or the Huskies I ended up with."

  "They's strong," Tracie managed to say, then heeded her father's stern look. "Uh-oh. I's chattering again. Daddy says he don't believe what some people does — that childrens should be seen and not heard, but that I shouldn't dom . . . dominate the talk alls the time."

  "Well, I thoroughly enjoy talking with you, Tracie," Laura replied. "And if you're around long enough, maybe you and I can make a run with Blancheur one day."

  "I'm afraid," Sandy said in a controlled voice, "that I'd rather not have that dog around Tracie."

  "Whatever you say," Laura acquiesced. He was Tracie's father, after all. "Well, it was nice seeing you again. And meeting you, Miss Montdulac."

  Cristy glanced up with a hint of a smile, then busied herself straightening the collar of Tracie's dress. Laura turned away to their own table, then stood beside her chair for a long moment, waiting for David to pull it out for her as he had begun doing the past few months. Before their engagement, he always told her that she had two good arms of her own. When she finally glanced over her shoulder, she didn't see David, and just then he walked past her and took his own seat. Shaking her head in confusion, she pulled her own chair out and sat.

  Completely out of character for him, David picked up a menu, holding it in front of his face to study. They already knew every selection listed, and this was Lake Trout night. They always ordered that. Trying to puzzle out her fiancé’s strange actions, she realized he hadn't said one word to the Montdulacs, only nodding in polite acknowledgment of the introductions.

  Since they were sitting in close enough proximity to the family to be overheard if she discussed them with David, she searched her mind for another topic of conversation for right now. Her gaze wandered to the nearby window. The darkness outside made the window into a mirror, reflecting the room back at her. Her eyes caught on Sandy, his blond head bent over his plate, and at that moment he raised his head and stared right at her reflected image in the glass.

  Laura jerked her attention back to the table, but not before a tiny prickle ran up her spine — the same sort of prickle she'd experienced when she first saw Sandy a few minutes ago. The same sort as that afternoon, when he raced across the street toward her.

  Ridiculous! She picked up her own menu and studied it.

  "Why are you looking at the menu?" David asked. "We always have Lake Trout when it's the special."

  Laying down the menu, Laura stared at him in surprise. He'd placed his menu aside, and he lifted his eyebrows in inquiry.

  "Maybe I'll have something different," she snapped. "We don't always have to stay in a rut, do we?"

  "Laura, is something wrong?" he asked gently.

  Releasing a sigh, she placed a hand over his. "No. No, I'm sorry, David. Everything is fine. I just had an out-of-sorts second."

  David opened his mouth to say something, and she pinched the back of his hand between
her thumb and forefinger. "Don't you dare!" she whispered furiously. "If you make some comment like I know you've got in mind, David Hudson, I'll leave you sitting here to eat alone!"

  "Why, Laurie, honey," David whispered back with a chuckle. "I wouldn't think of saying anything about your periodic 'out-of-sorts' seconds — "

  "David!" Noticing the mischievous sparkle in his eyes, she pinched him again, a little harder, then broke into smothered laughter.

  "Sometimes I wish you didn't know me so well," she said at last. "The women in the books I read are always mysterious, and it takes the men the entire book to figure them out. You know everything about me from how much I weighed when I was born to how much I weigh now. And even husbands and wives don't talk about what you were getting ready to say about me!"

  "Mysterious might not be that bad," David mused. "But then, what would happen if we got to know one another and decided we really didn't like each other? There would go all our plans."

  Sternly controlling the urge to peruse the window beside them again, Laura agreed with him. Rosalyn, their usual energetic waitress, approached and set two glasses of water down, leaving her order pad in her apron pocket.

  "Be bringing your plates out in a few minutes," she told David, giving Laura a smile to include her.

  Laura bit her lip to keep from saying she'd decided to have something other than Lake Trout. What in the world was wrong with her this evening? She looked forward to the special at the restaurant all week. Sandy had Lake Trout in front of him, also, and she wondered if he enjoyed it as much as she did. Instantly she chastised herself for even noticing what the other man was eating. She was here with David.

  A while later, when she and David were halfway through their meal, Cristy led Tracie past their table. Both of them voiced a good night, and as they walked on, Sandy paused beside Laura.

  "I'd like to come out and look at your kennels in the morning," he said. "Would ten o'clock be a good time?"

  "Fine," she agreed, studying his hooded eyes and trying to determine if he had come to any decision yet. "Will Cristy and Tracie be accompanying you?"