Lorna Seilstad - [Lake Manawa Summers 03]

by The Ride of Her Life

  “But it was Mr. Nash, the park manager, who suggested I go, and I work here.”

  She dabbed her mouth with her napkin and folded it beside her plate. “Nick, you’re practically famous around here. Don’t you know people all over town are talking about you and your roller coaster?”

  He took out his wallet and placed several bills on the table. Then he stood and held out his hand to Lilly. “Well, this famous fellow wants to take his girl to the dance at the Kursaal.”

  One look into his determined eyes told her arguing would be useless.

  Within a few minutes, they’d walked the short distance to the brightly lit pavilion. Upstairs in the Kursaal, Nick swept her into his arms and onto the dance floor. Dance after dance, they whirled and laughed. So much time with one partner was scandalous, and a Midway cook dancing at one of the Kursaal’s balls would be the talk of the lake tomorrow. But for once in her life, Lilly didn’t care.

  Tomorrow she would.

  But not tonight.

  Bearing two lemon ices, Nick zigzagged through the crowd, searching for Lilly. Perhaps she wasn’t back from freshening up yet.

  “Nick?”

  He turned to find Ruby, resplendent in a beaded gold gown. “Good evening, Ruby.”

  “Where is your dance partner?” She licked her lips.

  He nodded toward the second lemon ice. “She said she wanted to freshen up while I got these.”

  “Hmmm. I don’t see her anywhere. Maybe you could put those down and dance with me. Once? For old times’ sake?”

  Her forwardness caught him off guard. “I—I don’t think so. I think I see Lilly. If you’ll excuse me.” After bowing slightly, he made a hasty departure.

  Lilly accepted the lemon ice. “Was that Ruby you were speaking to?”

  “Yes. She wanted to dance.” He frowned.

  “It would’ve been fine.” Lilly dipped her spoon into the cold mixture.

  “It might have been fine with you, but it wasn’t with me,” he snapped. “I’m sorry. Ruby unnerves me. All this bringing up the ‘old days.’ I don’t want to remember the old days. It took me years to forget them.”

  “I think she’s lonely.”

  “Then she can find some other man to ease her loneliness, or get a puppy.” He took her empty glass and set it along with his own on one of the waiters’ trays. “And now I’d like to dance one more time with the most beautiful woman at the ball.”

  “Marguerite already left.”

  He gave her a teasing grin. “Too bad. I guess I have to settle for you then.” He leaned close and pressed his lips to her ear. “And by the way, Marguerite is nothing compared to you.”

  The skin on her neck prickled beneath his warm breath. “Don’t let her hear that.”

  “No peeking.” Lilly glanced at Nick through the bush a quarter mile from the Kursaal. The darkness made maneuvering difficult.

  “I wouldn’t dare.” Nick chuckled.

  She rolled one silk stocking over her calf and tugged on the stocking’s toe. How had he convinced her to do this? She should be heading home to her son. “I can’t believe you talked me into wading with you.”

  “It was as hot as soup in there.” Nick rolled up his pant legs. “Besides, it’s a beautiful night. Look at those stars.”

  She glanced skyward. Stars winked against an ebony curtain. A full moon cast a silvery glow on the lake while a soft breeze blew the tendrils of hair framing her face. She brushed them away and took a deep breath. Everything smelled fresh and alive. Hiking up the hem of her dress, she eased from her spot behind the bush and stepped onto the sand. The surface was still warm from the day’s sun, but as she stepped, the cooler sand oozed between her toes. She dipped one foot into the water and winced. “It’s really chilly.”

  “It’ll feel good.” Nick joined her and took her elbow. “On three. One, two—”

  Before he got to three, he nudged her into the water. She sucked in a breath. “You can’t count, and this is cold.”

  “I thought you were a hardy Iowa girl.”

  “I am—in the summer, but this is late spring, and the water’s not had a chance to get warm yet.” She shivered. If she stood still any longer, she’d have frostbite.

  “Can’t you handle it?”

  She heard the dare in his voice. He flicked water from his fingers toward her.

  “What do you think?” She cupped a handful of water and splashed it in Nick’s face. “Did that cool you off?”

  He bent and scooped her into his arms. When he spoke, his voice was husky. “Nothing you do cools me off.”

  “Nick—”

  “But for splashing me, I should dunk you.”

  “No!” she squealed and held him tighter. “I can’t go back to Emily’s soaking wet again.”

  “You could tell her a rogue elephant got you.” He laughed and feigned tossing her in.

  She giggled. “That only works once in a lifetime. You should put me down. Nicely. Like the gentleman I know you are.”

  “Ah, but remember, I’m a pirate.”

  She couldn’t see his face clearly, but she could imagine his pirate grin.

  “Aargh, and what if I don’t want to?”

  “We all have to do things we don’t want to.”

  With a sigh, he lowered her feet onto the sand but kept his hands on her waist. He tugged her toward him. She placed her hands on his chest, so warm, so inviting. The cold lake water lapped at her feet. The bottom of her dress would be wet now, but it didn’t matter.

  Nick cupped her cheek. “I don’t want to tell you this.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “I have to leave sooner than I planned. Mr. Ingersoll needs me in Kansas City after the Fourth of July.”

  The breath whooshed from her lungs, and hot tears filled her eyes. “That only gives us a little less than a month.”

  He pressed his forehead to hers. “I know.”

  “A month.” Beneath her hand, his heartbeat quickened. The tears trailed down her cheeks in the darkness. “Maybe it would be easier to say goodbye now.”

  “No.” He thumbed away one of the tears. “No. This is not the end. I know you’re not ready to promise me a future. I understand that. But I’ve got a month to change your mind, and I plan to use every second. Starting now.”

  Before she could say another word, he covered her lips with his own in a kiss full of promise. The kiss deepened, and her heart and soul answered.

  Oh, Lord, how am I going to let him go?

  34

  Cradling her sleeping boy after he’d been awakened by a nightmare, Lilly brushed the hair from his forehead. She held his chubby hand, still soft with baby fat, and pressed a kiss to his fingertips.

  She held her whole world.

  Her heart snagged. Not anymore.

  Somehow Nick Perrin had broken down her walls and taken up residence. And every time she was with him, her whole life seemed to be on one of his roller coasters. He made her feel twists and turns and dips and rushes that no one ever had.

  Including Ben.

  She looked down at her sandy-haired son, so like his father. Her love for Ben had been a sweet, steady love. Her love for Nick was a thrill-a-minute love. Yet could she really count on him in the long haul? They hadn’t known each other but such a short time. How could she not believe that at the end of this month, he would go and she’d never hear from him again?

  Easing Levi back into his bed, she sighed. What if she’d made a mistake letting Nick into their lives?

  She drew the cover to Levi’s shoulders and kissed his cheek. Lord, keep my baby safe. Don’t let him suffer because of my choices. He’s all I have left.

  “Mr. Nick said he has a present for me.”

  With Levi’s hand clasped in her own, Lilly could almost feel his excitement like an electrical current.

  “Sweetheart, please don’t ask to ride the roller coaster again today.”

  “But, Mama—”

  “Levi.” Her voi
ce, stern, ended the discussion. All week she’d taken him to see Nick’s roller coaster in the afternoon, and without fail he asked to ride it every time. She had no doubt he pestered Nick some more when she wasn’t around.

  This morning Nick had asked her to bring her son over again, as he had made him something that might help with his roller coaster obsession.

  “Hurry, Mama.” Levi nearly dragged her down the paved walk to the coaster. When they reached the turnstile, Forest motioned them through, and Nick met them at the loading station.

  “And why are you here, Chipmunk?” Nick winked at Lilly.

  “My present!”

  “Oh, yes. I do recall something about a present.” He rubbed his square jaw. “Hmmm. Where do you think I put that?”

  Lilly giggled. “It looks like Nick has forgotten where it is. Maybe we should come back later.”

  “No!” Levi hopped up and down. “Please, Mr. Nick. Please ’member.”

  Nick lifted Levi and balanced him on his arm. “I think it may be in the engine shed. Let’s go see.”

  “Mama too?”

  “Posilutely.”

  Lilly rolled her eyes at her two boys, her heart warming. In the days since the ball, her doubts had eased some, but they’d never truly abated. She guessed it was simply her nature. Trusting didn’t come easy.

  As they approached, Percy came out of the engine shed. Nick’s brows drew together. “Is there a problem somewhere?”

  “No, sir. Sean asked me to check something for him.”

  Nick nodded. “Thanks.” After the young man departed, Nick tickled Levi’s belly. “Ready for your surprise?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  Nick held the door for Lilly. She entered, greeted by a strong odor. She pressed a handkerchief to her nose. “What’s that smell?”

  “Mostly motor oil and the hot engine. Some of it may be Sean’s scent lingering here after a hard day.”

  She laughed, and her gaze fell on something covered by a small tarp.

  Levi spotted it too. “Is that my present?”

  “Sure is, Chipmunk.” He set Levi down. “Now, you close your eyes while I take the tarp off.”

  With a whoosh, he yanked the covering away. Lilly gasped, then pressed her fist to her mouth and bit her knuckle.

  “Can I look?”

  “You sure can.”

  Levi squealed when he saw the replica of Lake Manawa’s Velvet Roller Coaster. “It’s my own roller coaster?”

  “It sure is, and you can give your bugs a ride anytime you want.” Nick slipped his arm around Lilly’s waist.

  “It’s amazing, Nick.” Lilly leaned in closer to get a better view. The tiny trestles, all mounted on one larger board, matched that of the large coaster perfectly, and even the cars had been painted with the same red paint with yellow curlicue designs. “You must have been working on this for weeks.”

  He grinned. “Some of the boys helped. Especially Sean.”

  “Can I take it back to the diner?” Levi let the first car go at the top of the lift hill and watched it follow the track, up and down, to the end.

  “You better. I can’t keep it here or Sean might sneak in and start playing with it—again.”

  Levi grabbed Nick’s legs, squeezing so hard Nick held on to Lilly’s shoulder to keep from toppling. “Easy there, Levi.”

  “This is the bestest present ever.”

  Lilly caught Nick’s gaze and smiled, hoping he could see the smile in her heart as well. Being people who believed toys were unnecessary, the Harts had refused to indulge their grandson’s fancies except for a few items like the wooden blocks. How many times had she watched her son eye the toys in the department store and wished she could purchase him one?

  She laid her hand on Nick’s arm. “Thank you hardly seems adequate.”

  He winked at her. “Then you can thank me personally—later.”

  Hauling the wooden roller coaster toy back to the diner took Nick less time than he expected. It wasn’t so heavy that Levi couldn’t move it around or Lilly couldn’t carry it inside, but it was a bit too much for her to carry the distance of the Midway.

  He set it down in the shade where Levi usually played and watched the boy immerse himself in a roller coaster play world. Although he’d hoped the toy would appease Levi’s desire to ride the real coaster, looking at the boy now, he guessed his plan had probably backfired.

  “He loves it.” Lilly sat down on the bench not far from the front door. “I bet he’ll be playing with it until dark.”

  “Nick!” a man’s voice shouted.

  Nick turned and spotted Mark running toward him.

  “I’ve been searching all over for you. Ruby fell off the vaudeville stage and got hurt. She’s asking for you.”

  “Hurt? How bad?” A strange mixture of concern and doubt tumbled inside him.

  “I don’t know.” Out of breath, Mark paused before he continued. “The doctor is on his way. I happened to be there dropping off some contracts.”

  Nick glanced at Lilly. What would she think if he went racing off to his former fiancée?

  Lilly tipped her head in the direction of the theater. “Go. She needs you. She doesn’t have anyone else here.”

  “Thank you for understanding.”

  She flashed him a cheeky grin. “You can thank me personally—later.”

  He squeezed her hand and took off with Mark. When they arrived at the theater, they were directed to Ruby’s dressing room. Mark knocked on the door, and the woman who’d had the trained poodles in the show opened the door. “Are you Nick?”

  He nodded. “And this is Mark Westing.”

  The woman opened the door. “I’ll let you two be alone with her.”

  Nick frowned and glanced at Mark, who merely shrugged. Stepping into the dressing room, he eyed Ruby lying on a fainting couch and did his own visual examination. Her right foot lay propped on two pillows, and a wet cloth had been draped across her forehead.

  Mark cleared his throat. “Remember those contracts? I need to take care of them. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Wait, Mark—” Nick hadn’t wanted to be alone with Ruby, but his words came out too late. At least Mark had left the door open.

  Ruby’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you for coming.”

  Compassion nudged him forward. “How badly are you hurt?”

  “I sprained my ankle, and I have an awful headache.”

  Pain etched her face, but he imagined she could act that part without even trying. “The doctor will have you fixed up in no time.”

  “I can’t walk. How will I get back to my hotel room?”

  “I’m sure something can be arranged.” But I’m not volunteering.

  She patted an empty spot on the fainting couch. “Why don’t you sit down? I don’t want to be alone.”

  He glanced around for another seat and decided his options were to sit next to her on the fainting couch or to sit on the pink ruffled stool at her dressing table. Then again, he didn’t need to sit at all. “Ruby, I’m glad it’s not more serious. I’d better be going.”

  “No, you can’t go yet. I’m scared. I don’t know if it’s—” She moaned and pressed a hand to her head.

  Nick sighed and chose the ruffled chair. If he were lucky, maybe the flimsy stool would break and he’d get a concussion.

  The doctor arrived, and Nick stepped out of the room. Where had Mark gone? Smart fellow probably saw his opportunity and took off. Nick could leave now too, but it seemed a little cowardly. Leaning against the doorjamb, he waited, counting the chipped paint spots on the pea-green walls.

  When he reached forty-three, the door opened. “You can come in now.”

  Nick stepped inside as the doctor began to put his stethoscope back into his bag. “She’ll be fine. Two days of bed rest for the ankle should take care of the headache too.” He placed his hand on Nick’s shoulder. “A little time and attention will do wonders.”

  Time and attention? Fr
om him? That was not going to happen.

  “Do you have a carriage?”

  Nick nodded. “But, Doctor—”

  “Good. I don’t think she should be riding on the streetcar.” The doctor glanced at Ruby. “My, your color is improving already. This young man appears to be just the medicine you needed.”

  Ruby smiled. “I think so too, Doctor.”

  He’d taken her to a hotel room?

  Lilly’s heart hammered at Mark’s news. He’d said Nick seemed quite concerned over the whole matter. Not only had he fetched his rented carriage, but he’d also carried Ruby to it, and then he’d whisked her off to her hotel room in the city to convalesce.

  “You’d be proud of him, Lilly. He was quite attentive. He’s probably there now, making sure she’s all tucked in for the day.” Mark took a swig of coffee. “Like you said, she doesn’t have anyone else around here. I’d have stayed and helped him get her settled, but he seemed to have it all in hand.”

  She gave him a halfhearted smile. “Nick’s very thoughtful.”

  “And who wouldn’t be to someone who looks like Ruby Rawlins?” He stopped. “Sorry, Lilly, that didn’t come out right.”

  “I understand. She is a beautiful lady.” She pushed the jealousy down. Nick had no choice but to take care of Ruby. “Speaking of ladies, I believe there’s a special lady in the kitchen who just pulled another batch of cinnamon rolls from the oven. They’re so popular, Eugenia can’t make enough of them. Would you like one? That is why you’re here, right?”

  “Why I’m here?”

  “To see Eugenia.”

  “Oh, yes.” Mark grinned. “Sure, I’d love a roll. Can she join me for a few minutes?”

  “I think that can be arranged.” With coffeepot in hand, Lilly slipped into the kitchen. “Eugenia, guess who’s here?”

  To her credit, Eugenia didn’t shriek or faint. In the last two weeks since Eugenia had dumped the pie on Mark, she’d made an amazing turnaround. Nora had helped her fashion her hair in a much more attractive manner, and Lilly had helped her go shopping for a couple of suitable work outfits in appropriate colors. “Does he want a cinnamon roll?”

  “Two, actually. One for you and one for him.”