The Daughter Dilemma

by Ann Evans

  Tessa snorted. “I don’t think that marriage is going to last very long.”

  How cynical the girl sounded. Kari shrugged. “Who knows? At least they have something in common. It might last forever.”

  “What marriage lasts forever these days?”

  “Look at your grandparents.”

  “I mean, a modern marriage. Forever is just too long to promise anyone.” Tessa rose and popped the video out of the machine. When she turned back, her mouth was tight and sullen. “My dad and mom sure didn’t last forever,” she said. “And they probably promised each other all kinds of goofy love stuff.”

  Touched by the sudden, stony grief in the teenager’s eyes, Kari came off the bed. “Tessa,” she said softly. “I know divorce is hard to accept. But sometimes a clean break is the best solution for everyone. Sometimes it’s the only way two people can save themselves. And their children.”

  “Did your parents get a divorce?”

  “No. But there were times when I wish they had. When they were together, they were very unhappy, and it made me unhappy, too, to see them that way. I loved them both, and I know that they loved me. Just as both your parents love you.”

  “I guess they love me,” Tessa said a bit hesitantly. “But you know, sometimes I’m not even really sure about that.”

  Before Kari could make a comment to that dismal statement, the girl had swung away in search of fresh towels.

  NICK HAD JUST COME OUT of the Broken Yoke hardware store when he spotted the company van parked across the street in front of the fabric shop. He supposed that his mother had come into town.

  She’d mentioned at breakfast that she wanted to dress up the gazebo overlooking the lake. She had it in her head that bare wood didn’t make much of a backdrop for a wedding ceremony, and she’d decided to add blue netting and satin bows to the flowers they’d already ordered. Nick had listened with half an ear to her and Addy debating how much and what design might serve best. He knew only one thing—when it came time to hang the stuff, he’d get elected.

  He crossed the street, intending to see if she needed any help carting anything to the van, but first he wanted to stop at the National Park office two doors down to check on the brochure rack, to make sure they had enough Lightning River Lodge flyers to get through the fall season. He hit the front door and discovered that the place was unexpectedly empty except for one woman at the information desk grilling Don, the youngest of two park rangers who manned the office. He recognized her right away, and had to resist the temptation to back out of the room unobserved.

  Kari Churchill stood in front of the young man, shaking her head at him. “I don’t understand how you can not have a computer in this day and age,” she said, sounding incredulous.

  “Ma’am,” Don replied patiently, though his frown and crossed arms indicated he was hanging on to that patience by a thread. “I didn’t say we didn’t have a computer. We just don’t use up valuable disk space by keeping old records on file.”

  “But you have the records from two years ago.”

  “Yes, ma’am. In log books.”

  “Then can I see them?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  Kari sighed heavily. “Why not?”

  “Because even if we had the particular log book you’re looking for, anything older than a year gets sent down to Denver for warehousing.” Don threw out one arm to encompass the small room with its single counter. “You can see we don’t have much space in this office. We’re supposed to get a bigger one down by the interstate soon, but—”

  Kari held up one hand. “I’m sure it’s difficult,” she agreed, and Nick remembered that note of weary tolerance in her voice that told him she wished she could stop being pleasant and just make mincemeat out of this guy. She’d used it on Nick that first day in Angel Air’s office. “A few days ago I registered for a camping trip into Elk Creek Canyon and spoke to an older man who assured me he knew who was working as a tour guide this time two years ago. I didn’t have time to spare right then, but he told me when I came back we could talk.”

  “That would be Louis, my supervisor.”

  “Yes, Louis!” Kari said with a new, enthusiastic tone. “He told me he knows a lot of the guides who take hikers into the park, and could probably pinpoint which one took my father.”

  So that’s what this third degree was about, Nick thought. Addy had told him about Kari’s determination to find out more about her famous father’s last trip.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Don agreed. “Louis has been working this desk forever.”

  “Then may I speak to him?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Why not?”

  “’Cause he’s not here.”

  “When will he be back?”

  “Don’t know exactly.”

  Nick barely suppressed a laugh as Kari straightened with a huge sigh and ran her hands through her hair, then clasped them at the back of her neck. She was struggling for composure, but he could have told her she was wasting her time. Don was probably the dimmest bulb the park service had ever given a uniform to.

  “How can you not know when your co-worker will be back?” Kari asked, and Nick had to give her credit for perseverance.

  When he saw the mulish tilt to Don’s chin forming, Nick found himself speaking up. “Because Louis is up in Washington State.”

  Don looked over Kari’s head with a grin that said he was glad to see reinforcements arrive. “Hi, Mr. D’Angelo.”

  Kari swung a glance over her shoulder, frowning briefly. She didn’t look happy to see him. As he came up to join her at the counter, she said, “Why is this Louis fellow up in Washington State instead of here?”

  “Don’t you read the papers?” Nick asked.

  “I’ve been sort of busy lately.”

  “Big forest fire up in Mt. Rainer National Park. Louis is an containment expert, and any time there’s a bad one, they call on him to help out.” He smiled at the younger park service agent. “Isn’t that right, Don?”

  “Yes, sir. How you doing?”

  “Just fine. How are you managing all by yourself?”

  “Well…” Don flicked a glance toward Kari. “I was doing fine. Until recently.”

  Kari turned her attention back to Don. “Is there anyone else I might speak to?” she asked a little desperately.

  Don shook his head. “No one I know. Like I said, I wasn’t here two years ago.”

  Nick touched her lightly on the arm. “Could I speak with you privately a moment?”

  She nodded, tight-lipped with frustration. Her eyes blazed with green fire. He had to give her credit, she was one tough lady. He’d read somewhere that Madison Churchill had been an ornery SOB who never let the impossible stand in his way, and he had a feeling his daughter was cut from the same cloth. If her presence at the lodge didn’t annoy him so much, Nick might have admired that trait.

  He pulled her outside, into the crisp autumn air and onto the sun-drenched sidewalk. She squinted up at him, waiting, one hand shading her eyes.

  “Whatever you’re trying to accomplish in there,” Nick said, “I’d say it’s not working.”

  “I’m not trying to get state secrets. All I want is some idea of who might have taken my father out to Elk Creek. Since it’s off the beaten track, he wouldn’t have hiked in by himself. But this guy—” She inclined her head toward the open doorway and Don, who had gone back to playing a hand-held video game. “He’s as uncooperative as—”

  She broke off and actually bit her lip. He had the faint suspicion that she was going to say that Don was as uncooperative as he was, but then thought better of it. Maybe he should have been irritated by that, but strangely, he wasn’t.

  He tilted his head at her. “You know, for a woman who’s supposed to make her living getting people to open up and talk, you’re surprisingly confrontational.”

  “I’m not confrontational,” she objected. “I’m—” She broke off and folded her arms across her chest,
giving him a sour look. “All right. Sometimes I’m confrontational. Is that the point you wanted to make?”

  “No. I was going to say that there might be something I can do to help.”

  She unfolded her arms and looked immediately hopeful. “What?”

  “I know a guy in town who runs an independent tour operation, and there’s a good chance he’d know who hiked your father into Elk Creek Canyon.”

  “Will you take me to him?”

  “Can’t. Walt spends every September with some big-shot who hires him to traipse him through the Rocky Mountain National Park. He probably won’t be back until next week.”

  “I’ll be gone by then,” Kari said, clearly distressed.

  He rubbed his jaw, thinking. “I can get in touch with Walt’s wife. Find out when he’s coming home and ask him to meet with you if he gets back before you leave. That’s the best I can do.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why would you do that for me?”

  He grinned at her. “Because if you continue to badger Don, he may forget himself and deck you. Technically you’re on my payroll, and I don’t need any more hospital bills to cover right now.”

  “You don’t have to pay health benefits to part-time employees.” She returned his smile. In the bright sunlight, it was something to see, so warm and charming that Nick thought a guy might be willing to do anything for its sake if he wasn’t careful. He was fortunate he was so immune to it. “Thank you,” she said. “Anything you can do, I’d appreciate. This is very important to me.”

  “So I gather.”

  She frowned suddenly and looked at her watch. “I have to go. I told your mother I’d only be a few minutes, and she’ll need me. She’s buying enough satin ribbon and bolts of blue netting to wrap up the entire lodge.”

  “Do you need help?”

  “I can manage,” she said with a shake of her head. “It beats the heck out of making beds and doing dishes.”

  She moved away, and he watched her go. In another moment or two, she disappeared into the fabric store.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE NEXT DAY, with the lodge expected to be very full, Sofia asked if Kari would mind moving to a nonpaying room. Kari agreed readily and packed her belongings. After school Tessa came to help her make the switch to a room in the family quarters that lay beyond the kitchen. The girl had volunteered, much to Kari’s surprise.

  They trudged downstairs, Tessa leading the way while Kari followed with her backpack strapped to her like a pack mule. The girl’s dark hair bounced against her back as she made her way down the staircase. Kari watched her duffel bag bang against Tessa’s thin leg and was thankful she hadn’t packed anything breakable.

  Halfway down, Tessa indicated the tote she held and looked back at Kari guiltily. “I hope there’s nothing valuable in here.”

  “Well, if there was, it’s trash now.”

  The girl laughed. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “You are?”

  “Yeah. It means I don’t have to pitch in all the time and make like a slave.”

  “I can certainly tell you’re your father’s daughter,” Kari said. Same delightful way with a compliment.

  They’d reached the bottom of the stairs. Tessa paused to reposition the tote on her shoulder and blew a few strands of silky hair out of her eyes as she gave Kari a sideways glance. “What’s with you and Dad?”

  “Nothing.” Kari said it casually, but she felt such an uncomfortable jolt in her nerve endings that she found herself adding, “Do you mean, why doesn’t he seem to like me? I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I’m partially responsible for what happened to his helicopter.”

  “Yeah, that would freak him out,” the girl said. “Dad likes his helicopters almost more than people. They don’t talk back or give him grief. Unlike some of us.”

  Tessa started through the lobby, waving off help from George at the front desk, while Kari stood for a moment to absorb Tessa’s observation.

  What’s that supposed to mean? Was she referring to herself? Or Kari?

  She decided to let the comment go. Teenagers enjoyed being mysterious and talking in riddles. And really, in spite of his willingness yesterday to help her find out more about her father’s trip, what further confirmation did Kari need that Nick found her presence here objectionable?

  They wove past a couple heading out for a hike around the lake, through the kitchen, into the private quarters the family used. Within the larger structure of the lodge, it was like a small house, with a living room, dining room and a long corridor that presumably opened into bedrooms. Tessa led her down the hallway and opened one of the doors, then stepped back so Kari could enter.

  Kari almost faltered. This was no unused guest bedroom. This was D’Angelo family territory. Male territory.

  “Whose room is this?” Kari asked.

  “It used to belong to Uncle Matt and Dad when they were kids. It doesn’t get used much anymore, although I hear Uncle Matt’s coming home for Christmas and might bring his new girlfriend. I can’t wait to see if they’ll get to sleep in the same room. But I guess you’ll be long gone by then, huh?”

  “Yes,” Kari remarked absently. “Long gone.”

  She looked around, noting that the bedroom had been evenly divided for both boys. There were twin beds with matching quilts in bold, woodsy colors, and identical dressers and student desks. Even the bookcases were the same.

  One side of the room was devoted to completed science projects, posters of supermodels, comic books and more than an inordinate amount of trophies and plaques, awards for everything from track to cross-country skiing. Clearly, Uncle Matt had been an overachiever.

  She wandered over to Nick’s side of the room. It was easy to see he’d been enthralled with flying from an early age. The dresser was littered with model airplanes and helicopters. The bookcase held a set of encyclopedias and more books about flying than Kari had ever seen in one place. There were a few trophies, some blue ribbons tacked to the bulletin board, and a boxy stereo that looked like an antique compared to the sleek technology of today’s sound systems.

  There was also a handful of photographs. Kari picked one up. “Who are these people?”

  It was an interesting tableau—a lineup of kids and teenagers in ski wear, obviously standing at the base of a slope. They looked happy and relaxed, smiling for the camera in spite of sunburned noses and the bright bounce of light reflecting off the snow.

  Tessa looked over Kari’s shoulder, then pointed at the first person on the left. “That’s Uncle Matt with one of his girlfriends. Nonna Rosa says he was a big deal with the girls. That’s Aunt Addy. Doesn’t her hair look dorky that way? And Uncle Rafe. I’ve never met him. He ran away from home a long time ago.”

  That surprised Kari a little. The D’Angelos seemed so close, and in spite of their talkative ways, no mention had been made of a wayward son. “How awful.”

  “I think it’s kinda cool. Scary, but just think, nobody telling you what to do anymore. Aunt Addy hears from him sometimes, so it’s not like he’s dead or anything.”

  “Still, it must be very hard on your grandparents.”

  Tessa shrugged. “They don’t talk about Uncle Rafe much. I heard Dad tell Aunt Addy one day that it’s just as well. He said Uncle Rafe is a hell-raising, total ass.” She looked suddenly cautious. “Don’t tell Dad I said that.”

  “Our little secret,” Kari promised with a smile.

  Tessa cocked her head, giving Kari a thoughtful look. “I don’t know why Dad’s so psycho about you. It’s not like you killed anyone or anything. I think you’re okay.”

  “Such high praise,” Kari said with a rueful laugh.

  The girl missed the sarcasm and turned her attention back to the photo, pointing toward a strapping teenager with a broad smile. “That’s Dad. A real stud, huh?”

  Kari nodded. That was certainly true, but what surprised her more was the delighted look on his face. Who would have gu
essed that the rude, rough tyrant she’d locked horns with had once been such an easygoing charmer? Maybe it had something to do with the brunette he had his arm around. A girl who managed to look willowy and gorgeous in spite of the bulky ski bib she wore.

  “Who’s she?” Kari asked.

  “My mother. Dad met her in high school. I don’t think I look like her, do you?”

  “Maybe a resemblance around the eyes.” Kari touched Nick’s face in the picture. “But you and your father have the same mouth and nose.”

  Tessa frowned and looked closer at the photograph. “You think so? Dad says I look a lot like my mother. But he doesn’t say it like that’s a good thing.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true. What father wouldn’t want his daughter to take after someone so beautiful?”

  “Dad doesn’t. He doesn’t talk about Mom. And he wants me to stay a kid forever. Do whatever he says, too.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard for fathers to accept that their little girls grow up.”

  “He’ll have to one day,” she said, obviously once more enjoying the mysterious teenager role. “And maybe sooner than he thinks.” She was silent a moment. When she looked up at Kari again, her forehead was crisscrossed with annoyance. “Dad is so completely unfair sometimes. He was my age when he met Mom and started dating her. But I have to wait until I turn fifteen before I can go out alone with boys. It makes me totally uncool with all my friends.”

  “When do you turn fifteen?”

  “Next April. That’s…like forever from now.”

  Kari did her best to hide a smile, remembering how long a few months had seemed when she’d been a teenager. But she knew better than to give Tessa any ammunition to use against her father. She set the photograph back on the bookcase.

  She couldn’t resist one more question. No one, not even the talkative Addy, had told her much about Nick’s ex-wife. “Do you see your mother often?”

  Tessa shook her head, and her clean-cut little mouth formed her words with distaste. “She gave Dad full custody five years ago after she ran off with another man. Maybe she just got tired of waiting for me to grow up and stop being such a royal pain in the butt.”