His Winter Rose and Apple Blossom Bride

by Lois Richer

  “We are definitely going. I’ll just get us a couple of drinks and some snacks,” Michael told her.

  “Don’t bother. I have some stuff in my backpack.” His surprised look made Ashley chuckle. “Seems only fair. You provide the wheels. I take care of the munchies.”

  “I’m good with that.” He grabbed his jacket and a couple of thick wool blankets from a closet.

  “What are those for?” she asked, following him outside and watching as he tucked them into the box on the back of his quad.

  “You’re not the only one who can surprise.”

  “Oh?” Ashley swallowed. He couldn’t know that she wasn’t big on surprises. “It might be better to prepare me.”

  He shook his head. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  She could hardly stamp her foot and demand to know. Besides, Michael was clearly delighted with his little secret. A crooked smile tugged at his lips and his eyes glinted with mischief.

  Ashley shoved back the apprehension. Michael was one of the nice guys. He didn’t pretend to be what he wasn’t. His confidence in himself extended to his relationships with other people. He gave and expected honesty. Pretty soon he was going to press her for details and she’d have to explain or push him away.

  But just as she hadn’t told him the whole truth about her fears, Ashley was beginning to realize there was something he hadn’t shared, either. He’d taken the plans for the sets and she knew the kids had begun to work on them, but Michael didn’t spend weekends at it, as she’d expected.

  Not even when Tati had gone with his mother last weekend to see a puppeteer.

  So what had he been doing?

  “Ashley?”

  “Yes?” She blinked, realized he’d been speaking to her.

  “I asked if you’d ridden one of these before.”

  She glanced at the machine, shook her head.

  “It’s really quite easy.” He demonstrated how the controls worked, then moved so she could take his place. “Go ahead, try a practice run. Just don’t accelerate too fast.”

  Michael took Tati’s hand, waiting with her on the side of the yard while Ashley practiced using the levers to start and stop around the yard. She’d assumed turning would be difficult but was able to manipulate the vehicle in sharp angles with little trouble. A silly sense of achievement rushed through her as she pulled to a stop in front of him.

  “I did it!”

  Michael grinned. “I’m guessing you’re ready to go, then?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want to ride with Ashley,” Tati squealed, trying to squeeze in behind. Her father grasped her by the waist and set her on the ground.

  “No, honey. We’ll give Ashley a chance to get used to riding before we put a wiggling bundle of energy behind her. You ride with me. We’ll talk about changing later.”

  For one rebellious moment her chubby face squinched up tightly and she opened her mouth to argue.

  “Or I could ask Wanda’s mom if you can stay with them while Ashley and I go by ourselves,” he added.

  Knowing how Tatiana and Wanda competed, Ashley suspected the little girl had been bragging to her friend about the planned outing. Sure enough, Tati climbed onto her father’s four-wheeler without another word. Michael winked at Ashley.

  “Ready to go?”

  “You’re sure we have lots of gas?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Ashley, Ashley. When will you learn to trust me? There’s a spare can on the back of your bike, just in case. Satisfied?”

  Feeling chastened, she nodded.

  “Try to keep up. You don’t have to be right on my tail, but don’t get too far behind, either. I’ll try to keep an even pace, but sometimes there are rocks or branches I can’t go over. Keep your eyes peeled in case I have to stop quickly. Also, watch for branches. They could snap back and catch you.”

  “Got it.”

  They set off following a winding path out of the yard, moving at a steady clip. After several miles Ashley pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. There was no need for them here in the forest where the sun barely skimmed the forest floor, thanks to massive pine and spruce boughs overhead. She inhaled the fresh scent, ordered her brain to relax.

  After they’d crossed a particularly rough part, Michael pulled into a glade near a bubbling stream. Ashley drove in beside him, realizing as she climbed off that her legs were a bit stiff from pressing against the center of the seat. “I thought we’d take a break,” he explained as he lifted Tati off.

  “I want a drink, Daddy.”

  From her backpack, Ashley removed two thermoses of hot chocolate, a container of cookies and several disposable cups which she set on a huge stone by the water. As a table it worked perfectly. Better yet, it sat in the middle of a warm pool of sunshine.

  “Here, Tati,” she said as she poured a cup half full. She waited until the little girl was seated on the boulder then handed her the cup. Pulling napkins out of her bag, she laid one on the stone and set the cookies on top.

  “Thank you.” Tati munched away happily. “It’s just like a picnic.”

  “Yes, it is.” Michael accepted his cup and cookies, sat down beside her. “Hot chocolate was a great idea. It’s cooler than I realized out here.”

  “I thought maybe we’d see some animals,” Ashley admitted after sipping her own drink. “But I suppose the sound of the motors scares them away.”

  “We might see something yet.” He had that twinkle in his eye again.

  “I didn’t spill anything,” Tati said happily. She held out her cup. “May I please have some more?”

  “Sure.” Ashley refilled the cup half full. “But spills don’t really matter out here, honey.” It wasn’t the first time she’d wondered about Tati’s fretting over accidents. Now that she knew some of her history, she suspected that living in hotel rooms and moving among ballet costumes would have offered an open invitation to accidents for such an active little girl.

  “Spills don’t matter anywhere,” her father championed. “We just clean ’em up and move on. Can you hear that blue jay calling?”

  Tati listened, nodded, her brown eyes bright. “And a robin, Daddy. How come they haven’t flown away yet?”

  “They will pretty soon. It’s getting cold at night and robins don’t hang around for snow.”

  “Do they go to Hawaii, like Ashley did?”

  Michael laughed. “Not that far.”

  “Oh.”

  Silence fell, save for the twittering of birds high above them and the forest sounds that Ashley couldn’t identify. Noticing that Michael had closed his eyes and lain back against the warm stone, she took the opportunity to scour the area for a sign that someone or something had followed them. She saw nothing.

  Ashley leaned against a tree and allowed herself to relax just the tiniest bit. With Michael nearby she was safe.

  “Mommy didn’t like snow, either. She said it’s messy. Is there snow in heaven, Daddy?”

  The yearning underlying that query touched Ashley’s heart so she knew it had to hit Michael hard. To his credit he didn’t show anything but love as he lifted Tati off the stone and cradled her in his arms.

  “I don’t know, sweetheart. But I’m positive Mommy’s not cold. Heaven’s a beautiful place and God wouldn’t let your mommy get too cold or too hot.”

  “Just right. Like the little bear’s porridge, right, Daddy?”

  “Exactly right!” He tickled her until she was wiggling with delight, her squeals echoing around them. “Now finish up that cookie because we’ve got to show Ashley the secret, but don’t tell!”

  Tatiana shook her head, her eyes huge. She stuffed the rest of the cookie into her mouth as if to keep herself from talking, then held up her hands, palms outward.

  “Sticky,” was the only part Ashley understood.

  “Fortunately for you, Miss Tati, we have the means to fix that.” Michael carried her to the stream, held her so she could dip her hands into the water. She dried
them against his pants, leaving brown streaks from the chocolate chips.

  “Sorry. I should have rethought the cookie choice,” Ashley murmured as he helped her gather their things.

  “Why? It’s a trip into the woods.” He glanced down, shrugged. “I can wash my jeans later.”

  Five minutes later they were back on the trail, penetrating deeper into the forest. The gloom, the shadowy undergrowth, the flick of branches against her legs—all of these things contributed to Ashley’s unease. She struggled to concentrate on her driving. Michael was there, she reminded herself over and over. He could be counted on if needed.

  Finally they stopped at the edge of a clearing. Michael climbed off his bike, motioned with one finger across his lips for them to be quiet. He took Tati’s hand. Ashley followed as he led them to the base of a tree and pulled on something. A rope ladder cascaded down.

  He helped Tati up the first rung, waited till she’d climbed all the way, then motioned for Ashley to go next.

  They were standing beneath some kind of a platform. Obviously they were going to sit up there. But why? She frowned at him.

  “You wanted to see wild animals. If we’re very quiet we may see a bear or two today. A friend of mine told me about a big brown mother that’s been bringing her cubs here to eat the berries.” His words brushed against her ear so softly she doubted Tati heard a thing. “Wait. I’ll get your backpack. We can’t leave any food down here.”

  He retrieved the pack and the blankets, passed them up, then swiftly followed Ashley up the ladder. Tati, who’d obviously been there before and knew the rules, stood quietly as she waited for him to prepare their seats. Then she snuggled into her father’s lap.

  It wasn’t just a platform. It was a sort of box with a wide window that offered a perfect view of the clearing. The roof extended to give protection from the elements, the plywood sides kept out the wind. They could sit up here and observe without being observed.

  “Look!”

  Ashley followed his pointing finger, saw a big brown bear ambling out of the woods beyond. Twigs and branches snapped under her massive paws but she paid them no mind. Her attention was on a bush loaded with dark purple berries.

  “Babies!” Tati’s gasp burst out as two chubby cubs twice her size followed their mother.

  Mama Bear paused a moment, glanced around as if to check on their safety, then went back to eating the berries, joined seconds later by her greedy children.

  The animals were fascinating to Ashley who’d never experienced them in a setting like this, perched up high with no fear for her safety. It wasn’t until the cubs moved away and began tumbling on the ground that she noticed a gray shadow lurking behind the trees.

  Without thinking she grabbed Michael’s arm, pointed.

  “Yes, I’ve been watching him,” he murmured. “He’s checking out the cubs. He’s downwind, so that Mama can’t smell him yet.”

  The cougar remained crouched, frozen in position. Ashley’s nerves stretched tautly as she waited for something to happen. A memory flickered, her father’s quiet voice. She was only eight, no contest for a hungry cougar.

  A child had been attacked on the outskirts of Serenity Bay one year, causing an uproar in town. Search parties had combed the hills trying to find the cat and put it down before it claimed another victim. But Ashley couldn’t recall whether or not the cougar had been found.

  Suddenly the cat moved—just slightly, but it was enough to alert the cubs’ mother. She swung around, tilted back on her hind legs and let out a yowl of anger. Her giant paws, claws extended, swiped through the air as the cubs darted behind her.

  Tatiana’s eyes grew huge as she watched the drama before them. For her sake Ashley hoped the cat would leave.

  It didn’t. Not immediately. But after prowling the edge of the glade, the cougar finally slunk away. Shortly after that the bears left, too.

  Silence fell.

  “Not a bad afternoon’s entertainment,” Mick murmured in her ear some time later. “You can let go now, if you want. Or do you need a hug?” His eyes twinkled with teasing.

  Ashley blushed, realizing that had she gripped his arm at some point during the melée and was still clinging to him as if he were her life preserver.

  “Sorry.” She released him and moved back.

  “Don’t be. About the hug—”

  She shook her head, reprimanding him visually. “I’m fine, Michael. But thank you for offering.”

  “Not a problem.”

  His gaze held hers, transmitting an unspoken message that only emphasized the zap of connection she always felt humming between them. The knowledge that he’d read her so easily brought back her blush.

  Tati scrambled upright. “Are we going home now, Daddy?”

  “I think it’s time. It will be dark in a couple of hours.” He gathered up his blankets and Ashley’s backpack, climbed down the ladder then waited for them to follow.

  Once they were all on the ground, he returned the ladder to its hidden position and walked beside Ashley to the quads with Tati skipping ahead.

  “Amazing, isn’t it? God’s creatures cohabiting with one another, working out the parameters of their relationships. It always makes me wonder why we humans, who are supposed to be the brains on this earth, can’t find a better way to live together.”

  “Maybe it’s because we don’t all go by the same rules,” she murmured as she scanned their surroundings. Shadows, movements, branches swaying—she felt as if a thousand hidden eyes were watching.

  “Ashley?” His hand on her arm made her jump.

  “Sorry.” She faked a smile. “Guess I’m a little nervous.”

  “There’s no need to be. We’re perfectly safe. The cougar is gone. I doubt he’d attack a group of three anyway.”

  “There were three bears,” she pointed out.

  “Yes, but he didn’t attack and even if he had, he would have waited till he’d isolated one of the cubs from its mother, not taken on all three.”

  She frowned as he stored his blankets in the box of his four-wheeler. “You sound very knowledgeable.”

  “My father liked to hunt. He taught me to shoot, but after a while he tired of the killing and preferred to take pictures. He’d take me with him to spend a day snapping shots of animals that he sold for postcards. I learned a lot about animal habits, reactions and interactions from those trips with him.”

  “I would have been terrified to be there with only a camera for defense.”

  “Animals sense fear, Ashley. If you ever come face-to-face with a bear, don’t turn your back or run.”

  “If my legs would work that’d be my first instinct.”

  “No.” He grasped her shoulders. “You stand your ground, face them and yell at them to go away. If challenged, most of the time an animal will back down unless it’s hurt or starving. But if you turn away or run they know you’re afraid and they’ll attack because they sense a weakness.”

  “Sounds like some people I’ve met,” she muttered darkly, easing out of his grasp.

  “In a way, I think it is a reflection of life. You can’t get anywhere if you’re afraid to take a risk.” Michael’s attention seemed focused on some distant feature. “My dad taught me a lot about life during those hours together. Remembering is what helped me after he died.”

  “I know what you mean. I have some good memories of when my father taught me to swim. No way he was going to live beside a lake with a kid who couldn’t keep herself afloat for at least a little while.” Ashley smiled, but couldn’t shake the sense that someone, or something, was watching them.

  Michael touched her arm, waited till her gaze met his. “What is it?”

  “I’m not sure I can explain it.”

  He nodded. “You need to figure out what’s causing this fear and try to get past it.”

  “You don’t think I’ve tried?” She gave him a half smile that was less than heartfelt. “Don’t fuss about me, Michael. It’s just a silly case of ner
ves, probably a result of living in the noisy city. I’ll get over it. Or I’ll leave here and return to my habitat and it won’t matter.”

  She could tell he didn’t buy it, but he said no more except to call Tati from her exploration of the denuded berry bushes. The ride home seemed shorter to Ashley. With every mile she lost a little of her jitteriness and relaxed.

  By the time they reached his house, Tatiana was noticeably weary. Michael had left meat stewing in a slow cooker and he insisted Ashley share it. Tati fell asleep at the table, her head drooping onto the side of her plate. A pang of sadness echoed inside Ashley at the soft little whisper of “Mommy” when Michael picked her up.

  “I’ll just be a minute tucking her in,” he said. “Don’t rush away.”

  Ashley cleared the table, put the dishes in the dishwasher and stored the remaining food, noting that none of them had seemed very hungry even though they’d been out in the fresh air all day.

  After setting the kettle to boil, she wandered into the living room to peer at the row of snapshots he’d lined up on a coffee table. They were all unposed shots of Tati. Mick had caught her happy little smile as she carved a pumpkin, the way the tip of her tongue stuck out when she concentrated on skating, her saucy stance, hands clamped on her hips as she glared at another little girl who looked equally determined. Ashley guessed that was Wanda.

  “What do you think?”

  “I think that if you want to give up teaching you could probably make a good living doing portraits of kids. These are perfect.”

  “Easy subject,” he said, moving to stand beside her.

  “Yes, she is.” She turned, but his hand on her arm stopped her. “I should get home.” She glanced at him, meeting his stare.

  “Ashley, you know there’s something there between us. Every time I talk to you, every time I get within a hundred feet of you, it’s as if I can feel you pulling me toward you. And we both know it’s more than friendship.” He reached up, drew a strand of hair from her eyes. His voice dropped to a husky drawl.

  “When I’m supposed to be teaching, I’m thinking about you. When I’m reading Tati a story about one of her fairy princesses, I think of you, how your cheek curves, how your hair looks with the light sparkling on it.” He leaned closer, touched her lips with his thumb. “You have to feel it, too.”