Finding Elizabeth

by Louise Forster

  “He wanted to, but I persuaded him to stay home. No point both of us freezing our …” he stopped.

  “Your arses off?” Katherine asked.

  “Yeah—that and other bits. Andrew can’t afford to freeze at his age. Are your parents in town? Perhaps I could ask them a few questions. You know, where to look.”

  “Dad passed away nearly a year ago, car accident, a truck skidded … he died in hospital.” Katherine fought hard to control her emotions. It didn’t help that the anniversary of his death was only days away. “A friend took Mum to Spain for a rest in the sun, hoping it would help heal her injuries and in some part help Mum get her life back together.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Jack said in earnest. “Is your mother okay?”

  “Mum’s much better. And I’m getting better at saying Dad’s gone.” Katherine took a deep breath. “It’s strange how, when I’m by myself or with a close friend, I can enjoy talking about Dad, his jokes and his idiosyncratic ways. I can look at his photo and talk to him, but as soon as I start telling a stranger, I fall to pieces. See that glass of cold water? You have my permission to throw it at me if I start blubbering. Dad would hate all this sadness.”

  “I know what you mean. My Mum wouldn’t like it either. Any plans for the future?”

  “Of course. When I injured myself, I didn’t just lie around and stare at the walls; I studied. I’m a qualified physiotherapist and exercise planner. I’m a volunteer at Spruce Valley Lodge, and after Christmas I’ll start my own practice.” She concentrated on her pancake, piling on the cream and taking a bite. A blob of cream stuck to the tip of her nose. She was just about to reach for her napkin when …

  Jack reached toward her. “You’ve got cream …”

  “I know, thanks.” Katherine cleaned her nose with a serviette, drained her coffee and said, “I’d better get going. It’s been interesting, Mr Riley. Good luck with your search.”

  Jack jumped to his feet. “I’ve got things to do as well,” he said, and moved to the counter to settle the bill.

  “Hold on, I’m paying my share.”

  “Nuh uh.” Jack put a hundred dollars down on the counter. “Julie, don’t listen to Katherine. Keep the change.” He leaned forward. “There is change—yeah?”

  “Oh yes.” Julie nodded.

  “Julie!” Katherine protested. They both looked at her, with rounded innocent eyes. “Oh, I give up.” Katherine moved to where their coats hung. Jack followed close behind, reached for her jacket and held it out for her. She slipped it on and zipped it up, then tucked her hair into her hat. “Wouldn’t want it to snap off,” she muttered.

  Jack laughed, shrugged into his coat, pulled the colourful hat on, slung his snowshoes over his shoulder and picked up her skates.

  Outside, Katherine held out her hand. “Nice to have met you, Jack.”

  With grey-blue eyes meeting hers, and a gentle smile that made her wonder how many women he’d ever given that smile to, Jack slowly took her gloved hand in his. She tried to ease out of his grip, but he merely placed his other hand over hers, holding it firmly but gently.

  Where’s Gerard—Gerard who?

  “Listen, you may think I’m being forward,” he shrugged, “but nothing ventured … Earlier this morning, Ted mentioned there’s a Christmas get-together dance in the community hall,” Jack said huskily. “May I take you there? I promise to behave like an adult,” he said, smiling again.

  Time stood still. A car backfired and Katherine flinched. Damn noises interfering with her moment. Jack remained transfixed.

  Boy, he’s good at this seduction stuff. Way-back-when stirrings were happening to her body. A local woman walked passed, greeting her with a cheery, “Hi, Katy.” Katherine pulled herself together. Don’t involve yourself with him, he’s only going to leave. Put an end to it right here, right now.

  “What did you say?” Katherine asked.

  Jack cleared his throat. “The Christmas dance?”

  “That’s right. Thanks, but no thanks,” she said hesitantly. “Good luck with your search.” She tugged her hand out of his. But why, Katherine asked herself, did her spine tingle as she walked away from him?

  “Wait!” Jack called out.

  Her breath snagged in her throat. That’s why. And so unfair. She paused for a couple of heartbeats, then swung around.

  “Are you still going skating?” he asked, her forgotten boots dangling from his hand.

  “Yes, thank you,” she said, retrieving her skates. Oh-oh, too much information. She should have taken her skates and made a run for it. Damn. What was it about him that pulled her in?

  “You’re not worried about injuring yourself on the ice? What about your last dance on Saturday night?” Jack asked, studying her closely.

  “It’s like walking, only gliding; it gets the blood flowing on a day like this.” Not that she needed it with him around. Why was she even explaining anything to this man?

  A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he couldn’t hide the laughter in his eyes.

  It was obvious. He wanted an invitation to join her. She was not going skating with this man. Just the way he looked at her spelled trouble. And if she weren’t careful, she’d find herself at the dance with him—and then what?

  He spoke again before she had time to grab her skates, make excuses and scamper off. “Would you mind if I came along—only to watch, of course. I’m a skier not a skater.”

  A mischievous idea flowered in her mind, and it was just too sweet to let go. A slow smile worked its way from her mouth to her eyes. If he agreed to her conditions, this would make an interesting morning. And cut his charm off at the knees.

  “You can come along on one condition; that you join me on the ice—with a pair of skates.” That should stop him. Being a skier not a skater, he was bound to pass it up, and she wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. She noticed a shift in his manner; his eyes twinkled and his face erupted into a wide grin. God, now what? In a flash, she had an inkling of what he was planning and quickly added, “The skates of course have to be on your feet.” Ha, gotcha! She pointed to his boots and tried to suppress a giggle while watching his face closely for any sign that he might think her request unfair. But there was nothing of the sort. He simply gave her a wicked look.

  “You’re on,” Jack said, meeting the challenge.

  Her heart behaved as if she were at a debut performance. Damn, he hadn’t wimped out as she’d expected. Skating was a difficult sport for the uninitiated, yet he’d embraced her dare with a sense of humour. As soon as this is over, she told herself firmly, you’re putting an end to it. No more falling for his cheeky good looks.

  After collecting a pair of skates at the winter-sports hire shop, they strolled to Spruce Valley Pond. It occurred to Katherine, as they walked side by side, how attentive Jack was. She’d heard about men like him, the ones that shortened their stride for you, the ones that walked on the kerbside to protect you from passing cars and muddy splatters. The ones that drove all logic from your brain and had you in bed before you knew what you were doing. Her whole body stirred with feelings she couldn’t control—didn’t want—but found impossible to ignore. She took a deep breath to steady herself. The cold air hitting her lungs didn’t help control her nerves, as if on the edge of something, a cliff. She gave herself a mental slap and tried to focus on what lay ahead as they took a path through snow-laden firs.

  The vista opened wide to reveal an icy pond, and a scene straight from a Christmas card. Colourful skaters skimmed across the ice to music floating out of speakers sitting on top of two light poles. Smoke rose from a chimney on a portable diner, where skaters recharged on hot chocolate and cinnamon doughnuts.

  Katherine sat on a bench, tied her skates on and walked carefully onto the ice, gliding back and forth while she waited for Jack.

  Finally, he had the laces on his skates tied but he didn’t join her. Instead, he reclined against the bench, legs stretched out, arms folded, and gaz
ed at her.

  Aha, he’s going to back out after all. He was not the man she’d thought he was. Shame, it could have been fun.

  She skated backwards in a wide arc, coming to a stop in front of him, head tilted and hands on hips. “If I remember correctly, I did say on the ice—but hey, if you’re worried!”

  Slowly, Jack shook his head. “You drive a hard bargain.”

  Reluctantly, he dragged his legs up under him and gingerly made his way through the snow to the edge of the iced pond. He managed to avoid falling on his bum, and wobbled to a rigid standstill.

  He looked at Katherine and gave her a toothy grin. “I’m on the ice!” he announced triumphantly.

  “Yes, I’m glad we didn’t have a protracted debate about that. I’m getting cold Mr Riley; you’ve kept your end of the bargain. I’ll be seeing you.” Taking off, she waved and called out, “Hope you find your girl.” She glanced over her shoulder and quickly clapped a gloved hand over her mouth to stop her laughter from echoing across the ice. Teetering on his blades, Jack struggled to keep his balance. She thought it unfair to take advantage of his lack of skill, and skated around the pond to make her way back towards him.

  Jack’s head snapped left and right. She saw a flash of his “Oh crap” expression. Finding a soft place to land wasn’t going to happen. His arms windmilled. His torso swayed. He was about to crash.

  Katherine increased her speed, racing to approach him from behind and grab his coat.

  “Whoa!” Jack hollered, trying to keep his balance as he glanced over his shoulder. “Katherine, thank God you’re back.”

  “Happy to see me?” she quipped.

  “Definitely. You wouldn’t want to miss my elaborate triple flip.”

  Despite herself, she laughed. “If you stop wobbling all over the place, I’ll show you the basics.”

  “Stop wobbling? Right! I can do that. Give me a minute.” Jack centred himself and stood rigidly over his skates.

  “Not like you’ve got a pole up your …” She gave him a playful thump on the arm.

  “Be nice.” He quirked an eyebrow at her.

  “It’s no different to skiing. All you have to do is find your balance. Okay, the first thing I want you to do is relax and bend the knees a little.” She slipped her arm around his waist, but his bulky sheepskin jacket made it impossible to grab hold of him properly. She dared to manoeuvre her hand underneath it and, to her delight, found his warm, soft sweater. Her hand fastened to his side, her breath caught in her throat, her fingers and palm tingled as she made contact with the hard muscles underneath. The tingle grew into a full-blown thrill that bubbled through her body, pooling and fluttering in her abdomen. What the …? My reaction is absurd. She moved her hand away, and he tottered, so she dug her fingers into his side.

  “Hmmm, that’s nice,” Jack rumbled, smiling. “Skating could be lots of fun. I can see that.”

  “Don’t get smart or I’ll leave you here in the middle of the pond to find your own way back.”

  “Yes, miss,” Jack said, fooling around.

  “I’ll ignore that too. Just as well I’m an amicable person,” she mumbled. And in control of my hormones. “Now concentrate, tip your body forward a bit, push out with the right foot while lifting the left skate off the ice. Not that much! Okay, now bring the left down and push off. That’s it. See? Get the rhythm going. It’s more like cross-country skiing.”

  “If you say so, but the idea of standing on two thin blades, purely for enjoyment, escapes me. Correction, used to escape me,” he said, beaming at her.

  “Right. Shall we get on with it?” she said, ignoring his blatant innuendos.

  Within fifteen minutes, Jack was showing signs of becoming familiar with the rhythm of skating. He still had a wobble in his glide, but Katherine thought he looked more confident.

  Unfortunately, confidence soon overruled caution, and he increased his speed.

  “Hold on, Jack! Not so fast or you’ll …” She gripped his waist and his muscles tensed under her fingers as he tried to prevent a fall. His seesawing became uncontrollable and he overbalanced. His skates skidded rapidly underneath him as he tried in vain to grip the ice. Katherine came around in front of him and grabbed his hands, but it was too late. The momentum had taken hold and he crashed, sprawling on his back.

  Self-preservation should’ve kicked in and Katherine should’ve let go. Instead, she fell, oomph, face down on top of him.

  Weird noises were coming out of his chest and throat. It sounded like someone squeezing the neck of a balloon while slowly letting the air out, only he was trying to suck air into his lungs. She was doing something similar, but without the sound effects. As if performing a bench lift, he placed his hands under her shoulders and raised her off his chest. “Just—for—a sec,” he panted. A big sigh later, his arms folded and she was on top of him again. She rose and fell with his rhythmic breathing. “Are you okay?” he asked, showing an expanse of even white teeth.

  Fighting for breath, Katherine nodded. But now he had his arms firmly wrapped around her. How had that happened?

  Their eyes locked. There’s that smile again. Excitement rippled through her when she realised what his grey eyes were saying: You’re it … you’re mine. And a whole lot more.

  Their breaths puffed out, mingling, a pearly cloud around their faces.

  Her whole skating idea had suddenly backfired. Help! was a feeble cry in her mind. Get up! Get up now! He lives thousands of miles away. And it wouldn’t be the first time a man who was far from home took any opportunity to have his way and get into a woman’s panties. She gave him a filthy look.

  “What was that for?” Jack chuckled, making her bounce on his chest.

  “Somehow you very cleverly managed to get me into this position.” She struggled to get her blades out of harm’s way.

  “I fell,” he said, all innocence. “Anyway, you’ve got to admit it’s an interesting way of getting to know you.”

  Katherine tried to clamber off him. “For Christ’s sake,” she stammered, “let go!” It may have been cold on the ice, but without a doubt he was radiating a lot of sensual heat, and it was drawing her in. Damn it!

  “We could be melting our way through the ice, you and I.”

  “That’s so cheesy.”

  “Yeah, was, wasn’t it?” Slowly, he released his embrace and, with hands gripping her waist, he assisted Katherine as she clambered off on all fours.

  “Thanks, you can let go of me now.”

  In a flash, she was on her feet, hands on hips looking down at him. “You’d better get up,” she ordered, “before your backside is stuck until spring thaw.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  Katherine folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, neither denying nor confirming her statement.

  “Okay. Hmm …” Jack rolled onto his stomach and managed to get to his knees. He put his gloved hands on the ice and tried to raise himself to his feet. “I could do with a hand right about now,” he grunted, the colourful pom-pom on his hat bouncing.

  Katherine shoved her hand under his shoulder and braced her skate against his. “Dig the tip of your blades into the ice.”

  With a heave, he was up. “Have you had enough?” he asked teasingly.

  She looked past her shoulder at him, trying not to smile, but knew her eyes had already betrayed her. “No, but perhaps a poor old Australian like yourself needs to have a rest?”

  “What—no more lessons?” Jack tilted his head, a cheeky gleam in his eye. “And there I was starting to get the hang of it too.”

  “No, sorry, I have to head over to Spruce Valley Lodge. They’re expecting me.” Katherine headed for the bench to remove her skates.

  Arms out like a penguin, Jack teetered across the ice to join her. “The Lodge is on my list to visit, and probably one of the better places to ask questions.”

  Silently Katherine groaned. There was no hope for her; she wasn’t that selfish a person not to offer, never m
ind the reluctance. “Seems silly not to offer you a lift.” Oh great, that sounded so mean-spirited. “I’ll try again. I’m going that way. Would you like a lift?”

  “That would be great, thank you.”

  Chapter 3

  The Spruce Valley Lodge sprawled across an acre of garden. Jack chuckled at the plastic reindeer prancing across the roof, dragging a sleigh with a laughing Santa, and plastic sack full of imagination. He was right to have a chuckle—Santa looked more like Batman’s Joker with every passing year.

  “I know,” Katherine said to Jack. “But where would the world be without plastic Santas and someone to take the trouble to decorate the place for Christmas?”

  She crawled out of her car and waited for Jack, locked up and headed for the entry. The automatic glass doors slid open, and Katherine walked into a mini furnace. She yanked off her hat and gloves and shrugged out of her coat; Jack did the same. While waiting for Aileen the receptionist to finish her phone conversation, Katherine admired the fearless creativity of the person who had decorated the Christmas tree in silver and electric blue baubles.

  “I’m sorry it’s inconvenient, Mr Greene, but you did specify you wanted to be kept informed, especially if there was a problem. And there is, Mr Greene. We’ve tried everything to console your mother. She won’t eat, or drink. She is utterly distraught and we are worried.”

  Katherine was about to move further away when, without looking up, Aileen stuck her hand in the air traffic-cop style. Listening to Mr Greene made Aileen’s lips draw back in a thin line. Holding a pencil like a dagger, she stabbed the desk pad. “Very well, Mr Greene. We will wait for Peggy’s doctor.” She slammed the phone down and looked up at Katherine, murder blazing in her eyes. “Hi, Kate,” she said, teeth gnashing.

  “Deep breaths, Aileen.” Katherine simulated the calming exercise. “Better?”

  “Not until I get my hands around …” Aileen glanced at Jack, who was peering at the tree, then turned back to Katherine. “Are you together?”