Imperfect Magic (Dancing Moon Ranch Book 11)

by Patricia Watters

  While wrapping up the last evening with his dad, he said, "Okay, it's established that Charles Morritt had a fake inside the donkey stable because it's documented that he listened for it to come down, but we also know a fake wouldn't allow enough room for hiding a donkey. The stable was also built on legs so the audience would see below it, which eliminated the donkey leaving through the back where the audience would see his feet below the box..."

  His words drifted off as suddenly something seemed familiar.

  When he smiled, his dad said, "You've figured it out."

  Dimitri nodded. "I remember reading in Jasper Maskelyne's book where he wrote about performing a trick with a donkey that disappeared before it was supposed to, and that the donkey wandered off when someone left the back open, and that's the key. Maskelyne wasn't referring to the back of the donkey stable. He was referring to a hinged rail that went around a raised platform behind the donkey box, where the donkey could stand, yet be hidden from view."

  "So, what about the two clowns?" Sebastian asked. "What's their purpose?"

  "One is the handler, who stays with the donkey so he doesn't kick the side of the box out or stray away from the platform, and the other is hidden inside the box and pretends to be the clown who led the donkey in, and who leaves the box through the front."

  "It's a small box, so where does the clown hide?" Sebastian asked.

  "In the front corner of a trapezoidal box, and that's the key," Dimitri replied. "A trapezoid allows enough room for both clowns to be out of sight, where they make a switch."

  Sebastian clapped Dimitri on the shoulder. "Okay, you figured it out. As soon as you return to Vegas you'll need an assistant. I have contacts. I'll look into finding you one."

  "Actually, I might already have one," Dimitri said.

  Sebastian looked at him, long and hard. "I hope you're not considering Maddy Hansen."

  "She's actually very good," Dimitri said. "If you could get away and watch her you'd see what I mean. She's a natural."

  "She's a ranch girl," Sebastian said. "You'll get involved with her, and if it leads to marriage, the next thing you'll have is a discontented wife. It takes a certain kind of woman to want the kind of life an entertainer leads. Maddy Hansen wouldn't last in that environment. I also suspect you're already involved with her."

  "You're wrong," Dimitri replied, but in a defensive tone that told his father he was involved, if not in a committed relationship, then moving in that direction. Not only had Maddy dominated his thoughts from the moment he arrived at the ranch, she'd been on his mind during the two months prior. But that didn't make them involved. They'd had some playful moments together, and whenever he kissed her she responded, especially with his kisses in the stable, when she'd arched her wet body into his...

  "You'd better reel things in," Sebastian warned. "You're getting in deep, and rule number one is don't get involved with your assistant."

  "Then how can my assistant ever become my wife?" Dimitri asked. "You told me early on that the best assistants are wives, but I'd first have to get something going with her."

  "You start with the woman, not the assistant," Sebastian replied. "You find a woman whose passion is living in the world of entertainment and travelling around the country and being at ease in nightclubs and in front of large audiences, then you marry her, and then you groom her to become your assistant. Do it in reverse and you'll have a discontented wife. Maddy Hansen's one in the making."

  Dimitri held the gaze of the man who'd taught him everything he knew about magic, and there was no question his father knew the ins and outs of the world of entertainment. He was also right about Maddy. It was time to reel things in. Maddy belonged on the Dancing Moon Ranch, and he belonged wherever his world of conjuring and illusions would take him. Period.

  ***

  Maddy gazed around a dressing room outfitted with a cream-colored sectional sofa with matching cream-colored lounge chairs positioned at each end of the sofa, the ensemble arranged around a glass-top coffee table covered with aging sketches and documents. In one corner of the room stood a bird cage with Sirius, the white dove that always flew to Dimitri at the opening of each show. Beside the cage was a game table surrounded by chairs, and on the table was a couple of decks of cards, presumably for practicing flourishes, not for playing poker.

  "So this is the way illusionists live when away from home," Maddy said absently.

  "This place falls far short of what the Nine Lives has to offer, but it'll do," Dimitri replied. "Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge."

  Maddy walked over to a kitchen area that sported a microwave, an espresso machine, a hot and cold water dispenser, and an oversize refrigerator with a glass-door. She clicked on a switch which revealed not much inside. "What are all the bottles in back?" she asked.

  "Vitamin water," Dimitri replied. "It beats what's being served downstairs."

  "Then I take it you don't drink," Maddy said, which seemed odd for a man who worked, and practically lived, in nightclubs.

  "Sure I drink," Dimitri replied. "It's all in there."

  Noticing little else in the refrigerator but a whittled down piece of ham covered in plastic, several small cheese wedges, all individually wrapped in foil, and the remains of a platter of raw vegetables and dip, Maddy said, "So, you mainly subsist on a liquid diet?"

  "I usually just call for room service when I'm doing a run," Dimitri replied.

  Maddy opened the refrigerator and took out a raspberry vitamin water and twisted off the cap, then leaned against the counter. Scanning the room, and seeing no stage props, she said, "So where's the prop for Sleeping Beauty?"

  "It's on its way up," Dimitri replied. "I got to talking with my dad about the disappearing donkey illusion and was late leaving the coast. Thanks for meeting me here."

  Maddy shrugged. "No problem. I'm actually okay not riding in a limo, though there was a little culture shock when I got in my jeep and couldn't open a moon roof or watch TV."

  Dimitri smiled the way he did before he was about to kiss her, yet he made no move toward her. Ever since she arrived he'd kept his distance. When he called asking if she could drive over and meet him, he sounded eager to see her, but when she got there, he simply opened the door, stepped back for her to enter, and did nothing more. She wondered if something happened during his stay with his father.

  "Are you ready to change into your costume?" Dimitri asked.

  "Sure, as long as it covers more than Karla's costumes do," Maddy replied.

  "It does," Dimitri said, "but I don't remember mentioning Karla's name."

  "You didn't. I was outside your dressing room in Las Vegas when you were having your parting words. You said her name not so lovingly, but it was obvious, when she announced she would no long be holding your props or warming your bed, that you two were an item."

  "No, we were a mistake."

  "How so?"

  "When we were rehearsing Metamorphosis, she was supposed to change clothes in the trunk and be in a different costume at the end of the escape, but when I opened the trunk she wasn't wearing anything, and things escalated from there."

  "Did she do it on purpose, or did something go wrong?" Maddy asked, wondering what kind of women worked as magician's assistants.

  "Something went wrong," Dimitri replied. "She did it to get me horny and I followed through and there was nothing magic about it, only stupidity and pure lust on my part."

  Maddy was a little surprised at Dimitri's wording. "I suppose that's understandable. She was very pretty and very curvy."

  "She was also my assistant and should have been off limits. It won't happen again."

  Which explained why Dimitri was keeping his distance, which was a good thing, Maddy decided. From the day he arrived at the ranch she'd felt as if she were on an adrenaline rush, heart thumping, mind-consuming, roller coaster whenever he was around. Now, things would be more normal, if being around a man who could materialize on stage, and walk through walls, and
release himself from shackles while hanging upside down in a tank of water could ever be normal. "Okay," she said, "now that I've got a better idea about Karla, I hope my costume isn't like the gowns celebrities wear, with the front open to the waist in a giant "V" leaving nothing to the imagination except the size and hue of a pair of... what's still covered."

  "You're not too far off," Dimitri said. "I'll get the dress." He went into a walk-in closet and returned holding a hanger with a gown with a wide skirt, and a top made up of two bands of fabric with long sleeves on the outer edge, and lacing holes along the inner edge, forming a waist-length "V" with nothing but a crisscross of lacing to hold it together.

  "I see the seamstress ran out of material again," Maddy said.

  Dimitri laughed. "You'll be on your back so no one will see anything."

  "You'll see me," Maddy pointed out.

  "True, but I won't see anything I haven't seen already," Dimitri said.

  Maddy eyed him with uncertainty. "What are you talking about?"

  "You, after the water cell stunt in Vegas," Dimitri replied. "When you grabbed my arm I got an unobstructed view."

  Maddy felt her face grow hot. She didn't doubt he was telling the truth because the gown had so much extra room up top it could have easily gaped open, but she was so relieved Dimitri hadn't drowned she'd been completely unaware of the state of the dress. "If I'm supposed to wear this thing then give me something to tuck into the top," she said.

  "Fair enough." Dimitri went into the closet and returned with a pale blue scarf, and said, "Go change in the bathroom and by the time you're ready, the prop will be here."

  Maddy headed for the bathroom, both anxious and excited to be learning the secret to another illusion. She was also curious to know if Dimitri would kiss her during the rehearsal. It was clear he was keeping his distance, and a rehearsal would not require the kiss be carried out, which was good, her logical mind insisted, because the reality was, a relationship with Dimitri was a dead end, and the best thing for her would be to enjoy her month with him and wish him well when it was time for him to leave.

  CHAPTER 9

  After lacing up the front of a gown designed to not come together, Maddy draped the scarf around her neck and stuffed the ends behind the lacing, then returned to the dressing room where she found two chairs, with a padded board of a length and width to accommodate a person, stretched between them. "I assume I'm supposed to lie on that," she said.

  Dimitri nodded. "After I explain to the audience that I've put you into a sleep enchantment where you'll float for all eternity unless the only prince in the realm able to break the spell kisses you, I'll remove one of the chairs and the board, and walk away, leaving you floating. I'll return as a prince, replace the chair and board and kiss you, you'll sit up, rub your eyes like you've been asleep for a century, and I'll carry you off. It's a very effective illusion."

  "Yes, I imagine it is," Maddy said, while walking slowly around the setup, which appeared to be two ordinary chairs, except one had a higher back, giving the appearance of a bed. "Now it's tell-all time. How will you make me float?"

  "Simple levitation," Dimitri replied.

  "Right." Maddy sat on the board, swung her legs up and arranged her skirt, then lay back. "Okay, now what?"

  "Close your eyes and act like you're sleeping while I morph into a sorcerer." Dimitri went into the closet and returned wearing a black cape and sorcerer's high-pointed black hat. While pacing the room, he portrayed a sorcerer who'd cast a spell and returned to make sure it was strong enough to keep the princess in a dream state for all eternity, ending his spiel by saying, "Now, I'll make certain my spell worked and the princess is floating in a dream state." He removed the chair supporting the board at Maddy's feet and set it aside.

  Maddy looked at the chair, and said, "This is creepy. What's holding me up?"

  "You still have a board under you, which I'll remove so you can levitate."

  Maddy had barely digested the words when Dimitri pulled out the board, except there was still a board beneath her. She smiled, knowing the thing was rigged, but after Dimitri passed a hoop around her to prove to an imaginary audience that there were no wires, he walked off.

  When he returned, he was dressed in a white silk jacket with epaulettes on his shoulders, and a gold sash angled across his chest. The sudden transformation from sorcerer to prince sent Maddy's heart hammering because Dimitri actually looked like a fairytale prince, an amazingly handsome one. Even his close cropped beard, with its medieval pattern, added to the appearance.

  "Close your eyes. You're supposed to be in a dream state," Dimitri said.

  Maddy shut her eyes and waited, wondering again if Dimitri would kiss her…

  "Alas I've found my princess," he said, interrupting her speculation. "But before I awaken her with a kiss to break the spell, I must first prepare her bed, which I hope will also be my bed."

  Maddy opened her eyes and looked at him. "Is that what you're going to say?"

  "Sure, it will get a laugh. Remember, this is a nightclub, not a Disney movie, so go back to sleep, Briar Rose, and let me get on with breaking the spell."

  While Maddy lay with her eyes closed, she was aware of Dimitri returning the chair to where it had been, then sliding the board in place, presumably into a slot beneath the board she was lying on, but when it was time for the kiss, she waited, and when nothing happened, she opened her eyes. Dimitri's face was sober, and as he gazed down at her, in his eyes she saw the unmistakable glint of passion. And when he kissed her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, and while her mind was shifting between keeping the kiss going, and stopping things before they spiraled out of control, Dimitri kissed her jaw, and beneath her ear, and along the side of her neck, and back to her lips again. But when she opened her mouth to allow things to escalate to a new level, Dimitri broke the kiss, unwrapped her arms from around him, and said, "We need to put a lid on things before I get stupid again."

  Maddy sucked in a long breath. Things had definitely spiraled out of control. When Dimitri broke the kiss, she had just begun to get into the heat of it…

  The male-female attraction is always there and things can happen that you don't expect…

  Too true. What she'd been doing was exactly what Adam warned against. Wanting to set things to where they were before they both got carried away, she sat up, ground her knuckles into her eyes, patted a yawn, and said, "Thank you, your royal highness. That kiss totally broke the spell. I'm good to go now."

  Dimitri, who'd moved away from her and was stroking his chin, like he needed something to occupy his hands, gave her a little half smile, and said, "The sorcerer cast a potent spell so I figured it would take more than a peck on the lips to break it. Meanwhile, leave the gown in the closet and let yourself out. I've got to round up my men from the crap tables at the casino and put them back to work. They're having far too much fun on my dime."

  "So then, is that all there is to the illusion?" Maddy asked. "I lie on the table, you make me float, we kiss, and you carry me out?"

  "You've almost got it right," Dimitri said, "but we'd better hold it to, I kiss you. We kiss doesn't work very well. We could seriously embarrass ourselves in front of an audience."

  Maddy laughed, but as Dimitri was heading for the door, she called after him." Are we on for riding lessons tomorrow?"

  Dimitri nodded. "I'll also be talking to your dad about using the shop. Time's running out and I want to build the donkey box so we can perform the illusion our final night." He walked out, leaving Maddy wondering if the hot heavy kiss they'd just shared meant anything to him, or if he considered it nothing more than another stupid mistake.

  It meant something to her though. It meant she had to get a grip on her out-of-control passions when Dimitri kissed her...

  Dimitri's different from the guys we brought around here when you were growing up…

  Adam was right again. Although Dimitri seemed to have the ability to put on
the skids when passions began to escalate, she didn't have that same willpower. Which meant, when riding tomorrow, even though the trail she intended to take Dimitri on branched off at the cabin, this time they would not be stopping in.

  Her problem would be sticking to her resolve because already she was dreaming up little incidental reasons for doing precisely that: a couple of hours in the cabin would introduce Dimitri to a simpler way of life; the quiet coziness would make him question if he really wanted to return to Las Vegas; they could cuddle on the couch and spend the afternoon talking about their hopes and dreams…

  I'm concerned you could find yourself doing things you never expected to do…

  Okay, so they wouldn't cuddle. They'd simply sit and talk. She could do that.

  ***

  Dimitri realized he had a serious problem. Although he knew his father's theory about wives as assistants was spot-on, it didn't work for him. If he found a woman whose passion was living in the world of entertainment, she wouldn't be the kind of woman he'd want helping raise the kids they'd one day have, and if he found the kind of woman he wanted to help raise their kids, she wouldn't want to live the kind of life demanded of an entertainer. And that was his dilemma. Maddy was wife material. She came from a big family. A big normal family. And the last place she belonged was in Las Vegas. She was a ranch girl through and through, though she was a little star struck at the moment with limos and stage lights and the whole magician-illusionist appeal, but a lot of the glamor would fade once she learned the secret of Metamorphosis because, in that one escape, was the secret to a half dozen others.

  So his goal was to maintain their earlier good humored relationship, continue with the gold charms so she wouldn't forget him after he left, build the donkey box, and begin to think big-time show on the strip in Vegas and beyond. He had ideas for illusions that even the best of them couldn't crack, including his father.