A Sister Would Know

by C. J. Carmichael

  Still, it was for a good cause.

  He wasn’t sure what his chances were of talking Amalie into staying, but the way she’d looked at him in the hospital gave him hope.

  Good, here at last. Grant pulled to the side of the road, jogged up the sidewalk to the front security door. He sang a few more bars, frowned as a missing phrase tugged at his memory, then twirled on the spot, remembering Amalie in his arms while this very song was playing at the Rock Slide Saloon.

  If he had to put his finger on the moment he’d fallen in love with her, that would be it. No wonder he couldn’t get the damn tune out of his mind!

  He jabbed the button beside Helen Fremont’s name.

  But it was Amalie he wanted to see. Amalie…

  Finally she buzzed him up. He took the stairs two at a time, cradling the roses in one arm, like a baby, hanging on to the bottle of champagne with the other. Surprisingly, the door was ajar. With no hand free to knock, he nudged it open, and immediately saw Amalie sitting on the sofa, her expression blank, her posture limp.

  Fear hit him like a wall of avalanching snow from behind. Something bad had happened. Or else she was planning to break off their relationship.

  “What is it, Amalie? What’s wrong?” He set his gifts on the floor and went to her. Sat next to her on the sofa and put his arm over her shoulders.

  Her sigh might have been the air deflating from his hopes.

  “Is Davin okay?”

  “He’s fine. Sleeping in his room.”

  That was a relief. “Then what…?”

  “I’ve just had the most unexpected visitor. I still can’t believe it.”

  Grant’s mind stalled, trying to guess. “Tell me.”

  Amalie finally turned to face him. He could see she’d been crying. “It was Davin’s father, Grant. His name is Bobby Bradshaw, and he works for the Pizza Paradise franchise.”

  “How do you know he’s Davin’s father? And why is he showing up now, of all times?”

  “I’d met Helena’s boyfriend once, but it was many years ago and for a very brief time. I didn’t recognize him at first. But when he told me his story, it all made sense.”

  Grant shifted on the couch, drawing Amalie closer.

  “Bobby was in the Rock Slide Saloon that day Ralph Carlson brought Helena in for a drink.”

  “When she first arrived in town?”

  “Right. He waited until she went to use the washroom, then stopped her to talk. He told her he’d always regretted walking away from his child and asked for the chance to meet him.”

  “Just meet him?”

  “As a starting point. Bobby said he was willing to let Davin decide, after that, whether he wanted to continue to spend time with him.”

  Grant brushed a hand over his unusually stiff hair. “Man-oh-man…” He remembered Amalie saying that one of her regrets over Helena’s death was that Davin would never know who his father was. So this was a good thing. But the timing; man, the timing really sucked.

  “That’s why Helena decided to stay in Revel-stoke,” Amalie continued. “Not because of her tires, but because she wanted to think over Bobby’s request. He passes through town about once every three weeks. She was supposed to give him an answer about whether she’d let him see Davin, only she kept putting him off.”

  “Until it was too late.”

  “Yes.” Amalie pressed her cheek against his chest. “Bobby saw me dancing with you at the Rock Slide and couldn’t understand why I was ignoring him. He thought I was Helena.”

  “Amalie, this is incredible. What are you going to do?”

  She twisted her face up so she could see him. He liked having her curled beside him like this. The fear he’d suffered earlier was fading. This wasn’t the end of the world. They could handle this. Whatever she decided, he would support her.

  “I think we should let him talk to Davin. What do you think?”

  Grant’s heart and hopes swelled at the way she included him in the equation. “To tell you the truth, I’m feeling a touch of jealousy. Lately, I’ve been seeing myself in the role of Davin’s dad.”

  Nervously, he checked her expression. Good. She was smiling. It was sort of misty, true, but it was a smile.

  “Still,” he said, “I agree Davin should have the chance to meet his biological father.”

  Amalie threw both arms tightly around his neck. He buried his face against her hair, so glad to feel her in his arms again. After a few minutes, he pulled back.

  “Could I check on Davin?”

  She nodded, the same teary smile returning to her face. “I just wanted him to take a nap, but I think he’s out for the night.”

  AMALIE LEANED BACK on the sofa and put her hands to her stomach. The nerves that had twisted her insides like malleable bread dough had finally subsided. Bobby Bradshaw showing up out of the blue like that had been a shock, but everything would be all right. Grant’s reaction had totally reassured her. Nothing he could’ve said would have made her feel better.

  She’d phone Bobby later, at his motel, after she’d talked to Davin in the morning. She had no idea how Davin would react to the prospect of meeting his father. But she had a hunch that whatever Bobby’s role in Davin’s life turned out to be, Grant would be the number one man he would look up to.

  Feeling better, stronger, she stood and stretched. On her first deep breath, she noticed an odor—

  Oh, Lord, it was her dinner. She’d put it in the oven before Bobby came to the door, then had forgotten all about it.

  Amalie rushed to the oven and checked the casserole. The top was almost black, the edges dried and shriveled. She was staring at the charred remains when Grant came up beside her. In his hands, he held a bunch of flowers and a slender green bottle.

  “Dinner?” He peered into the glass dish in her hands.

  “Manicotti.” She sighed. “My specialty.”

  “Hmm. Must be a very old family recipe.”

  She set it down on the counter and turned off the oven. He passed her the long-stemmed flowers.

  “Did you know it was Valentine’s Day?” he asked.

  “I’d completely forgotten.” The flowers were beautiful. Perfect. She hated to put them in a plastic jug, but Helena hadn’t owned a vase. The flowers looked lovely anyway.

  “Thank you, Grant.” She turned toward him, and his arms came around her. Her gaze fell on the green bottle he’d set on the counter. “Champagne, too?”

  He reached a finger under her chin. “In case you haven’t noticed, I was planning to woo you tonight.”

  She looked at the dehydrated casserole on the counter. “Me, too,” she admitted.

  “Trying to convince me to move back to Toronto with you?” Now his hands were cupping her face. His expression was totally serious. “Because I will. Maybe not to the city, but someplace north. I’d have to pull some strings with Parks Canada.”

  She thought of that dance they’d had in the bar, how perfectly their bodies had fit and swayed, as if they both interpreted the music in exactly the same way.

  “Never. Wrong habitat. You belong here. In these mountains.”

  “But your parents—”

  “Are going to have to learn to look after themselves. Grant, they’ve never really accepted Davin in the family. They didn’t care enough about Helena to come down when you found the bodies. They won’t even come to the memorial service in Seattle. After talking to them today, I don’t think they even care about my happiness.”

  She began to run her fingers through his hair, then paused. “You had your hair cut. Professionally.”

  “This morning. I figured I needed all the help I could get. After Davin’s accident you must be more scared of this place than ever—”

  She put a finger to his mouth. “Actually, no. It’s the strangest thing…I think it was watching the Avalanche Control team at work, and you, maybe even a little of my own reaction, too.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I don’t have th
at same fear. Avalanches are a force beyond human control, I know, and yet the things we do—the things you do—can have an influence. If you’re properly trained, prepared and show the mountains the respect they deserve.”

  “Yes.” He held her hand in both of his. “You get it.”

  “I wonder how many lives you’ve saved already.” She looked him full in the eyes, and knew she’d never get the answer from him.

  “And how many you have yet to save. I don’t want to take you away from here, Grant. I realized on the mountain it’s part of the reason I love you.”

  “Thank you.” He kissed her then. A kiss that promised safety and security, as well as that hint of adventure that would always be part of their lives.

  “I love you, Amalie. And I really want to marry you. I don’t know if you’re ready to believe this, but you’re one of the bravest women I’ve ever met.”

  “Don’t forget beautiful.” She kissed his chin. “And sexy.” Then slid her lips down the column of his neck.

  “Yes, and yes.” He ran his hands down her back, cupped her buttocks and groaned. “Amalie, it looked to me that Davin was sleeping really soundly.”

  “Is that so?” Amalie brought her mouth back to within inches of his. She felt him growing hard against her. “I guess I won’t bother with dinner, then.”

  “I love a woman with a good set of priorities.” He picked her up easily and carried her down the hall.

  A blast of air set the windowpanes on the west side of the apartment to rattling. A new storm front was moving into the Rogers Pass. Eight inches of snow were expected to fall on the Selkirks before sunrise. The highway would have to be closed, more avalanche control work undertaken.

  But for Amalie and Grant, wrapped in the warmth of an old quilt and their newfound love, the snow and the cold were irrelevant. Their forecast was for clear skies and very hot temperatures. And a lifetime together.

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-5151-2

  A SISTER WOULD KNOW

  Copyright © 2001 by Carla Daum.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  Visit us at www.eHarlequin.com