Treacherous Slopes

by Terri Reed

  Nick flinched as the truth in the detective’s words hit him square in the chest. There were numerous athletes, some of whom he was friends with, who’d had their lives threatened by an overzealous fan with delusions of a relationship that didn’t exist. Was that the case here?

  * * *

  After a restless night of sleep with dreams of Julie filling his head, Nick left his room and found Ted outside his door. The big guy had propped himself up against the wall, reading a paperback novel. A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, of all things. Nick was developing a soft spot for the guy.

  With his shadow in tow, Nick entered the kitchen to find the guys sitting around the table eating breakfast. A stack of pancakes, a plate of bacon and a carafe of orange juice sat in the center of the table. Frank acknowledged him with a tip of the chin. Lee lifted his mug in greeting. Marshal Evans, dressed in a navy suit, crisp white shirt and red tie, sat at the head of the table reading the paper. The man oozed success. No wonder Julie wasn’t anxious to try to fill his shoes.

  Julie leaned against the counter, drinking from a mug. Her blond hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. She looked fresh and gorgeous in a light peach-colored sweater, tan skirt and knee-high leather boots. Her welcoming smile kick-started his pulse.

  “Coffee?” she asked.

  He wasn’t sure he needed the jolt; his heart was racing purely on seeing her. “That would be nice, thank you.”

  “Ted?” she asked.

  “Thank you,” Ted said and took a seat on the bar stool at the counter.

  Marshal Evans set the paper aside and stood to offer Nick his hand. He was a tall man with a head of thick silver hair and a firm handshake. “Hello, Nick. I hope you found your accommodations to your liking.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you for allowing us to stay here.”

  Marshal waved a hand as he lowered himself back to his seat. “Of course. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need. We feel pretty safe out here.” He made a sweeping gesture to encompass all of the guys. “Help yourselves. The kitchen is fully stocked. I only ask that you pick up after yourselves. Leann, the housekeeper, comes in twice a week, but I don’t expect her to do dishes.”

  “Yes, sir,” Frank said with salute.

  “That’s generous of you,” Nick replied with a glance at Julie.

  Her lips were pursed as she stared at her stepdad.

  “Paper?” Marshal asked, offering Nick a section of the newspaper.

  “Please.” Nick sat down at the table. The domesticity of sitting down to read the paper with Julie’s stepdad made Nick’s chest tighten with longing for his own father.

  Julie sat down and slid a mug of coffee his way.

  “Where’s Gordon?” Nick asked.

  “He had a meeting with Mr. Davenport,” Lee explained.

  “Gordon said to tell you he’d be back to pick you up to bring you to the station for the Thunderbird reveal,” Julie said.

  Frank snorted. “New skins. New skis. So not fair.”

  Lee elbowed Frank. “Knock it off.”

  “What?” Frank said. “You can’t tell me you don’t wish All Good Sports Drink would spring for new equipment.”

  “Yeah, well, you have a nicer ski jacket than I do, but you don’t hear me complaining,” Lee groused.

  Frank’s sponsor was a sports apparel company that specialized in winter gear. Nick shook his head. The two guys were more like siblings than anything else. “I’ll ask Mr. Davenport about getting you guys set up with some new skis.”

  Frank grinned. “Now we’re talking.”

  Lee rolled his eyes at Frank and then turned to Nick. “You don’t have to.”

  “Julie, could you give us a ride up the mountain since we’re without wheels?” Frank asked.

  “Sure,” she said. “I’ll be leaving in five minutes.”

  “What are you driving?” Nick asked.

  “My mother’s car,” she replied.

  “You boys can use the Jeep in the garage,” Marshal said. “The keys are in the top drawer of the desk in the study.”

  Nick noted the surprise in Julie’s eyes as her gaze shot to her stepdad.

  Lee scooted his chair back. “Thank you, Mr. Evans. That’s really generous of you.” He carried his plate to the sink.

  “Yeah, thanks,” Frank said and followed Lee’s example.

  Julie cocked her head. “Thank you, Marshal.”

  “You’re welcome,” Marshal said and dropped his gaze back to the paper.

  Julie shook her head, her bemused expression making Nick speculate that Marshal’s offering to let the guys use one of his cars wasn’t something she’d expected. He waited until he walked her to her car to ask about it.

  Before he had a chance, Julie beat him to the punch by saying, “I hope that wasn’t too uncomfortable.” She leaned against the side of her car.

  “Uncomfortable? It wasn’t at all,” Nick said. “Your stepdad was very gracious.”

  “Marshal practically ignored you.”

  The annoyed tone in her voice confused Nick. “He offered me half the paper.”

  “But he hardly said a word other than to tell you not to make a mess.”

  “He didn’t need to. We were bonding over the paper.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. It’s a guy thing.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do. And it was great that he offered to let Frank and Lee use the Jeep.”

  Her eyebrows dipped together. “Yeah, that was odd. He usually isn’t so free with his things.”

  Nick sensed there was some hurt behind her words. “What’s the story between you two?”

  Her mouth twisted. “It’s a long story and not interesting.”

  “I’m interested.” And he was. He wanted to know everything about her, her hopes, her dreams. Her hurts and heartaches.

  “Maybe some other time.” She laid a hand on his arm, drawing his attention to where her slender fingers rested. “Has there been any news on the investigation?”

  “I haven’t heard anything since yesterday, but I plan to stop by the police station to talk to Detective Agee after the Thunderbird reveal.”

  “Kitty called to set an appointment for her interview,” Julie said. “We’ll be meeting this morning. I’ll see if I can coax anything useful out of her.”

  Concern for Julie’s well-being arced through him. “Interviewing her isn’t such a good idea.”

  “It will be fine, Nick,” she said. “The TV station is very active with lots of people around. I’m not worried about it.”

  But he was worried. About Julie’s safety, about the feelings cascading through his heart and about the way his sense of well-being was tangled up in her.

  He was skipping straight past friendship into a realm of emotions that left him gasping for breath as if he’d face-planted in deep powder and couldn’t get out.

  ELEVEN

  Julie left her stepdad’s house while Nick and Ted headed to the community fitness center for a workout. She’d been tempted to stay and join them, but her boss wanted an update, Kitty Rogers was scheduled to come in and Julie needed to get ready for this afternoon’s taping with Nick, where Thunderbird would be revealing the skins for his new skis. Plus, Julie still had her regular production assistant duties to attend to.

  Driving into town, she tried to wrap her mind around Marshal’s behavior. She’d never seen him offer one of his vehicles to anyone, not her or his kids when they came to visit. First he invited strangers to stay and now he was letting them take off in one of his cars. When had he loosened up?

  She was still puzzling over that when she arrived at the station a little after eight. The place was humming with activity. One of the many aspects she loved about the job. She made her way through the melee toward her desk. A young man sat there ripping scripts, an old term from days gone by when printers used the long sheets of paper with holes on the side and each sheet had to be torn apart. Now ripping scripts was basically sorti
ng them into various categories.

  “Uh, that’s my desk,” she said, coming to a halt beside the guy who looked to be a few years younger than her. He had brown hair, brown eyes and a tan complexion. His button-down shirt needed an iron’s touch.

  “You must be Julie.” Rising and sticking out his hand, he said, “I’m Bryce Phelps. I’m interning for the next few months. Liam told me to sit here and sort through the scripts for the anchors.”

  “Okay.” She hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. Usually the interns were placed at a table in the back or in an unused conference room. Where was she supposed to work? “I’ll be right back.”

  She found her boss, Liam, in his office.

  “Julie, come in.” Liam rose as she entered. He was tall and thin with silver-streaked dark hair swept off his forehead. His facial features were narrow with hawklike dark eyes that stared intently as if waiting to spot a weakness. He wore his usual black pants, black turtleneck shirt and black wing tips. He could be intimidating. But she’d learned he hid a soft and sentimental side that came out whenever his grandkids came around. Too bad they were in school right now.

  “Uh, why is there an intern at my desk?”

  “Because he’ll be taking over your PA duties for now and you will be working in the conference room today.”

  A ripple of excitement gushed through her. Her promotion was within reach. Just a few more takes and then some editing and her feature on Nick would be complete. She bounced on her toes. “That sounds great.”

  “Everything is set up for the Thunderbird/Nick Walsh shoot,” Liam continued. “Davenport, the Thunderbird CEO, will be here at two to present Nick with a new set of skis.”

  “Sweet.”

  At Liam’s arched brows, a heated flush rose up her neck. She’d used one of Nick’s phrases. He was rubbing off on her in little and big ways. She was not keeping a professional distance. Would Liam notice? To cover her embarrassment, she said, “I’ll go set up in the conference room. Is Bob here?”

  “He’s been in editing since six. He says you’ve got some good stuff to work with.”

  Pleased to know that not only did Bob think so, but that he was telling their boss, she said, “Nick has been amazing. I have his self-proclaimed number-one fan coming in at eleven. I’m hoping to get some useful information from her.” Julie wanted not only something for her story on Nick but something to help Detective Agee figure out who wanted to harm Nick.

  “Good. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve got. When will you have it put together?”

  “I hope to have it all formatted and edited together by the end of the week.” Best case was to air on Sunday. And maybe do a follow-up once the names of the competitors chosen to travel to the Winter Games were announced.

  “All right then. Get it done. I’m counting on this being a home run,” Liam said.

  “I won’t disappoint you,” she promised and prayed that was true.

  Julie went to the conference room to prep for the day. The lighting in the room was perfect for interviewing. She filled water pitchers and set out a plate of cookies and a bowl of fruit to provide sustenance in case anyone needed a snack. She arranged two plush chairs to face each other at the far end of the room next to the exposed brick wall, creating a nice intimate setting in which to talk to the subjects of her interviews.

  “Knock, knock.”

  Julie started as Bob came into the room. “Hi, Bob. You ready to set up for Kitty Rogers’s interview?”

  “I sure am.” He carried in his camera and a tripod. “How was your Sunday?”

  She blew out a breath. “Wild.” She filled him in on the shooter and the discovery of Nick’s water bottle and her theory that it could possibly be tainted.

  “Wow. I’m glad you weren’t hurt,” he said, concern darkening his gaze.

  “Me, too.” Julie’s gaze shot out the door to land on the petite woman talking to Bryce. She wore a red top that dipped in a low V, a tight black skirt that stopped above the knees and high heels. She looked ready for a night out rather than an interview. “Kitty’s here.”

  “I’ll be ready in two minutes,” Bob said, setting up the tripod.

  After stowing her purse, Julie walked over to where Kitty was talking with Bryce. The young intern hung on Kitty’s every word, apparently smitten by a case of puppy love. “Hello, Kitty.”

  Kitty’s smile cooled. She hitched the leather strap of her purse higher on her shoulder. “Hello, Miss Frost. I’m ready for my interview.”

  “Of course you are.” Julie gestured toward the conference room. “Right this way.”

  Julie led Kitty to the two plush chairs. Taking the seat facing the wall, Julie waited for Kitty to settle into the opposite seat. Bob clipped a microphone to Kitty’s shirt.

  A flutter of anxious nerves hit Julie’s tummy. She needed this to go well. She glanced at Bob. He gave her a nod, letting her know he was ready. Turning to Kitty, Julie smiled and said, “Comfortable?”

  Kitty’s wide-eyed gaze stared over Julie’s shoulder at the camera. “I guess. Yes. Do I look okay?”

  Figuring that question was aimed at Bob more than her, Julie waited.

  Bob gave Kitty the thumbs-up sign. “You look good.”

  Kitty sat back and visibly relaxed a bit. “Okay.” Her gaze went to Julie. “Now what?”

  “Why don’t you tell us about yourself?” Julie suggested.

  For the next fifteen minutes Kitty talked, running Julie through her life, explaining various familial relationships that made Julie dizzy. Apparently the Rogerses were deeply entrenched for many generations in the Wood River Valley town of Hailey, Idaho.

  Julie knew they wouldn’t use a fraction of what had been recorded. Bob had even poked Julie in the back, which Julie interpreted to mean he wanted Julie to hurry Kitty along. But Julie chose to let Kitty have her moment. Maybe in her ramblings she’d reveal something useful.

  Finally Kitty took a breath, allowing Julie to interject, “So how did you become interested in Nick Walsh and following his career?”

  “Two years ago the U.S. freestyle competition was held at Sun Valley. That’s just up the way from where I live. So a bunch of us went to watch. It was the first time I’d seen the aerial competition live. It was breathtaking. And Nick was...” Kitty sighed. “Dreamy. And I was hooked. I’ve attended every competition I could since then.”

  “That’s dedication. What does your family think of your—” Julie stopped herself from saying obsession. “Of your fascination with Nick?”

  Kitty grimaced. “Mom understands, but Dad and the rest think it’s silly. My sister, Jeannie, is always teasing me. But I don’t care. This is what I want to do.”

  “How do you finance your trips?”

  “I started a catering company right out of high school. I do well especially during the summer and wedding season.”

  There were depths to Kitty Julie hadn’t guessed. “You’re an entrepreneur. I like that. What’s the name of your company?”

  “Gourmet Kitty. My logo is a white cat wearing a ruffled apron. My friend Troy’s an artist and he created it for me.” Kitty opened her purse and took out a postcard-size advertisement for her company. “Here.”

  Julie was impressed with both the design and Kitty. “Have you always loved to cook?”

  “Cooking is my passion. I’m at home in the kitchen.”

  “It must be hard running a business and traveling all over the place to watch the freestyle competitions.”

  “Not really. I set my own schedule, so when there’s a competition within a day’s drive, I don’t take on a job during that time.”

  “You drive to all the competitions?”

  “Yes. I’m not big on flying.”

  “You must get lonely traveling alone like that.”

  “Oh, I’m not alone. Someone always comes with me. My brother, Andy, or my sis, Jeannie, will ride along. Or a friend. Sometimes a bunch of us will pile in the car and take the road
trip to Utah, Colorado or even to Canada.”

  Admittedly surprised by the number of—okay, she’d say it—seemingly normal relationships in Kitty’s life, Julie had no choice but to reevaluate Katherine “Kitty” Rogers. “So as Nick Walsh’s number-one fan, what can you tell me about him?”

  Kitty’s eyes lit up. “He’s one of the nicest guys on the circuit. Some of the guys are players who like to party when they are off the slopes. But not Nick. He’s a straight shooter, as my dad would say. I rarely see him in the bars or trendy nightspots. He’s also a gentleman. Really respectful and all.” The longing on her face made Julie’s stomach cramp. “He’s the kind of guy every girl dreams of marrying.”

  Thoughts of Kitty marrying Nick twisted Julie up inside. Scrubbing the image from her mind, Julie kept her smile firmly in place.

  Kitty’s gaze narrowed on Julie. “He’s also the kind of guy who won’t settle down. He needs a woman willing to live in the moment. Someone who will wait for him while he’s traveling the world competing. Someone he can come home to and know he’ll always be her priority.”

  Julie had no doubt Kitty thought that person should be her. Deciding not take the bait, Julie switched the subject to the one that mattered the most to her.

  “Do you have any idea why someone would want to hurt Nick?”

  Kitty blinked. “The police asked me that, too. Nick’s the best at what he does. Even his brother, who was good, couldn’t beat Nick. There are lots of guys out there who want to be Nick.”

  “Can you think of someone who wants to bring Nick down?”

  Shaking her head, Kitty said, “No one specifically. I mean, I have never heard anyone talk bad about him. Everyone likes Nick, as far as I can tell.”

  “Were you there when Nick’s brother, Cody, had his accident?”

  Kitty shook her head. “That was so sad. Nick dropped out of sight for a few weeks afterward. I was so worried about him. I tried to find him... But he bounced back and now he’s all set to win gold next month.”

  “You sound confident,” Julie remarked. “Who do you think will be his biggest competition?”

  The gleam in Kitty’s eyes made it clear she was pleased to be asked. “There are several excellent aerialists on the U.S. team, but I don’t really think any of them could outdo Nick. His main rivals will come from China, Canada and Belarus.”