“Stay the night, Chase. Remember how good we used to be for each other. There’s never been anyone else for me.”
Temptation sliced through Chase as keenly as a knife. More than anything in the world, he wanted to yield to her softness, but with a superhuman strength that surprised him, he straightened up and removed her arms. “I . . . I can’t do it. I’m different now, Stella.” He got to his feet, trembling. “I’ve gotta go,” he mumbled, almost running from the trailer.
Stella leaned back, and a smile turned the corners of her lips upward. “You ran this time, but you didn’t run quick enough.” She had never felt about a man as she felt about Chase Hardin. She had enjoyed Maurice’s company, but had never been in love with him. Now that Maurice was gone, she could pursue Chase guiltlessly.
Outside Chase stumbled through the darkness and found himself breathing almost as hard as if he had run five miles. A form loomed up before him, and he stopped and peered at the large man. “Oh, Doak,” he said.
“Hello, Chase. You out takin’ your evenin’ walk?”
Chase suddenly understood that Doak knew better than this. Somehow Doak knew about Stella and him, and he said, “I guess you’re wondering about me coming out of Stella’s trailer at this time of the night.”
“People do wonder, Chase,” Doak said gently, “but I’m your friend. I know what you’re going through.”
Chase believed the big man’s words. “I don’t know what to do, Doak,” he said bitterly. “I love my life here with the circus, and I want to do this act more than I’ve ever wanted to do anything, but—”
“I know. You’re worried about that woman, and for good reason. You need to be careful, you hear me? You know what it says in Proverbs five: ‘The lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.’ ”
“I know,” Chase said huskily, “and the next verse is, ‘Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.’ ”
“You be real careful, Chase. Don’t let that woman get you. Better if you left here than let that happen.”
Chase did not speak but reached out and took Doak’s hand. “Thanks, Doak.” He moved on into the darkness and went to the menagerie, where he was surprised to find Joy putting one of the tiger cubs back into the cage. She secured the door and came up to him with a smile. The smile faded, however, when his face was illuminated by the light overhead. She saw the lipstick on his lips and smelled the perfume and knew where he had been.
“Good night,” she said curtly.
“Wait a minute, Joy!”
“Isn’t one woman enough for you?” she cried, then turned and ran away.
The darkness swallowed Joy up as she left the menagerie, and Chase stood, his shoulders drooping. “What kind of a fool have I become?” he said sadly. “A man who’s been burned once should know better.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Success
“Well, we’ve sent the patch out, so it looks like we’re all ready to go.”
Joy had been feeding the tiger cubs through the bars of the cage when Gypsy Dan Darvo had strolled up and made his remark. Dan had spent more than a week in the hospital recovering from his injuries from his fall. He had broken his left leg in two places as well as his left arm. He had also cracked a couple of ribs. The circus family had taken good care of him as he gradually healed and got back on his feet again. Now he walked with a barely noticeable limp.
“The patch? What’s that, Dan?”
Darvo grinned at her, his teeth white against his swarthy skin. “You don’t know what a patch is? It’s the fellow we send out to put up the posters. He always stays just ahead of the circus. Those guys have a lot of trouble sometimes. Rival circuses have been known to go by and paper over ours or tear ours down.” Darvo came over and put his arm around Joy. “That was a good time we had last night.”
“Yes, it was.” Joy had been going out with Dan recently. Since they were still on hiatus, her nights were free, except for checking on the animals. She had found Darvo to be a witty and charming man, although somewhat forward. That, she had come to accept, went with circus life. True, there were solid families such as the Fontaines and the Martinos, but there was also a great laxness in morals. Now Dan started caressing her arm with his hand. She removed his hand from her arm and said sternly, “Dan, I’m going to hit you over the head with a two-by-four if you don’t quit pawing me.”
“Oh, come on now, Joy, you know you like it. I can tell.” Darvo never got angry with her, and when Joy rejected his advances, he took it with good grace. He reached into the cage and stroked the head of one of the cubs, remarking, “All the tigers with this circus aren’t in a cage.”
Joy turned to him, not understanding his remark. “What do you mean, Dan?”
Darvo crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. He was a handsome fellow with dark, soulful eyes that he used to good effect on young women. “I mean, I think there’s a tiger inside of Miss Joy Winslow.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think if the right guy came along, you might let your wilder side show a little bit. You’re a good kisser—you know that?”
Joy flushed, for she was embarrassed that she had responded a few times to Darvo’s kisses but had quickly pulled away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do, baby. Anyway, what do you say we go out to the beach this afternoon? Since the circus leaves for Atlanta early tomorrow morning, it’ll be our last chance.”
“All right, that suits me fine.”
Darvo stroked her cheek and shook his head. “You know, this act that you and Chase have put together—it’s gonna be big. I’ve been with the circus a long time, and I can tell.”
“We’re not really ready. The cats aren’t trained well enough.”
“They will be. In a couple years you’ll be the biggest thing. It makes me a little sad.”
“Sad? Why would you be sad about that?”
“Because you won’t be with this circus. You’ll be with the Greatest Show on Earth. Anyway, I’ll see you about one o’clock in your prettiest bathing suit. Bye-bye, babe.”
Joy slowly walked away from the cages. She felt bad because she had started dating Dan more out of spite than anything else. She was trying to get back at Chase for spending so much time with Stella. She liked Dan well enough, and he was good company, but she would never consider marrying him. He simply wasn’t her type.
****
Chase was worn down by his responsibilities. Training such a large number of animals in itself was a killer, but in addition, he was saddled with the extra responsibilities Stella had asked him to assume. True enough Pete Delaney could work miracles in moving circuses around. Nonetheless, there were a thousand decisions to be made, and Stella had spent many hours going over all the possibilities with him. Now as he sat at the table in her trailer, he looked at the papers spread out and shook his head wearily. “I guess we’ll have to pull out for Atlanta tomorrow whether we’re ready or not. I wish we had another three months.”
Stella was sitting beside him. The two had been going over the routes and the problems that might arise. She saw that a lock of his hair had fallen down over his forehead, and she put it back in place. “You’ve worked too hard, Chase.”
“No harder than anybody else.”
“Yes, you have,” she countered. She let her hand fall on his arm and squeezed it gently. “You know everything’s riding on your act. If it goes big, the circus will make it. If not—well, I don’t think we’ll be able to survive.”
“It’s a good act, Stella, but it’d be better after another year.”
“We can’t wait a year,” Stella said moodily. She kept her hand on his arm and stroked it gently. All winter Stella had taken every opportunity to be close to Chase, and he had struggled to keep his distance. Now he gently removed her hand from his arm. “We’ll make it,” he said. �
�Everybody’s worked hard this winter.”
Stella pouted at Chase’s reluctance to give in to her caress, but she continued talking business. “We’ve spent a bundle of money advertising in Atlanta. It’ll be kind of a test case. A lot of people remember you, Chase.”
“I always had a good reception in Atlanta.”
“You’ll have it again.”
Chase suddenly grinned, and the smile made him look younger. “They’ll come out to see if I’ve got the nerve to crawl back into the cage after what happened. They’ll come for that or to see me get eaten alive.”
“Don’t talk like that!” Stella said. “You’re going to be fine.”
She put her hand on his arm again, but Chase stood up and moved away. She shrugged, then asked almost idly, “Is Joy working out all right?”
“Better than I thought. She’s had to learn so much in such a short time. Really we’re rushing it too much.”
“Not much choice.” Again Stella’s voice seemed almost indifferent, but there was a glint in her eyes. “I’ve noticed she’s running around quite a bit with Dan. I wonder if anything will come of that.”
“Maybe so.” Chase liked Dan a great deal, but their relationship made him uneasy. He knew Darvo was quite a ladies’ man and pursued many of his female fans as well as some of the young performers. Chase wasn’t happy about Joy going out with him, but he had not spoken of it to anyone—least of all to her. Now his mind rebelled against what Stella was suggesting, but he could not talk to her. He pulled on his jacket and said, “Well, I’ve got a lot to do before we pull out in the morning.”
“Let’s go out and celebrate tonight,” she said as she stood. “You deserve a break.”
She was standing close enough to him that he could smell her perfume. Chase knew he should say no to her suggestion but felt himself weakening. Not wanting to spend the evening alone, he agreed. “That’ll be fine, Stella.”
She reached up, pulled his head down, and kissed him on the lips before he had time to resist. “I’m so proud of you, Chase,” she said. “Nobody could have saved this circus except you. We’re going to go a long way together, you and me.”
Chase gently but firmly pushed Stella away and cleared his throat. “I’ll see you tonight, Stella.”
****
The band was playing, and the cats began pacing back and forth inside their cages. Chase stood beside the door along with Doak Williams, who was an important part of the act, getting the cats in and out of the big cage and serving as a watcher. Doak grinned and said, “You two gonna be fine—just fine.”
Joy felt weak. She had rehearsed the act enough times that she should not have been nervous, but this was real, and the noise of the crowd, the band, and the activities swirling around her drained her strength. “Chase,” she said tentatively, “I’m scared stiff.”
Chase put his hand on her shoulder. “Good,” he said.
“You think it’s good to be scared?”
“I think being scared is a mark of respect. I want you to respect these animals and make them respect you, and I want us to respect the crowd. They are why we’re here. We give them the best we have, Joy, the very best. You’re going to do fine. I’ve never known anybody to make progress like you have. You’re going straight to the top.”
Joy felt a surge of emotion go through her, and she took a deep breath. His hand was firm on her shoulder, and his dark eyes were intense. “Thanks, Chase, I’m ready now.”
“Okay, let’s get out there, and then you can let ’em in, Doak.”
“Yes, sir!”
“You first. Beauty before the beast,” Chase said with a wink.
Joy obeyed and walked quickly out of the inner area into the big top. The big cage was up with the tunnel leading back to where the cats were kept. She unlocked the door, and Max Taylor, who was acting as one of the watchers, said, “Break a leg, Miss Joy.”
“Thanks, Max.” She stepped into the spotlight and was blinded for a moment, but she felt Chase come and stand close enough to touch her. They stood there smiling as the new ringmaster, Wilbur Whitfield, announced their act. He was a rather small man but with a voice as big as Mount Olympus. He had married Ella Devoe at the end of last season, and the two had been on a winter-long honeymoon. His big voice boomed over the speakers: “And now, ladies and gentlemen, you’re in for a treat. Together for the first time in the big cage along with thirty vicious lions and tigers, I give you Mr. Chase Hardin and Miss Joy Winslow!”
Joy smiled at the applause, then turned to get into the cage as the cats came out. The first one was Major, one of her favorites. He was a huge tiger that always had an odd look on his face because one of his eyes was off-center, making him look cross-eyed. Major turned to the right and was quickly followed by Tom, who turned left, and then Brutus who went right. Brutus started to approach her, and she immediately said, “Back, Brutus, get in line there!” She made her voice harsh, and Brutus growled deep in his throat but took his place.
One by one they came on, one to the right, one to the left, until finally the cage was filled with lions and tigers. Joy could smell them and was well aware of the tension of the moment. Many of these cats had not performed before a big audience, although Chase had insisted on inviting people all winter long to watch as they were trained, both to get the cats used to an audience and to let the general public see that the animals were being well treated.
Joy stood almost in the center of the cage, turning her back on half of the animals while facing the other half. It gave her a strong sense of comfort to know that Chase was there. Since she had started working with the big cats, she could not imagine being alone with her back to such ferocious animals. It would just be asking for trouble.
The act did not go smoothly. More than once one of the cats would forget or would deliberately challenge the trainers. Betty, usually one of the mildest of the lions, decided she was not going to get up on her perch. Chase immediately approached her and tapped her on the head with his stick. “Get up on that perch, Betty!” Betty swiped at him with one paw, but Chase stood there until finally, with a grumpy growl, she went up.
When all thirty animals were up on their perches, Chase said under his breath, just loud enough for Joy to hear him, “Now, Joy.”
At that instant Joy commanded, “Up!” in a loud, firm voice and lifted her hands. She heard Chase doing the same thing, and to her relief all of her charges reared up on their hind legs. Tom, the tiger with bad balance, had difficulty, but he managed to sway for a few seconds. As the applause thundered from the audience and the cheers came, Joy felt an immense satisfaction.
The time passed quickly in the big cage. Joy had no time to think of herself, for every moment was filled with tension. Brutus, a huge animal with beautiful markings, gave Chase a hard time and balked at some of his stunts. This temperamental animal could turn vicious in a moment.
When it came time for Greta to jump through the ring of fire, Wilbur Whitfield went into a long spiel about how all wild animals dreaded fire and how it took tremendous patience to teach a tiger this trick.
As usual, Chase lit the ring, and Joy instructed Greta to approach the ramp. Greta seemed to be distracted by the crowd and hesitated, but Joy insisted firmly, “Greta, you can do it! Jump!” To her relief, the great cat jumped through the ring of fire, and a wave of applause ran through the big top.
Toward the end of the act, a bad moment caught Joy off guard. The black-maned lion named Colonel was good at balancing on the big ball and rolling it. Chase had charge of him while Joy got a beautiful Bengal tiger named Grace to do the same. These two animals were the best at this trick and had never given Chase and Joy any trouble.
The trick was going well until Chase passed close to Brutus’s perch. The beast leaped down and started for Chase. Chase’s back was turned and his attention was on the lion rolling the ball, so he was unaware of Brutus’s move.
But the watchers and Joy saw it, and in a flash she threw herself forward. Sh
e stepped behind Chase, her back to his, and called out, “Brutus, get back!”
Brutus snarled and continued to approach. She reached out with the small stick and called in a harsh voice, “Back, Brutus! Up!”
Chase had whirled around just in time to see the huge cat sulkily turn and climb back up on his perch. Brutus roared defiantly and lifted a paw to show that he was not defeated.
The crowd broke into a wild ovation.
Chase, being a natural showman, reached over suddenly and grabbed Joy, gave her a kiss, and bowed before her. “Take a bow quick. You saved my bacon. It’s great theater.”
Joy felt foolish, but she bowed and held her hands up in recognition of the applause.
“That’s enough. Let’s get ’em out of here,” Chase said.
The two of them sent their charges to the tunnel one at a time and then stood together in the center of the cage, holding hands with both arms raised. They both waved and smiled as the applause rolled on and on.
When they stepped outside the cage, Stella was there to greet them. She ignored the crowd and everyone else and threw herself into Chase’s arms. “You were wonderful!” she cried and gave him a kiss. This brought another roar from the crowd, even though they did not know who she was.
Joy turned instantly and left the arena. She had barely gotten back to help Doak get the cats quieted when Chase appeared. He came to her with a smile on his face. “You were the best!” he said. “Thanks for saving my life.” He put his arms around her and would have kissed her if she hadn’t pushed him away.
“Go get your hugs and kisses from Stella!”
A hurt look crossed Chase’s face. He said nothing but turned away, and when he was out of hearing distance, Doak said, “He was just tryin’ to tell ya how fine you were, Miss Joy. Why you want to treat him like that?”
Joy felt tears rise in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “He’s got a woman.”
The Fiery Ring Page 27
