Читать книгу Precious Blessings - Jillian Hart - Страница 10

“This is lame, Dad. I won’t do it.”

Jack lifted his gaze from the mountainside road long enough to take in the confrontational jut of Hayden’s chin and the fury in her cool eyes.

Uh-oh. He knew that look. It was the same one he’d been dealing with for most of the week, ever since he’d hauled her home from Katherine McKaslin’s store.

“I won’t and you can’t make me.”

Keep your cool, Jack. Through the haze of falling snow, he negotiated the final curve and spotted the exit for the ski resort. “You’ll choose to do this or I’m adding more volunteer time to your sentence.”

No answer came, but the fury of her silence increased the temperature in the car by a full ten degrees.

It didn’t matter. Nothing could change his mind. He’d decided Hayden was going to join Marin’s youth group and participate in every single youth-group activity until he got his good Hayden back. He knew she was hiding somewhere behind the sullen belligerence. If he had to devote his day off to that cause, then fine. No sacrifice was too great for his little girl.

I saw that in her. That she’s good, without a doubt.

Why did Katherine’s words come back to him? He could hear her dulcet, precise tone. Could remember the play of the overhead lights on her straight blond locks, held neatly in place by a sensible barrette over each ear. She’d been understated elegance in her modest black sweater and slacks. Katherine didn’t need makeup or high fashion to be lovely.

Eventually Hayden would come to the same conclusion about her own appearance. His ears still rang from the heated argument they’d had over her makeup and shocking fashion statement. She’d been wearing her approved school clothes when she left the house each morning, he’d learned, and then had changed at Jan’s house, reversing the process after school.

And you didn’t even guess it, man. That’s what ate at him the most.

Hayden stared out the window with enough hatred to melt half the snow pack on the mountain peaks. “This is all that awful store lady’s fault.”

“Miss McKaslin is the reason I didn’t have to bail you out.”

“Right. I can’t believe how wound up everybody got over some lousy figurines. Just chill.”

Jack hit the brakes and the Jeep skidded into a parking slot. “What has gotten into you? Do you think if you push me hard enough, I’ll move us back to Phoenix? Is that what this is about? Then you’re flat wrong, missy.”

“I hate this place. I wanna go home.”

“This is home. If you don’t want to like it here, fine. But you will do one more week’s volunteer work—”

“Dad!”

“Another word, and it’ll be two.” He waited for the red haze of rage beating dully in his eye sockets to fade. The heartbreak of a disappointed father did not.

Hayden’s face had scrunched up in resentment, but at least she held back. It was an effort, he could see that by the hard cinch of her mouth, but she stayed silent. That was an improvement.

Relief cooled some of the anger, but didn’t begin to touch the ache in his heart. “Get your things. Pastor Marin said you kids are meeting for prayer and fellowship in the lodge before the group lesson.”

More sullen silence. Hayden whipped her door open and shot out of the car, not so eager to join the youth-group meeting, he figured, but to get away from him. Well, he could handle anything she could dish out because he was her father and he was committed. One hundred thousand percent. He grabbed the keys and climbed out into the bitter weather.

Movement caught his eye. A slender woman with her back to him was ambling away from the parking lot. She was dressed in warm sensible skiwear and carrying an expensive set of skis.

Was that Katherine? Surprise sparked like a new flame in his chest.

No, of course that’s not her. His surprise faded to nothing, nothing at all. He wasn’t even going to tell himself that he was wishing it was Katherine. With the way he’d been so rude, just abruptly walking away from her, if that was her, she would probably be running in the other direction as fast as she could.

The slam of the Jeep’s passenger door jarred him out of his thoughts. Hayden glared at him, all zipped and bundled up. “Where do I gotta go?”

“First we’ll hit the rental place. Get geared up.” He pressed the remote to lock the doors. “With any luck, we’ll get you to the lodge so you don’t miss a microsecond of the meeting.”

“Oh, joy.”

Hayden marched off ahead of him and didn’t look back.

He had that effect on a lot of females.

Katherine loved skiing; the sport had only one flaw, the fact that you had to go back up the mountainside. I’m not afraid of heights, she told herself stubbornly, I’m not afraid of heights.

Okay, she was. She’d never been able to talk herself out of this fear. Nor did the view of the rugged terrain far below her skis as she rode the lift ever look any less horrifying. She did the only thing she could do—squeezed her eyes shut.

“I know something to take your mind off falling to our deaths,” Marin said, ever helpful. “Hayden Munroe came to our worship and ski program. She’s taking her first lesson with the instructor this very moment.”

“That’s great.” Katherine’s initial thought was for the girl who was heading down a very troubled path. “I know you’ll have her feeling better about herself and her life in no time.”

Her second thought was, unfortunately, about Jack Munroe. Had he brought Hayden to the lodge? And if so, had he stayed?

Don’t think about that, Katherine. You’re not interested in him, remember?

“That father of hers is sure something.” Marin turned to the other member of their trio squished onto the narrow bench. “Holly, you’ve got to see this guy. It almost makes you believe in Mr. Right.”

Holly gasped. “But you don’t believe in Mr. Right.”

“True. I’ve done enough marital counseling in my career to know that he’s a myth. Katherine, we’re almost at the top. You might want to open your eyes now. I’m absolutely sure that there is no Mr. Right anywhere in existence on this earth. Just Mr. Almost-Right.”

“And those are few and far between.” With a scoot off the bench chair, Katherine landed, skis parallel and knees bent. When she turned to look over her shoulder, Holly and Marin swished to a stop behind her. “Trust me, Jack Munroe isn’t anywhere close to being Mr. Almost-Right.”

“Wow, did you hear that, Holly?”

“I heard it, Marin. Katherine’s in her denial stage.”

“What is it with everyone? The twins said the same thing. I’m not in denial. Really.”

“Of course you’re not,” Holly said in a comforting way, although Katherine wasn’t fooled. Not one bit. “So, tell me, is this guy—whoa, buddy!”

“Outta the way! Comin’ through!” A man shouted, in sheer panic.

Was it her imagination, or did that sound sort of like Jack Munroe? Katherine hopped out of the way just in time to see a blur speed by. The blur was a black-parka-wearing, wide-shouldered man crouched very low over his skis, his poles held straight in front of him as if he were roasting hot dogs over a campfire.

“That looks like doom on two sticks,” Marin commented. “I’d better pray for that man.”

“He’s going to need it. Oh, he went right through the first turn.” Holly cocked her head to listen. “He missed the trees. I didn’t hear a crash.”

What if that was Jack? Katherine kicked off and followed Marin down the trail. She couldn’t see anything of the fallen skier. That wasn’t a good sign. What if he was hurt?

Lord, please don’t let him be hurt.

“Hey, Katherine,” Marin called as she led the way. “Do you know who that man reminded me of?”

Yeah, she knew. And she was going to stay in denial about that, too. “A beginning skier who missed the rope tow for the bunny run?”

When they reached the first turn, all they could see was a hole in the snowbank and a single ski sliding crookedly along the trail.

Marin reached the edge first. “Mister, are you alive?”

Katherine knew it was him, even before his gruff baritone rang out from the trees.

“Yep. And better yet, nothing’s broken.”

Katherine’s heart skipped five beats as she joined Marin at the edge of the bank. Sure enough, she recognized the man below. Although he was in profile, looking down as he tried to free one of his poles from the branches of an evergreen tree, she already knew that particular man’s profile by heart. There was no mistaking the hard-planed, granite face. Or the dark shock of hair tumbling from beneath the black ski cap.

It was him. Her stomach clenched tight before it fell downward, tingling, all the way to her knees. Just the way it felt on the uppermost crest of a roller-coaster ride when suddenly down you plunged. Screaming.

Yeah, it was something like that. “J-Jack?”

He looked up. “Uhh…Katherine McKaslin?”

He said it in the same way someone might say, Oh, good, there’s a person infectious with bubonic plague. “Do you need help up?”

“No! I can do it just fine. You go ahead and keep right on with your skiing.”

“Oh no,” Katherine said sweetly “we’ll stay and make sure you get up all right.”

Great. Jack stared at the three women staring back at him. Humiliation eked into his soul like the icy wind through his coat.

Why does it have to be her, Lord? If he was going to disgrace himself, did it have to be in front of Katherine McKaslin? And why was his bad side showing whenever she was around? “I’m fine. Just getting my snow legs back.”

“Is that something like sea legs?”

Jack could tell she was holding back laughter. Mirth glimmered like flecks of amethyst in her deep violet-blue irises. He liked the sparkles in her eyes very much. “I haven’t skied since college. I figured it would come back to me.”

“I hope you didn’t ski like this in college.”

His pole came loose from the branches and he gave thanks for that. “Believe it or not, I was a pretty competent skier, but it’s taking its own sweet time coming back to me.”

“I hope it comes back to you before you hit the next turn.”

“Me, too.” Jack wondered how she could say that in a kind way, when she had every right to mock him? After all, he’d been a little overconfident in his abilities.

Okay, extremely overconfident. He grabbed one ski and hiked up the snowbank. “I heard that comment you made. The one about the bunny run.”

“Sound must really carry on this mountain.”

“Don’t you know it. Truth is, it was my pride. I didn’t feel dignified going down the same run as knee-high kids who could ski like Olympians.”

“So you chose the advanced run as an alternative?”

“At least I lived to tell the tale. So far.”

He made it to the top and drew himself up to his full height and still he didn’t feel tall enough, not in the eyes of this woman. He hated it. He really did. Because there was something incredibly special about her. She was easily balanced on her skis, leaning on her poles, serene and wholesome. She made his entire being, his entire spirit, take notice.

Suddenly, he was aware of someone else talking and then he remembered. There were two other women with Katherine. And as they were moving away, one was saying, “C’mon, Holly, let’s go fetch that ski.”

Ski. That didn’t register either. There wasn’t anything in this world but Katherine and the gentle quirk of her smile, and the thud of his pulse in his chest. She kept him glued in place. He could see her heart in her eyes. There wasn’t a drop of judgment, nor was she silently teasing him even when he might deserve it.

“Jack, are you going to be able to make it down okay? Marin has her cell phone. She can call for the ski patrol.”

“No!” He’d rather crash and burn and break every bone in his body—twice—than to admit defeat in front of Katherine. “I’m fine. It’s already coming back to me. I think the fall knocked loose some forgotten knowledge inside my head.”

“Good, because you could have been really hurt. I would hate to see that happen to you.”

That comment was tough on a man’s ego. Tough because she was concerned and caring. That made him like her even more. “Guess I’ll be going now. You want to catch up with your friends?”

She didn’t budge. She didn’t blink. The crinkle of a hint of a smile remained in the corners of her soft, pretty mouth. Snow flecked the fake-fur lining of her jacket collar and clung to the sleek matching ski cap. She looked like everything good and sweet in the world, and he didn’t want to think this way about this woman.

“Uh, Jack? Before you take off you need to know something. You’re missing a ski.”

It registered vaguely. He straightened his shoulders, looking as tough and manly as possible, considering he only had one ski. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” He had to face it. He was never going to impress this woman—not that he even wanted to, of course. But had he wanted to, his dignity had passed the point of no return. He stabbed his poles into the hard berm of snow, ready to go. “Goodbye, Katherine.”

Okay, she could take a hint. Katherine checked the trail for skiers, but no one was coming. She couldn’t just leave him here—as Marin had put it, he was doom on two sticks—but she sensed his pride was bruised more than anything.

The poor man. He towered over her, a big mountain of a guy, radiating capability and strength. He didn’t look as though he had a single weakness. So why was it hard to find the will to kick off and leave him standing there?

She thought of what her friends and her sisters had said. She did not like this man, not like that, and she wasn’t in denial about it. Really. So then, why did her heart crack just as little? And then a little more as she kicked off and away, swooshing over the iced, packed snow, leaving him behind? She could feel his gaze on her back like the press of the cold wind. As she negotiated the next curve, she glanced over her shoulder to see him standing there, looking as alone as she felt.

She spotted Marin and Holly waiting for her and she skidded to a rough-edged halt.

Marin was flushed with excitement. “When I talked to him on the phone, did I mention to you that I found out he isn’t married? He’s a widower.”

Katherine couldn’t stop the wave of sympathy for him. That was sad. It did explain the lack of a wedding ring.

“Did you see how he was looking at you?”

“Like I was contagious with the bird flu?”

“That’s the denial talking.” Holly held up Jack’s lost ski. “We would have returned this to him, but we didn’t want to interrupt.”

“There was nothing to interrupt.” So maybe she was in a little denial. But not much. “I get the strong feeling that Jack doesn’t like me at all.”

“He does,” Holly and Marin chimed in unison.

Did they know how wrong they were? Completely. “What do you two know about men? You’re both single.”

“Yeah, but we have the experience of many failed relationships between us. Here.” Holly handed her the ski. “Either go up to him or we’ll just wait around the next corner and you can wait here for him, since he’s bound to come looking for this.”

“Then he’ll find it just fine, whether I’m here or not.” She could see him starting down the trail, balancing on one ski. He was on his way down.

There was only one thing to do. She propped the slim black ski, brand-new and newly waxed, against the snow berm where it would be easy for Jack to spot when he limped around the corner. “You two have been plotting while I was talking to Jack.”

“Guilty,” Marin admitted. “He’s a great-looking guy. He’s a caring father, so I know he has a lot of heart.”

“You can have him then, because his personality isn’t so great.” Katherine wasn’t sure if that was the whole truth, but Jack’s first impression had been a whopper. Remembering how he’d behaved when they’d first met would keep her firmly entrenched in her state of denial. “C’mon, let’s get moving.”

“You’re just gonna leave the ski?” Holly looked crestfallen. “But, what about our plan? You can’t get to know him better if you don’t stay, talk, meet him in the lodge for hot drinks.”

“News flash. I don’t plan on seeing Jack Munroe ever again even if I have to avoid him. Let’s go, he’s almost here.” She pushed off, leading the way down the trail. Snow pummeled into her like little wind-driven bullets, and she didn’t look back. Didn’t want to.

Because she already knew what she’d see. The disappointment on her friends’ faces and Jack Munroe wobbling on one ski. Jack Munroe, who’d given her flowers and who had enough problems on his plate. Just because he was a widower didn’t mean she was suddenly interested in him. She was pretty sure that Jack was not the man she was looking for.

Humiliation was a sad thing. Jack had found his ski, but his dignity had taken a fatal hit. In front of Katherine McKaslin.

Why her, Lord? He took another sip of strong sweetened tea in the warmth of the lodge’s empty auxiliary dining room and tried to squeeze the memory from his mind of glancing up to see Katherine at the top of the ravine, looking like a gift from heaven dappled with snow.

The Lord wasn’t answering, and Jack had to accept it. Why he was continuously coming across as a bull in a china shop in front of Katherine might forever remain a mystery. Maybe the trick would be staying away from her. That shouldn’t be too hard to do, right?

Right. So stop thinking about her.

Okay, he focused on the view outside the wide picture windows. Stunning. The rugged snow-draped mountain peaks stabbed into the falling veil of snow. Closer in, the mountain slope lay in a pure mantle of white that felt as peaceful as it looked. Out front, just within his view, a half dozen teens on skis were clustered in a half circle around a beginning instructor. Hayden was one of them. She stood at the end, a little farther away than the others. He only saw her from behind but he knew that slump to her shoulders. She was scowling, looking nothing at all like the little girl he remembered.

Where had the time gone? In a blink of an eye, here she was, a teenager, fifteen going on sixteen, and he wasn’t ready for it. Something had gone wrong somewhere, and he didn’t know what. The move here to Montana, to a smaller city and a slower pace was supposed to fix that. And after the stunt she’d pulled in Katherine’s store, it was clear his little girl was a teenager on the edge of trouble. Funny, he’d always blamed the parents for something like that.

But he was simply doing his best.

Maybe finding a church would help with that. He simply hadn’t had the time with the move and the adjustment to a new home and job to start searching for the right one. Thank God for this opportunity. Jack’s chest tightened with a mix of emotions he couldn’t name except for one. Gratitude. If Hayden was going to act out, it had been a blessing that she’d done so in front of Katherine. That they’d been given this chance to make things right. It was an opportunity he refused to waste, and he wouldn’t let Hayden waste it either.

Katherine. His guts knotted when he thought of her. Maybe the Lord was trying to tell him something. Like give up any thoughts of dating. You aren’t cut out for it. Not that he’d been thinking on that real hard, but some of the guys at work were more than happy to offer to set him up. He’d turned them down, so far. He was doing fine enough on his own, right?

Well, as tough as it was to admit, not really.

“More tea, sir?” The sunny waitress breezed up to his corner table with another pot of steaming water.

Not in a sunny mood, he gave a gruff nod and kept his attention on Hayden. The snow was falling harder now, shadowing the kids so that it was hard to see them as they followed their instructor, sidestepping toward the beginner’s run. He watched Hayden’s blue parka grow smaller and disappear over a rise.

That’s when he felt it, a flicker of emotion stretching tight right behind his sternum and then popping free, like a rubber band snapping. What was that?

He didn’t have to look around to know who was coming his way. For some unfathomable reason, he could feel the string pulling tight again, right over his heart the moment he saw Katherine enter the dining room.

His gut instinct told him to duck, but it was too late.