Finding Elizabeth (7 page)

“Whoa!”
Jack hollered, trying to keep his balance as he glanced over his shoulder. “Katherine, thank God you’re back.”

“Happy to see me?” she quipped.

“
Definitely
. You wouldn’t want to miss my elaborate triple flip.”

Despite herself, she laughed. “If you stop wobbling all over the place, I’ll show you the basics.”

“Stop wobbling? Right! I can do that. Give me a minute.” Jack centred himself and stood rigidly over his skates.

“Not like you’ve got a pole up your …” She gave him a playful thump on the arm.

“Be nice.” He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“It’s no different to skiing. All you have to do is find your balance. Okay, the first thing I want you to do is relax and bend the knees a little.” She slipped her arm around his waist, but his bulky sheepskin jacket made it impossible to grab hold of him properly. She dared to manoeuvre her hand underneath it and, to her delight, found his warm, soft sweater. Her hand fastened to his side, her breath caught in her throat, her fingers and palm tingled as she made contact with the hard muscles underneath. The tingle grew into a full-blown thrill that bubbled through her body, pooling and fluttering in her abdomen.
What the …? My reaction is absurd
. She moved her hand away, and he tottered, so she dug her fingers into his side.

“
Hmmm
, that’s nice,” Jack rumbled, smiling. “Skating could be lots of fun. I can see that.”

“Don’t get smart or I’ll leave you here in the middle of the pond to find your own way back.”

“Yes, miss,” Jack said, fooling around.

“I’ll ignore that too. Just as well I’m an amicable person,” she mumbled.
And in control of my hormones
. “Now concentrate, tip your body forward a bit, push out with the right foot while lifting the left skate off the ice. Not that much! Okay, now bring the left down and push off. That’s it. See? Get the rhythm going. It’s more like cross-country skiing.”

“If you say so, but the idea of standing on two thin blades, purely for enjoyment, escapes me. Correction, used to escape me,” he said, beaming at her.

“Right. Shall we get on with it?” she said, ignoring his blatant innuendos.

Within fifteen minutes, Jack was showing signs of becoming familiar with the rhythm of skating. He still had a wobble in his glide, but Katherine thought he looked more confident.

Unfortunately, confidence soon overruled caution, and he increased his speed.

“Hold on, Jack! Not so fast or you’ll …” She gripped his waist and his muscles tensed under her fingers as he tried to prevent a fall. His seesawing became uncontrollable and he overbalanced. His skates skidded rapidly underneath him as he tried in vain to grip the ice. Katherine came around in front of him and grabbed his hands, but it was too late. The momentum had taken hold and he crashed, sprawling on his back.

Self-preservation should’ve kicked in and Katherine should’ve let go. Instead, she fell,
oomph
, face down on top of him.

Weird noises were coming out of his chest and throat. It sounded like someone squeezing the neck of a balloon while slowly letting the air out, only he was trying to suck air into his lungs. She was doing something similar, but without the sound effects. As if performing a bench lift, he placed his hands under her shoulders and raised her off his chest. “Just—for—a sec,” he panted. A big sigh later, his arms folded and she was on top of him again. She rose and fell with his rhythmic breathing. “Are you okay?” he asked, showing an expanse of even white teeth.

Fighting for breath, Katherine nodded. But now he had his arms firmly wrapped around her. How had that happened?

Their eyes locked.
There’s that smile again
. Excitement rippled through her when she realised what his grey eyes were saying:
You’re it … you’re mine
. And a whole lot more.

Their breaths puffed out, mingling, a pearly cloud around their faces.

Her whole skating idea had suddenly backfired.
Help!
was a feeble cry in her mind.
Get up! Get up now! He lives thousands of miles away
. And it wouldn’t be the first time a man who was far from home took any opportunity to have his way and get into a woman’s panties. She gave him a filthy look.

“What was that for?” Jack chuckled, making her bounce on his chest.

“Somehow you very cleverly managed to get me into this position.” She struggled to get her blades out of harm’s way.

“I fell,” he said, all innocence. “Anyway, you’ve got to admit it’s an interesting way of getting to know you.”

Katherine tried to clamber off him. “For Christ’s sake,” she stammered, “let go!” It may have been cold on the ice, but without a doubt he was radiating a lot of sensual heat, and it was drawing her in.
Damn it!

“We could be melting our way through the ice, you and I.”

“That’s so cheesy.”

“Yeah, was, wasn’t it?” Slowly, he released his embrace and, with hands gripping her waist, he assisted Katherine as she clambered off on all fours.

“Thanks, you can let go of me now.”

In a flash, she was on her feet, hands on hips looking down at him. “You’d better get up,” she ordered, “before your backside is stuck until spring thaw.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Katherine folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, neither denying nor confirming her statement.

“Okay.
Hmm …”
Jack rolled onto his stomach and managed to get to his knees. He put his gloved hands on the ice and tried to raise himself to his feet. “I could do with a hand right about now,” he grunted, the colourful pom-pom on his hat bouncing.

Katherine shoved her hand under his shoulder and braced her skate against his. “Dig the tip of your blades into the ice.”

With a heave, he was up. “Have you had enough?” he asked teasingly.

She looked past her shoulder at him, trying not to smile, but knew her eyes had already betrayed her. “No, but perhaps a poor old Australian like yourself needs to have a rest?”

“What—no more lessons?” Jack tilted his head, a cheeky gleam in his eye. “And there I was starting to get the hang of it too.”

“No, sorry, I have to head over to Spruce Valley Lodge. They’re expecting me.” Katherine headed for the bench to remove her skates.

Arms out like a penguin, Jack teetered across the ice to join her. “The Lodge is on my list to visit, and probably one of the better places to ask questions.”

Silently Katherine groaned. There was no hope for her; she wasn’t that selfish a person not to offer, never mind the reluctance. “Seems silly not to offer you a lift.” Oh great, that sounded so mean-spirited. “I’ll try again. I’m going that way. Would you like a lift?”

“That would be great, thank you.”

The Spruce Valley Lodge sprawled across an acre of garden. Jack chuckled at the plastic reindeer prancing across the roof, dragging a sleigh with a laughing Santa, and plastic sack full of imagination. He was right to have a chuckle—Santa looked more like Batman’s Joker with every passing year.

“I know,” Katherine said to Jack. “But where would the world be without plastic Santas and someone to take the trouble to decorate the place for Christmas?”

She crawled out of her car and waited for Jack, locked up and headed for the entry. The automatic glass doors slid open, and Katherine walked into a mini furnace. She yanked off her hat and gloves and shrugged out of her coat; Jack did the same. While waiting for Aileen the receptionist to finish her phone conversation, Katherine admired the fearless creativity of the person who had decorated the Christmas tree in silver and electric blue baubles.

“I’m sorry it’s inconvenient, Mr Greene, but you
did
specify you wanted to be kept informed, especially if there was a problem. And there is, Mr Greene. We’ve tried everything to console your mother. She won’t eat, or drink. She is utterly distraught and we are worried.”

Katherine was about to move further away when, without looking up, Aileen stuck her hand in the air traffic-cop style. Listening to Mr Greene made Aileen’s lips draw back in a thin line. Holding a pencil like a dagger, she stabbed the desk pad. “Very well, Mr Greene. We will wait for Peggy’s doctor.” She slammed the phone down and looked up at Katherine, murder blazing in her eyes. “Hi, Kate,” she said, teeth gnashing.

“Deep breaths, Aileen.” Katherine simulated the calming exercise. “Better?”

“Not until I get my hands around …” Aileen glanced at Jack, who was peering at the tree, then turned back to Katherine. “Are you together?”

“Um, yes.” She signalled for Jack to come to the counter. “I’d like you to meet Jack Riley. He’s looking for someone and he’s hoping you or some of the patients may be able to help.”

“Ah, Jack, you called early this morning. Nice to meet you,” Aileen extended her hand.

“Thanks for allowing me this opportunity,” Jack said, taking her hand.

“Okay, you two are set then. Before I go and orientate myself, what’s going on with Peggy? What happened?” Katherine asked, leaning forward on the counter.

Aileen looked around. Satisfied they were alone, she moved closer. “Peggy’s dickhead son is a shallow conniving lying bastard. He dumped Peggy’s dog at the Animal Rescue.”

Katherine gasped. “Not Bubbles! What a prick. No wonder Peggy is distraught. Is it all right if I go and see her?”

“Sure you can. Everyone’s tried to get Peggy to eat and drink. Go in and give it your best shot.” Aileen pulled out a box of tissues from under her desk. “You’ll need this.”

After leaving Jack with Aileen, Katherine headed down the long hall to Peggy’s suite, thinking how much she adored the senior citizens, and Peggy was just lovable. The few times Katherine managed to visit the lodge, Peggy always asked to see her.

She pressed her ear against the door, heard Peggy blow her nose and then knocked.

A feeble voice called out, “Go away!”

“Peggy, it’s Katherine. Can I come in?”

“I don’t care, I’m not eating,” Peggy said, determined.

“I wouldn’t make you. Please, Peggy.”

“Fine, whatever,” Peggy said, her voice dry, gravelly.

At the sound of Katherine walking in, Peggy turned to look from where she sat curled up in a recliner chair, a fleecy blanket over her knees. The betrayal Katherine saw in Peggy’s bleak, sad eyes made her want to cry. Slowly, Peggy turned away to stare out the picture window that overlooked the snow-covered garden. But going to pieces wasn’t going to help anyone.
Be calm … stay calm
. Peggy needed strength right now, someone to talk to, someone to sit with her without nagging.

Grabbing a chair, Katherine joined Peggy at the window. A small round table with a tea tray and plate of cookies stood to one side. Peggy was gazing at a gardener, a string of lights over his shoulder, as he carefully leaned a ladder against a fir tree.

“This could be fun,” Katherine said.

“If he falls on his rear, it will be the best thing to happen all week.” Peggy blew her nose and sniffed.

“That’s very unlike you, Peggy. He’s a rookie.” Katherine suppressed a giggle. “Someone should warn him.”

The gardener climbed his ladder; it bounced against the unstable bending branches.

“Uh uh.” Peggy croaked. “He can’t possibly hurt himself, he’s so green. Besides there’s a pile of snow the idiot can fall into.”

The tip of the tree swayed. A lump of snow the size of a small car fell and hit the rookie. He dropped everything and, hanging from outstretched arms, he clung to the tree, dangling three metres off the ground.

After a quick gasp, Peggy cackled.

“I’d better go warn someone,” Katherine laughed and made ready to get up.

But Peggy slapped a bony hand on her arm. “It’s all right. Look.”

A man came running out from inside the lodge.

“Jack!”

He grabbed the ladder and wedged it up between the rookie and the tree. Holding the ladder with one hand, he waved the other, gesturing advice.

“This is like watching
Dumb & Dumber
,” Peggy said, humour in her voice.

This comic relief was just what Peggy needed.

One hand at a time, the rookie let go of the tree and grabbed the ladder. His foot found a rung, and Jack called out encouragement as he descended. The rookie gathered his string of lights half buried in snow. While chatting with Jack, he wound the lights up around thumb and elbow. Judging by all the nodding and pointing, they were working out a safe plan of action to get the lights up on the tree.

“I’d be surprised if that young man agrees to go up the ladder again,” Katherine said. She poured two cups of tea from the tray and, without a word, handed one to Peggy, who took a sip and then another. Peggy peered down at her cup. A cheeky smile eased into her wrinkled face and understanding warmed her eyes.

“You’re better than any of ’em,” Peggy said, grief slowly returning.

“I heard what happened, Peggy. I’m so sorry.” Katherine picked up the photo of Bubbles propped on the windowsill. “She’s adorable. How could anyone resist that sweet little face. Someone will see her, fall in love and give her a good home.”