His Winter Rose and Apple Blossom Bride (31 page)

“Today one of the art students showed me drawings she’d done for the sets for the winter festival play,” Ashley murmured after sipping her coffee.

Uh-oh.

“She said some of your students thought they could build them with some leadership. From you.”

“Ashley, I can’t. I explained all this.”

“I’d be willing to help you, watch Tatiana if you needed it.”

He found himself considering it. Not because he needed help with Tati, though that would be nice. But he wanted the chance to know Ashley better. She intrigued him, made him think life might hold something he hadn’t dared dream of again, something he never planned to risk.

He couldn’t walk away from her offer.

“While we were skating, Tatiana told me about her mother. I didn’t realize she was a famous ballerina.”

“Carissa would have liked to hear that,” he mused aloud. “Her goal was to be a household name around the world. She hated being ill, not being allowed to dance. It was her reason for getting up in the morning.” He clamped his lips together, afraid he’d said too much.

“How long has she been gone?”

“Five months.” He studied her, decided it was better to get the truth out now. “Ashley, I never knew I had a daughter until six months ago.”

“What?” She looked stunned.

“Carissa and I were married only a few months when she was offered a six-month contract with the Bolshoi Ballet. My dad was ill, I was in the middle of—” he looked for the right word “—studies in New York. I couldn’t drop everything and follow her, but Carissa promised she’d be back as soon as the contract was over. Two months after she left, I got a letter telling me she’d made a mistake, that she wanted a divorce, that all she wanted was to dance.”

“Oh my.” Her eyes grew huge. “She never told you she was pregnant?”

He shook his head.

“I tried to get in touch with her, to phone her. I wrote dozens of letters. They all came back. I learned her contract with the company had been suspended, but that’s all I could find out.” He pushed a hand through his hair as the memory of those dark days returned. “Dad died and everything else got pushed to the back burner for a while. Then the divorce papers arrived.”

“So you signed them?”

“It had been over a year. I couldn’t reach her. I had no access, other than through her former lawyer.” He swallowed, looked down at the table. “Besides, by then I knew she was right. We’d made a mistake.”

“I’m sorry.” She reached out, touched his hand.

Surprised by the voluntary contact from such a reticent person, Michael covered her hand with his, and glancing up, found only compassion on her face.

“Thanks.” He sighed. “I thought it was over, that the only people we’d hurt were ourselves. I was living in New York when I happened to read a small newspaper article that said Carissa was there convalescing. I decided to visit her, to make sure she was all right, you know?”

Ashley nodded, removed her hand from his grip.

“I phoned, but her manager said she didn’t want to see me. I decided to go anyway. I figured I owed her that.” It still rankled. “A friend who worked at her hotel got me up to her room. I knocked on the door and this little sprite answered. It was Tati. I would have known my daughter anywhere.”

“Oh, Michael.” She sounded as if she understood what he’d missed, the pain that had gutted him at what he’d never been allowed to experience.

“Carissa wasn’t going to let me know until after she died. She’d married again. A man she met in Russia. Vlad was nice, rich, adored the ground she walked on, but he couldn’t buy her the cure she needed.”

“Cure?”

“When I saw her she was in the last stages of lung cancer. It was very aggressive. She wanted Tati with her as long as possible. Vlad was to bring her to me after Carissa died.”

“But how did you— I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s kind of nice to explain instead of watching you imagine all kinds of weird scenarios.” He checked to be sure Tati was still busy, that she couldn’t overhear. “Carissa kept hoping, right to the end, that she would go into remission, find a cure, something. Vlad got her to come to New York on the pretext of seeing a specialist, but I think it was more because of Tati. He was afraid there would be problems with her custody and he wanted to honor Carissa’s wish for me to take care of her.”

It galled him to say it even now, months later. He pushed away his coffee cup, stretched his legs and drew several breaths to ease the tension gathering at the back of his neck.

“But why wait so long?”

He smiled but felt no mirth. “We weren’t married very long but Carissa knew that if I’d known I had a daughter, I would have insisted on being with her. If she hadn’t fallen sick I’m not sure I’d ever have known about my daughter.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I. Fortunately for all of us, Tati is very accepting. She’d always called Vlad by his first name. From the moment Carissa introduced us I was Daddy.”

“I’m sorry she got sick, but I don’t understand her actions at all. To deny a child her father—it’s awful.”

“You have to understand Carissa. No one ever said no to her. She’d pushed herself up through the ranks, made herself a household name. It was hard to match wills with her.” He stared at the little girl who’d lit up his life so sweetly. “But I’d have done it and more if I’d known.”

“Of course you would have.” She summoned a smile. “You’re very lucky to have Tatiana.”

“I think so, too,” he said warmly, appreciating her staunch defense. “So now perhaps you’ll understand why I was so defensive about being a father that day we were on the boat. I’m trying to forgive Carissa, but the whole thing still rankles a bit whenever I think of what I missed.”

“No wonder.” She shook her head. “Now I’m doubly sorry I said it. How thoughtless!”

“You couldn’t have known.” He took a deep breath, decided to risk it. “Maybe knowing our history will make you feel more comfortable. I’m not looking to dash into anything, to make another mistake. I learned that lesson the hard way. But I am looking for a friend. Can we be friends, Ashley?”

She studied him for a moment, eyes large and luminous in her pale face. He held his breath, waiting. Finally she nodded.

“I’ve made mistakes, too,” she said softly. “I’ve been engaged twice, both times to the wrong man. I don’t trust myself not to make another mistake, that’s why I said what I did.”

Michael could tell it was a big admission for her. Delighted that she’d shared as much with him, he decided to press a little further, especially since Tati was happily involved with another little girl in the ball pit.

“But your mistakes—that’s not what has made you so afraid, is it?”

The soft rose flush that had tinted her cheeks a moment ago faded to white. “No.”

“Can you tell me about it?” He touched her arm, turned her hand over and slid his fingers between hers. “I’m a good listener.”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Just start at the beginning,” he encouraged.

“Something happened to me a long time ago.” She stared at their entwined hands, briefly explained the almost-abduction. “It’s not just that. I don’t think I’ve ever really felt secure.”

“What does that mean? Is someone after you now?”

“I’m not—”

A loud squeal interrupted. Tati. With an apologetic look, Michael withdrew his hand and went to find out the problem. His sobbing daughter stood in the middle of the ball pit, a bruise forming at one corner of her cheek.

“She fell against the edge,” a woman explained. “I’m sure it won’t leave a lasting mark, but according to my son’s experience with the same thing last week, it hurts a lot more than it shows.”

“Thanks.” He picked Tati up, hugged her close after inspecting the damage. “It’s only a bruise, sweetie. You’re fine. And it’s way past your bedtime.”

“But I wanted to play some more,” she sobbed against his neck.

Recognizing the signs of overtiredness, Michael didn’t argue, simply carried her back to the table.

“I’m sorry, Ashley. I think it’s time we went home. Can you drive us back to the rink?”

“Sure. Is she okay?”

“Just a bump.”

They left quickly, arrived at the rink with little more being said. Once Tati was settled into her own car seat, Ashley leaned in to kiss her goodnight, then closed the door. She tilted her head to one side as she studied Michael.

“I enjoyed this evening,” she said quietly. “Thank you.”

“No, thank
you,
” he said, admiring her ethereal beauty. “I’m sure falling on the ice wasn’t part of your plan for today.”

“It had its moments.”

Michael knew what he was going to say and didn’t even try to stop the words.

“Tell Piper that if she really wants, I’ll build the sets. I’ll make it a project for the kids. Extra marks.”

“You will? Really?” At his nod Ashley grinned, reached out and hugged him. “Thank you, Michael! Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome.” He hugged her back, relishing the touch of her silky cheek against his.

“Oh, sorry.” She drew back, her face a soft rich pink.

“Anytime,” he told her with a grin. And meant it. “Maybe you could get copies of those drawings from your art student and bring them to the school shop tomorrow. We’ll need to order the wood right away.”

“Sure. I’ll do that. Thanks, Michael.” Her smile flared again. “This is so great.”

Then she looked at him and her eyes held a thousand secrets as a tiny smile kicked up the corners of her mouth.

Michael wanted to prolong the moment but he needed to get home, to do some work.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yes. See you.” She climbed into her vehicle, waited for him to precede her out of the lot.

As he drove home Michael suddenly realized that only once during their time outside the rink had Ashley checked over her shoulder or scanned the lot.

Did that mean she trusted him?

Chapter Seven

“D
id you have a happy Thanksgiving, Ashley?” Tati stood in the doorway, surveying her visitor. Orange icing was smeared above one eyebrow.

“Yes, I did. Thank you, honey. How about you?”

“I had two pieces of pumpkin pie.”

“Two, huh? You must have been stuffed. I’m surely glad all the snow melted so we could see the pumpkin display at the library. Aren’t you?”

“Uh-huh. I liked the scarecrow best.”

“I liked the roosters and the sunflowers. Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Ashley followed her into the house, sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “Is something burning?”

“Don’t ask,” Michael told her sticking his head out of the kitchen. “We’re decorating cupcakes for her class. The teacher got sick and missed their Thanksgiving party.” He frowned.

“Really?” She couldn’t imagine that.

“Really. But these things—” he pointed to a dozen round brown blobs perched on the counter “—aren’t nearly as funny as I remember.”

“What are they?” she asked, pondering the misshapen lumps.

“I think it’s bad if you have to ask.”

She grinned. “Sorry.”

“They’re pumpkins, of course.” Tati looked offended. “We’re going to decorate them when they cool off.”

Michael winked at her. “Want to try one? I’ll even ice it for you.”

“Thanks, anyway, but I just had lunch.”

“Hey! They’re not that bad. Even I can bake a cake mix.”

“I’m sure they’re delicious,” she offered reassuringly. “It’s just that orange icing does odd things to my taste buds. Especially that particular shade of orange. If you ice them, you’ll have to watch how you wrap them.”

“Huh?”

“The plastic wrap will stick to the icing.”

“At school the teacher uses toothpicks.”

Ashley smiled. Tatiana believed she was far too old for day care so she called it school and reprimanded anyone who termed it otherwise.

“Wanda doesn’t think I can bring pumpkins but I told her Daddy would do it. He builds lots of stuff.”

“He sure does. And he’s very good at it, too.” Ashley chuckled at Michael’s preening. “I was talking about the sets, not your current, er, construction.”

“Be nice, Ashley.” He winked, held up the spatula and let a blob of orange drop off it into the bowl. “Or I’ll make you taste this.”

“Eww!” She glanced at Tati who was mucking about in the sink. “Hey, what about our trip?”

“Oh, we’re still going. I was just soaking the dishes. Now I’ll get my jacket.” She raced out of the room.

“Soaking the dishes, her clothes, the floor, the curtains.”

“She’s a sweetie.”

“Yes, she is. And she has such faith in me. It’s scary.”

“Why? Every little girl thinks her daddy is invincible.”

“Yeah, but what happens when she finds out I’m not?” Michael made a face at his creations. “I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint her at this tender age because other than plastering this icing on top, I don’t know how to make these things look a bit like pumpkins.”

“Hmm. Do you have any chocolate chips?” Ashley accepted the bag he retrieved from the cupboard, arranged a stem on the one he’d iced. “Buy some green gumdrops for leaves and you’re done. The kids will probably pick them off but it looks good.”

“Yeah. Good idea. Thanks.” He grinned at her as if they’d achieved an impossible feat, then covered the icing and stored it in the fridge. He glanced down, grinned. “Ah, new boots for our ride on the quads. I liked your other ones better.”

“I thought you said you liked the heels I had on yesterday.”

“I did.”

“And my sandals that I wore that day on the houseboat?”

“I liked those, too.” He deadpanned an innocent look.

“You seem to notice my footwear a lot, Michael. Why
is
that?”

“No comment. Except to say that given a choice, I prefer the heels.” He grinned a wolfish smile that did nice things for her ego. “Though I do understand you couldn’t wear them today.”

“Well, hardly.” She shook her head at his teasing and tried to quash the ripple of warning that told her to be careful. Stifling it, she checked to make sure Tati had not yet reappeared. “You have heard about the cougar, haven’t you?”

“Sure.” He nodded. “There have been lots of stories at school about one coming down from the hills. But we’ve had cougars in the area before. They seldom attack people.”

“Still—” She didn’t want to say anymore, not with Tatiana liable to appear at any moment.

“We’ll be fine, Ashley. I wouldn’t endanger my daughter.”

No, that was true, but it didn’t help much. When Tati reappeared, Michael sent her to the basement on an errand, then walked around the counter to face Ashley. He pressed his forefinger under her chin, tilting it up so she had to look at him.

“You worry a lot, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Really?” It was clear Michael saw right through her pitiful defense. “Your footwear isn’t the only thing I notice, Ashley. When we were on the boat that afternoon, you kept checking Tati’s life jacket. And your own. Over and over, as if there might be something wrong with them.”

“Did I?” She looked away.

“Yes, you did. And the night you went off the road you kept looking around.”

“I explained that.”

“Uh-huh.” He touched her arm. “But there’s something you haven’t told me, isn’t there? That night at the restaurant you said you’ve never really felt secure. I’ve been thinking about that. It seems so out of character.”

“It does?” She wondered if he’d spoken to his mother, heard her story of crazy Ashley’s abduction.

“You’re a strong, confident woman who’s lived and worked in a big city. You’ve handled complicated showings, done your job with people coming and going all the time. So I’m guessing your anxiety level went up about the time you came back to Serenity Bay, right?”

“It was already up. But, yes, something like that.”

“You’re
still
talking?” Tatiana stood in the doorway, hands on her hips as she glared at them. “Are we going or what?”

“We are definitely going. I’ll just get us a couple of drinks and some snacks,” Michael told her.

“Don’t bother. I have some stuff in my backpack.” His surprised look made Ashley chuckle. “Seems only fair. You provide the wheels. I take care of the munchies.”

“I’m good with that.” He grabbed his jacket and a couple of thick wool blankets from a closet.

“What are those for?” she asked, following him outside and watching as he tucked them into the box on the back of his quad.

“You’re not the only one who can surprise.”

“Oh?” Ashley swallowed. He couldn’t know that she wasn’t big on surprises. “It might be better to prepare me.”

He shook his head. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

She could hardly stamp her foot and demand to know. Besides, Michael was clearly delighted with his little secret. A crooked smile tugged at his lips and his eyes glinted with mischief.

Ashley shoved back the apprehension. Michael was one of the nice guys. He didn’t pretend to be what he wasn’t. His confidence in himself extended to his relationships with other people. He gave and expected honesty. Pretty soon he was going to press her for details and she’d have to explain or push him away.

But just as she hadn’t told him the whole truth about her fears, Ashley was beginning to realize there was something he hadn’t shared, either. He’d taken the plans for the sets and she knew the kids had begun to work on them, but Michael didn’t spend weekends at it, as she’d expected.

Not even when Tati had gone with his mother last weekend to see a puppeteer.

So what had he been doing?

“Ashley?”

“Yes?” She blinked, realized he’d been speaking to her.

“I asked if you’d ridden one of these before.”

She glanced at the machine, shook her head.

“It’s really quite easy.” He demonstrated how the controls worked, then moved so she could take his place. “Go ahead, try a practice run. Just don’t accelerate too fast.”

Michael took Tati’s hand, waiting with her on the side of the yard while Ashley practiced using the levers to start and stop around the yard. She’d assumed turning would be difficult but was able to manipulate the vehicle in sharp angles with little trouble. A silly sense of achievement rushed through her as she pulled to a stop in front of him.

“I did it!”

Michael grinned. “I’m guessing you’re ready to go, then?”

“Yes.”

“I want to ride with Ashley,” Tati squealed, trying to squeeze in behind. Her father grasped her by the waist and set her on the ground.

“No, honey. We’ll give Ashley a chance to get used to riding before we put a wiggling bundle of energy behind her. You ride with me. We’ll talk about changing later.”

For one rebellious moment her chubby face squinched up tightly and she opened her mouth to argue.

“Or I could ask Wanda’s mom if you can stay with them while Ashley and I go by ourselves,” he added.

Knowing how Tatiana and Wanda competed, Ashley suspected the little girl had been bragging to her friend about the planned outing. Sure enough, Tati climbed onto her father’s four-wheeler without another word. Michael winked at Ashley.

“Ready to go?”

“You’re sure we have lots of gas?”

He rolled his eyes. “Ashley, Ashley. When will you learn to trust me? There’s a spare can on the back of your bike, just in case. Satisfied?”

Feeling chastened, she nodded.

“Try to keep up. You don’t have to be right on my tail, but don’t get too far behind, either. I’ll try to keep an even pace, but sometimes there are rocks or branches I can’t go over. Keep your eyes peeled in case I have to stop quickly. Also, watch for branches. They could snap back and catch you.”

“Got it.”

They set off following a winding path out of the yard, moving at a steady clip. After several miles Ashley pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. There was no need for them here in the forest where the sun barely skimmed the forest floor, thanks to massive pine and spruce boughs overhead. She inhaled the fresh scent, ordered her brain to relax.

After they’d crossed a particularly rough part, Michael pulled into a glade near a bubbling stream. Ashley drove in beside him, realizing as she climbed off that her legs were a bit stiff from pressing against the center of the seat. “I thought we’d take a break,” he explained as he lifted Tati off.

“I want a drink, Daddy.”

From her backpack, Ashley removed two thermoses of hot chocolate, a container of cookies and several disposable cups which she set on a huge stone by the water. As a table it worked perfectly. Better yet, it sat in the middle of a warm pool of sunshine.

“Here, Tati,” she said as she poured a cup half full. She waited until the little girl was seated on the boulder then handed her the cup. Pulling napkins out of her bag, she laid one on the stone and set the cookies on top.

“Thank you.” Tati munched away happily. “It’s just like a picnic.”

“Yes, it is.” Michael accepted his cup and cookies, sat down beside her. “Hot chocolate was a great idea. It’s cooler than I realized out here.”

“I thought maybe we’d see some animals,” Ashley admitted after sipping her own drink. “But I suppose the sound of the motors scares them away.”

“We might see something yet.” He had that twinkle in his eye again.

“I didn’t spill anything,” Tati said happily. She held out her cup. “May I please have some more?”

“Sure.” Ashley refilled the cup half full. “But spills don’t really matter out here, honey.” It wasn’t the first time she’d wondered about Tati’s fretting over accidents. Now that she knew some of her history, she suspected that living in hotel rooms and moving among ballet costumes would have offered an open invitation to accidents for such an active little girl.

“Spills don’t matter anywhere,” her father championed. “We just clean ’em up and move on. Can you hear that blue jay calling?”

Tati listened, nodded, her brown eyes bright. “And a robin, Daddy. How come they haven’t flown away yet?”

“They will pretty soon. It’s getting cold at night and robins don’t hang around for snow.”

“Do they go to Hawaii, like Ashley did?”

Michael laughed. “Not that far.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell, save for the twittering of birds high above them and the forest sounds that Ashley couldn’t identify. Noticing that Michael had closed his eyes and lain back against the warm stone, she took the opportunity to scour the area for a sign that someone or something had followed them. She saw nothing.

Ashley leaned against a tree and allowed herself to relax just the tiniest bit. With Michael nearby she was safe.

“Mommy didn’t like snow, either. She said it’s messy. Is there snow in heaven, Daddy?”

The yearning underlying that query touched Ashley’s heart so she knew it had to hit Michael hard. To his credit he didn’t show anything but love as he lifted Tati off the stone and cradled her in his arms.

“I don’t know, sweetheart. But I’m positive Mommy’s not cold. Heaven’s a beautiful place and God wouldn’t let your mommy get too cold or too hot.”

“Just right. Like the little bear’s porridge, right, Daddy?”

“Exactly right!” He tickled her until she was wiggling with delight, her squeals echoing around them. “Now finish up that cookie because we’ve got to show Ashley the secret, but don’t tell!”

Tatiana shook her head, her eyes huge. She stuffed the rest of the cookie into her mouth as if to keep herself from talking, then held up her hands, palms outward.

“Sticky,” was the only part Ashley understood.

“Fortunately for you, Miss Tati, we have the means to fix that.” Michael carried her to the stream, held her so she could dip her hands into the water. She dried them against his pants, leaving brown streaks from the chocolate chips.

“Sorry. I should have rethought the cookie choice,” Ashley murmured as he helped her gather their things.

“Why? It’s a trip into the woods.” He glanced down, shrugged. “I can wash my jeans later.”

Five minutes later they were back on the trail, penetrating deeper into the forest. The gloom, the shadowy undergrowth, the flick of branches against her legs—all of these things contributed to Ashley’s unease. She struggled to concentrate on her driving. Michael was there, she reminded herself over and over. He could be counted on if needed.