On Ice (10 page)

“
Probably a burned out fuse. Pick up a box at Lister's Hardware. You'll need them.”

“
Actually,” Mrs. Jolly interjected as soon as Mrs. Pindar stopped speaking, “I was going to volunteer to help you clean.”

“
The more the merrier,” Rene said. “I thought I would start tomorrow after breakfast.”

“
What's this, a hen party?” Cindy McCorkill came over to the group carrying a shopping basket with several cans of baking powder inside. She smiled her beautiful smile, then called out, “Nadine, come meet the teacher.” Another shopper approached the women.

She, too, had a beautiful smile, which quickly faded. “Oh, honey. What happened to your hair?” She reached up to touch Rene's chopped locks. The woman had brilliant green eyes and tawny coloring. Her hair, a peculiar shade of red, was lustrous and well styled.

“
I, uh, I cut it myself.” Rene self-consciously smoothed down the wild spikes.

“
You've got to come by the shop and let me shape it. It's such a pretty color, but it looks like you took the hedge shears to it.” She stood back grinning with her hands resting on her hips.

“
Thanks, I will,” Rene promised.

“
Nadine's got twins,” Cindy supplied helpfully, while massaging the small of her back with her free hand.

“
When is your baby due, my dear?” Mrs. Pendar's crisp diction sounded musical.

“
I've got a couple of weeks to go,” Cindy said.

“
Doesn't look like it." Nadine eyed Cindy's bulging middle. “You could pop that one out any minute.”

“
Yes, I know I'm huge. Thank you very much.” Cindy feigned a pout. “I get bigger with each child. Tell me if my shoes match since I can't see them.”

“
They match, but your feet look swollen,” Rene said. “You’d better get off them for a while.”

“
I can't sit down while I'm baking.”

“
Go home.” Nadine took the shopping basket from her. “You can close up early.”

“
I guess so.” Cindy looked at Rene's cleaning supplies. “Planning to do some spring cleaning?”

“
At the school. Mrs. Jolly did a great job at the cabin.”

The older woman looked gratified at the recognition. “We were going to meet tomorrow to clean the classroom.”

“
I can help,” Nadine said. “My little monsters will be doing their best to tear it down soon enough.”

“
I'll be there,” Cindy offered but was immediately shouted down. “At least I can dust the erasers.”

“
Just come if you feel like it, but not to work.” Rene said.

After the rest of the group departed, Mrs. Pindar stayed behind. “Come by the Post Office, my dear. I’ll set up a box for your mail.”

“
I don't expect to be getting much mail,” Rene said.

“
You’ll need a box to collect your fair share of junk mail.” Mrs. Pindar's eyes twinkled. “There is no home delivery here. I put up the mail by nine a.m. sharp. That's the way my husband did it and that's the way I do it.”

Rene placed her selections by the cash register and found two middle-aged men waiting for her behind the counter.

“
We couldn't help but overhear,” the taller of the two said. “Welcome to Sad Horse. I’m Hank Frasier and this is my brother Bernie. This is our store.”

“
I'm happy to meet you both. I'm Rene Nichols. This is Sara and Seth is over there.” She pointed to her son who was inspecting the selection of children’s books.

“
My son Logan will be in your class. He's been a little high-strung since my wife passed away but he's a good boy. You let me know if he causes you any trouble.” Hank had a long, sanguine face. He smiled, but his eyes remained sad. He judged him to be in his early forties. He sported a full head of dark hair with only a small white patch at each temple.

“
It's his age,” Bernie said. “He's fourteen. The boys he runs around with are wild as young wolves. Logan's a good kid. He'll come around.” Close to his brother in age, Bernie stood shorter and his hairline receded. His face appeared rounder or perhaps he was just heavier. “You're not married?” He posed it as a question.

“
Why do you ask?” Rene stiffened slightly.

“
Heard it over at the bank. I do think you have a suitor in Clinton Belker.” He grinned widely. “But I'm available too if you'd like a variety. Hank here's in the market for a good woman, although he doesn't know it.”

“
Oh, I am not,” Hank protested, but he looked at her hopefully.

“
Yes, you are,” Bernie teased him. “You wouldn't be so miserable to live with if you had some female companionship.”

“
Look who's talking. When was the last time you had a date?”

Rene paid for her purchases and escaped the flirtatious, bickering brothers.

She drove home and put the leftover casserole in the oven. They finished it off as well as the apple pie, bathed and fell into bed.

An alarm clock. Must get one
. She drifted off to sleep.

~*~

Maddy shivered when Ted opened the door of their rented car and offered his hand. Hesitating a moment, she glanced around to where the sinister black car pulled in. No one got out. She felt vulnerable. She wanted to pull Ted back into the shelter of their vehicle. Instead, she smiled and raised her chin.

“
Let’s go, girls!” she called out, forcing a note of gaiety into her voice.

Squaring her shoulders as she got out, she flashed Ted a smile.

A worried frown crossed his face. He squinted at her through his sunglasses.

“
Ooh, I can smell fresh bread baking,” she said before he could speak. “Let's gobble up our lunch so we can visit the haunted castle.” She hustled the girls inside the old cottage turned tea room, consciously sheltering them with her body.

Inside, she glanced out the window, but the black car gave up no secrets.

“
What's up?” Ted whispered as he held her chair.

“
I'm not sure. Probably my nerves.”

“
The black Peugeot that's been following us?”

“
I should have known I couldn't keep anything from you.”

“
Not with that face,” he said, taking his own chair.

“
It's not my imagination, then?”

“
Nope. They're on us, all right.”

“
It has to be Mark.” Maddy shuddered as a stocky waitress showed them the hand-written menu.

“
Or someone he's hired.”

“
I would prefer a hired hand. Mark's a wild card. I'm glad we've bought Rene a little time, but I'm worried about what he might do.”

“
He's well known in Houston. I've heard rumors that he’s angling for an appointment to the federal court. He won’t do anything overt that might cause a scandal, at least not on home turf.”

“
But we're not at home,” Maddy said.

“
No, we're not. As you pointed out last night, we are on our vacation and I refuse to allow that sub-species to mar this time I have with my family.” Ted's usually jovial manner had turned serious.

Maddy reminded herself that the man she thought of as a cuddly teddy bear was a strong, intelligent man who would protect them from all danger. A pang of guilt assailed her as she recalled how she came up with this brilliant plan to rescue Rene from the ogre. She’d spent over a month getting all the details just right. She’d done an on-line search for teaching positions in remote areas. Alaska was the perfect location because it was part of the dear old USA, but in such an unlikely spot for the less than adventurous Rene to aspire to. And she hadn’t needed to use her passport or any other traceable instrument. She might just as well have gone to Florida or Idaho, only Sad Horse was well beyond Mark’s cruel grasp.

What she hadn’t considered was the possible danger to the other people she loved.

“
I'm sorry, dear,” she said, “for getting you and the girls into this.”

“
And well you should be.” He reached across to place his hand on hers. “You've forced me to enjoy a well-earned respite from my practice in the company of my lovely wife and daughters. And I am beyond the reach of my answering service, cell phone or pager. How could you do this to me?”

“
You make it all sound so simple,” she said.

“
It is simple. We're on vacation, period. If we happen to encounter a stray madman we'll deal with him when the time comes. In the meantime, don't carry him around with us. I never liked the man in the first place.” He glanced at the menu. “Are you having the haggis?”

“
Under no circumstances! I don't have to eat anything disgusting. I loved the oatmeal we had for breakfast.”

“
Don't forget the oaten cakes,” he said. “I put one in my pocket to use as a weapon in case we're mugged.”

“
Not funny!” she said.

When they emerged from the tearoom, the black car was gone.

~*~

Rene fell asleep wondering if she would be too tired to get up the next morning, but her eyes opened just as a rosy pink dawn reached tentatively across the sky. Stretching luxuriously, she considered turning over again, but threw back her covering as soon as she remembered all of the tasks before her. She started the coffee maker and heated Danish and biscuits in the oven.

Seth descended the ladder, buttoning his shirt when he reached the bottom. “Smells good, Mom.” He seated himself at the table.

“
We have biscuits, too.” Rene took the baking sheet from the oven and arranged the biscuits and pastries on a plate. She set it on the table along with butter and blueberry jam.

“
I'll have one,” he said.

“
Me, too.” Sara slid out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Rene helped her dress before sitting down to eat.

They’d just finished when the sound of a vehicle pulling into the clearing caused all three to run to the door. The sight of the telephone company van sent them into whoops of glee.

“Where do you want the lines for the phone and the computer?” the man asked.

“Computer? I don't have a computer.”

“That's what the order says,” he insisted. “Look right here. LeCroix Enterprises, Inc. Two lines, one for phone, one for computer.” He looked around expectantly. “Where do you want them?”

Rene had the telephone line installed by her bed and finally decided to locate the second line in the space between the bathroom and fireplace.

“All we need is a telephone and a computer. We can buy a phone, but Mr. LeCroix will have to supply the computer.”

She heard a clatter at the back and opened the door.

With his wheelbarrow filled with tools, Ben was setting up a circular saw on a worktable.

She offered him the rest of the biscuits and coffee before setting off with the children to clean the school. She felt buoyant. Such a short time ago she had been filled with terror. It was a new day and hope bubbled inside her.

~*~

CHAPTER SEVEN

Quite a crowd churned around in front of the schoolhouse. In addition to Mrs. Jolly, Mrs. Pindar, Nadine and Cindy, an odd assortment of people talked and laughed together.

A flutter of shyness reminded Rene of who she was. There was no big sister here to break the ice. She practiced a Maddy smile in the rear view mirror and opened the door of the truck. Seth helped carry the cleaning supplies inside.

“
We brought some friends,” Cindy called out. “I'm in charge of,” she looked around, shrugged her shoulders and grinned, “absolutely nothing.” She held up her hands in a helpless gesture. “But I brought refreshments.”

“
We made her promise to take it easy.” Nadine had her arm around a pretty pre-teen girl with her same bright green eyes and unique hair coloring. On their first meeting, Rene assumed Nadine had given herself a daring dye-job but decided it must be natural when she spotted a boy with the same blatantly red hair color.

“
These must be your twins,” Rene said as the boy came running up to them.

“
Can't deny these two, can I? Martina and Max were cursed with my coloring. It's our Native American blood.”

The children smiled as she introduced herself. “We brought a bucket of rags,” Martina offered.

“
That's one thing I didn't think of,” Rene said.

She nodded to Bernie Frazier who introduced her to his fourteen-year-old nephew, Logan. “Hank is minding the store, but we thought you might need some muscles. Oh, wait.” He fished around in his pockets. “Here! I got a box of fuses.”

When Rene unlocked the door, Bernie went to find the fuse box. As the volunteers filed inside, the lights came on. Despite the musty odor and the dingy surroundings, Rene felt a kernel of hope blossoming in her chest.

“
Whew! Let's get these windows open!” Cindy shouted. Nadine ordered her to sit down as others tackled the windows.