Fire and Ice (9 page)

Rick drove into the Hollands’ yard at nine o’clock Tuesday night. Ordinarily he wouldn’t call so late, but he knew Cheryl and Robyn had spent the afternoon and evening in Anchorage, and the lights were still on at their house.

As he climbed the steps to the front deck, Robyn opened the door. Her long, dark hair hung loose about her shoulders, and she wore black pants and a green sweater. Usually he saw her in jeans and a thick jacket, but this softer outfit gave her a decidedly feminine air.

His pulse quickened, and he smiled. “Hi. Is it too late? I just wanted to tell you what I learned today.”

“No, come on in. We haven’t been home long, and I was making myself some tea. Want some?”

“Sure.” He followed her to the kitchen, unzipping his jacket.

She opened a cookie jar shaped like a husky and put a handful of cookies on a plate then fixed him a cup of tea to go with hers.

“How’s Coco doing?” he asked.

“Good. She’s one of the three Sterns wants to buy.” Robyn made a face as though she’d tasted foul medicine. “Just thought I’d warn you, since you’ve gotten friendly with her.”

Rick winced. “Did you plan to sell her?”

“I’m not against it. I’d rather sell some of the extra males that we’ve trained as team dogs, but he wants females, so….”

“I came to talk to you about Sterns.”

“Did your friend find out anything?”

He nodded, hating to bring bad news but knowing she’d feel somewhat vindicated for being uneasy about the man. “Joel discovered that Philip Sterns has been in prison in California for fraud and theft.”

“You’re joking.” Robyn tossed her dark hair back and brought the sugar bowl over from the counter. “Do you want milk?”

“No, thanks. I told Joel I wanted to make sure the information he got was for the same man. He brought a picture of the guy over to the clinic for me to look at. It’s him.”

“How did you recognize him?” She sat down opposite him.

Rick hesitated. “I stopped at the hotel this morning, and I got a look at him. But Joel didn’t find any outstanding warrants on him.” He picked up his mug and sipped the hot, strong tea.

“What does that mean? He’s not a fugitive?”

“As far as we know, he’s done his time and he’s free now.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know about you, but I feel as though we’ve had a narrow escape. Mom was actually thinking about selling the property to this guy.”

“I … didn’t know she owned it.” Rick said quickly, “I don’t mean to pry. I’d just assumed Steve …”

“Grandpa owns half.” Robyn reached for a cookie. “Mom and Dad owned half together before Dad died. Grandpa had invested in the land with Dad when they first came here.”

“I see.” He could also tell that the situation was taking a toll on her. Her eyelids drooped, and she seemed to consider her words carefully. He wished he could assure her that everything would be all right, but he couldn’t do that.

“We told Grandpa all about Sterns,” she said, “and he wanted to meet him, so Mom called him. He came over to the nursing home. Grandpa told him the property’s not for sale, and he was okay with that. But when I said we aren’t selling Tumble either, he got kind of nasty.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah. We don’t like the idea of selling any dogs to him, but he walked out saying he’d let us know tomorrow if he still wanted Coco and the others.” Her dark eyes held misgivings as she took a bite of her cookie.

“You could still say no.”

“If he wants to buy and I told him now that I don’t want to sell …” She shook her head. “He was a little scary tonight.”

Rick wished he could do something concrete to comfort her, but the situation seemed beyond his control. He did know Someone with greater power though. “I’ve been praying about your situation.”

“That means a lot.” She smiled at him, and his heart lurched.

“I’m glad Steve and Cheryl don’t see a need to sell the property. I’m sure God will find a way for your family to get through this rough spot.” He was glad he hadn’t jumped in with an offer to buy them out. That probably would have upset Robyn and her grandfather even more. It was just as well that his assets were tied up. He took a cookie and bit into it.

“Grandpa’s determined to stick it out here,” Robyn said. “He was shocked when Mom hinted at leaving Alaska.”

“Well, maybe you should just wait and see what happens. The Lord knows what’s ahead. I’m sure He’s got something planned for the Hollands.”

She nodded slowly. “Sterns is supposed to come tomorrow if he wants to buy. If not, he’ll call. I’m not sure I’ll wait around all day to see if he shows up. I’ve got a lot to do for the race.”

“What’s on your list for tomorrow?”

“Putting up markers on part of the race route. Of course, if we get a lot of snow out of this storm, I may have to wait.”

“I don’t think this will amount to much.” Rick glanced toward the window. “It’s too cold for a really big snow.”

“Well then, I’ll probably try to get the hilly part marked tomorrow.”

The opportunity to be with her and perhaps help her in a small way beckoned him. He asked casually, “Want someone to tag along?”

She arched her eyebrows. “What, you want to ride on my sled?”

“I’ve mushed in my time. Had a team before I went away to vet school.”

“So, you’re saying you’d go along if I supply you a team?”

“I guess that’s a little presumptuous.”

“No, it’s not. We have an extra sled. If you’re serious, it might be fun.”

Rick smiled at her. “I haven’t driven a team for a while, but I used to know what I was doing. It would be an honor to mush with you.”

“Great. Hey, wait a minute. Isn’t tomorrow one of your days in Anchorage?”

“They need me Thursday this week, so I switched.” He frowned as he remembered Bob’s and Hap’s reactions when he’d told them two days a week in Anchorage was too much for him. After next week he was going back to Tuesdays only. They hadn’t liked it one bit. Rick had even told them that his goal, as much as he liked them, was to stop working at Far North altogether and put his energy into his own practice.

“So you’re free all day?”

“I could go with you in the morning. I’ve got a few barn calls I need to make after lunch, but if you’re sure you trust me to drive some of your dogs, I’d love to go out on the trail with you.”

“Sure. Call me by eight. If the weather’s not good, or if Sterns has scheduled a time to come, I’ll tell you. Otherwise, we can go then.”

“Sounds good.” Rick finished his tea.

“Want some more?”

“No, I’d better head home and get some sleep. I have to hit the trail in the morning, and the boss musher is strict about punctuality.”

She laughed, and Rick’s anticipation level soared. If he could have imagined the perfect way to spend his free morning, sledding with Robyn would have been beyond the most appealing thing he’d have come up with.

He leaned across the table and squeezed her hand. “Thanks for trusting me. I may be too keyed up to sleep.”

“You’d
better
sleep. I don’t want you falling asleep on the runners tomorrow.”

The next morning, conditions were perfect for sledding. Robyn hurried to feed all the dogs and make sure the equipment was ready. As she worked, her thoughts bounced continually to Rick. His generous offers of help lately gave her spirits a boost, and the fact that he wanted to go sledding with her … just thinking about it made her breathe faster. He must like her as more than a client and neighbor. The way he’d looked at her last night had propelled her dreams into high gear.

At about seven thirty the back door to the house opened and her mom came out to the dog lot.

Robyn’s heart sank. “Did Mr. Sterns call?”

“No. I just wanted to check with you before you take off. What should I do if he comes while you’re out?”

Robyn checked her relief and considered her mother’s situation. “If he doesn’t call in the next hour, Rick and I are going to head out. We should be back in a couple of hours though.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to be here alone when he comes.”

When it came down to it, Robyn didn’t blame her. She’d feel the same way. “Maybe you can try to call him when we’re ready to leave and see what he says.”

Mom went back into the house.

Robyn laid out harnesses for four dogs each for her and Rick and got out both lightweight sleds. She decided to give Rick the newer one, as the old one was more fragile. And she would give him four strong but calm dogs. She would take four of her client’s dogs herself.

Rick called promptly at eight, and she found herself grinning as she answered her phone. “Come on over. I’m good to go.”

“Sterns hasn’t contacted you yet?” he asked.

“Nope, and I’ve got the sleds out.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

She went into the house. Mom wasn’t due to go to work until one o’clock, and Robyn found her in the kitchen.

“Thought I’d bake apple crisp and take some to Grandpa tomorrow.”

“Good idea. I bet he’d like some licorice, too.”

Mom smiled. “Don’t know how he can stand that stuff, but I’ll pick some up this afternoon.” She jotted it on the shopping list that hung on the refrigerator door.

“I’ve got to put in another order for meat for the dogs,” Robyn said, watching her face.

“Okay.” Neither of them spoke of how close they were cutting their finances.

When the race is over, Robyn told herself, we should be okay for a while
.

More than two weeks still lay between them and the Fire & Ice, and all the entry fees were in the bank. They never spent any of the money from the race for anything other than race expenses until the event was over, but usually they made a profit of a couple thousand dollars.

“So, Rick’s on his way over,” Robyn said. “Do you want me to try to call Mr. Sterns?”

“I guess I can do it.”

“Okay. If he’s on his way, of course we’ll stay.”

Mom took her phone off the counter and pushed a few buttons. “I’m getting his voice mail.” She waited a moment then said in her best “leave a message” voice, “This is Cheryl Holland. We just wondered if you planned to come up to Holland Kennel today or not. Please let us know. Thank you very much.”

She closed the connection and gulped.

Robyn walked over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks. You did great.”

She went out to the dog lot, and Rick soon joined her. His first words were, “Did you get ahold of Sterns?”

Robyn shook her head. “We haven’t heard a word from him. Mom called his cell phone, but he didn’t answer.”

“Well, cell service is spotty at best outside Anchorage.”

She nodded. “So, are you ready to mush?”

He grinned. “I am so ready. Who’s on my team?”

“I’m letting you take Max. He’s your leader. And Bandit, Dolly, and Spark.”

“Who do you get?”

She picked up the first set of harness. “Oh, I’m taking four of Pat Isherwood’s dogs.”

“He’s the guy who had the appendectomy?”

“Yes. He’s paying me good money to keep them in shape for him. I try to take all eight of his dogs out two or three times a week. This past week has been tough though. I took the other half of his team out Monday, but they’ll need to go again tomorrow, and no excuses.”

Putting the dogs in harness with Rick helping her was an interesting experience. Despite the cold temperatures—only ten degrees this morning—Robyn found herself blushing when their faces came close together as they bent over the same dog. She’d always been independent, even more so since her brother left home. She lived in a fairly remote location and had braced herself long ago for the possibility that she wouldn’t find a husband out here.

Although more men than women lived in Alaska, she’d increased the odds against finding a match by choosing not to go to college. Instead, she’d stayed home and worked in the dog business. That seemed most practical after her father died, and she loved dogs and sledding. She knew she wanted to continue Grandpa Steve’s kennel business, and her mother had reluctantly agreed. But in taking that path, she had isolated herself to some extent. Her contacts were mostly through business and church now, and she’d decided not to worry about it.

“Hey, you really do know what you’re doing.” She laughed and straightened as Rick adjusted the harness on Bandit. “Go ahead and get Max. I’ll start getting my team hitched up.”

The last thing on her checklist was to alert her mom. Rather than leaving the team while she trudged to the house, Robyn called her on the cell phone.

“Are you two leaving now?” Mom asked.

“Yep, we’re all set. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get me when we leave here, but if you do hear anything, try to give me a call.”

“I will. Be safe, honey.”

Robyn laughed. “Well, I’ve got a doctor with me, just in case.”

Rick laughed, too, as she put her phone away and zipped the pocket. “You’re sassy this morning.”

“I feel good. Don’t you? New snow, terrific dogs …”

“Great company,” he finished.

She felt her cheeks warming again and untied the snub line for her team. Ignoring his flirtatious smile, she stepped onto the runners of her sled. “Ready?”

Rick nodded as he stowed his own line.