PERFECT (12 page)

“Just in time.” He
pointed toward the driveway. “Here come the girls.”

Lilac Kincaid
drove her and Gray’s multi-colored van toward them, having met the girls at the
lane’s end. Inside, on the passenger seat, two heads at different levels were
visible above the dashboard.

Suddenly, Darcy’s
palms started to sweat inside her gloves and she hooked a finger into the scarf
surrounding her neck and tugged, giving her throat room to swallow. Children
immediately either liked you or they didn’t. She wanted the girls to like her.

“Grandpa,” the
girls shouted in unison as they jumped from the van, leaving the door ajar. The
pair ran toward Gray who was rounding the corner of the house and plowed into
him, nearly sending backwards into the snow. “We missed you. Can you take us
for a snowmobile ride? Uncle Dylan never has time to take us. Please. Please.”

Gray chuckled
hardly. “Have you been good girls about doing your homework?”

“Ah huh. Please,”
they sang in unisonant.

Darcy glanced at
Dylan out of the corner of her eye and saw his jaw tighten. He was feeling the
parent syndrome. Parents had so much on their plates, while grandparents had
the free time to play.

“Okay then. Go get
changed and meet me by the back porch,” Gray ordered, chuckling like Santa
himself. “I’ll take you for a short ride before it gets dark.”

“YAY!” They jumped
up and down before dashing toward the front steps.

“Girls, whoa,”
Dylan put out his hand. The girls slid to a stop in front of them. “I want you
to meet a friend of mind and your Uncle Tom’s.”

The girls referred
to Tom as uncle? Tom, Dylan and Dylan’s brother, Bob, must be really close
friends.

“Her name is
Darcy.”

Two examining
pairs of eyes turned up to her.

“Hi.” She waved,
not knowing what more to say. Her experience dealing with children was limited.
“What are your names?”

“You talk funny,”
the littlest one said, pushing back her knit cap and releasing a mop of curls.

Darcy fought the
laughter bubbling up inside, by pressing her lips together.

“That’s because
she is not from around here, Katy,” Dylan replied. “Darcy lives far away. Down
south.”

The oldest one
perked up. Her eyes sparkled with gold speckles, like her uncles. “Do you live
near Mickey Mouse?”

Darcy chuckled.
“Sorry. Not that far south.”

Disappointment
erased the twinkle in their eyes.

“But I do live
near a beach.”

“You do?” They
said in unison, stepping closer to here. The sparkle was back.

“Yes.” She nodded.
“You can swim pretty much year ‘round, if you have a heated pool. Do you like
to swim?”

“Yeah but we don’t
have a pool. In the summer, we go down to the lake with Mom and Dad.”

“That sounds
nice.”

Lilac walked up
behind the pair. “Girls, why don’t you go get changed and go for your snowmobile
ride. Darcy will be joining us for dinner and we’ll get to know her better
then.”

“Okay. Bye,
Darcy.” They scrambled off, kicking snow up in their wake.

“I don’t want to
impose,” Darcy said, turning to Lilac.

“Impose? After all
the work you’ve done today making the house look beautiful, we at least you owe
dinner. I’m not sure what it’ll be since I haven’t had a chance to see what
Dylan has stocked in the house. I’m sure there is lots of mac and cheese.”

“I can help.”

Lilac waved her
off. “Next time, I’ll put you to work, but tonight you’re our guest.”

“Okay.”

After Lilac
climbed the steps and closed the door behind her, Dylan said, “Jillian and Katy
like you.”

Smiling, she
looked up at him. “How can you tell?”

“You scored points
with them on the swimming. How did you know they liked to swim?”

“They seemed like
athletic types, and what little girl doesn’t like to swim?”

“Quick. I like
quick women.” He rolled his eyes. “I mean I like...”

“It’s okay, Dylan.
I know what you meant,” her words grew louder as the whirling of an engine
drowned her out.

Dylan leaned down
and said into her ear, “We’re good then.”

“Yes,” she
shouted, nodding as Gray bounced over snow banks and grew closer and closer.
She jumped behind Dylan and grabbed hold of his cover-all sleeves as the
snowmobile slid to a halt beside them.

When the engine
purred slower she peeked around him.

Dylan laughed.

“Want a ride?”
Gray swiped snow from the goggles he wore.

“No.” She shook
her head, studying the snow vehicle. She’d seen them in magazines and on
television but never in real life.

“Have you ever
ridden one?” Dylan asked.

“No. I’m from the
South, remember? We get snow when we’ve done something to upset God, which we
don’t do very often.”

“You have to take
a ride. It’s fun.” He turned to his father. “Leave it out and I’ll take her for
a ride after dinner.”

“You got it, son.”
Gray pumped up the engine and it roared to a deafening octave.

Darcy swept the
diesel fumes that assaulted her nostrils. She blinked at the shard of afternoon
sun that peeked through the clouds, hit the contraption’s windshield, and
bounced back at her.

“You’ll love it,”
Dylan said turning to her. “I promise.”

Gray raced down
the lane and cut through the open field at a high speed. When he hit a ditch
and went airborne, her stomach yanked into a knot. It didn’t look like fun to
her and Gray’s whoop of joy didn’t convince her otherwise.

They all sat
around the table in the kitchen after Lilac had served them thick pork chops
and buttery mashed potatoes. Darcy didn’t know the last time she had such
wonderful potatoes. Fresh dug in October and still dirty was the answer she’d
received from Lilac when she’d complimented Dylan’s mother on them.

“Mrs. Farber
called,” Lilac said over her shoulder, while rinsing off a plate. “She has the
cider ready and wants to know if you’re going to pick it up tonight. She needs
to go up to Burlington in the morning and won’t be back before Friday evening.
Since the carolers will be gathering at the church around the same time, she
wanted to make sure it was there so they could have a warm drink before heading
out to the town square.”

Dylan slapped his
head. “I forgot I told her I would pick it up today.”

“Did you want me
to drive over and get it?” Gray looked up from the picture Katy was coloring
while he held her on his lap.

“No. I’ll do it.”

“I can.”

“I got it, Dad.”
Dylan’s lips thinned. He got up and carried his plate to the sink.

Darcy sat forward
on her seat. Why wouldn’t he let his dad help? He did have a lot on his hands
right now. His job at the ski lodge. She was sure he still had to do things
around his own home and farm. The girls. All the little things, he was doing
for everyone like getting greens for Tom. “We could go pick it up now,” she
said and then looked between Gray and Lilac. “You’re going to be here with the
girls, right?”

“We’re in for the
night.” Lilac took Dylan’s plate. “Go. Gray will help them with their
homework.”

“Homework?” Gray’s
eyes widened.

“Yes. You do the
homework and I’ll make sure they get their baths,” Lilac said with authority.
She swooshed Dylan away from picking at the cherry pie she’d also baked. “You
and Darcy go. Get the cider or whatever else you want to do. You can have a
piece of that pie later.”

“Darcy wants to go
snowmobiling.” Jillian held out Mr. Buzzy for her to pet.

She stroked the
rabbit’s soft fur and smiled at the girl. Jillian had taken a liking to her.
The girl had made sure she sat next to her at the meal. “That’s okay. Getting
the cider is more important.”

“You’re not
getting out of it that easy.” Dylan stood. “My truck is loaded with the greens
for Tom, and Mrs. Farber only lives a mile from here, through the back field. I
can pull the sled behind us and put the cider in it. That way you’re sure of a
nice slow ride the first time out.”

“We could deliver
the greens first and then go get the cider.”

He looped his
hands under her arm pits and boosted her from the chair. “Come on, chicken.”

The girls made
clucking noises.

“All right.”
Staring at their daring-you expressions, she straightened her sweater. If the
two little girls had no fear of that machine, neither would she. But children
had no fear. Fear had to be learned. She swallowed the lump forming in her
throat. “I’ll go.”

Lilac found
Elizabeth’s snowmobile suit stored in the laundry room closet. Lilac’s
daughter-in-law was apparently larger than Darcy by maybe two sizes. She had
more than enough room in the coveralls and felt like a walking
cranberry-colored marshmallow.

Feeling four pairs
of eyes watching her from the kitchen windows, she made her way down the back
steps. The nylon material swished with each step.

“Here’s a helmet,”
Dylan said. He wore one himself along with goggles and heavier gloves than she
had seen him wear before. “Put these gloves on too.” He reached back and plucked
them off the contraption’s leather seat. “It gets mighty cold when you’re
whizzing over frozen ground.”

Her gaze jumped to
meet his. “Whizzing? No one said anything about whizzing. You said a nice
leisurely ride.”

He took her hand,
now encased to the point she couldn’t feel his grasp. “I never said the word
leisurely. Get on.”

“I don’t know
about this.” She followed his lead and threw her leg over the seat and settled
in behind him. The engine roared to life. “What do I hold onto?” She called
into his ear.

“Me. Hang on.”

“Owww.” She
wrapped her arms around him and the vehicle jumped forward, throwing her
backward and then against him. The cold air slapped against her face like tiny
icicles. It was both frightening and exhilarating.

Catching her
breath, she squeezed her eyes closed and pressed her frozen cheek against his
back. Not touching him was no longer optional. It was a matter of survival.

She felt his
strong back muscles contract under her cheek.

He leaned back,
turning his head toward her and shouted, “Are you okay?”

She simply nodded
against his back, not loosening the strangle hold she had on him.

“Fun, huh?”

They hit a bump
and she slid forward and he nestled between her legs. Not yet, she thought, but
she had to admit the activity had its perks. She peeked out of her right eye.
The landscape moved by like a motion picture. Dark shadows on white canvas.
Above, stars dotted the sky like diamonds spilled onto black velvet. It really
was lovely.

She relaxed,
letting her body feel the machine glide across the frozen tundra and the male
strength her arms held onto.

They made their
way across the field in a few minutes and then Dylan drove more slowly as he
navigated his way through a track of woodland and down a grade to another open
field. Off in the distance a farmhouse stood, lit up like a beacon.

Mrs. Farber
greeted them and chatted with Darcy like they were old friends while Dylan
loaded the twenty gallons of fresh-pressed cider into the sled they’d pulled.
Once Dylan had secured the load, he said, “You be careful driving to Burlington
and back. We want to see you at the social Friday night. Thank your son for
getting the cider pressed in time.”

As Darcy turned to
leave, the old woman grabbed her into a bear hug and whispered in her ear, “I’m
so glad Dylan found someone like you. He deserves the best.”

She smiled down at
Mrs. Farber, not knowing what to say. Did everyone in town see something she
didn’t?

***

The light spilling
out of Tom’s kitchen caught Darcy’s attention as she came in the front door.
She removed her coat and boots and padded down the hallway in her stocking
feet.

“So where have you
been?” With a dish rag in hand, Tom looked up and stopped wiping down his
kitchen counter.

“You know very
well where.” Darcy dashed a glanced at the digital clock on the oven. It was
eleven thirty-two. She hooked her wild strands and twisted them back over her
shoulders. She hadn’t looked in the mirror lately, but by the feel of her hair,
she could tell she must look like a wild woman. The helmet she’d worn had only
done minimal containment. Next time Dylan took her for a snowmobile ride she
had to remember to braid her hair first.

“You’ve been gone
for almost sixteen hours.” He smirked. “How much decorating did you two do? I
was just making some tea. Do you want some?”

She wiggled onto
the bar stool and hooked her feet over the chair’s stretcher. “Yes, please.
Dylan and I got a lot done before his parents showed up.”

Tom stopped in mid
reach of retrieving two mugs. “Gray and Lilac? I thought they were going to be
away over the holiday.”

“They thought
Dylan needed help with the girls, so they decided to come home. Plus there is
some town meeting.” She waved in the air.

Tom chuckled. “I
bet that was interesting. They didn’t find you and Dylan in a compromising position,
did they?”

“No!” She raised
her chin. Well sort of, but she wasn’t going to tell her friend she was encased
in Dylan’s arms when his parents walked in on them. It was an innocent embrace
meant to comfort her, but Tom would read more into it than there was and host
his shit-ass I-was-right grin when he wasn’t right. However, innocent wouldn’t
be the word she’d use to describe the rush of heat that had shot to her core.
She dropped her gaze as she reached down and pretended to pull her heavy sock higher
on her calf. “We were just finishing lunch before heading outside to work on
the outdoor lights when they arrived.”

“Oh. So how did
you like the Kincaids?”