Trapped Under Ice (31 page)

“Oh my gosh! This is beautiful!” She took in the luxurious interior of the jet. There were leather seats set up around little tables, like conversation areas. A big-screen TV was recessed into one wall and lush carpeting covered the floor. He handed her a champagne flute.

“How did you do this?”

“The owner—”

“Is a big Trapped Under Ice fan.”

He nodded. “It’s amazing what a couple of concert tickets will do for you.”

“I wouldn’t know. You’re the rock star recognized by thousands of people around the globe. I’m the lunch lady recognized by about three hundred children in a small, Catholic grade school.”

“And a waitress in St. Louis. By the way, I finished
Abandon All Hope
. Great ending.”

“You liked that, huh?”

“Yeah. And so did Roger.”

“Roger read it?” she blurted out in surprise.

“He’s reading it. Keith finished it last week and David’s in line next,” he reported with a grin. “Roger said he’s seeing a whole other side of you.”

“I can’t believe you guys are reading that trash.”

“It’s not trash. You need to quit saying that. And Cheri’s read them all and keeps bugging me, wanting to know when the fourth one is going to be finished.”

“I haven’t gotten very far lately. Between work and Cassie’s volleyball...”

“We’re not going to talk about work tonight.” He pulled her to her feet. He had other ideas about how she could find the time to finish the novel. “What we need is some music.” He reached over and flipped on a built-in stereo system. The soft sounds of a saxophone filled the cabin in surround sound. “It’s not Trapped Under Ice. I hope you don’t mind.”

Her lips turned up at the corners. “I can deal with it.”

He came toward her, suddenly serious. “Beth, will you dance with me?” It was almost as if he were asking a crucial question.

“Of course.” Beth took his extended hand. He pulled her close and all conversation stopped. They swayed easily together to the music, Beth laying her head down on his chest, thinking she didn’t ever want this to end. His hand was on the middle of her bare back, and he would occasionally trail it up and down, thrilling them both. At one point, she pulled away, gazing into his face, but saying nothing, for there were no words for what she was feeling.

“Beth, I love you, you know?” he told her, emphasizing his words with a kiss.

Strangely, there was a rap from the other side of the cockpit door. After a second or two, they realized whoever it was did not want to interrupt them. “Come in.”

“Good evening, sir.” The captain entered the cabin, tipping his hat. “Ms. Donovan. I just wanted to let you know we have almost reached your destination, and we’ll need you to have a seat now and buckle in.”

“And that destination would be…?” Beth asked innocently.

“Nice try,” the captain commented, aware of the request for secrecy.

“Thank you,” Chad responded, grinning at him. The singer led Beth to a seat. “You are a naughty girl.”

She shrugged. “It was worth a try.”

“The blindfold goes back on now.”

“Aww.”

“Just for a little longer.”

In reality, it was more like a half hour before they arrived at their destination, but he entertained her with stories from the road, mostly involving Roger’s latest antics.

“Okay, we’re here.” The limousine pulled up to the end of a drive. Her hands reached up to take her blindfold off, but he stopped her. “Not yet,” he commanded.

He helped her out, and he and Pete guided her forward. She gave a contented sigh. “Man, is it a beautiful evening. Hey, I smell pine trees,” she noted with a slow smile.

Chad smiled, too, thinking ahead to what was to come. “Okay,” he said, “you can stop now.” He inspected the grounds for the second time that day; everything was perfect.

“Are we there?”

“We’re there.” He removed her blindfold.

Before her lay a familiar terraced deck, one she knew to be situated on a cliff above the Missouri River, only this time it was night and it looked like an enchanted fairy land. White lights were strung in the trees and along the top of the fence, and intertwined in the railings leading down the many steps. The same bistro table they sat at before was candlelit and set with china, and in the grassy area between the deck and the fence, musicians in white tuxes began playing violin music. She gasped in surprise.

He watched her as she took it all in, feeling his love for her filling him completely. Her face glowed with delight and her eyes shone as she turned to him. “It’s fantastic!” she burst out with an air of breathlessness. “Chad, I don’t know what to say. I’m utterly speechless.”

“That’s okay. You don’t need to say anything. Would you like wine, or would you like to stick to champagne?” Mark waited in the wings with a tray.

“Champagne.” She grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. “I can’t believe you.”

Unable to resist any longer, he bent to kiss her, and it was as if all the others with them simply disappeared for an instant.

“God, I love you!” she spoke as she pulled away.

Chad’s face was lit with joy. “Good.” He grabbed two flutes off Mark’s tray, handed one to Beth, and slipped his arm through hers, escorting her down to their table. After they sat down, he grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips. He hoped she would be overwhelmed by this evening; what he hadn’t expected was the rush of feelings he was experiencing. As he gazed on her lovely face, he saw her tears shining in the candlelight. “Beth, you’re not crying?”

She hung her head for a minute, taking her hand from his momentarily to brush away tears. “It’s just, I can’t believe you did all of this for me. Flew me up here—” Her voice cracked. “This is so incredibly special to me. But you know, don’t you, I’d be happy just being with you at a fast food joint. Well, maybe not just any fast food joint, but an upscale fast food joint.”

He laughed, holding her hand up to his lips again as he said, “I know, Beth. Sometimes I just have an urge to show you, in some way, how much you mean to me.”

A tuxedoed waiter appeared out of nowhere with covered dishes of Rock Cornish game hens and wild rice. After they finished their scrumptious dinner, Chad asked, “Do you want to go down and find out if we can see the river?”

“Sure.”

He led her down the stairs and to the fence, where the violinists were still playing. He wrapped his arms around her. She slipped a black shawl around her shoulders as the evening grew chillier, and the two stood, swaying together in the moonlight. Since the trail below was lit, they could make out just the currents of the river. Off to the left, the lights of the railroad bridge illuminated more of the landscaping on either bank.

She turned her head back to him slightly. “This couldn’t be a more perfect evening.”

“Oh, we’re not done yet.”

“We’re not?” She turned to him with wonder in her eyes.

“Right this way,” he instructed, ushering her over to the picnic table they sat on months before. It was covered in a white tablecloth, too. He offered her a hand to help her up as she put her—he couldn’t help but notice—beautiful high-heeled foot, on the bench. The dress parted along the slit revealing even more of her shapely leg as she climbed up to sit down on top of the table.

She adjusted her dress and settled in, but to her surprise, he didn’t join her. That was when she noticed the music had stopped. One of the musicians handed him a guitar, which they had hidden behind them, leaning against the fence. “What are you doing?” she inquired with a grin.

“I wrote you a song.”

“Oh my gosh!” she cried, her hands flying to her mouth. “This is too much!”

“You haven’t even heard it yet,” he pointed out with a grin. “You might not even like it.”

She laughed. “What do you think the odds are of that?”

His grin widened as he began to strum the first few chords of what was undoubtedly the most beautiful song she’d ever heard. When he sang, his voice sounded different from any of the other songs she’d heard him sing. The music really showcased his voice, which had a lot more depth than she ever realized.

“My life was cold and black

Before you came and fixed what was broken in me

And now I just wish I could give back

Just a little of what you’ve given to me

I thought the poison within me

Had killed all the love I could give

But loving you, Beth, is so simple

Just being with you is to live

And now I know I love you

I no longer want to be on my own

I want to make you my wife, Beth

Say yes, and I won’t be alone

My life was cold and black

Before you came and fixed what was broken in me

And now I just wish I could give back

Just a little of what you have given to me

You came into my life, asking nothing of me

You just loved me through all of my faults

‘Cause my heart was imprisoned and you held the key

To release me from deep in my vaults

And now I know I love you

I no longer want to be on my own

I want to make you my wife, Beth

Say yes, and I won’t be alone

Say yes, and I’ll love you alone

Say yes, and I’ll make you my own.”

He played the last notes, but before taking off his guitar, she spotted him untying something suspended from its strings she had not noticed before. He handed the guitar back to one of the violinists, and got down on one knee in the grass in front of her, taking her hand. “Beth, I love you, babe, and I don’t ever want this to end. So”—he produced a ring, holding her hand—“will you marry me?”

“Chad, oh my gosh, it’s beautiful! I can’t believe you…oh…everything is so beautiful!” She finally got so choked up, she couldn’t talk.

He laughed, standing to turn to the members of the band. “I guess I did all right, fellas. The lady with all the words is speechless.” They chuckled.

“Chad,” she burst out finally, springing off the bench and into his arms, nearly knocking him over, “
I love you, so much
!”

He laughed as she kissed him. Finally pulling away to say, “Well, don’t leave a guy hanging? What’s your answer?”

“
Nothing
would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life right here in your arms.” She kissed him again, and there was applause from the musicians and from above, where Mark was clapping and Pete was whistling loudly.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

They finally arrived back at Beth’s house and Chad stood kissing her now-bejeweled hand on the porch. He was disappointed when he asked her whether they should go to his hotel or back to her house, but he was doing his best to hide it.

“Well, I guess I better go,” he commented, thinking,
This is a twist. Usually it’s Beth leaving me.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“What? But isn’t Cas home?”

“Yes. But”—she moved closer to him—“we’re engaged now.” She waved her hand at him.

“So, it’s okay?” he asked happily.

“I think so. We are getting married, right?”

He smirked. “That’s usually what being engaged means.”

“All right, then. Send my carriage away,” she declared grandly, turning to unlock the door.

He nearly skipped down the sidewalk to Pete’s side. “I get to stay,” he said, unable to mask his excitement.

“Good for you,” Pete cracked.

He punched him in the arm. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He turned to go, but Pete grabbed his arm.

“Congratulations, Chad,” he stated sincerely.

“Thanks, Pete. And thanks for sticking with me. I know I don’t make things easy for you all the time—”

“Yeah. But you’re okay, kid,” Pete reported, gripping his arm firmly.

He stood for a minute, stunned. It was the closest thing to a compliment he had ever received from the older man, and hearing so few from his elders in his life, it meant more than he could say. “Thanks, man,” he sputtered, choked up.

Pete raised his eyes to catch Beth waiting on the porch and gave the singer a knowing grin. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Chad followed his gaze. “I plan on it.”

But when they went inside, he began to feel uncomfortable.

“Cas is asleep,” Beth whispered. “Are you okay? Is this all right with you?”

“Yeah. Yeah,” he answered, finding his voice.

She led him without another word. The second floor, like the first, had an open layout. The hall at the top fanned out with doors to bedrooms and bathrooms along its perimeter. Beth moved forward into the master bedroom. She turned around to find Chad standing, still uncertain, in the doorway. She went back and drew him in, closing the door behind him. “Are you having second thoughts on the engagement already?”