Joker's Wild (10 page)

“Love?” Allison forced her gaze away from the gray eyes that were mesmerizing her with gentle persuasion. “No, I can’t. You have to stop.”

“Stop what?” He moved his lips back again, slower, giving her a quick, thorough kiss.

“Kissing me. I don’t come with the house, you know.” Allison rolled her head back and looked into a face filled with passion. “You can’t want me,” she whispered thickly.

“But I do. I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you. I won’t hurt you. I promise. We’re a team now.”

“Yes, you will.” She stiffened and pulled herself away from an embrace so perfect, she couldn’t tell
where she ended and he began. “I can’t, Joker. I don’t want to go through that again.”

Allison felt Joker’s hands tighten on her body. She couldn’t tell him that for years she and Mark had worked to become a team. From children they’d become fumbling, frustrated teens, learning about their bodies and about desire heightened by forbidden touching and secret kisses. She’d been sixteen the first time Mark had made love to her. The experience had been awkward and painful. She’d accepted Mark’s statement that it was her fault. But the experience had bound her to Mark in a way that commitment never had. She’d fallen in love. And because of that feeling of belonging, she’d accepted the lovemaking, though Allison sensed that everything wasn’t just what it could be.

Leon, their coach, had tried to separate them, until he saw a way to use their relationship to tune their bodies into a sensual visual expression of their desire. He’d taken Allison for birth control pills and had turned a blind eye to what was happening. They’d been potential Olympic champions, and he’d done whatever was necessary to get them to the top.

Allison couldn’t force herself to tell Joker that, but she did want him to understand about Mark. Maybe once and for all he’d accept the truth and put aside his romanticized picture of her.

“I didn’t tell you everything before, Joker, about how I hurt my knee. It was at the Olympics that I first realized Mark was unfaithful. His dark, mysterious good looks attracted the other women skaters and fans. And for the first time he was aware of his star power. He wanted to win, and I couldn’t refuse Mark anything. The twist, as Leon christened it, was a
new move that we thought would set the judges on their ears. If we won, I thought Mark would come back to me.”

“But you told me the move was risky?” He knew what her answer would be before she said it.

“Yes, for me. When I fell in rehearsal, we couldn’t let the officials know how bad my knee was, or we’d have been cut from the program. Mark slipped out and found a local doctor to give me a steroid shot in my knee.”

“That’s legal?”

“Cortisone to reduce inflammation is legal, up to a point. Mark said it would be all right. Then Leon arranged for the official doctor to give me another injection. He didn’t know about the first one. Both shots deadened the pain, and by the time our event came up, I could skate without feeling anything. We won the gold medal, and Mark did come back to me—for a while. But nothing was ever the same again.”

“I see.”

Joker’s words were guarded. Allison knew that he was waiting for her to continue, but he didn’t press her.

“And when we joined the ice show,” Allison finally continued, skipping over the four years during which she’d learned to turn a blind eye to Mark’s little trysts, “we became officially engaged.”

“But you didn’t get married.”

“No, Mark kept putting it off.”

There was such pain in her voice that Joker was sorry he’d asked. Yet he knew that purging herself of such negative memories was part of the healing
process, and Allison needed to talk about her expartner.

“What happened?”

“I fell again. We had an ugly scene. Mark wanted to bring in another skater to take my place—only until I was well.”

“But surely you had an understudy with the show?”

“Yes. But you see, he’d had another offer.”

“What kind of offer?”

“With Dance Europe. After our season was over he was going to Europe. He was leaving me at home to recuperate, give my body a chance to heal.”

“But you didn’t stop skating?”

She had, for a time, until she knew that Mark wasn’t going to come back for her as he’d promised. Then, hurt and angry at his deception, she’d taken refuge in the only thing she knew—skating.

“No. After I recovered enough to skate again, I skated alone. Until that last night when even the spectators heard the crunch of my knee when I fell. I left the show and went straight to Boston for the operation. So you see, Joker, everything about me is damaged. I’d only disappoint you.”

He frowned and caught her chin in his hand. “You’d never disappoint me, Beauty.” He stroked her cheek and bent to place a light kiss on her lips. “Believe me. I know you better than you know yourself. Let me show you.”

Allison pulled her face from his grip. She took in a deep breath as she tried to quench the wildfire that seemed to leap through her body.

“You don’t understand, Joker. I’m not what you think. You’re creating a fictional character, a product of your imagination.”

“All right,” Joker said with determination. “You’re as ugly as a stick, and you’re not my type at all. Does that make you happy?”

He was grinning broadly, rubbing her upper arms with his rough hands. How could a simple motion seem so sensual, she wondered. How could a big man with a beard turn her body into mush? She’d always wanted a slim, graceful man with drama in his eyes and the wind in his hair. And Joker? He was a man of the earth—powerful, strong, and stubborn. Allison shook her head. She didn’t know anything anymore.

“That may be the first honest statement you’ve made, you … you beastly man! Now, put me down.”

“Where I’ll put you is at the breakfast table so you can eat!” Joker lifted her from the counter and swung her around. “Ah, Beauty, don’t fight me. I only want to help you. Can’t you trust me?”

“I wish I could, Joker,” she said softly. “But I’m not very confident of anything or anybody right now. Trusting people hurts.”

“I wish I had him here in these hands!” Joker’s voice went threatening, and Allison felt his fingertips tightened on her shoulders.

Allison jerked her head up in panic. “Who?”

“Mark, the man who sent you skittering off into oblivion convinced that you’re an inch lower than a triple-toed mugwump. I’d like to pull his antennae off one millimeter at a time.”

“His antennae?” Allison felt her lips twitch.

“Well, that’s as good a name as any for what I’d like to amputate. A little pruning is good for the soul.” He gave Allison one last brief kiss and turned back to the stove. “I’ve made coffee and put it in the
thermos so that you won’t have to get up. There’s bread in the toaster right next to the juice. You remember the nice fruit juice filled with natural wheat germ and vitamins.”

Allison shook her head in mock defeat, lifted the glass of juice, took one swallow, and gagged. “Yuck! This isn’t orange juice, this is yellow mud, thick, gooey, yellow mud.”

“Drink it, Beauty. It’ll make you grow up to be strong and healthy and,” he said with a leer, “I’ll let you in on a secret. I have it on the best authority that it’s nature’s own aphrodisiac. Stimulates hormones and passion, and makes your hair grow.”

Allison giggled. “Is that what you’ve been drinking?”

Joker picked up his saw and did his Texas two step out the door. “I’ll never tell.”

A loud noise cut off the end of Joker’s comment as a large delivery truck backed into view.

“Aha! Here’s Mac and the boys.”

“Who’s Mac?”

“He’s the Pretty Springs Golf and Tennis Retirement Community construction supervisor, and he’s a good friend. If you’re going to do a job, get the best advice possible,” Joker said sincerely.

Allison shook her head in despair as she watched a dark-haired slim young man open the door of the truck and slide to the ground.

“Morning, Joker.”

“Yo, Mac. Good to see you.”

“Here’s what you ordered: two-by-fours, paneling, plywood, and shingles. Two of the boys are right behind me. The princess in her tower?”

Allison watched Joker frown and motion toward the house. The two men spoke in low voices for a
moment. They were joined by two other workmen who began unloading the truck and stacking the supplies next to the brick patio. Through the morning Joker worked steadily alongside the other men, pausing now and then to spot Allison through the windows or the hole in the wall.

Mentally she tallied up her savings. She was practically broke. Where on earth would she come up with enough money to pay rent for any length of time? Guiltily she swallowed the vitamins Joker had laid out, as though that might in some way show her good faith. The yellow mud seemed to be a bit more palatable as she drank. Actually, by the time she took the last swallow, she was beginning to develop a liking for the juice.

After watching the walls take shape and the roof become a solid structure, Allison realized that she was beginning to ache unbearably. Reluctantly she swallowed the pills from the prescription Joker had managed to have refilled. She knew she ought to drive into Pretty Springs to visit Gran, but she couldn’t get her car past the big truck.

After a telephone call where she learned that her grandmother was making another trip to bathe in the mineral springs, Allison left a message that she’d be by for a visit in the morning.

Allison’s plan to move to a lounge chair where she could watch the work in progress more comfortably was aborted when she stood and felt a wave of dizziness overtake her. She sank back to her chair and contemplated a long nap instead.

Joker watched Allison’s head begin to droop. She was getting sleepy. Good. Her body needed rest, lots of rest. He nodded to his helper, moved lightly into
the breakfast room, and lifted Allison once more. She sighed and curled her head against him as he walked.

Upstairs Joker laid her down, lingering for a moment to push a strand of soft dark hair away from a face innocent and lovely in sleep. Planting a light kiss on her forehead, he backed away and returned to his construction.

After a quick sandwich and icy sweet lemonade for lunch, Joker and Mac went back to work. It was late afternoon when the final piece of roofing went into place and the rain began to fall. By the time Joker had cleaned up and returned to the kitchen, the rain was coming down in torrents, and Allison was standing in front of the open door staring out into the garden.

“What are you doing, Beauty?”

“Watching the rain fall. I love to watch the rain and the snow. Everything is clean and pretty afterward. When I was in the hospital, I used to wish I could run out and let the water make me pretty.”

“You want rain, Beauty, you got it.” Joker swooped her up and walked through the open hole in the wall and into the garden, swinging her round and round in a circle. The rain pelted them, soaking their clothes and hair in seconds. It made little rivers down his face into his beard and turned Allison’s long lashes into spikes that dripped crystal beads of water.

“You idiot,” Allison said, laughing. “We’re getting soaking wet. I feel the way I did when I was a child and Gran turned on the water sprinkler for me to play in. Except I didn’t play in my clothes.” She held her face up to the water as if she were a parched flower.

“Well.” He stopped and grinned at her. “We can take care of that in a heartbeat. Wanna get nekked?”

“Too late. We’re not children anymore.”

“Speak for yourself, Beauty. I never intend to grow up. Playing is good for the soul. Look how beautiful we’ve become. Look at us, Allison. Don’t you see?”

She gazed at the burly man with the strong arms. “Yes, I think I do. You never see the ugly in life, do you?”

“Never. If I don’t like what I see, I just find a different way of looking at it.”

“I wish I had eyes like yours,” she said seriously, “Eyes that see beauty in everything.”

“You want new eyes? I’ll make them new, if you’ll let me.”

She hugged him, pushing her face into the shelter beneath his chin. “Maybe you can, you crazy man. Maybe you really can.”

An early morning call from the Chattahoochee construction site took Joker Vandergriff reluctantly away from the estate. He didn’t feel good about leaving before Allison was awake. The previous night had seemed to be a milestone in their relationship. He’d taught her to accept him, and he’d wanted to stay close to her.

He looked in on her before he left, taking in the relaxed way her hand lay against her cheek. Satisfied that she’d sleep very late, Joker called and delayed Mac and the construction crews arrival until lunchtime before heading to the office to settle the delivery date for the junipers he’d ordered and to check the planting schedule for the sod.

Later he stopped by the glass company to be certain that the glass panes he’d bought would be delivered and installed in the new sun room. The last stop was the nursing home, where he found Miss Lenice bright-eyed and eager to share the news of a second visit from her granddaughter.

“Take care … Joker,” Lenice had managed to say, and he’d known she wasn’t warning him. She understood that something was wrong with her granddaughter, and she was passing on that problem to him just as she had her home. He’d nodded and had spent the next twenty minutes keeping up a nonstop patter of nonsense about frying chicken and planting marigolds. When Mrs. Josey began to tire, he pressed a kiss against her forehead and left. She hadn’t had to ask him to look after Allison. He’d accepted her as his responsibility the moment she’d fallen into his arms in the gazebo. She needed his help just as much as the gardens he was slowly bringing back to life.

After leaving the nursing home, Allison drove past the old grammar school she’d attended. She had fond memories of that time in her life, when Gran had walked her off to school and kissed her good-bye at the door.

When she’d awakened earlier, she’d felt better than she had in a year. For the longest time she’d waited for the sound of Joker’s footsteps. But the house had been silent. Finally she’d realized that she was alone—totally alone—and she’d missed her red giant. She’d lounged around all morning waiting for Joker to return.