Love on Ice (Cannon City Series Book 2) (11 page)

Kate went into her bathroom and looked in the mirror. “A little smeared is being kind, Jay,” she said and grabbed a Kleenex to wipe the mascara off her cheeks.

On their way back to the rink they discussed going to Frank’s cabin, but decided it would just be another win for her mother. Kate would stay at his house for now and they would try to continue to live.

Jay went back to coach the kids and Kate found that Lark saved her seat on the bleachers. She sat down and wished she’d gotten a cup of coffee. She saw Monica sat a few rows from her. They glared at each other.

“So, what happened? Where’d you head off to?” Lark asked and leaned on her shoulder.

Kate looked at the pretty brown haired woman and found Lark’s husband looking at her, too.  Kate smiled. “It was a mis-understanding. It’s all right now.”

“I saw that witch talk to you. Was it her fault?” Lark asked and glared down at Monica.

Kate noticed that Lark’s voice had gotten louder and tried to keep her quiet. “She said some nasty things about Jay and I was stupid enough to buy it. I’ve definitely learned a lesson this evening.”

“Sweetie, don’t believe a word that comes out of that dragon woman’s mouth. She’s nothing but lies,” Lark said, loudly.

Kate saw Monica turn around and glare back at Lark.

Charlie reached over to his wife. “Lark, that’s enough. I think you’ve gotten the point across,” he said and planted his lips on hers.

Lark turned back to Kate. “I love my husband very much, but he is the pacifist in our family.”

She was introduced to some other new people that sat around them. One of the men, Eddie Sykes, was a nurse at the community walk-in health clinic. He and Lark talked about the new women’s center that would be opening in a week. They were both very excited about it. Eddie said they would have an outstanding doctor come in and start to help out in the next couple of weeks. They were also going to have three full-time clinical psychologists who would start to schedule right away. Kate wondered briefly if Jay might have had something to do with this introduction, but then realized her trust issues were starting to rear up and shut them off.
Maybe I should make an appointment with one of the head doctors,
she thought. For now, she needed to trust in Jay and that was the only thing that mattered.

During the break between periods, Jay moved away from the team and walked directly to Monica. He motioned for her to follow him and she did. He came back after about five minutes, found Kate and stepped up to the bleachers where she sat. He leaned over her and said into her ear, “Monica has been banned from the rink. I told her Shelby’s coach would meet them in the driveway or her grandmother could bring her, if the kid is going to continue with lessons, but if Monica steps through the doors, she’ll be asked to leave by security or the staff. She called your mother.”

“Did she say how she found out about my story?” Kate asked.

“Apparently, the night we came here for the Broom Ball game and met with Frank, she stood outside my office door. When Frank asked me to leave so he could talk to you, she heard the conversation and did a little research of her own. She figured out who you used to be and we know the rest.”

Kate looked up at him and almost started to cry. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

He gave her a kiss and then went back to the team. The Mighty Rocker’s won that night three to one.

Chapter Twelve

Later that evening, Jay rolled over in bed and realized Kate wasn’t there. He sat up and saw she stood by the window. The light that came in through the glass gave her a ghostly glow. She looked beautiful.

“Hey, babe. Are you okay?”

She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. “It’s snowing.”

Jay got up and walked over to her. He put his arms around her waist. “Damn, look at that and it’s only October. It’s early this year,” he said and looked out the window. The trees and ground in the back of his house were dusted white. “I guess the picnic a week ago might have been the last for the season. This probably won’t hang around long even though it’s gotten colder.”

“It looks so peaceful.” She leaned against his chest. “Jay, babe.” She laughed. “I need to use endearments more.”

“Why are you shaking?” He kissed the top of her head.

Kate moved his arms from her waist to around her shoulders and kissed his arm. “I hate to admit this, but I’m scared silly.” She entwined her fingers with his and continued to kiss his arm.

“You have every right to be scared, but you’re safe here with me. Your mom looked like a blonde wicked witch.”

“As I said earlier, she can be really mean when she doesn’t get her way. Once when I was little, my dad told her no about some car that she wanted. I can’t even remember what type it was, but she got it within a week. My dad stayed angry with her for a long time and it changed the way he’d treated me.” She turned and wrapped her arms around him. “I wish I’d known him better.”

Jay kissed her forehead. “Come back to bed. It’s cold in there and I missed you.” He steered her to the bed and sat her down. “That reminds me, wait here one second.” He ran down the stairs and found his coat. In the pocket was a small flat box. He pulled it out and ran back up the stairs. When he got back to the room he found Kate hadn’t moved from where she sat.

He sat next to her and turned on the lamp that stood on the nightstand. “First of all, I want you to know this nightstand is yours. I emptied out the drawers so you can put whatever you want in there.” He saw a surprised look on her face. “Secondly, all the drawers in the right hand side of the bureau are yours, too. They’re all cleaned out and ready for your girly things. The top drawer in the bathroom is also ready for your make-up and stuff.”

“Oh my God, when did you have the time?” she said.

“When you were at work last night and, I also bought you this.” He put the box into her hands.

“What is it?” She looked at it and then back up at him.

“Open it.” He waited until the box was open. “It’s a cell phone. I’ve programmed my number and Frank’s into it. You can call me whenever you want to...oh, and if you want me to change the ringtone, I will.” He picked his phone up from the nightstand and hit a button. In a couple of seconds the lights came on her phone and a voice said, “You’re mine, babe.”

“Is that you?”

“Yep. Every time I call, you’ll know it’s me. When the regular ring goes off it will be somebody else. The other great thing is the GPS in it. No matter where you are, I’ll be able to find you, but please, leave the phone on. If it’s turned off, I won’t be able to locate where you’re hiding.”

“Jay, this is incredible. Thank you. It’s my first cell phone ever. You’ll need to teach me how to use it. I don’t know what to say.”

“This thing,” he said and pointed into the box. “It’s the charger. We’ll have to find a place to plug it in. In the meantime, come back to bed and keep me warm.”

She set the phone back in the box and they crawled into bed. He wrapped her in his arms and she rested her head on his chest.

“Kate, I really wish you’d take Frank’s offer and not work for a couple of weeks. He can explain it to Harry and you won’t lose the job.” Jay felt concerned for her safety now. The way that jerk held her arm and tried to drag her to the Bronco this evening made him think they wanted to kidnap her.

“There will be other people around the diner and I’ll give Harry a heads up if anything bad starts to happen. It’s just another situation where if I hide, my mother wins.”

“I know. I’d feel better if you came to the rink with me and hung out there.”

She put her chin on his chest and looked up at him. “Jay, if I did that, once the skating classes finished, I’d be bored out of my mind and in your way. You wouldn’t get any work done, because I wouldn’t want to keep my hands off you.” She propped up on her elbow and kissed his chest. “You will drop me off and pick me up. In between that time, I’ll wait tables, refill salt and pepper shakers, bus tables if needed and all the usual waitress activities. I promise not to leave the restaurant without you.”

“I suppose I could hang out there,” he said.

“You’d be bored.”

“Then just promise me one thing.” She nodded. “If something doesn’t feel right and you think you’re going to panic, call me immediately. I’ll be across the street in two seconds. Okay?”

Kate scooted up and kissed his lips. “You know, you’ve made it very hard for me not to fall in love with you?”

“That’s my plan, babe. I’m going to keep you with me and we’ll grow old together.” He felt her lips lightly touch his and her teeth grazed his chin. “Sweetheart, if you keep this up, I can’t be responsible for my actions.” He rolled her onto her back and nuzzled her neck.

“That’s my plan, babe,” she whispered.

Chapter Thirteen

Jay dropped Kate at the diner. He leaned over, kissed her and then whispered that he’d rather go back home. She still felt very scared about her present situation, but wanted to work. She needed the tips to add to the stash of money she saved for occasions like these. She didn’t know if she would be able to not run with her mother lurking around Canon City.

Her new cell-phone sat in her pocket and was turned on. She went in, and after she put her purse into her locker, she found Harry and explained to him about the situation. He acted very supportive and said if he could help in any way, to just let him know. He patted her hand and said not to worry, he’d watch her back.

The customers were pleasant for a Sunday night and, although it wasn’t busy, a steady stream came through the front door. Kate got into the flow and kept a smile on her face. After a couple of hours, the pace slowed down. Harry let Shar leave early after Kate said she could handle the rest of the night.

Jay showed her how to use the cell phone, but she still felt sketchy on taking pictures and writing notes. All she really wanted it for was to make calls and at this point he was the only one she wanted to call.

An older couple came in and she seated them. They’d been to some movie over in Pueblo and were starved since they didn’t have popcorn. She gave them a menu, but they told her they didn’t need to look at it. They knew exactly what they wanted. She started to take their order, when she heard a male voice say “You’re mine, babe.” She looked at the man and woman and started to laugh.

“Excuse me a moment,” she said and moved to the back hallway.

“Why are you laughing, sweetheart?” she heard Jay ask.

“Can you tell me how to turn the ringtone down or make the phone vibrate? I just waited on an elderly couple when it went off and I got a very strange look from them.”

Jay laughed on the other end. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to look at it later. Call me back when you’re alone.”

“Okay.” She went into the restaurant and back to the table she waited on. “Sorry about that, folks. Where were we?”

She got the order and put the ticket on the wheel. She heard the bell over the door ring and turned, ready to walk to the end of the counter and seat another customer. When she saw her mother come into the diner, she spun around and went to the kitchen. She pulled the cell phone out of her pocket.

“Hey babe, that was quick. Are you alone?” Jay answered.

“I need you to come over here now,” she whispered.

“I’m on my way.”

It surprised her that he didn’t ask any questions. He didn’t want to know what happened. It made her feel warm and for just a second, she smiled.

Harry looked at her from the grill. “Are you all right, Kate? You’re a little pale.”

She looked at him. “Remember the situation I told you about earlier? My mother just walked in the front door. Jay’s on his way over from the rink. It will be all right when he gets here.”

“Is that brassy blond out there your mom?”

“Yes. I should call Frank, too.” She hit another button on the phone. After three rings, Frank picked up and she explained what new problem had developed.

Frank asked Kate to make sure Jay didn’t kill anybody and said he would be on his way to the diner in a few minutes. Harry pointed at the door and said Jay arrived.

Kate walked out of the kitchen and stood at the end of the counter with her cell phone held tightly to her chest. She saw Jay stroll up to the table and heard her mother ask who the hell he was and what did he want.

He grinned a little maniacally and leaned over to give her a half hug. “I’m going to be your son-in-law, Mom. It’s really good to meet you.” He let her go and walked over to the man who sat across from the blond woman. “And you,” he said and pointed at the guy. “I don’t have a clue who you are, but it would be a good idea for you to stay seated. Unless your plan is to leave, then you can get up.”

Kate put her hand over her mouth and tried not to laugh. The look on her mother’s face was a priceless combination of surprise and disgust. She admired Jay. He was fearless and very brave and she wished she felt that way, too. She found him so attractive at that exact moment and wanted to take him into the locker room and show him how much he meant to her.

She looked at the couple that sat at the other table. They watched Jay’s performance and then the man scooted his chair back and stood up. He took the woman he was with by the hand and led her out of the diner.
Lost business, damn
, Kate thought. She looked over her shoulder and saw Harry at the pass through window.

“That order’s toast,” he said and took the ticket off the wheel. “No worries.”

****

“Now.” Jay turned a chair around and sat down with his arms over the back. “If you’re planning on dinner, Harry makes a great Mushroom-Swiss burger, but I think you should know that I’ve called the sheriff and he’s on his way. Oh, and I’m a retired hockey player, so I love a good fight.” He looked at the other man and smiled, again. “I’m sure you saw what I did to your little friend and, really, he is pretty scrawny, but he put his hand on my fiancée, which I can’t deal with. It makes me very jealous if anyone, other than me, touches her.” He looked back at her mother. “Do you understand where I’m coming from?”

Kate’s mom frowned and looked at him with pinched lips. “I believe I do. I suppose the attorney is on his way, too?”

“I didn’t call Frank,” Jay said and looked at Kate. “Sweetheart, did you call Frank?” She nodded. “It looks like he’s coming for the party, too.”

“Mr...?” Kate’s mom asked.

“Jason Hager, Mom, but everyone calls me Jay.” He reached his hand over to shake, but when she rejected it, he just laughed.

“Mr. Hager, all I want is to speak to my daughter. This over-blown baboon act you’re putting on is really unnecessary.”

“Ah, now, Mrs. Douglas, we’re getting started on the wrong foot.”

“My name is Hardy, not Douglas.”

He heard the bell on the door and felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, he saw Frank and the Canon City sheriff. “Well, Mom, we’ll have to get better acquainted on another day. You talk to the attorney.” He stood up and walked over to Kate. He followed her through the swinging doors into the kitchen.