The Ride of Her Life (34 page)

Levi scrunched his brow in thought. “You’re better-er than beans.”

Nick chuckled. He stood and shook Mark’s hand. “Thanks for escorting Levi. I know he gets under Lilly’s feet sometimes.”

“I don’t get under Mama’s feet, but sometimes I accidentally step on top of them.”

Both men laughed, and Ruby came to stand beside Nick. She laid a hand on his arm, and he stiffened. Truth be told, he’d almost forgotten her. “Miss Ruby Rawlins, may I introduce Mr. Mark Westing. Miss Rawlins is an actress and is performing here at the vaudeville theater.”

Mark tipped his hat. “A pleasure, miss.” He glanced at Nick. “I do hope I wasn’t interrupting anything by bringing Levi by now.”

“No, Miss Rawlins and I were simply catching up on old times.” He glanced at Mark, who seemed to be studying the coaster. “Did you want to take a ride this morning?”

“Me too!” Levi bounced.

Nick placed a hand on his shoulder. “Not yet, Levi. Your mama doesn’t want you to do that. She’s afraid you’ll get hurt.”

Mark faced Ruby. “Miss Rawlins, would you care to join me?”

She glanced at Nick as if she hoped he’d say something on her behalf, but he looked away. She was no longer his responsibility.

“I’m not much of a roller coaster enthusiast.” She pressed her hand against her chest as if the mere thought of riding on the coaster gave her the vapors.

“In all the time I’ve known her, I’ve never gotten her to ride a single time.”

“Ah, so you two never took the plunge together.” Mark chuckled.

Nick held his fist to his mouth and coughed.

Mark shrugged. “Since I have no one to ride with, I’ll pass for now, but thanks for offering.” He glanced around. “Where’s Levi? I promised to bring him back safe and sound.”

Nick scanned the area. Where had Levi gotten off to? The last he’d seen him, he was headed to the loading station.

The coaster! His heart slammed against his ribs, and he took off running. Blood pumping, he raced up the stairs to the loading station. “Levi!”

“Here I am.” Levi peeked out from one of the extra cars in the loading shed. “If I can’t ride, I can pretend. Right, Mr. Nick?”

Nick took a deep breath. “Sure you can, but next time would you please tell us where you’re going?”

Levi scrambled out of the roller coaster car. “Okay.”

Mark jogged up the steps. “I see you found him.”

“He was in one of the extra cars.” Nick ruffled the boy’s soft hair. “Will you give your mama a message for me? Tell her to put away the beans and make sure she has tomorrow afternoon free.”

“Me too?” Levi asked.

“Yes, sirree. We’re going to have fun.”

“So you have special plans tomorrow?” Ruby walked across the platform, the heels of her shoes clicking on the station’s wood floor.

When he nodded, hurt flickered in her moss-green eyes. He took a deep breath. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, but if she held any ideas of them rekindling a romance, she might as well know nothing of the sort was going to happen.

Mark cleared his throat. “Well, Levi, we’d better be getting back.”

They all turned when the engine started and the chain lift began to move. Percy pushed the first car around to the foot of the lift hill and hopped inside. Usually Nick took the first ride of the day, but he guessed Sean told Percy to do it for him. The boy had worked hard enough to earn the privilege, and so far the roller coaster had performed flawlessly.

He turned back to Mark. “I forgot to ask you what you’re doing at the lake. Lilly said you got a job working for her former father-in-law.”

“And I appreciate you not holding that against me.”

“My beef is with him, not you.”

“I’m here because I had some papers to deliver, and of course, I couldn’t miss out on Lilly’s pie.”

“Lilly’s pie or Eugenia’s?” Nick sucked his cheeks in to keep from laughing.

“Does Lilly tell you everything?” Mark chuckled. “Eugenia’s a sweet girl, but she seems a little nervous around men. I thought maybe I could put her at ease.” He turned to Ruby. “Miss Rawlins, may Levi and I escort you back to the theater?”

“Yes, I’d appreciate that.” She flashed one more flirty smile toward Nick and tapped his chest with her gloved finger. “And I’ll be seeing you again soon.”

Nick watched the three of them go and sighed. Apparently Ruby was not taking no for an answer.

Mark glanced at the few shopkeepers and hawkers opening their places along the Midway. They rolled back their canvas curtains, polished their windows, and swept the area in front of their stalls. By late morning, the sleepy place would come alive with patrons. Right now, it almost looked like any block on Main Street.

After telling Levi he could walk ahead of them, Mark whirled toward Ruby. “Didn’t Victor Crowell make the reason we wanted you to come here clear? What’s taking you so long?”

“Yes, but it takes time to set these things up.” Ruby popped her parasol open. “Nick Perrin is a smart man, and he isn’t going to welcome me back with open arms right away. Besides, I never promised I could get him to rekindle our romance.”

“I doubt you can.” Mark glanced at Levi, who was looking at something beneath a bush. “You’re being paid to make Lilly think he wants you back.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Westing. She’ll have no doubts when I get through here.”

Mark studied the woman beside him. There was no doubt she was beautiful, and he was certain she meant what she said. She’d make sure Lilly doubted every word Nick told her.

An unfamiliar feeling nudged him. Guilt? Even if Lilly had been nothing more than their family’s maid, he’d always admired her dry wit and kindness, and Nick Perrin seemed genuinely taken with her. Still, he understood Claude Hart’s position. If Lilly continued her relationship with Nick, it would most likely end in marriage, which would mean the happy couple would take Levi away with them. If he were in Mr. Hart’s place, he might be doing the same thing.

Levi started back toward him. He was a cute kid, and Mark liked kids. With Claude Hart’s influence and financial assistance, a lot of doors could open for the boy. And he was lucky to have a mother who let him be himself, something Mark had never enjoyed.

“Look what I found.” From behind his back, Levi displayed a dotted salamander on his outstretched palm.

Ruby shrieked. “Get that wretched thing away from me!”

“Miss Ruby, don’t be scared. This is Spot, and he’s nice.”

Mark laughed. “Levi, I think you’ve discovered a tiger salamander. I was quite a creature collector myself when I was your age. Your Spot is only a youngster. See how pale his color is? When he gets older, he’ll be a lot brighter and could get this long.” He held his hands a foot apart.

Levi’s eyes rounded. “You think Mama will let me keep him till he gets bigger and bigger and bigger?”

Mark shrugged. “My mother wouldn’t have, but I don’t know about yours.”

“Miss Ruby, you want to hold him now?” Levi held the salamander to his cheek.

“No, and you should put that nasty thing back where you found him, and don’t you dare touch me with those filthy hands. Go on, now. Toss that creature away.”

“Then how would I show Spot to Mr. Nick?”

“He has no interest in your lizard, you silly boy.”

“He does too.”

“No he doesn’t. I’ve been friends with Nick for a long time.”

“But he’s my friend now.” Levi stomped his foot and stuck out his tongue.

The actress glared at him. “You incorrigible boy! I ought to take a switch to you!”

“Miss Rawlins.” Mark dropped his voice low. “Remember, Nick Perrin is quite fond of the boy. You don’t want to upset
him
.” Mark turned to Levi, who still had a pout scrunching his chubby cheeks. “It’s never good to be impolite to a lady, Levi, no matter how rude she is.”

“Never?”

Mark sighed and took Levi’s hand. “Not even when she deserves it.”

33

Excitement electrified the air around Lake Manawa. From her seat in the rowboat, Lilly studied the crowds. Thousands had gathered. But why?

“All right, I’m officially dying of curiosity.” The oar splashed when Nick lowered it in the water, and she wiped a bead of water from her cheek. Levi giggled from his seat beside her. “What is going on out here?”

Barely out of breath despite his rowing effort, Nick grinned. “Why, Lilly, I would have thought you had this all figured out by now. Haven’t you been reading the newspapers?”

“And when would I do that?” She twisted in her seat when she heard a shout. “Is there a parade? I thought I heard someone at the café mention something big was coming today.”

“You might say that.” Nick stopped rowing as they neared the other boats bobbing in the water.

“I see them!” a man shouted from another rowboat. “Look! Here they come.”

The crowd on the shore divided as if Moses himself were doing the parting. Single file, eleven enormous beasts entered the water under the direction of their shirtless Indian guides.

“Elephants?” Lilly rubbed her eyes. She had to be seeing things.

“Well, they aren’t camels.” Nick twisted his waist to get a better look. “The Hagenbeck Circus came to town today. They’ve been advertising this all week.”

“Look, here they come!” Levi stood and pointed.

Lilly pulled him back down. “You can’t stand in a boat, sweetheart.”

The guides directed five full-grown adult elephants farther into the lake. Behind them, six smaller elephants followed. Two of the younger elephants were so small Lilly wondered if they’d been born this year.

Once the elephants lumbered into the lake, Nick rowed until they were within yards of the beasts.

“Do we dare get this near? What if they’re dangerous?” Lilly draped her arm around Levi.

“The mahouts will tell us if we get too close.”

“Mahouts?” Lilly asked.

“The elephants’ keepers are called
mahouts
.” Nick pointed to the elephant that one of the mahouts had started scrubbing with soap and a brush.

The two babies played near the shore, firing cannons of water toward one another. Then one of the larger ones filled his trunk with water and shot it over his back. The crowd cheered.

“Nick, there’s one coming this way.” Lilly grabbed the side of the boat. “He’s huge.”

“Can I pet him?” Levi waved to the elephant.

“Not this time.” Lilly placed a restraining hand on Levi’s leg.

“Mama, you’re squeezing my leg plumb off.”

“Sorry.” She pulled her hand away and shared a smile with Nick. “That one doesn’t seem to even know we’re here.”

“Hi there, Mr. Elephant!” Levi cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted. “Come over and see us.”

Lilly clamped her hand over her son’s mouth. “Levi!”

The pachyderm dipped his trunk into the lake, then raised it in the air. He pointed it at their boat and sent a shower of water in their direction.

Lilly laughed and sputtered. “He doused us!”

“More! More!” Levi applauded.

Nick took off his dripping straw hat and shook it. “Let’s not encourage him, Chipmunk.”

Mopping her face with a handkerchief, Lilly couldn’t stop grinning. What would the proper Harts think if they saw her now?

Nick glanced at Lilly. “Do you know how elephants are trained? When they’re still young, they are chained to a stake. No matter how much they strain and struggle, they can’t break free. When they’re older, you can chain them with only a rope because they still believe they can’t break free even though they could pull the whole circus tent down if they wanted.”

“So it’s all in their heads?”

He nodded. “They create their own prison.”

“That’s hard to believe.” Lilly watched one of the elephants turn when the mahout gave it an order. “They’re beautiful.”

Nick gave her a crooked grin. “And so are you.”

She giggled. “Mr. Perrin, are you comparing me to an elephant?”

“That probably wouldn’t be in my best interest, would it?”

She laughed. “My, but you are a smart fellow.”

Dried off and wearing a fresh black suit, Nick arrived to pick up Lilly. To his delight, earlier that day Emily had offered to keep Levi while he and Lilly went to dinner, then to the ball. He and Emily, however, had kept the ball a secret from Lilly.