MAC CARRIED A stack of dishes to the table, his body protesting every movement. Rory was an excellent ski instructor but a hard taskmaster. He’d thoroughly enjoyed spending the afternoon learning to ski with her and Ursula through the forest behind his house, but now muscles he never knew he had were stiffening up. Blossom, having accompanied them on their ski, had collapsed on the dog bed in Ursula’s kitchen and looked as though she might never move again.
The exercise didn’t seem to have the same effect on Ursula and Rory. Ursula danced around the kitchen, whipping up some sort of chicken and pasta dish while Rory assembled spinach salads for each of them. “Do we have any sunflower seeds?”
“Yes.” Ursula reached into her pantry and pulled out a mason jar. “But ask Mac before you add any to his salad.”
“Mac, do you want sunflower seeds? They’re really good.”
“Sure.” Mac finished setting the table. Rory brought the salad bowls and set one on each plate. She’d arranged slices of peppers and cherry tomatoes to form a face on the top of each salad, with shredded carrots for hair. “Hey, very artistic salads.”
She beamed. “You can take a picture if you want.”
“I’ll do that.” Mac dutifully pulled out his phone to snap a photo. He noticed a missed message that must have come in while they were skiing. It was from the lawyer in Anchorage. Ursula was still cooking, so he opened it. Hmm, the Normands wanted to schedule a preliminary meeting for Monday. They weren’t wasting any time.
He must have frowned, because Ursula had stopped cooking and was watching him, the wooden spoon still in her hand. “Is everything okay?”
Mac nodded. “I think so. Check your phone when you get a chance. Looks like things are moving forward faster than we’d expected.”
Ursula’s eyes darted to Rory before she resumed sautéing vegetables. “Can you pour yourself a glass of milk, Rory? Dinner’s almost ready.” While Rory was busy in the refrigerator, Ursula looked over at Mac, her eyes worried. But then she smiled. “Wine, Mac? I have a half bottle in the refrigerator.”
“I’ll pour.” Mac followed her lead. They could discuss this later, when they were alone. No use worrying Rory.
Ten minutes later, Ursula set the food on the table and Mac gingerly lowered himself into his chair. Ursula smirked. “Did Rory work you too hard today?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s going to take some practice before I can keep up with you two.”
“What do you mean, you two? Rory can ski circles around me if she wants to.”
Rory plopped into the chair beside him. “I’m skiing in a race in Anchorage this weekend.”
“I heard about that. How long is the race?”
“It’s a twenty-five K.”
“Wow, that’s a long way to ski.”
“Rory was the youngest finisher in last year’s Anchorski,” Ursula said as she dished some of the pasta onto Rory’s plate.
“Impressive.”
“Last time I skied with Daddy, but this year Kelly’s gonna ski with me. She works at the store.”
“I met Kelly,” Mac sad. “She seems very nice.”
“She is. She has two huskies and she goes skijoring. She says when I’m older, she’ll teach me how.”
“What’s skijoring?”
“It’s a cross between mushing and skiing,” Ursula explained. “You hook a dog to a harness around your waist and they pull you along the ski trails. I’ve never done it, but I hear it’s lots of fun.”
“Maybe you could teach Blossom,” Rory suggested.
Mac pictured himself getting dragged through thickets and over logs every time Blossom spotted a squirrel. “Maybe I’d better perfect skiing under my own power first before I get her involved.” He looked over to where the dog lay sound asleep in the corner. “Besides, I’m not sure Blossom is up to it. You wore her out, too.”
Blossom opened one eye when he mentioned her name and immediately closed it again. Rory and Ursula laughed.
They finished dinner and Ursula sent Rory off to work on homework. Mac started to clear the table. Once Rory was out of sight, Ursula grabbed her phone and listened to a voice mail from the lawyer. She set the phone down and turned to Mac. “You’re right. They are in a hurry.”
“That’s good, though. Better to get it over with, right?”
“I guess so.” She picked up a plate to rinse and loaded it into the dishwasher. “But it worries me. My admittedly limited experience with legal things is that they always move slowly. The fact that the Normands can send me a letter arriving Saturday and arrange a meeting with lawyers just over a week later sounds like they have some clout.”
“According to Fred, Darlene Henderson is one of the best family lawyers in the state, and she’s ready to meet on Monday. Maybe when they coordinated their calendars, they just got lucky.”
“Maybe. Does Monday work for you? If you want to be there, that is. I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“Of course I’ll be there. I told you—I’m committed to seeing this through.”
She closed her eyes and let out a long breath. “Thank you, Mac. I could really use someone on my side. Sam’s working on the slope this week, and I hate to ask Dana to take off work.”
He rested his hand on her back. “I’ll drive. You call tomorrow and accept the appointment.”
“Thanks.”
Rory burst through the kitchen door. “I finished my worksheet. Can you check it?”
“Just a second, sweetie. Let me get the dishwasher started.” Ursula reached for another plate.
“I’ll look at it if you like,” Mac offered. He sat down at the kitchen table beside Rory and read over her English homework. “Nice job. But here, take a look at this sentence. ‘The group were happy.’ Would you say ‘The girl were happy’?”
“Girl was happy.”
“Right. I know group sounds like more than one person, but it’s only one group, so you need a singular verb. Was.”
“Oh, okay.” Rory made the change. “Are you gonna come to the ski race on Sunday?”
He grinned. “As long as I don’t have to ski in it.”
“No, you can wait at the finish. You don’t have to ski.”
“I’ll be there, then, cheering for you.”
“Yay.” Rory snatched up her homework and started toward her room, stopping on the way to pet the dog. “Can Blossom come?”
“I don’t think so. She’s not good in crowds.”
“Oh.” She stroked the pit bull’s head. “Don’t worry, Blossom. We’ll take you skiing next week. Mac needs another lesson.”
* * *
MAC TUGGED HIS hat lower over his ears. The temperature was in the high twenties, but a brisk breeze chilled the people standing around, watching the skiers cross the finish line. Dana was there with him, with the baby bundled up and cozy in a backpack.
Just past the finish line, Snow Country had sponsored a table where they were handing out water and some sort of goodie bag to all the skiers. The fastest racers had finished an hour ago, but the main body was streaming across the line now. The crowd still clapped and cheered for each racer. Mac caught sight of a familiar purple hat just as Ursula spotted him and waved. She’d accompanied Rory to the start of the race and stopped off to take pictures along the way. She hurried toward them.
Ursula gave Dana a hug. “She was going strong at the three-quarters mark. They won’t be long. Hi, Griffin.” She leaned in to kiss the two square inches of skin exposed on his face. He gurgled and cooed at her. She turned to Mac. “You doing okay?”
“I’m good.” Mac no longer worried about being recognized. First of all, these were ski fans, not gossip columnists. Second, he was old news. And finally, his own mother would have been hard-pressed to pick him out of the crowd of parkas and winter hats.
“Oh, look,” Dana said. “Here they come!”
Rory led the way, dressed in pink tights and a hat with kitten ears on top. Kelly was right behind her. They were both moving fast. Dana and Ursula cheered loudly and clapped as they crossed the finish line. Mac added a whistle and called out his congratulations. A voice on a loudspeaker announced that Aurora Houston was the winner of the eleven-and-under division, to more cheers from the crowd, especially the group staffing the Snow Country table. Rory and Kelly stepped out of their skis and accepted cups of water.
Rory waved at Ursula, Mac and Dana. Before she could make her way toward them, though, a woman with blond hair under a dark fur hat stepped out from the crowd and spoke to her. Kelly stepped forward to join the conversation. Ursula hurried toward them and Mac followed. The woman seemed to be congratulating Rory on her victory and asking about her plans.
Ursula smiled at the woman but herded Rory away before she could answer the questions. He suspected at some point in the near future, she and Rory would have a talk about giving too much information to strangers. Andi always had difficulty with that when she was Rory’s age, her natural enthusiasm overriding any innate caution. But he wasn’t going to think about that today. Today was Rory’s day.
“Did you see me, Mac? I won!”
“I know. You’re amazing.”
“She did so well.” Kelly slipped an arm around Rory’s shoulders. “Pretty soon, she’ll be leaving me behind.”
“I’ll wait for you,” Rory promised. “It’s more fun to ski together.”
As the women chatted with Rory, Mac glanced across the crowd. There, several yards away, the blond woman was still watching Rory. She seemed vaguely familiar. A man leaned in and spoke to her. She pointed in Rory’s direction. He shook his head. They seemed to be arguing over something, but finally they turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Why were they so interested in Rory? Maybe they were just fans, impressed that an eight-year-old could keep up with so many fine skiers. But somehow, Mac had a feeling there was more to it than that.
* * *
MAC STRAIGHTENED THE tie he’d packed more from habit than from the expectation he would need it in Alaska. He followed Ursula and the receptionist into an empty conference room. After offering coffee, the receptionist left them there, alone. Ursula sat motionless, her face pale against the stark black of her dress. Mac reached over and squeezed her hand. “It will be okay.”
“I hope so. I just wish—”
The door opened and Ursula’s lawyer came in, followed by another woman and two men, one with a newspaper folded under his arm. As they approached the conference table, Mac recognized the couple he’d seen talking with Rory at the race the day before. No wonder they’d seemed familiar. They still looked much the same as they had during Kendall’s competition days, when they’d been the included in several interviews and special reports. Rory’s grandparents, if you could call them that considering she was eight years old and had never met them until yesterday, settled at the table and eyed Mac and Ursula.
Why now?
Ursula’s attorney made the introductions, labeling Mac as Ursula’s friend which drew a sharp glance from Mrs. Normand. Mr. Normand, on the other hand, looked as though he might recognize Mac. It didn’t matter. Ursula was there to protect Rory, and Mac was there to help. If his celebrity could help Rory’s case, he was happy to use it. Otherwise, it was irrelevant.
Mr. Normand set the newspaper on the table. The photo on the front page of the sports section was of Rory crossing the finish line, a huge smile on her face. A few yards behind her, the Normands stood at the front of the crowd, watching.
The attorneys talked for a while, using a lot of words but saying little. Mac could see Ursula’s hand tapping against her leg under the table, but the face she showed remained perfectly calm. Eventually, Jake Shepherd, the Normands’ attorney, got to the point. “My clients have filed for a court date to determine permanent custody of Aurora Houston, their granddaughter. They’re concerned about the current custody arrangements and would like more information.”
“What do you need to know?” Ursula spoke directly to the Normands, but they looked to their lawyer. He consulted a paper and directed a question to Ursula. “Aurora inherited a successful sporting goods store and received a sizable settlement. How are those assets being managed for her future care and education?”
Mr. Normand seemed to be holding his breath. Is this why they were here? They wanted Rory’s money? But that didn’t make sense. Drake Normand was a well-known real estate developer in Colorado. His daughter’s estate would be chicken feed to him. Maybe he was concerned that Ursula might be an opportunist, taking advantage of her relationship with Kendall and Coby to gain access to Rory’s money.
Ursula’s lawyer gave him a bland smile. “Aurora’s assets are being competently managed by a team of trustees from a local bank, as was spelled out under her parent’s wills.”
Mr. Normand let out a breath. Mac couldn’t tell whether it was from disappointment or relief.
Ursula’s lawyer straightened a stack of papers. “Any other questions?”
Mrs. Normand leaned forward. “Aurora is a very special child. Her parents were both world-class athletes. I want to know what steps you’ve taken to nurture her talent.”
“Rory is special.” Ursula gave a small smile. “She’s sweet and kind and enthusiastic. And yes, she has natural athletic ability. She’s been skiing from the time she could walk, and we go out at least twice a week, weather permitting.”
“What are your coaching credentials?”
“None. I’m just a recreational skier.”
“Then who is in charge of her training regimen?”
Ursula chuckled. “She’s eight. She doesn’t have a training regimen.”
Mrs. Normand’s mouth tightened. “When Kendall was eight, she’d already been training with a prominent coach for four years.”
“I know. Kendall told me.” Ursula sat up very straight. “Kendall and Coby were adamant that Rory’s childhood would be different. She skis because she loves to ski, not to win ribbons.”
The whole time his wife was questioning Ursula, her husband had been gazing at Rory’s photo in the newspaper. Mac remembered seeing Kendall when she won her silver medal, standing on the podium with her flaxen hair flowing over her shoulders, her bright smile. As a little girl, Kendall must have looked much like Rory did now. Mrs. Normand took the newspaper from him and pointed at the photo. “She won her age group yesterday.”
“Yes, she did.”
“And yet you say she’s not competitive.”
“I didn’t say that. I said she skis because she loves to ski. The Anchorski is a long race for young skiers. There were only five kids, including Rory, in the eleven and under class. Don’t get me wrong. Rory likes to win. When she’s older, she may decide to train competitively, and I’ll support that. But right now, she needs to be a child.”
“You can’t wait. By the time she makes up her mind, it will be too late. She’ll be too far behind.”
“Behind whom?”
“The other hopefuls. She might not even make the US team. Even if she does, how can she expect to medal against competitors who’ve spent their entire lives preparing?”
“And what if she never wins a medal?” Ursula asked. “What if she never makes the team? What if she simply grows up to be a happy, healthy, well-adjusted woman? Does that make her a failure as far as you’re concerned?”
Mrs. Normand rolled her eyes. “You obviously don’t have the experience to know how to raise a child with this sort of gift. You don’t understand how important this is.”
Mac had an idea Ursula understood all too well. He was beginning to see why Kendall and her husband had chosen to raise their family in Alaska, far from her parents’ influence. He glanced over at Mr. Normand, expecting to see the same indignation his wife exhibited. Instead, Mac noted a suspicious sheen in the man’s eyes, still locked on that photo of Rory.
“Mrs. Anderson is an experienced parent,” Darlene pointed out.
“Yes, I see that.” Shepherd flipped to another page. “Samuel MacKettrick.” He looked up at Ursula. “At what point did you begin fostering him?” He seemed to place emphasis on the word fostering.
Ursula’s body tensed. She sucked in a breath before replying in a steady voice, “Sam was twelve when he moved in with us.”
“I see.” The attorney made a note.
Ursula’s attorney closed her folder. “Do we have any more business to discuss today?”
“I believe we’re about done,” Shepherd said. “You’ll be notified when we get a court date. In the meantime, of course, my clients want to arrange visitation.”
Darlene looked at Ursula, who gave a reluctant nod. The attorney made a note. “Supervised visitation would be acceptable.”
“Supervised?” Mrs. Normand turned toward her lawyer, but at his headshake she replied, “Fine.”
“We’ll set up a schedule and be in touch.” Ursula’s lawyer stood, cueing everyone else to stand, as well. Mac noted the lack of handshakes as everyone filed out of the office. The two lawyers spoke briefly before Shepherd disappeared down the hall. Darlene motioned for Ursula to step away into a quiet corner to exchange a few words.
Mr. Normand held the door for his wife. He glanced back, and for a moment his eyes met Mac’s. He nodded before following his wife outside. Ursula shook hands with her lawyer and crossed the lobby to slip her hand onto Mac’s elbow. “Ready to go?”
“Yes.”
Once they were in the car, Mac pulled away from the curb while Ursula called to check in. Mac would never have guessed, listening to her voice as she chatted with Rory, that she had a care in the world. She hung up and put the phone away. “She’s fine. Her friend Madison’s mom invited her to stay for dinner.”
“Sounds like they’re getting along well.” Mac stopped at a red light and looked toward Ursula. The worry lines had returned to her forehead.
“Yes. I’m so glad they’ve made friends. It’s tough to be the new kid at school, on top of all the other changes in her life.”
“Rory’s a tough kid.”
She laughed. “She takes after her parents in that regard.” Ursula’s face sobered. “But everyone has their breaking point. She has enough to deal with without the added pressure of fulfilling someone else’s athletic dream.”
“Yes, and I’m sure a judge will see that.”
Ursula didn’t answer. The stoplight turned green and Mac started toward home. He gave her a few minutes of silence before asking the question that had been bothering him since the meeting. “What’s the problem with Sam?”
“What do you mean?”
“Shepherd was insinuating something. Something that scared you.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Am I that transparent?”
“Only to people who know you. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Ursula blew out a long breath. “When Sam was twelve, his mother abandoned him. Tommy and I took him in.”
“Yes, I know that. It seems to me that would be a positive when considering custody. You’ve already proven yourself a successful foster parent.”
“But it was never official. Sam’s mother left him with us overnight. She used to do that sometimes, when she went out at night. When she didn’t come home the next day, we didn’t worry too much because that had happened before, once or twice. After a week, Tommy thought we should report her missing, but I was afraid if we did, they’d take Sam away from us. His mother was gone. I wasn’t going to let them stick him in a home with strangers when we were there to love him and take care of him. I convinced Tommy we should keep Sam until his mother returned.”
“Then what happened?”
“She never came back. Sam lived with us until he went to college. He didn’t reconnect with his mother until about a year and a half ago.”
“Sam would certainly say you did the right thing.”
“I don’t regret what I did, but will a judge understand? Or will they be able to use that against me in this custody dispute? I’m afraid my decision might hurt Rory.” Ursula’s voice wavered on the last words. Mac glanced over to see her eyes shiny with unshed tears.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that.”
He pulled off the road and turned into an empty parking lot next to a Russian Orthodox Church. “Let’s take a walk.” There really wasn’t anywhere to walk except on the plowed pavement, but it didn’t matter. He just wanted to get her out in the open air, where she could breathe.
He led her to the far corner of the parking lot and then put his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him so she would look him in the eye. “It is going to be okay,” he repeated.
“How can you be sure?” The tears were starting to spill over.
“Come here.” Mac pulled her into his arms. With a sob, she leaned onto his shoulder and let the tears flow. Mac held her and let her cry. He was just kicking himself for forgetting to grab the box of tissues from the car when she pulled one from her coat pocket and blew her nose.
“Sorry.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks with a gloved hand.
“Don’t be sorry. Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on once in a while.”
Ursula managed a little smile. “Leaning on your shoulder is one thing. Soaking your coat with tears in freezing weather is above and beyond.”
Mac patted the shoulder of his parka. “Waterproof fabric. If it makes you feel better, you can squirt me with a hose.”
She laughed. “I do feel better. I don’t know why. Nothing’s changed. I’m still afraid that my decision not to report Sam’s mother missing might cause a judge to consider me unfit.”
Mac considered what she’d said. “It’s not as though you kidnapped him. You had permission from his mother to act as his guardian while she was away. I don’t know that there’s any implied expiration date for verbal permission.”
“So you don’t think I violated any laws?”
“I don’t know. I’d advise you to talk it over with your lawyer. But, if I were a judge, I’d have a hard time holding it against you. You made your decision based on what you thought was best for Sam. Isn’t that exactly what parents are supposed to do?”
“I hope the judge agrees with you.” Those worry lines in her forehead weren’t gone, but they weren’t as deep as before. “After the questions Mrs. Normand asked today, my lawyer suggested that if I promised to set Rory up with a professional ski trainer, that might convince them to back off. It’s as if they don’t see her as a child, just their ticket to fame.”
“Are you considering it?”
“Only as a last resort. Kendall and Coby trusted me to raise their daughter. They wouldn’t want her subjected to the kind of pressure Kendall grew up with. I don’t want that either.”
“But you’re going to allow visitation?”
“Yes.” She straightened the finger of one of her gloves. “I have mixed feelings about that, but they’re the only blood relatives Rory has left. And maybe once they spend a little time with her, they’ll see her as a person, not just a means to an end.”
“If anyone can win them over, it’s Rory.”
“Is that a good thing?” Ursula sighed. “If she does win them over, they’ll fight even harder for her. If she doesn’t, and her only grandparents drop out of her life, it’s bound to hurt her feelings. I don’t know what to hope for.”
Mac put an arm around her shoulders and gestured toward the church. “It looks peaceful, doesn’t it?” The last few rays of sunshine illuminated the top of the timber building. Snow covered the roof and clung in patches to the onion domes, painted a clear sky blue.
Ursula leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’ve always thought so.”
“How old is it?”
“I’m not sure. Not that old as churches go. Probably built in the sixties.”
“Still,” Mac said, “I’m sure there’s been plenty of heartache inside those doors.”
“No doubt. But it’s also seen joy. Weddings and christenings and celebrations.”
“There.” Mac grinned. “I knew you’d find the bright side. You always do.”
“Is there a bright side to the situation with Rory?”
“There must be. I don’t know what it is yet, but I know we’ll find it. I have faith in you.”