Authors: Nancy Hopper
Finally, Tim shoved his hands in his pockets, and shot her a teasing look. "So, why didn't you tell me you were seeing Rick?" he asked gently.
To his relief, Dana shrugged. "He didn't think you'd approve. He said we should keep it to ourselves."
Tim considered it thoughtfully. "Actually, until a short time ago, I probably would have been all right with it. I trusted him implicitly." He admitted.
Tears filled Dana's eyes. "So did I."
Tim sighed. "Punkin', listen. I'm not going to throw any stones. You know, it's not so easy to see the reason to do the right things, when you're head over heels in love. I've had a bit of trouble keeping my own head on straight. Believe me, it's gone south several times, and left me reeling."
Dana shot him a disbelieving look. "You?"
"Me. So while I'm very sorry it happened, I understand a lot more than you might think. Just look at the situation I let Pattie Danniels catch me in. The only thing I'm sorry for, is that people ended up getting hurt. Honey, I can't believe he did this to you."
"Me, either. When you called, Tim, it was like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from."
"Well, you know what? The worst is behind you, now. And even though this may be the last thing you want to hear right now, I guarantee you that you are going to fall in love again, and get married, and have a family of your own."
"I don't know." She denied quickly.
Tim laughed. "I do. No man in his right mind would let you get away from him. Somebody is going to come along who is going to insist that you belong to him. Wait and see."
Dana rolled her eyes. "I don't think I need that."
He laughed at her. "You will. You will, honey. Give it a little time. Just don't be thinking that Rick Snyder was the only man alive. There's a whole bunch of guys with eyes for you."
Dana blushed, and punched Tim in the arm. "Cut it out." She said. She had a smile playing around the corners of her lips.
"Remember Cathy Williams?" he reminded her wryly. "I thought sure she was the only woman I'd ever love. When she dumped me, I thought I was going to die. I was so devastated I was sure I could never even stand to go to bed with another woman. I was certain I'd be going through my whole life, all alone. I probably would have, if God hadn't used Tasha to knock me on my ear. And I can't even imagine how wretched I'd be now, if I'd married Cathy all those years ago." He snorted.
Dana rolled her eyes. "Tim, she never would have dumped you, if you hadn't gotten saved. Nobody's ever done to you what Rick did to me."
"You haven't been on this last roller coaster with me." He argued. "Honey, this girl wanted no part of me. I have been to hell and back."
Dana just gave him a sour, antagonistic look, and set her jaw. "I suppose she didn't want
Rick
, either."
Tim raised his eyebrows and looked at his feet. "No. No, she didn't want him, either. She didn't want anybody, Dana."
Dana looked him over, as if considering him in a different light for the first time. "So you really think there's some dashing man who can push Rick out of my heart, huh?"
"Only you can push him out of your heart, honey. Don't ever look to another man to do that. It's going to be up to you. I think that what he's done ought to tell you a thing or two about his level of commitment, though. Dana, I wish it weren't so. But, I saw it with my own eyes. I heard him, every word he said."
Dana covered her eyes with a hand. Tim could see that she was trembling. "Tell me what he said to her."
"Honey, what good would that do? It wouldn't make it any easier. I wish I could change it. I wish I didn't have to have this conversation with you. Dana, but it could have been a lot worse. What if you'd married him, and had three kids before you found out he can’t leave other women alone?"
Dana sighed, and wiped away tears. "I know." She admitted. "Believe me, that has occurred to me. Don't worry, Timothy, I'm not going to see him anymore. It just scares me that I trusted him so implicitly, and I didn't even know him."
Tim chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Well, Dana. I guess I didn't really know him, either. You know, it's probably partly the circumstances. Tasha was in a world of distress when I sent Rick up there. She was devastated, and then when Pattie confronted Tasha publicly with the Deming Smith thing, Rick was the only one she could talk to about it. You know, the damsel in distress thing just may have been too much for him. It was not your average circumstance. And Tasha? Well, let's just say that she's not your average woman." He shook his head ruefully, and gave his sister a meaningful look. "She drove me straight to my knees in about three days. She took my heart, and I haven't seen it since."
"You weren't engaged to someone else." Dana pointed out bitterly.
"No, and I'm sure glad I wasn't." He admitted ruefully. "Once she got a hold on me, I wouldn't good for anything else. But anyway -- if any woman could tempt a man, believe me, Tasha could. She doesn't do anything she shouldn't do; she's just gorgeous, and sweet, and lovely."
"Tim, how can you be so sure that she didn't let Rick think he had a chance? You guys were not exactly engaged or anything, were you?"
Tim shrugged. "No." He answered carefully. "We weren't. But we had an understanding. Honey, it would take me weeks to explain to you how I can know for sure about her." He took her hand and held it tightly. "But, she's not the kind of woman who comes on to men. I mean, this gorgeous woman lives in a famous ski resort in Salt Lake. All the ski patrol guys drool when she goes by. She's got men that would sell their souls to have a go at her; you can see it in their eyes when they look at her. And yet for over three years, she never went out on a date."
"To get close to her, I just about had to pull out her teeth and hair. And then, I had to hang onto her ears to keep her from shaking me off. She had no intention of ever looking at another man, after her husband died. She had him solidly enthroned and enshrined in her heart, and she worshiped his very memory. She wanted
nothing
to do with me, or anybody else. She had just shut herself away from the world.”
He grinned. “In the resort town, they called her the Ice Queen. Not unkindly; it's just that all the men have tried, and none of them could get beyond a little bit of unsatisfactory small talk. She wasn't on the market; and she wasn't going to go on, either. They think I’m some kind of god because I conquered the Ice Queen."
He looked at Dana with love in his eyes. "And if I ever had a doubt about her -- which I didn't -- I had to walk into that television studio, and find Rick all over her. He had his arms around her, he was kissing her. She kicked him in the shin! And then, she slapped his face so hard, I wouldn't have been a bit surprised if she'd broken his neck."
Dana just stared at him. He knew it was hard for her to imagine such a scene. It had been hard for him to believe when he'd seen it for himself.
"I really hope that you'll be able to give her a chance, Dana. I can only imagine what this has been like for you; but it really wasn't Tasha's fault. If you have to look to someone, it was
my
fault. I never should have thrown them together, that way."
"Timmy, tell me what he said to her. I have to know."
Tim looked at her with misery in his eyes. "Don't make me do that, Punkin'. It was hard enough on me."
"Tell me, Tim. It's the only way I can get through it, and be
sure
. I have to know the truth, so I can be sure I'm making the right decision."
Tim looked at his feet; then looked at her again, regretfully. "He told her that he was crazy about her. He told her that there was no chance that she could be with me, after all the publicity. He begged her to slip away right then, and marry him. He wanted to elope right then and there. When she refused, he tried to convince her that it was all she could do; that she needed him to protect her from the press. That he was her only real choice. When I told him to leave, he asked me to step outside. Tasha had to threaten to call the police, before he'd go. The last thing he said was that … she was worth it."
Dana looked at him with incredulous eyes, and just blinked dazedly. Tim caught her as she swayed. She held onto him, and her eyes filled with tears. Then, she looked away as though she couldn't quite fathom it.
"I'm sorry. It was against my better judgment to tell you."
"No. No, Tim, I really needed to know the truth. It's all right. I wanted to hear it. Now, I know for sure."
Tim took her home, but he was still not sure that she was going to be able to handle it.
They were both dismayed t o see Rick Snyder's truck parked in the driveway of his parents' home. Dana looked up at him with tragic pain in her eyes. "Well, speak of the devil. I'm glad we had that talk today, Tim." she said tightly. "Thank you for telling me the truth. Now I won't be tempted to listen to his lies, anymore."
"Can you deal with it, Dana?" he asked gently.
"Oh, yes. I really just want to get this over with."
"All right." Tim agreed worriedly. "You just let me know if you want him to leave."
"You stay with me, Tim. I don't want to be alone with him." She begged.
Tim just nodded. "Whatever you want." He agreed.
Their mother met them at the front door. "I made him wait in the kitchen. I told him that if you didn't want to see him, he'd have to go right out the back. It's up to you, honey."
"Thanks, Mom. Tim and I will see him together." She said calmly.
Rick came into the living room to find Dana sitting in an armchair, and Tim standing by the fireplace.
"Well. Hello, Tim." Rick said, appearing none too pleased to see him.
“
Rick." Tim acknowledged. His eyes were blank, and there was a clear warning indicated by his presence.
"Will you leave us?" he asked Tim very politely.
"No, Rick. I've asked Tim to stay." Dana informed him coolly.
Rick turned angry eyes to Dana. "Dana, why? What has he told you?" he demanded.
"That's not important. What is it that you came to say?" Dana asked, with a quiet strength that surprised Tim.
Rick looked from one to the other, and licked his lips. "You haven't been in the office. You haven't been at your apartment. I was concerned, Dana. I'm sure you must know that Tim and I had an argument, but what has that got to do with us?"
Dana smiled grimly. "If I had been in that television studio, Rick, I believe I would have had an argument with you, too." She answered him.
Rick laughed derisively. "You know, Tim isn't exactly firing all eight cylinders these days, when it comes to that
female
. There are two sides to every story."
"Let's hear yours." Dana suggested.
Rick shot an uneasy look at Tim. He couldn't read Dana at all, which was disconcerting. She'd always been so devoted. "Sure, Dana. But let's talk
alone
. I can't bare my heart to you with Conan the Barbarian standing over there. He couldn't possibly understand how we feel."
"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way about my brother. That is going to make it a bit rough, because he's the only one who can tell me if you’re being honest. And he’s feeling a little bit protective right now, and I'm feeling like I need that from him. So you're either going to have to deal with both of us, or leave. You see, we Rains are a package deal. When you decided to argue with Tim, you also chose to argue with me. I think you owe my brother an apology, as the first order of business."
Rick rolled his eyes. "Dana, the whole thing got blown
way
out of proportion. Really. The girl got hysterical, and I was stupid enough to try to comfort her. Tim came in at the wrong time, and he jumped to the wrong conclusion. That's all."