Whispers on the Ice (17 page)

“See? You can’t win,” William pointed out. “Either I talk too much or not enough. Makes a man wonder if it’s worth the effort.”

“Believe me, it’s worth it,” Jordan stated. “You’re lucky to have found such a wonderful man, Nora. And to have had him for forty-seven years and still feel this way about one another is even more wonderful. I can only hope I’ll be so lucky.”

William watched Aleksei’s eyes deepen with love for Jordan as he listened to her speak, quietly absorbing every nuance of her voice, her profile below him, her encompassing scent. If this wasn’t a man up to his neck in love, William thought, he’d eat the sweat-salty brim off his favorite baseball cap. “Somehow, I think luck is running your way, little lady.”

Jordan smiled softly, casting a shy glance at Aleksei; her blush deepening at Aleksei’s blatantly admiring look. “Thank you,” she finally managed to whisper.

The door flew open again, icy cold wind and swirling snow encompassing the lone man that struggled to close the door behind him, then removed his Michigan State Patrol Officer’s hat, the clinging snow on the brim sliding to the floor silently. His reddened cheeks and blue tinged lips gave evidence the storm was worsening, information they would have all preferred not to hear. “Anyone needing to get off this mountain had better start down now. If the storm holds it’s present force, they’re planning on closing the roads within the hour.”

“Is it really as bad as all that?” Nora asked.

“Bad and getting worse,” Officer Michaels stated. “The storm’s actually dumping more snow two thousand feet below us. The tough part is going to be getting through the seven-to-five thousand foot elevations. If—and that’s a big if—you can make it through there, you should be okay, but I wouldn’t recommend you even trying to leave in anything other than a four-by-four vehicle—the bigger the better.”

“Can the jeep manage in this weather?” Jordan asked Aleksei, concern lowering her voice.

“It’s a four-by-four. That’s why Dee keeps it here. She said it’s gotten her out when storms were rolling in before. I don’t see why it won’t this time,” Aleksei answered, squeezing her shoulders reassuringly.

“This storms shaping up to be one of the worst ones we’ve had in a hundred years. You both be real careful out there and I’d recommend you take some food and coffee with you, just in case you do get stuck. You all got a cellular phone in case you do run into trouble?” the officer asked.

“In the car,” Jordan answered.

“Good. Then you’d best be on your way as soon as possible if you even want to think of making it through. You both be real careful and take it slow and easy, the roads are already icy and even four-by-fours can’t get through everything,” the officer urged, taking the large thermos of coffee one of the waitresses handed him. “Thanks, Manda.”

“You be careful out there, Jim. I want my thermos back, preferably in one piece this time,” The waitress teased, trying to lighten the mood that had suddenly cooled at the officer’s warning.

“Boy, break one little thermos and you never hear the end of it!” the officer countered, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, babe.”

“You’d better! Be real careful, you hear?” the waitress demanded.

The surprised look on the faces of both Jordan and Aleksei caused William, Nora and Officer Michaels to smile knowingly at their expressions. “It’s okay, they’re engaged,” William offered, his statement seeming to explain the quick exchange between waitress and patrolman.

Completely bemused, Aleksei and Jordan nodded their heads up and down, casting a quick, confused glance toward each other. “I think we’d better take the patrolman’s advice and get moving. We can’t afford to get stuck here,” Aleksei stated.

Jordan agreed and the pair made their good-byes, accepting wishes for a safe trip down the mountain. Together they leaned into the gusting wind as Aleksei held the door for Jordan and they carefully made their way across the icy parking lot to the jeep that was their only way out of town.

Once inside the jeep, they settled into their seats, securely latching their seat belts and started the engine, smiling when it turned over without a problem. “That’s a good sign,” Aleksei quipped, smiling as he adjusted the heater to both warm their feet and defrost the windshield.

“What is?”

“Engine turned over on the first try.”

“Were you worried it wouldn’t?”

“Not really. But it wouldn’t have been a very positive sign of things to come if I’d had to get jump started,” Aleksei rationalized.

“I suppose you’re right,” Jordan agreed. “But since it did, we’re home free. Right?”

“Ask me when we pass the four-thousand foot elevation sign,” Aleksei stated, sliding the gearshift into drive and pulling slowly out of the parking lot.

With a final glance through the swirling snow, Jordan watched the lights of the diner fade away and returned her eyes to the barely discernible road they traveled. “I don’t think I like this. You can’t see anything.” She muttered, straining to see through the thick flakes that twirled and danced through the air, blanketing the narrow road they cautiously traveled.

“That’s why I’m driving. I see better than you do,” Aleksei teased, trying to lighten the mood and at the same time keep himself alert to any possible dangers ahead. Icy roads and steep mountain grades didn’t make for a comfortable, stress-free road-trip.

“Did we wait too long to leave? We should have left first thing this morning, shouldn’t have we?” Jordan questioned; her eyes widening as a sudden gust of wind broadsided the jeep, making it rock slightly. “Aleksei…” she gasped, her hand sliding through the handhold above the window.

Aleksei held the jeep steady, applying light pressure to the gas pedal, maintaining their speed and direction, seemingly without effort or anxiety. Inside, he’d held his breath, a thin stream of sweat sliding down his backbone when the wind had rocked them, when he’d seen the sharp light of fear enter Jordan’s eyes. “It’s okay. We knew it was going to be windy. Officer Michaels had said to expect it.”

“He said windy, not hurricane force,” Jordan complained.

“Can’t be hurricane force winds—no oceans around here,” Aleksei joked, focusing on the miserable visibility and slick road surface, wishing he were anywhere but in this storm and actually praying, which he didn’t believe was worthwhile, they make it down the mountain in one piece as quickly as possible.

“Don’t quibble with me, Rocmanov. I don’t care if hurricane’s come in off the ocean. I just want off this damn mountain.”

“I know you do. It just so happens, it’s high on my priority list, too. We’ll make it, but it’s not going to happen in ten minutes.”

“How long do you think it will take?” Jordan asked, frowning. Was the snow getting heavier?

“I honestly don’t know. Not anytime soon, I’d say. It looks like the snow’s coming down harder. Have you seen any elevation markers?”

“I can’t see ten feet in front of us and you expect me to find you an elevation marker? What are you, nuts?”

Aleksei flexed his tense fingers, one hand at a time, refusing to fully release the steering wheel. They might only be going twenty-two miles an hour, but with road conditions and visibility this bad, he wasn’t going to risk losing control. Sailing off the side of a mountain wasn’t his idea of a good time. He’d learned that lesson the hard way when he’d broken his leg mountain climbing. He wasn’t about to endanger Jordan with such carelessness. Then again, thinking about his accident, his stupidity had brought them together and here they were, creeping down a mountain during the worst snowstorm to hit in over a hundred years and he couldn’t remember ever being happier. Talk about the weirdness of life. “Tell you what, Jamison. Your job will be to find us music for our next program. There’s a case of CD’s Dee left for us.”

“We leave for the Olympics in less than a month and Dee’s already thinking about our next program?” Jordan asked in disbelief.

“They’re under your seat. It will give you something to do besides worry about the weather,” Aleksei encouraged, smiling when she finally reached for the case beneath her.

“I tell you, I’m going to find myself a new coach. That woman’s gone over the line this time. We’re on vacation and she sends a whole case-load of CD’s for us to listen to so we can pick our next music? What is wrong with her?” Jordan lifted the list from the case and turned the map-light over her head on. “You know, Aleksei. This is just a gesture in futility? She’s already decided on the next piece. She’s only doing this to make us think we’re part of the process.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I put my two cents in as far as voting for my choice,” Aleksei offered.

“What did she say?”

“What else? That I had good taste and she could live with my selection,” Aleksei bragged.

Jordan choked out a laugh. “Right. And how many promises to skate to her music of choice did you commit us to?”

“Unless you have no objections to skating with me for the next seventy-eight years, don’t ask.”

“That long, huh?” Jordan asked, heaving a huge, dramatic sigh. “I hate to say this, Rocmanov, but, you got screwed on that trade.”

“Maybe, but I don’t see it that way. The idea of spending the next lifetime with you doesn’t seem half bad,” Aleksei answered quietly, his knuckles running a soft caress down her cheeks, his eyes saying more than words could in the lifetime he looked forward to with her.

Jordan grabbed his hand, placing a soft kiss into his palm and smiled in complete content. “So, Rocmanov. Which piece of music have you sold our souls to Dee for?” She asked, scanning down the list in the case of CD’s.

“There were two I couldn’t decide between. I figured you, in all your infinite wisdom and experience, should make the final decision. They’re marked with an asterisk,” he nodded toward the list she held.

“
East of Eden
and
The Prayer
? How am I supposed to decide between the two? You know how much I love both these pieces of music. Why can’t we do them both?”

“Who says we can’t? I’m sure if we promise Dee another hundred years of servitude, she’ll be happy to choreograph them for us,” Aleksei suggested, smiling into Jordan’s green eyes, brightly-lit emeralds full of fire, and passion, and mischief.

“I’m up for it, if you are,” Jordan promised, slipping the CD containing the title song from
East of Eden
into the car’s CD player.

The music started softly, slowly filling the interior of the jeep with sedate, wistful strains of music that brought visions of floating and drifting through warm, beautiful clouds in a summer sky to mind. Jordan sighed, her eyes softening as the beautiful music stole into her soul, wrapping her in peace and warmth; a serene smile graced her full lips. “Oh, Aleksei, you’re right. This music is definitely worth years of servitude and groveling.”

“I thought you’d agree. I’m glad I didn’t indenture the both of us for a piece of music you hated,” he replied gently, his smile widening as he watched her slide further into the music’s magical spell. The thought he’d never tire of looking at her flashed across his mind, reaffirming what he already knew—he loved her. Somewhere along the line he’d fallen so far in love with her that he had a better chance of drowning in the desert than he had of escaping what he’d always believed was the end of one’s freedom. She had taught him, you could still be half of a whole and yet stand alone, when, and if, you needed to. Loving someone didn’t mean you
couldn’t
live without them, it simply meant, you
didn’t want
to. Suddenly it wasn’t so terrifying to admit that he loved this wisp of a woman two feet away, bundled in a winter coat that hid all the glory that was hers alone. A beautiful, petite, spitfire that spelled things out clearly, didn’t waste words and didn’t beat around the bush to spare feelings. Life was too short to spend it constantly worrying about hurting inflated egos, and sugar-coating the world—she’d long ago lost her rose colored glasses and saw things perfectly clearly.

“I love you, Jordan,” Aleksei said softly.

Jordan turned her head to look at him, her eyes softly shining, “I know, Rocmanov. And the scariest part, is loving you back. It seems everyone I’ve ever loved has left me, one way or another.”

“That won’t happen with me—with us.”

“How can you be so sure?” Jordan asked wistfully. “The best I can hope for is just that—I can hope you won’t leave. But even hoping does-n’t make it a given.”

“I can swear to you there is no power on this earth that can, or will, make me leave you,” Aleksei promised, reaching to grasp her hand and squeezing it to reaffirm his commitment. “I swear, Jordan. You are stuck with me until I’m too old to lace up your skates.”

“You never lace up my skates,” Jordan sniffed, wiping away tears of happiness that threatened to slip from her forest colored eyes.

“Then I guess you’ll have to teach me how to,” Aleksei teased, “When you’re pregnant and you can’t see your toes over your tummy, you’ll need someone to lace your boots,” he ended, the image he suggested clear in his mind and surprisingly enough, it made him even happier.

Jordan raised her eyebrows, “Pregnant and skating. That’s certainly not a picture I would have envisioned you conjuring up. What’s up, Rocmanov? Suddenly feeling your age?”