Have you and Allison been longtime friends? he asked her.
Lane suspected that his question wasnt motivated by curiosity but was actually a further attempt to distract her from the terrors of the ice. She was more than willing to accommodate him.
Have I been kept a secret? she teased.
Well, were the only family each other has these days, but with Allison way off in Chicago most of the year, Im afraid we dont keep up with each others lives.
Then to answer your question, yes, we do go back a few years. Since our undergraduate days at Northwestern University, actually. And it was a pretty unlikely beginning. Our friendship, that is.
Why is that?
Well The sleigh runners struck a rough spot in the ice, jouncing them. Lane fought her anxiety and continued. We were universes apart. I was fresh off the farmIndiana, to be exactand as green as they make them. I wouldnt have been there at all if it hadnt been for a generous scholarship. And here was Allison and her crowd with every advantage behind them. She realized how that might sound to Dan. Im sorry. I didnt mean to imply
His small laugh interrupted her. Dont apologize. Its Allisons side of the family with all the money, not mine.
Anyway, I completely misunderstood her. I thought she was...oh, you know, the stereotypical spoiled heiress. And to be honest about it, I guess there is that side of her. But nobody minds it, do they? Shes too lovable and generous.
To a fault, he agreed. So the friendship was born?
As I remember, it had something to do with rescuing me from a lecherous quarterback. After that she more or less adopted me. I think Allison was convinced I was much too naive to survive on my own. She was probably right. So here we are, still friendsthough long-distance friends nowand the relationship still amazes me.
Northwestern University, Lane thought. It wasnt just Allison she had met back then. Jack Donovan had been there, too, working on his doctorate and already making a reputation for himself in his field. If it was true that her connection with Allison had been improbable, then her bonding with Jack could be defined as incredible.
From the beginning, from their first encounter, in fact, the sexual attraction between them had been so powerful it had stunned both of them. But the miracleand it had been just thatnever stood a chance.
Not smart, she reminded herself. Not smart at all reliving her brief marriage, remembering how hard she had fallen for him and the heartache that had eventually resulted. But how could she avoid remembering? An absent Jack Donovan was hard enough to forget. But when he was actually here, only yards away in the next sleigh, the effort was impossible.
Though she had resisted riding with him, permitting Ronnie Bauer to inflict herself on the poor man, she couldnt prevent her awareness of Jack. Even from here his Gaelic good looks were evident. It hurt just looking at him.
Why was he here, and how was she supposed to spend an entire weekend in the same house with him? And that unexplained warning of his back on the dock... What did that mean? Nothing, she tried to convince herself. Just a ploy to get her to ride with him. Then why couldnt she stop thinking about it?
Danger. There was an aura of danger here that intensified when Jack sensed her gaze on him. He swiveled in his seat, making eye contact with her across the ice that separated them. The hot challenge in his probing stare robbed her lungs of air. There was also a glowering accusation in his look. Jack was not prepared to forgive her for Ronnie. The woman, squeezed against him as tightly as decency permitted, was clearly aggravating him on every level.
Lane didnt think hed appreciate her sudden smile. She hid it by shifting behind the pair of cross-country skis that protruded from the luggage piled in the middle seat between them and their driver.
Sorry, Dan said.
She glanced at him, perplexed.
The skis blocking your view, he explained. Theyre mine. Im hoping to get in some time with them this weekend.
Which accounted for the bright blue insulated jumpsuit he was wearing, she realized.
This probably will be my last chance to ski the island, so Id like to take advantage of the opportunity. Which, of course, he went on, is also the reason Allison is insisting on having
her wedding on the island.
Here it was again, she thought. Another reference to Allisons mysterious determination.
Dan noticed her puzzlement and shook his head. I shouldnt be mentioning it. Its for Allison to explain, and I think shes planning to do that before the wedding tomorrow. So, he said, quickly changing the subject, where are we now? He checked the distance from his side of the sleigh. Better than halfway there, I think. How are you holding up?
She was about to assure him she was doing just fine when off to her left she spotted what looked like a veil of steam rising from the ice. Her apprehension was exasperating to her, but she couldnt help her alarm. Is that what I think it is?
Dan followed her gaze and nodded. Yes, he said mildly, a patch of open water. Sometimes the currents force a breach. Dont worry. The Nordstroms know how to read the ice. Theyll avoid any tricky spots.