Northern Magic Read online

  “He what?” Then Rick sighed. “I guess he didn't know, either."

  “No. I stored your things at the hotel with mine,” Shannon added.

  “Rick, have you introduced your fiancée to my daughter?” Jackson Hale asked, as if just realizing himself that the silent figure sitting on the floor beside his chair hadn't joined in the conversation.

  “I'm not sure if I did,” Rick murmured uncertainly.

  The young woman had been so unobtrusive that Shannon had barely noticed her at all. She studied her now, noting the triangular rips in the expensive blouse and the red scratches on an otherwise flawless complexion. The blonde's hair was disheveled, a bramble caught in one curl. The evidence of physical exhaustion was in her posture, her body loose and tired.

  “Belinda, I'd like you to meet Rick's fiancée, Miss Shannon Hayes,” her father introduced them, correcting the unintentional slight.

  “How do you do, Miss Hayes?” The blond girl's voice was very cultured, but the hand she extended was chapped and rough.

  “It's my pleasure,” Shannon returned, and leaned down to shake her hand so the weary girl wouldn't have to rise.

  “Let me get you a chair to sit on, Belinda,” Rick volunteered, and started to move away.

  “Don't bother, Rick,” she called him back, smiling stiffly. “I've got used to sitting on hard things—whether it's the ground or the floor."

  “Yes,” her father laughed. “This is one princess who has learned to sleep on the pea."

  Outside there was the whirring noise of a helicopter. It drowned out all the conversation in the room, bringing it to a standstill. Dust kicked up by the whirling blades billowed outside the windows as the helicopter landed at the camp. When the noise died to just the chop-chop of the blades, Jackson Hale smiled.

  “The company said they were sending a jet copter to pick us up,” he said. “I guess that's it.” He laid an affectionate hand on his daughter's shoulder. “We'll be leaving for Anchorage in another twenty minutes. How does that sound?"

  “Wonderful.” There was little feeling in her voice, but Shannon guessed that Belinda was too tired to be very enthusiastic.

  “You'll fly back with us, won't you, Miss Hayes?” Jackson inquired.

  “I don't know.” She glanced uncertainly at Cody.

  His mouth slanted in a twisting smile. “You surely aren't thinking of separating from your fiancé when you just reunited with him?"

  His remark aroused her stubborn streak. She turned back to the whiskered man. “If you think there's room—” she began.

  “Of course there's room,” he interrupted. “If there isn't, we'll leave somebody else behind."

  Cody moved, crossing the short distance between them at a leisurely pace. Yet the air seemed to crackle with sexual tension when he stopped beside her. Shannon held her breath, sensing the irritated impatience that seemed to churn inside him.

  “Since you're flying back with them, dad and I will shove off,” he stated, his light eyes watching her every flicker of movement.

  “Yeah,” Noah inserted. “I'll see that your bag gets put on the chopper."

  “I really must thank you again for helping Shannon,” Rick said, standing at her side, yet not touching her or claiming her with a possessive arm.

  “Don't worry, Rick.” Cody smiled crookedly. “Thanks aren't needed. As it turns out, I did it for nothing.” She didn't have an opportunity to move or offer resistance as his hands closed on her upper arms, holding her still. “Goodbye, Texas."

  His mouth covered hers while she was still trying to guess his intentions. His kiss was rawly hungry, devouring her lips and eroding her carefully erected defenses. All too quickly he was holding her at arm's length. Then he brought her partway back, bending his head to murmur in her ear.

  “You marry him, Shannon,” he said huskily. “And forget me—if you can."

  Tears stung her eyes as Shannon glared at him. It was a cruel parting, heavily tinged with bitterness. Cody slanted a challenging look at Rick, then walked out.

  “You take care of her,” Noah admonished Rick, then shuffled hurriedly after his son.

  Rick studied her with a curious frown. “What was that all about?” he murmured.

  Chapter Nine

  NIGHT WAS FALLING GENTLY outside the windows of Shannon's hotel in Anchorage. Rick had taken a room there, as well, but at the moment he was in hers, stretched out on the couch with his head resting on her lap. They had dined together earlier at the restaurant on the top floor where Cody had met her that first night in Alaska.

  Shannon had talked to Rick about him—but not about the intimate moments or the way she had responded so ardently to his kisses. She had made her relationship with Cody sound lighthearted and full of fun, relating the way he had teased her about Texas and how staunchly Noah had looked after her reputation. They had both laughed over it, although there had been a faintly hollow ring to hers.

  Somehow they had talked all around the real issue—each other and their future plans. Even when they had telephoned her parents after dinner, they had both avoided giving a specific date for their postponed wedding.

  “Did I tell you?” Rick looked up at her while her fingers absently curled in his sandy hair. “Mr. Hale says I have a job flying for his company for as long as I want."

  “That's wonderful,” Shannon smiled.

  “When I crawled out of the wreckage of that plane,” Rick sighed, “I really thought I'd blown my chances of ever working in Alaska. There it was, my first flying job, and we crash with the top man of the company on board. Now it sounds funny, but at the time...” His head moved to the side in a show of hopelessness.

  “I can guess,” she murmured, but inwardly she was thinking that if she were on a couch with Cody they probably wouldn't be talking. “What was it like—finding your way out, I mean?"

  “Frustrating.” There was a lot of feeling in that one word. “Every time we went around another bend—we saw another mountain. There wasn't a sign of another living soul."

  “The pilot must have been in a lot of pain with that dislocated shoulder,” Shannon remembered.

  “Henderson never complained.” Rick paused and stared at the ceiling, seeming to look beyond it. “I wasn't too impressed with Belinda when I first met her on the flight. I thought she was ‘daddy's spoiled darling.'” A faint smile curved his mouth. “But I wish you could have seen her. After she stopped fussing about her hair and the bugs and the food, she turned out to be a real trouper."

  Belinda again, Shannon thought. It seemed that every time Rick turned around he was mentioning her name. Was she being overly sensitive to his interest in another woman? She didn't think so. There was no resentment—nothing that resembled jealousy. Maybe it was just a simple observation.

  “She seemed nice.” Actually, Shannon hadn't formed any real impression of the blonde. There hadn't been an opportunity to talk to her on the flight to Anchorage. The noise of the helicopter precluded any conversation except with the person sitting next to her—which had been Rick.

  “She's terrific.” Rick was more positive in his reply. Then he had to smother a yawn with his hand. “Sorry—” he smiled in apology at her “—that wasn't any reflection on present company.” He pushed himself into a sitting position. “I'm really bushed, Shannon. Do you mind if we have an early night?"

  “Of course not,” she assured him.

  As she stood up to walk him to the door, he took her hand. “You are one terrific gal, too.” He kissed her lightly. “I meant to tell you that before."

  “You are one terrific guy,” she countered. “And I meant to tell you that before."

  When he kissed her again, this time Rick took her in his arms. There was nothing demanding about the embrace. It was warm and comfortable. But she definitely saw no northern lights display. She told herself she didn't mind.

  Slowly drawing back, Rick studied her with a peculiar intensity, as if seeing her for the first time. Shannon was a littl
e confused.

  “Good night,” he murmured. “I'll call you in the morning."

  “Sleep late,” she urged. “The rest will do you good."

  “Okay.” Rick didn't need persuading. There was one more light kiss—a peck, really—then Rick was leaving her to walk to the door. Shannon watched him go, waving a hand when he looked back before entering the hotel corridor and closing the door.

  Whether she liked the idea or not, she was mentally comparing Rick and Cody. The scales were starting to tip heavily in Cody's favor. Seeing Rick again and being with him had started to unmask some of the feelings she had tried to hide.

  It was entirely possible that she didn't love Rick. She cared about him very much, but it wasn't the same. Shannon was slowly realizing that. Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she remembered she had told Cody that you married someone because of what you felt in your heart, not your body. Yet Cody affected her in both places.

  She was suddenly stabbed by the thought that she might never see him again. She did love him. How could she have been so blind all this time? Because of Rick? Because of her loyalty—her promise to him? Shannon couldn't even begin to guess.

  But to marry Rick would be the worst mistake she'd ever make in her life. You don't marry one man when you're in love with another—as she was.

  There was a light tap on the door. At first Shannon thought it was someone knocking at another door. Then the sound came again. A slight frown clouded her expression as she crossed the room to the door. It was probably Rick. Hope swelled that it might be Cody.

  Both guesses were wrong. When she opened the door, Belinda Hale was standing in the hallway—a very different version from the tattered and weary blonde Shannon had met at the fishing camp. She practically oozed sophistication in her designer suit, wearing imported perfume and with her hair professionally coiffed.

  “If you're looking for Rick,” Shannon guessed, “he just left a few minutes ago. He was going to his room."

  “I know.” It was a calm answer. “I waited in the fire stairs until he left because I wanted to talk to you. May I come in?” Belinda asked with absolute politeness.

  A little stunned, Shannon stepped back to admit her. “Yes. Please come in.” There was a little flourish of formalities as each made sure the other was comfortably seated. “You said you wanted to speak to me?” Shannon prompted, her curiosity aroused and her intuition already working.

  “Yes,” Belinda confirmed the fact again, primly crossing her legs. “You've probably already guessed why I'm here."

  “I'm not sure, no.” Shannon wasn't about to speculate. It might be too embarrassing if she were wrong.

  “I'm in love with Rick.” Belinda came straight to the point, not challenging or blunt in her tone, but speaking very calmly. “I'm sure you'll say—as my father has said—that the attachment I feel to Rick springs from the circumstances that threw us together. I'll admit that the crash sped up the process, but I love him just the same."

  “Does ... does he know this?” Shannon wondered.

  “I told him, but he seemed to think I didn't know what I was saying, either.” Belinda smiled. There was an indulgent quality in her tone, as if Rick needed to be humored, which he often did. “What else could he say? He's engaged to you. My father's money and position don't help—not with Rick."

  “Why are you telling me all this?” Shannon was a little amazed by the woman's audacity, although she admired it, too.

  The announcement didn't upset her—obviously not, when she'd already made up her mind that it was Cody she loved instead of Rick. She had every intention of returning the engagement ring to Rick in the morning. But she kept silent about all that because her interest was piqued by this forthright and very stunning blond girl.

  “You didn't know me before the plane crash, Miss Hayes, but I have done a lot of growing up in a very short time.” Her initial explanation only confused Shannon further. “Once I thought I knew how to handle every adult situation. I was extremely adult. I was engaged to a man who possessed all the qualities I wanted in a husband. Unfortunately, he was still in love with his ex-wife. At the time I smiled and insisted it was better that we discovered that before we were married. I went blithely on my way—and they were remarried."

  “I see,” Shannon murmured when Belinda paused, but she didn't really see at all.

  “It was only after I met Rick that I discovered I hadn't been in love with ... my previous fiancé. I didn't even know what life was all about,” she stated.

  “And now you do.” It seemed the logical conclusion to that remark, Shannon thought.

  “I think you have a fair idea of my background—the type of family and home life I've known,” Belinda went on. “So I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear me say that virtually everything I've ever wanted has been handed to me. I've never had to struggle for anything ... until the plane crash. That's when I learned how to fight for what I wanted."

  “And you are here because you're in love with Rick.” She began to realize where the entire conversation had been leading.

  “Yes. He's engaged to you so by all rights I should keep my hands off him. Once I would have—even if I loved him. But not anymore.” Belinda paused slightly. “I came tonight to give you fair warning that I intend to fight to take Rick away from you."

  “I don't think it will be much of a fight.” Shannon was going to explain her own personal decision.

  “He doesn't love you. He hasn't accepted that yet, but he doesn't love you,” she insisted.

  “It will make it easier if he doesn't because I don't love him."

  She finally had the socialite's attention. “But you're engaged to him,” Belinda frowned.

  “Not for long,” Shannon replied. “I have decided to give him back the ring. Things have changed. I've changed. So has Rick. I noticed it tonight."

  “Are you sure?” The very calm, very controlled girl was suddenly flustered. “You aren't just saying that?"

  “If I had any hesitation before, it was a desire not to hurt Rick,” Shannon explained. “I care about him a lot, and I want him to be happy, but I don't love him."

  A soft sigh came from Belinda. Shannon watched her relax, only now seeing how tense she had been—a coiled spring inside despite the smooth facade.

  “I don't know what to say,” Belinda murmured—and Shannon guessed it was a new experience.

  “I do,” she smiled. “Good luck. And I hope you invite me to the wedding."

  “I will,” Belinda promised, her eyes sparkling with tears as she stood up. “You can bet on it.” She hesitated. “Will you tell Rick that I came to see you?"

  Shannon thought about it a minute, then nodded. “Yes, I believe I will. It might be just what it takes to convince him."

  “Thank you.” She looked radiant and even more beautiful—if that were possible. “You are very nice, Shannon.” She used her given name for the first time. “I can see why Rick wanted to marry you."

  “Being nice isn't the same as being in love,” she replied. “And that's something I just learned, too."

  After Belinda had left the room, Shannon felt immeasurably better about her decision to break the engagement. Even if things didn't work out between Rick and Belinda, it was still the right thing to do.

  And there was Cody. As soon as she gave the ring back, she'd call him. That prospect brought a beaming smile to her face.

  IT WAS LATE THE NEXT MORNING when Rick called to suggest they have breakfast together—or lunch if Shannon had already eaten. She let her acceptance of the invitation be implied and asked him to come by her room.

  Breaking their engagement was a personal thing, and she didn't want to do it in a public restaurant or over the telephone. After Shannon had ended her brief conversation with him, she called room service to send up some coffee. It and Rick arrived at the same time.

  “What is this?” he asked with a questioning glance. “I thought we were going down to the coffee shop."

&n
bsp; “I wanted to talk to you first,” she explained, and poured them each a cup. “You look rested this morning,” Shannon observed as she handed him a cup of coffee.

  The weariness was gone from his face and that zestiness was back. Even that eager thirst for adventure had returned. His tall lanky frame seemed to he bursting with energy. Shannon could see a lot of the old Rick in him, but the subtle changes were still there.

  “I slept like a log,” he admitted, and folded his slim, long-boned body onto the couch. He took a sip of the coffee. “Ahh, that hits the spot,” he declared, and sent a questioning glance at her. “What did you want to talk to me about?"

  “I had a visitor last night after you left,” Shannon began.

  “Who?” Rick lifted a curious brow. “Cody?"

  His guess startled her. “No,” she quickly denied that. “What made you think he would come?"

  “From what you said last night—” Rick studied the coffee in his cup rather than look at her “—I gathered he was interested in you. He is, isn't he?"

  “Yes. Or at least he acts as if he is.” Last night she had realized that Cody had never said he loved her. Of course, he might not have wanted to while Rick's ring was on her finger. “With Cody it's hard to tell when to take him seriously."

  “I suppose so.” His answer wasn't really an agreement. “Who was here last night, then?"

  “Belinda Hale,” Shannon answered.

  Rick's head jerked up. A hint of guilt swept across his expression before he covered it with grimness. “Why did she come to see you?"

  “She is in love with you, Rick,” Shannon said, tipping her head slightly to one side. “But you know that, don't you?"

  “I know what she's told me.” He was upset and trying to contain it. “I probably should have explained what happened out there. You have a right to know. I kissed her a few times and...” Rick paused, grimly reddening.

  “You don't need to explain,” Shannon interrupted.