Tracy

049:

               

******049:

Friday night she flew herself, Monday, and Danny to the Park City house, completely exhausted and needing to get away from the city. She'd arrived first and let them in again, started the fire and warmed the place up. Danny was excited because now that he was potty-trained, she'd got him his own skis, and they were going out.

The slopes were filled with people of all ages, brightly lit and two inches of new powder adorned the bunny hill. They spent the late afternoon together outside, and when they got back to the cabin, as Austin called it, Danny was ready for dinner and a warm bath, and bed.

Monday Mould had decided to take advantage of the resort nightlife and begged off of an evening around the campfire, so Tracy turned the hot tub outside her room on, and settled herself with the script she'd been working on all week, and her herbal tea, which is where Austin and Richard found her a little while later.

This time Austin's Sabrina was with him, sexily purring around him like a love kitten, which Tracy found amusing, and Richard had a new gal, Iris Merilyn, who kept his arm in hers as they stood around chatting her up as she sat in her freaking old bathing suit, and watched the snow fall above.

Her eyes met Richard's, and she was astounded at how belligerent his were-- defiant. Well, she'd rejected him. Yes, she had. And he was retaliating. Whatever. She was getting married.

The girls were disappointed when she declined their partying/ clubbing/ dancing idea and said she was going to stay here, in the hot tub a little longer and work on her memorization and characterization.

"Fuddy-duddy. All work and no play." Austin chided her.

She shrugged, blinking at him. "No need for me to be your fifth wheel."

"Just sayin'." He went back through the outer annex doors so as not to traipse through her bedroom and wake Danny.

Richard lingered a moment, looking at her alone, sitting there, her face buried in the script, her hair piled on top of her head, and the flush of hot water turning her skin to rose.

He cleared his throat. "Jules said you've been a fiend in the studio this week."

Her blue eyes rose to his, surprised he was still there.

"I was rather thinking you'd been a fiend in rehearsals too. You're driven to get this all done." He leaned against the concealing planters around the edges of the patio. The snow fell behind him, but it wasn't that cold.

She shrugged. "It was a very busy week."

"Monday told me you're not sleeping, up before dawn, not in bed by midnight."

"I've got a lot on my mind, Richard."

"Raine? Raine is on your mind?"

She shrugged, frowning. "Of course. Why wouldn't he be?"

"You were going to Henderson this weekend, what happened?"

She laid the script out of the way of the water on the side of the pool, and ducked lower, out of his perusing gaze. "He's got some kind of mock deployment simulation training, no visitors."

Richard shook his head. "I'm sorry about the other day."

"De nada." She blew bubbles, not looking at him.

He wanted to re-establish his connection with her--- she'd shut him out this week, nearly completely, relegated to the position of mere acquaintance. She ignored him. It cut.

"You and me-- ski tomorrow?" He finally suggested, hoping against hope she'd take him up on it.

"I was rather hoping you'd give me another martial arts lesson. We've had a lot of those threatening fan letters and I'd just feel better if I could defend myself." Her eyes rose, and they remained completely guileless.

His heart rate accelerated. He nodded. "In exchange for some quality ski time."

"I heard Austin say he's taking missionary discussions here."

"Not till night. That'll go over real well with his bitch."

Tracy turned her back, swam to the side and stepped up. She grabbed her towel, feeling the inexplicable tingling awareness Richard's presence caused. She wrapped herself tightly and turned to him. "How do you know she's a bitch?"

He shrugged admiring her crystal droplet covered skin, causing his mouth to go instantly dry. He'd brought a chick for this he reminded himself, to lose the instant hard on being around this woman caused him.

"I don't." He said, moving so she couldn't see him in the darkness. "I don't even know her. Just met her today."

"Deep relationship then? Sex and-- sex?" She opened her glass doors and stood in the towel, in the doorway, framed by the dim light on her straggling curls, and her arcing halo. The words on her tongue incongruous with the fact that she looked like an angel.

His heart ached to hold her.

He'd held her before. He knew how it felt.

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