Free Wind Shadow by Renee Roszel Page B

he looked in his emerald green biking shirt and shorts. The words
Alaskan Sport
were spelled out in navy between two diagonal silver stripes across his chest. His shoes, too, were emerald with silver accent stripes. The only part of his wardrobe that remained the same from day to day was his tan safety helmet.
    He was so tall, so athletically slender, and his cleanshaven face was so dashingly angular, thatthe sight of him standing there nearly took her breath away. “Oh, I’m okay, Rex, just beat.”
    Cocking his blond head in that jaunty way he had, he squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. “Well, don’t worry. I’ll stay here with you. I certainly couldn’t enjoy the game, thinking about you being out here all alone.”
    “She won’t be, Rex. But, thanks anyway.”
    Both Silky and Rex raised their heads simultaneously at the sound of Wade’s baritone. Annie turned too, speaking first. “Hi, Wade. How’s the leg?”
    “Mediocre, thanks.” He walked forward the few remaining feet to join them and Silky noticed that his limp was much more pronounced than it had been that morning. It looked as though his day of leading the tight pack in the high winds had done his leg some real harm. “Wade,” she said, “you need to get some heat on that.”
    His smile was easy. “I plan to. So, you see, Rex”—he shifted his eyes almost reluctantly away from Silky. “You don’t need to stay. You go on and have a good time.”
    “Now just slow down a minute.”
    Annie waved, interrupting. “Wade, let me take it,” she offered pleasantly, almost too pleasantly. “Okay, Rex, read my lips. Wade said, ‘Go … on … and …’”
    “That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Rex shot at her before turning to Wade. “I’m staying! End of discussion!”
    Annie shook her curly head. “Look, Rex.There’s nothing I’d like better than to have you here at camp and out of my hair. But, somebody needs to remind you about just why you’re on this little jaunt—publicity for the store, remember? Bread’n’butter time? Well, this game is going to have all kinds of press, both for the game and for the Biked-Alaska-thoners.”
    As Silky watched, Rex’s scowl softened at Annie’s words. “Besides, they’ve got special bleachers set up for us, probably even be some interviews.” She paused. Rex’s face was now clearly registering the business implications of making an appearance at the game. Annie added with a trace of forced enthusiasm, “That outfit of yours would sure show up well on color TV, don’t you think?”
    Standing stiff and tense, Silky was feeling worse for some odd reason. Her back throbbed. Part of her added distress, she was sure, was the discovery that Wade would be there in camp,
alone
, with her for most of the night. Tension raised her voice an octave as she asked, “Who’s going to lead if Wade doesn’t go?” Knowing how his leg must be hurting him, Silky didn’t begrudge him his right to stay in camp and nurse those overworked muscles; but still there was a tiny hope—way down in her toes—that somebody would suggest that since the leader couldn’t go, maybe it would be better if nobody went.
    “I’d asked Annie to think about leading for me.” Wade patted the redhead’s shoulder. “Besides,somebody needs to stay here to watch the camp. Since I can’t ride, it might as well be me.”
    “I can stay and watch it,” Silky offered a little too enthusiastically.
    Annie dusted her hands together, a look of satisfaction on her expressive face. “Good, you’ll both stay. Maybe between the two of you we can come up with one healthy person. “C’mon Rex. Let’s round up the stragglers. We’ve got a ball game to bilk for all the hype it’s worth.”
    Giving a resigned shrug, Rex turned to follow Annie with a final helpless glance at Silky. He was going.
    Crossing her arms beneath her breasts, Silky exhaled heavily and ventured, “Well, what do I do? Patrol the perimeter?”
    “You