Leona Karr - Innocent Witness

She had reserved a double room for Steve and his son on the second floor, overlooking the lake. A small balcony gave a panoramic view of the green-carpeted foothills and jagged, snow-tipped peaks. She was certain that he’d find the surroundings spectacular, even if he found the accommodations wanting.

Relax, she schooled herself, her palms moist from nervousness. Even if the attractive doctor preferred more luxurious accommodations, she was almost certain he wouldn’t go back on their agreement. During the next four weeks Dr. Sherman would be in and out of the hotel, enjoying a mountain vacation with his son, and at the same time scheduling treatments with Penny. If her daughter made any progress at all, Deanna was determined to arrange for continued sessions with the psychologist when the month was over and he returned to Denver.

Don’t expect miracles, she cautioned herself, but germinating hope was there just the same.

IT WAS ALMOST dinnertime when Susan, Penny and an overgrown mutt they called Hobo came bounding into the office. Deanna had hired Susan Whitcomb, a husky seventeen-year-old with a round face and a long ponytail dangling down her back, to be Penny’s companion for the summer. From the beginning, Susan seemed to readily understand Penny’s silent communications, and enthusiastically did all the talking for both of them. Deanna sometimes wondered if Susan was making it too easy for Penny not to talk.

Maybe I should ask Dr. Sherman to evaluate the situation, Deanna thought. He would see the interaction between Penny and Susan. Yes, he would be able to suggest ways for Susan to help her. A ripple of relief went through Deanna. How weary she’d become of carrying the full load of Penny’s condition by herself. Now she would have a professional on the spot to share her concerns.

“They’re here. At the front desk,” Susan bubbled. “Wow, what a hunk! When the guy told Mr. Henderson that he was Steve Sherman, I couldn’t believe he was the doctor you’ve been talking about. More like a model for Sports Illustrated magazine, if you ask me. And he’s going to be here for a whole month?”

Deanna nodded “He and his son, Travis, will be our guests, and I want everyone to treat them like guests.” She landed a little heavy on the last word.

“Oh, sure, no problem. Hey, the boy seems like a nice kid. When he patted Hobo, the dog wagged his tail like an egg beater gone berserk. Penny thought it was funny, didn’t you, hon?” She laughed down at the little girl who was stroking the dog’s shaggy coat of brown fur.

Deanna was relieved to see her daughter’s blue eyes were bright and clear, and devoid of the dark shadows that sometimes deepened them to almost black. A good sign.

Deanna stood up, smoothing the folds of her lavender-blue dress, which was fashioned in straight, simple lines that complemented her trim figure. Her legs were firm and shapely, and on impulse, she’d decided to wear high heels just for the smug feeling they gave her. “Well, I guess I’d better say hello.”

Susan’s eyes sparkled as she took in Deanna’s dress and shoes. “Wow, look at you. Gold earrings and everything. You ought to turn a few heads in that out-fit…or maybe one in particular. If you know what I mean.”

Deanna tried to ignore Susan’s broad grin, but she suddenly felt terribly self-conscious. Why on earth had she put on a dress instead of her usual trim slacks and tailored blouse? She shoved aside the glaring truth that her feminine side wanted to impress the California doctor.

“Susan, why don’t you take Penny into the dining room, and see what the cook has on the menu for dinner,” Deanna said. “You go ahead and order. If Dr. Sherman and Travis haven’t eaten, we’ll join you in a few minutes.”

“Okay, but I tried to see what Maude was preparing and she chased me out before I could find out.”

Deanna silently crossed her fingers that the stocky, gray-haired Maude Beaker was as good a cook as she claimed she was. Keeping good help was a constant headache because the resorts nearer the ski areas paid higher wages, and her last cook had quit without notice. Luckily, Maude, apparently an old maid, had come to Red Eagle to live with her nephew, Roy Beaker. She’d told Deanna that Roy was gone all the time, so she’d decided to find work. Deanna couldn’t imagine the two of them living together. Roy was as testy as his aunt, and if they ever argued, Deanna feared Maude might decide to move on, leaving Deanna without a cook again. So far, the meals Maude had prepared had been tasty, but nothing fancy. Deanna hoped Steve Sherman wasn’t so spoiled by the offerings of chic California hotels and restaurants that his palate rejected plain cooking.

Leaving the dog in the office, Susan and Penny headed for the dining room, and Deanna walked down the hall to the lobby. When she caught sight of Steve standing at the front desk, she knew what had stimulated Susan’s adolescent approval. His formfitting jeans and knit shirt could have been on a television commercial showing what sexy men were wearing. He was boyishly handsome with his chestnut hair all windblown, his face tanned from a day in the sun.

“Hi, Mrs. Drake,” Travis called before she reached them. He ran over to her and exclaimed, “We’re here.”

“So you are,” she laughed at his exuberance. “Did you have a good trip from Denver?” She really wanted to ask why they were late getting here. She had been anxiously expecting them all day, fearful that something might have gone wrong.

“We saw some big, big elk. A whole bunch. Horns like this.” He spread out his arms as far as they would go. “Dad took pictures. We’ll show you,” he bubbled.

Deanna smiled, “I’d love to see them.”

“We even stopped and talked to a bunch of guys who were fishing. They had a whole string of spotted pink fish.” He held out his little arms wide to show Deanna how many. “Dad says we’re going fishing to catch a bunch of them.”

“I said we were going to try and catch some,” Steve chuckled. “Don’t put me on the spot, son.”

“There are plenty of trout in the lake,” Deanna assured them. “And we even have boats that will take you out in the middle where the big ones are.”

“Gosh! Can we do that, Dad?”

“Well, not tonight.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Probably not tomorrow.” At his son’s groan, he smiled. “We don’t want to do everything the first day, do we? We’ll get everything in, I promise.” He knew that his son was walking two feet off the ground, talking and planning all kinds of fun for their mountain vacation. Steve was almost as eager as Travis to enjoy the spectacular Colorado Rockies. He’d been looking forward to spending this vacation time with his son. Combining work with pleasure should work out well for everyone. Scheduling Penny’s therapy sessions in the morning would leave the rest of the day for Travis.

“The hotel has a nice playground,” Deanna said. “And an indoor swimming pool.”

As Steve let his eyes travel to her honey colored hair, lightly tanned skin and blue dress that swirled around a beautiful pair of legs, he could easily picture her in a bathing suit. He chided himself for wondering if she ever swam with the guests.

He picked up the room keys. “First let’s get settled in our room.”

“I’ll have one of the boys take your luggage up, sir,” said the desk clerk, a tall, lanky young man with a ready smile.

Deanna was pleased with the way Jeffery Tanner was handling the desk, and hoped Jeffery would stick around awhile, but she knew that as soon as college opened in the fall, he’d be gone. Keeping staff was an ever-present headache.

“I hope you’ll find your room satisfactory, Dr. Sherman.” Deanna smiled with her usual hostess politeness.