A Good Yarn Page 0,78

thinking it might be nice to take a drive to the mountains," Maverick said. "It's been years since I went up to Mount Rainier."

Elise frowned. "It's a little late in the day for that, don't you think?"

"Nah. Come on, Elise, aren't you bored sitting around the house knitting?"

She bristled. "I happen to enjoy my knitting, thank you very much."

"Bring it with you. You can knit in the car, can't you?"

"I...I suppose." Suddenly, she didn't want to yield to his plans. She no longer seemed to have any resistance to him, and that frightened her. "I believe I'll pass, but thank you for thinking of me," she said stiffly.

Maverick grew quiet then, his disappointment unmistakable. He washed his lunch plate and tucked it inside the dishwasher. Then he disappeared for a few minutes, returning with a spy novel he'd been reading, and sat down in the family room off the kitchen.

As she wiped the counters, Elise glared at him. She refused to let him manipulate her.

"You can go without me, you know," she told him.

Maverick lowered his book and glanced at her over his reading glasses. "I know." He went back to his novel, apparently engrossed in the plot.

With Maverick reading, Elise walked down the hallway to her room and reached for her knitting. She was finished with the first sock and working on the second one. On Tuesday she'd purchased yarn for another pair of socks; these, she'd knit for her daughter.

She finished two complete rounds until, with a disgusted sigh, she set her knitting aside and marched into the family room. "Oh, all right. I'll go."

His face broke into a broad smile. "I hoped you'd come around."

He'd blatantly used guilt to get his own way - and she'd let him. He was quite a master of manipulation; with barely a word, he'd coerced her into doing exactly what he wanted.

Within ten minutes, they were in the car and on their way out of the city, heading toward Mount Rainier National Park. Although Maverick had suggested it, Elise didn't bring her knitting. She had enough to concentrate on.

Maverick was a fascinating conversationalist, able to talk about anything, able to switch topics instantly. This was a gift she didn't have and one her ex-husband often used to ensnare his opponent on the other side of the gaming table. At least, according to his stories...

"I want you to tell me what happened," he said as they continued down the two-lane highway that led to the park.

"If you're referring to the debacle with the house, then let me inform you, the subject is closed." She couldn't bear the idea of exposing her foolishness to his scrutiny.

"Will you be okay financially?"

"Of course I will, once the lawsuit is settled." She felt irritated that he was asking her these awkward questions now, while she was virtually his captive. The only thing she could do was change the subject. "I don't remember the last time I was up in Paradise," she murmured, staring out the window. Maverick was a skillful driver and the scenery was breathtaking.

"I do," Maverick said, shooting her a look. "I'll bet you remember, too. We were on our honeymoon."

She swallowed tightly. Time to change the subject again. "You were gone this Wednesday. For several hours."

"I had personal business and before you ask, I wasn't gambling. You have my word on that."

She shouldn't have brought it up, and regretted that she had.

"Paradise was a misnomer," she said after a stilted pause. "Our honeymoon was ruined by those dreadful mice."

Maverick burst out laughing.

"It was no laughing matter," she said with a shudder. Maverick had managed to get them reservations in the National Park's beautiful and romantic lodge. In the middle of the night, Elise had awoken to a faint scratching sound. Her mistake was turning on the light. To her absolute horror, she saw five or six deer mice crawling in Maverick's overnight bag. She'd let out a scream that had startled her husband - and probably half the lodge - into sudden wakefulness. Maverick had peanuts in his suitcase and the mice had gone after those, carrying them out one by one in what was practically an assembly line.

The following morning Elise had complained to the man at the registration desk about the unsanitary conditions and the fact that there appeared to be an infestation of mice. He'd informed her that the lodge was prohibited by federal law from killing any of the wildlife in the area - including mice. The only place