A/N: Thank you so much, Caranath, max2013, Jackie, catlover1033, Manchu, Stork Hardy, Lady Emily, zenfrodo, I Love Mom, bhar, Vinsmouse and Leya for taking time to comment! You made my day! Back to the train wreck. LOL And thanks to those reading!

Chapter 8

Frank knew he had a disaster on his hands. He'd watched Emily flee and figured he only had a minute or two to pull things together before all hell broke loose.

He was sure it wouldn't be long before Nancy saw him, and sure enough, her eyes widened as she looked up and spotted him not ten feet away. He made a slight gesture with his head and the return nod she gave him was almost imperceptible.

Frank turned to Joe, who he knew was ready to take off after Emily.

"Joe, you stay here." His words were measured and firm. "I need to take care of something for a few minutes. You stay with Kathy. Understand?"

"Yeah." Joe stared at his brother and Frank caught the pleading look in his eyes.

"Everything will be okay," Frank told him reassuringly in a low voice.

"Come on, Joe," Kathy insisted, tugging on his arm. "I want to ski."

"Yeah, fine." Joe's voice was clipped as she dragged him through the locker room and out the same door Emily had used just moments ago.

Frank ran his hand through his hair in frustration. How in the hell had this happened?

OOOoooOOO

Bess spotted Emily seated on an outside bench near the ski lift. She was bent over, her hands wrapped tightly around her middle, looking like she was desperately trying not to lose control in such a public place.

Bess ran over to her, with Lars close behind, and sat down, throwing her arm around her friend's shoulders.

"Emily, please tell us what's wrong."

She looked up at Lars, ignoring Bess. "Take my boots off, please."

"But why?" Lars asked, kneeling in front of her.

"Please. I need to go inside. I think I'm going to be sick."

He quickly undid the buckles and pulled them off her feet. Emily stood up in the snow.

"You can't walk through the snow in just your socks," he protested.

Bess watched closely as Emily glanced around, seeming to catch something in her gaze. Bess followed her line of vision and only saw the backs of a young couple walking toward the ski lift. The girl had her arm wrapped tightly around the guy as she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

A sob caught in Emily's throat, and as Bess turned toward her, Emily jumped up and ran swiftly through the locker room door, minus her shoes.

Bess exchanged looks with Lars. "I guess I'd better make sure she's all right."

OOOoooOOO

Frank rounded the corner past the locker room and almost right into Nancy. He stopped, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then slipped into a linen storage room with Nancy right behind him.

"What in the world are you doing here?" Frank demanded.

"I guess I should ask you the same thing. And who is that blonde hanging on Joe?"

"We're guarding her, Nancy. She's Senator John Martin's daughter. Some crackpot has been sending her threatening notes and we're supposed to be protecting her. Joe is posing as her boyfriend."

"Oh, geez," Nancy said.

"Yeah. And unfortunately, Kathy is taking the whole thing a little too seriously. She has quite a crush on Joe."

"Emily saw him, you know."

"I know." Frank paused. "What are you doing here?"

"Working on a case, if you can believe it." She leaned casually against a shelving unit stacked with towels. "A missing monstrance at the cathedral. The abbot is an old friend of Dad's."

Frank nodded. "That sounds interesting. How's it coming along?"

"Slow, unfortunately. How about your case?"

"The same." He reached forward and pulled her into him. "Man, I have missed you so much."

Nancy wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his chest. "I missed you, too."

She tilted her head back and Frank brought his mouth over hers for a lingering kiss.

"Mmmm." He held her more tightly as desire began to pound through him. It had been way too long since they'd been together.

He felt Nancy soften in his arms as she opened her mouth against his and Frank couldn't control the rush of heat that ran through his body.

Digging his fingers into her hair with one hand, and cupping her bottom with the other, he brought her body more fully against his.

He needed her close to him. Needed this intimate pressure between them. His kiss became hot and hungry, and he knew he was fast approaching the point of no return. No other woman had ever been able to make him lose control the way Nancy did.

As his mouth moved down her neck to taste every inch of her exposed skin, he heard Nancy's voice, slightly breathless. "Where can I meet you later?"

Frank kissed her tenderly beneath her ear, then stepped back slightly and looked into Nancy's blue eyes, still hazy with passion. "You read my mind."

"Your room?" she asked, hopefully.

He shook his head. "We're in a suite with the girls, a federal employee and a...governess, I guess."

"I'm sharing a room with Bess and Emily."

"Can't you get some time alone in there?"

"Are you suggesting some sort of afternoon tryst, Frank Hardy?" Nancy teased.

"Yeah."

Frank moved his mouth over hers again, slowly and tenderly.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he whispered against her lips.

"Not a one." Nancy smiled and pulled his head forward for another intimate kiss.

OOOoooOOO

Emily ran up the stairs to her hotel room, then slammed and locked the door behind her. She leaned against it and sank to the floor as the image of Joe with that blonde touching and kissing him looped through her mind over and over again.

Suddenly she felt like she was back in high school, when her steady boyfriend Matt told her he would need to spend the entire week after school studying in the library for his calculus final. Only when she showed up at the library to surprise him one afternoon, the only thing he was studying was Suzy Stevens.

But Joe wasn't Matt. Joe was sweet. He had integrity. He loved her. So how could this be happening? Was Nancy right? Was this really all about a case? If it was, then why did he tell her he would be doing office work in D.C.? And why would skiing with a blonde cheerleader have anything to do with a government case?

She couldn't think right now.

It hurt too much.

She bent her head forward on her knees and sobbed. Her heart felt broken. That much she knew for sure.

OOOoooOOO

Bess dashed through the lobby, hoping to catch up to Emily. Instead, she bumped into Frank.

"Frank Hardy? What are you doing here?"

Frank put his finger up over his mouth to indicate silence. He took Bess by the arm and pulled her down a hallway. "I'm here on a case. Undercover, Bess, so don't say anything."

"Does Nancy know? Is Joe here?"

"Yes and yes," he said in a low voice.

"Well, good," she continued, "because Emily is all upset about something and I think Joe should know about it. I was just on my way to try and find her."

"Joe does know about it, and I'll take care of Emily." Frank guided her toward the locker room with his hand. "You just go ski and have fun. And remember, if you see Joe, don't say anything to him."

"Gotcha." She gave him a dimpled smile and hurried back to Lars.

OOOoooOOO

Emily slowly stood, her eyes swollen from crying, and her cheeks red and tear-stained. She removed her parka and snow pants, then sat on the edge of her bed.

Maybe Joe was on a case. And maybe he wasn't. Either way, she knew she didn't want to stay around and watch. There had to be other hotels in this town…or maybe Father Bertrand would let her stay at the monastery.

A flash of gold caught her eye and she stared down at the family ring Joe had given her to wear on her left hand. He couldn't afford a diamond at the moment, and they weren't officially engaged, but as far as she was concerned, the commitment level was the same.

Slowly, she pulled it off and set it on the dresser. Then she did the same with the diamond necklace he'd given her when he first told her that he loved her. She just couldn't look at either one of them right now. She needed to think.

She turned as someone knocked quietly on the door.

"Emily? Are you in there?"

It was Frank's voice. Emily was puzzled. Frank was here, too? She hadn't noticed him downstairs.

The knock sounded again, more insistently this time. "Emily, if you're there, please let me in. I can't be seen out here."

She opened the door and bent her head down so Frank couldn't see her face.

"Em?"

Her back was to him. He gently reached out a hand and touched her shoulder.

"Emily, I need to talk to you." His voice was soft and pleading.

She slowly turned and looked up at him.

"Oh, no, Em."

Frank pulled her into him and hugged her, dropping his head down over hers protectively, while she began to sob against his chest.

"Emily, Joe is not cheating on you."

She pulled away from him. "Then would you mind explaining exactly what's going on? Because it sure looked like cheating to me."

Frank took her hand and led her over to the bed.

"Sit," he ordered.

She did, her breath coming in the hiccupping spasms that occur after a hard cry. Frank put his arm around her.

"Emily, Joe and I are here on a case. That blonde girl you saw him with is Kathy Martin. The daughter of Senator John Martin."

She arched an eyebrow as Frank mentioned the familiar name.

"She's been receiving threatening letters, and her father thought that having detectives who were closer to her in age would be better than FBI agents tailing her everywhere she went. She's a senior in high school, and Joe's been assigned to play her boyfriend."

Frank put his finger under Emily's chin and lifted it until she was looking directly into his eyes.

"And he hates it."

"He didn't look like he hated it," she said softly.

"He does, I promise." Frank put his hands on both of her shoulders. "She has a crush on him, so of course, when they're out and about, she's a little clingy. Em, he never touches her any other time. I swear it."

Emily sat quietly, trying to process all Frank had just told her. It was all for a case. An undercover assignment. She felt like an idiot. She'd just earned a gold star in jumping to conclusions.

"You know you're all he thinks about."

A hopeful smile crossed her lips. "Really?"

"Of course. Joe loves you. He would never do anything like this. Ever." Frank bent down and caught her gaze. "You do believe me, don't you?"

She nodded. "I feel even more stupid than I did before."

He hugged her. "Don't. I'll admit, it looked bad. Really bad. But he's just doing his job, I promise."

"Can I see him?"

"I don't know."

Disappointment washed over her. She desperately wanted to see Joe. But she was determined not to be one of those needy, demanding girlfriends who interfered with his job. She couldn't stand girls who acted like that.

"I'll see what I can do, okay?"

She smiled again. "Thank you, Frank. But please, don't risk his cover for me."

"Hey, he could use the break. Besides, I'd do anything for my future sister-in-law," he said with a grin.

OOOoooOOO

"Joe, why does that man keep staring at us?"

Kathy pointed to someone on the ground below as the chair lift took them up the mountainside.

Joe followed her gaze. There did seem to be a man watching them.

"I don't know," he replied, taking note of the man's black ski pants and black and white jacket.

"I saw him in the locker room, too," Kathy added, turning around to watch him as the chair ascended.

"Don't stare, he'll know we've spotted him," Joe ordered. "Why didn't you tell me you saw him in there?"

"I didn't think anything about it until we came out here." She smiled slyly. "Lots of guys look at me, Joe."

"I'm sure they do."

"Besides, you seemed like you were preoccupied."

Joe felt Kathy's eyes on him, and he tried to control the sudden flash of pain that went through him as he remembered the devastation on Emily's face. He knew what she'd been thinking, and it was killing him to not be able to set her straight. He hoped Frank could make her understand.

"Is something the matter?" Kathy's voice broke through his thoughts.

"No," he said, as they came to the top of the mountain and jumped off the chair lift. "Stay close to me."

"You won't have to tell me twice," Kathy said.

Yeah, and that was exactly the problem, Joe thought as he adjusted his goggles. He was struggling against the resentment he was starting to feel for his client. He didn't want it to cloud his judgment. But it was becoming increasingly difficult. Joe sighed.

One more challenge on an already challenging case.

OOOoooOOO

Frank looked up at the mountainside, blindingly white against a brilliant blue sky. He pulled out his sunglasses and searched the slopes. He noticed Bess skiing next to a blond ski instructor. That didn't take her long.

Nancy was right behind them, and Frank took a moment to appreciate her skill and her form in her tight ski pants and parka. He was a lucky man.

He then spotted Joe and Kathy higher up the mountain. Joe was going rather fast, but Kathy had no trouble keeping up with him.

Frank took a seat on a nearby bench and waited. Nancy breezed by and winked at him as she went to catch up with Bess.

Frank turned his head as Joe executed a well-placed hockey stop right in front of him, spraying snow everywhere.

"Did you see a guy in black pants and a black and white parka? He was standing right here when we were on the chair lift."

"No, why?" Frank glanced around.

"He seemed to be watching Kathy. Maybe it was nothing." Joe stared intently at Frank. "Did you talk to Emily?"

Frank's voice was low as he looked over at Kathy, who appeared to be distracted by her friends at the moment. "Yeah. She was pretty upset."

Joe's face fell. "How upset?"

"She'd been crying pretty hard."

Joe dropped his head. "Damn it."

"She's fine. I explained everything."

"Why are they here, anyway?"

"Nan's on a case. Some art piece is missing from the cathedral. Emily's researching the artifacts."

Joe stared up at the mountain for a few seconds. "This is hard, Frank. Really hard."

"I know." He put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Why don't you go see her?"

Joe's head snapped around. "You mean it?"

"Yeah."

Joe smiled. "Thanks, bro."

"Don't mention it." He pulled something out of his pocket. "Here's her room key."

OOO

Kathy had been watching the exchange between Frank and Joe with interest. The room key Frank handed him did not escape her notice. She began walking over to them, then tripped, falling to the ground.

"Joe," she cried out.

"What happened?" Joe asked as he hurried toward her.

"I don't know. My bindings caught or something." Kathy looked up at him. "Ow, my ankle really hurts. I don't think I can walk."

Joe sighed, closed his eyes, and blew out an obviously exasperated breath of air.

That irritated Kathy. He shouldn't be acting so put out about her. He was her boyfriend, after all. For heaven's sake, her friends were standing right there.

Joe bent down and scooped her up in his arms. "I'll take you upstairs and Simone can have a look at it."

Now this was more like it. Kathy nestled her head against Joe's shoulder and slipped an arm around his neck while he carried her back into the ski lodge.