Winter Love

by Kennedy Fox

  Ethan took a moment to continue to stare. “Mostly. We aren’t usually open during this time either. We made an exception with you.”

  “Why?”

  “Normally, we close up due to the road. When the first big storm hits, we can’t get in and out without a snowmobile. It’s not a great place for tourists. But when your email explained you planned to stay homebound writing, had grown up coming here as a kid, and it had been years since you had been back… it seemed like I needed to say yes.”

  I smiled and straightened my back. “I’m glad you did. And I remember the winters here. I know what I’m getting myself into.”

  Ethan’s face grew serious. “I know I made it clear via email, but we really do get snowed in here. I don’t mind, and I plan for it by stockpiling food and firewood, but you won’t be able to run into town to get anything for days. I can’t be out there plowing the roads nonstop for you.”

  When I had booked the cabin, I was sent several messages warning me that there was one road that ran from the main highway to the Mill Creek Resort. Because it was private property, the county wasn’t responsible for snow removal, and if we wanted to reach civilization, it was going to have to be done by Ethan unburying us out.

  I nodded. “Being snowed in is part of the appeal for me.” The smile left my face, and I looked down at the ground. “I have a lot of work to do, and I also need some time to plan that next step chapter in my life. I feel it’s time for a change, and coming to a place I once loved to come up with a plan was ideal. But I don’t want you to worry about me. I don’t want to be a burden or anything.” The conversation was beginning to cause the familiar anxiety I had run from to work its way back into my body. I took a deep breath in an attempt to soothe my nerves.

  Ethan reached across the table and lightly grabbed my hand. He didn’t say anything, but the soft touch was enough to make me feel calm and relaxed again. He gave a gentle squeeze before pulling his hand away.

  “You won’t be a burden, and I’ll make sure there is plenty of food in the kitchen for you to have access to, but I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I love it up here when the snow falls. It’s my favorite, but I also know it’s not for everyone,” Ethan said. “My family has always lived in Mill Creek year-round when others run off to warmer and less harsh weather. Or at least my entire family all used to. It’s just me and my sister, Ellie, running the resort now.”

  “What happened to the rest of them?”

  “Grandpop died when I was a teenager. My mom and dad ran this place up until about ten years ago. Dad has some health issues and needs to be near a hospital. His body made the decision for him, or I think they would still be here today. But you would have to drag my sister and me off this property kicking and screaming before we’d leave.”

  We sat in silence again. I noticed how easy it was for both of us to just sit and be content in each other’s company. We both could stare into each other’s eyes, taking the time to just observe. I liked how Ethan’s eyes would light up when he smiled. I liked how he was confident enough not to look away. I liked how he had a way of holding my stare, demanding my eyes stay connected with his. I liked… well, I liked Ethan.

  “I admire that you run a business that’s been in your family for generations,” I said. “But do you ever get tired of being so isolated out here?”

  “City life just isn’t for me. Mill Creek is in my blood. And not just because of the business. I truly love everything about living here. I can honestly say I believe it to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. The creek that runs through the property is always full of trout and salmon. The trees surround us, the view of Mount Lassen in the distance, the deer that come to my yard every morning, the bald eagles, the squirrels.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I think it’s fair to say that I belong in the mountains.”

  I crossed my arms across my chest and just listened to the way he spoke of this place with so much passion. “It seems like it’s a lot of work to run this property. All the cabins, feeding the guests. I’m amazed you can do it all yourself.”

  “We have seasonal help. But yes, winter is just Ellie and me. And we get some cabin fever when it really buckets down snow,” Ethan admitted as he continued to relax in his chair. “But other than winter, the resort is booked solid. We aren’t ever really alone. I’m kept pretty busy, so I actually welcome the winter for a break.”

  “I’m glad to hear the business is still going good. I remember it always busy growing up too.”

  “I love it. I don’t necessarily love all the clients who come, but the tradeoff is well worth it. Fresh air, bright stars, and just pure mountain living.”

  “Funny,” I began, “I didn’t think conversation like this came with the First Night Dinner. I wouldn’t have tried to get out of it had I known.”

  Ethan leaned forward and put his arms on the table. “Well as you can see, other than my sister packing to leave, I don’t really have a lot of options for conversation. So, you’re it.”

  “I feel like we’re playing twenty questions.”

  Ethan smiled. “Ask away. I’m an open book.”

  I took a moment to think of a good question. I wasn’t sure if I would get this opportunity to ask anything of my liking again. The one-on-one time of the First Night Dinner was nice. I knew I needed to make it a good one.

  “Okay, so why aren’t you married? Kids? Someone your age, living out here alone, it seems like a fair question.” I blushed with how forward I was being but continued on. “You have to give me honesty, nothing simple or general.”

  Ethan smirked. “So, saying I haven’t met the right woman is considered general?”

  “Yes.”

  Ethan took a moment to just stare at me. His blue eyes narrowed a bit and his jaw tightened. “I’m bossy.”

  I shook my head. “That one doesn’t count because it’s obvious.” I giggled at my own comment.

  “I’m demanding.”

  I shook my head again. “Nope, that was too close to bossy, and don’t I know it,” I said with another giggle.

  “I prefer mountains.”

  I pouted out my lip. “You can’t just give brief answers. Not fair.”

  Ethan chuckled. “Okay, okay. You’re pretty damn cute when you pout.” He took a deep breath and repositioned his body in his chair. “My focus has been on my land and keeping up the resort. It hasn’t always been easy, and the last thing I needed was to have a family to focus on as well. When we had the recession, it was really touch and go for a while. We came pretty close to losing it all. And then,” he opened his arms to show off the empty restaurant we sat in, “not everyone is willing to live out in the middle of nowhere. City lights are more appealing to most than starlight.”

  Ethan paused and looked slightly uncomfortable for the first time since I had arrived at the resort. He fidgeted in his seat for a few moments before taking a deep breath in what appeared to be an attempt to control his demeanor again. I just watched him, listening in curiosity at his confession.

  “My focus hasn’t been on love,” Ethan confessed.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “So, you’re just as much as a workaholic as me?”

  “Yes, I think that’s fair to say,” he replied.

  “Well, I don’t see what’s so wrong with that. I think ambition is sexy.” I blushed the minute the words left my mouth. I was flirting, and I couldn’t help it. Calling a man you just met sexy was not okay in my book. It wasn’t who I was… and yet, here I was doing it.

  Ethan smiled so big that wrinkles framed the corners of his eyes and a slight dimple formed in his cheek. “So, you’d like an ambitious, workaholic, type of man?”

  “Yes, yes, I think I would.” I continued to flirt. It was obvious… at least to me.

  Ethan leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms against his chest. “What about you? I don’t see a ring on that finger. Hiding here at Mill Creek from someone? There’s got to be some sordid tale as to why a be
autiful woman is spending the holidays up here alone.”

  I gasped and choked on the air that rushed out of my chest. The blush that took over my entire body made me hot instantly. I took a few moments to regain my composure before barely squeaking out, “Beautiful?” I rolled my eyes. “Hardly, but nothing sordid to tell. I keep all the action and suspense in my books. My life’s pretty dull.”

  “You are beautiful,” he said again.

  There was a moment when Ethan and I just stared deep into each other’s eyes again. I searched for some further explanation. I searched for some clarity as to why I felt so incredibly turned on by what he just confessed to. Why was I being so flirty and open when that wasn’t like me at all?

  Ethan sat on the other side of the table refusing to break the stare. Silently letting me know he was dead serious. I was the first to sever the connection. I looked down at my hands and felt his gaze burn my already red-hot skin.

  Taking a moment before looking back into Ethan’s eyes, I asked, “So you’re just like me. Too busy for love.” I couldn’t help but giggle, mostly out of awkward nerves rather than humor.

  “Oh, I would find time. I’m ambitious in other ways too,” he said with a wink. Ethan reached across the table and swallowed my hand in his. “I want to offer all of me when the time comes.”

  Why was he holding my hand?

  Friendly companionship?

  My head swirled.

  “And what is all of you?”

  “I’m strong, but I’m soft as well. I protect, I nurture, I care, and I love. I like to be in charge— otherwise known as bossy— but my number one goal would be to make my woman know she is loved every minute of every day. That’s what I want.” Ethan removed his hand, sat back and shrugged. “So that’s why I’m not married. I haven’t found another mountain gal who wants the same things.”

  “I think you just nailed what every woman wants in a relationship,” I replied.

  “So, did I answer your question?” Ethan asked with a smirk on his face.

  I looked up to meet his devilish grin. “Yes, Mountain Man, you did.” I took a large drink of my wine, trying to wash out the images of Ethan as husband material.

  Chapter Three

  Writing in a cabin as it snowed outside was about as close to perfection as one could get. The cold, the fire, the snow on the pine trees, and the magic of winter was everything I could have imagined when I planned to come and stay for the season. I had done so much work, that when Ethan insisted I take a break and go outside for some fresh air with him, I couldn’t refuse.

  I stared at myself in the mirror, self-conscious about my appearance. Ethan would be arriving soon to take me snowmobiling, and I wasn’t sure how to look. I had my hair up in a ponytail, and then finally settled on leaving it long, cascading past my shoulders. I couldn’t decide on what shirt to wear with my jeans and boots; finally settling on a V-neck cotton long-sleeved shirt that revealed an ample amount of cleavage. I realized that I was nervous getting ready. I wanted Ethan to be pleased with the way I looked. I actually cared what Ethan thought.

  I forced myself away from the mirror annoyed that I would let some guy I barely knew to have such a hold on me. I shouldn’t be thinking this way at all.

  Sure, he might be the sexiest man I had ever seen in person, but I was not going to let those thoughts have the upper hand. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, only to recognize that he did have the upper hand.

  The dinner between us a couple nights ago had been comfortable, relaxed and the conversation we’d shared had seemed to flow so fluidly. Never had I felt so open with someone, and it was never like that with any man on the “first date”. He talked of the resort mostly, but the love that shone through his eyes was absolutely captivating. But what I couldn’t get out of my mind was the fact that even when I was alone in the cabin, he kept intruding in my thoughts. At this particular stage of my life, I had no intentions of becoming involved with any man, but Ethan was making it very difficult to keep my mind on my work.

  Ethan was so confident, so determined, so damn sexy… and not reachable.

  I’d look out my window during the day and watch him split and stack wood preparing for what he said was going to be the first real storm of the season coming. I saw him drive around in his Jeep as he winterized all the other vacant cabins.

  I watched.

  I fantasized.

  I obsessed over him as he performed his normal daily activities.

  Why did the idea of being with Ethan give me tingles? Why did the idea of having Ethan kiss me send quivers to my core? Why did the idea of Ethan being my man sound so tempting?

  I felt my heart skip when there was a knock at the door. I quickly opened it to find Ethan Davis looking even more stunning than he had when he’d shown up to escort me to First Night Dinner. The heavy jacket he wore gave him an aura of rugged masculinity. Knitted cuffs of a white long-sleeved thermal shirt peeked out from the sleeves of his jacket, the white a vivid contrast against the bronzed perfection of his skin. My mouth watered as I cast a quick glimpse at the bulge pressing against his snow pants.

  “Jade,” Ethan said as he tilted the tip of his baseball cap—that he wore practically every day—in a polite greeting.

  “Ethan,” I replied with a little curtsy, playing along with the polite etiquette charm. I was doing everything I could not to let on that butterflies were fluttering in my stomach at the sight of him.

  Ethan reached for my jacket hanging on the coat rack and extended his arm to me. “Do you want to build a snowman?” Ethan gave a wink and a slight smirk, giving me a peek into his playful side.

  I giggled at the Disney play on words, and answered, “Snowmobiling sounds far more exciting.”

  When Ethan had suggested snowmobiling the night before, I hadn’t wanted to seem like some city slicker, so I’d readily agreed. That and I desperately needed to get out of my cabin. I concealed the fact that I hadn’t been on one since I was a kid visiting the resort, and even then, I didn’t do it often.

  As I approached the machine, there was a moment I wondered if I should fess up.

  How hard can it be? I thought to myself. It was just like riding a bike. I was sure to remember how… or so I hoped.

  The snowmobiles had already been pulled out of the garage and were ready to go when we got there. Ethan assisted me up on one of them, and I quickly scanned the controls to remind me just how to actually drive one. Amazed that I was able to turn it on with little difficulty, I smugly sat on my snowmobile as Ethan mounted his and began to lead us on our winter wonderland trip.

  “I thought I would take us down to the mouth of the creek a few miles south,” Ethan suggested over his shoulder. “There’s a waterfall that tends to freeze over after the first snow. The icicles are really a sight to be seen.”

  I held on as tight as I could, terrified that my snowmobile was going to slide off the path and into a tree. I could see how at ease Ethan was on his ahead of me, and I was pretty sure that I was slowing him down, but I could force my cowardly self to go only so fast.

  “That sounds great,” I lied. My legs were shaking against the seat. I was cold and had wished I dressed warmer, but I was also scared.

  The rest of the trip went smoothly to my relief. I managed to follow Ethan’s lead, and without overturning in a snowbank or taking down any trees. I was even able to relax enough to take in the beauty of the wooded acres. The resort’s thirteen acres were far more stunning than I remembered them being as a kid. I also couldn’t help but watch Ethan who slowly guided us to our destination. His broad shoulders filled out his jacket quite nicely, but the thoughts of what lay beneath all that down-filled nylon were captivating. I was so enthralled by the way his body moved in perfect harmony with the machine beneath him that I didn’t notice we had reached the destination until he had come to a complete stop and I’d almost run into him.

  Ethan dismounted from the snowmobile and walked over to me. “You ride well for a
city gal. I guess you haven’t forgotten,” he complimented as he pulled a blanket and a green tarp out of a saddlebag on my snowmobile.

  “Thank you,” I replied, proud that I was able to pull off my ruse.

  Ethan placed the tarp and then the worn quilt onto the bank beside the creek and then returned to where I still sat mounted on my snowmobile, reaching for my hand to help me off. As I let go of my death grip, I realized my fingers were white with little sense of feeling left in them. Ethan paused as he noticed my tense grip and looked into my eyes concerned.

  “Are you all right? Were you afraid?” He quickly grabbed both of my hands into his and began rubbing life back into them.

  My face heated at the sudden concern and the touch of his big warm hands encircling mine.

  “You should have told me you were afraid of snowmobiling. I would never have let you ride by yourself had I known.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say or what to do. My body was so close to his, his hands still massaging mine. I looked up into his eyes and could do nothing more than smile. His eyes were shining, brightened by the sunlight reflecting off the snow-covered ground.

  I took a deep breath. “Truth… I haven’t been on a snowmobile since I was kid—here at the resort one winter—and even then, I was afraid of being on one.”

  Ethan’s fingers stopped massaging and tensed around mine. Bright blue eyes of only a few moments before were now turning a steely gray. His mouth tensed with a slight twitch. There was no question about it, Ethan Davis was not happy.

  He pulled his hands away and took a step back from me. “Why would you do such a foolish thing? You could have been hurt. You could have been killed! I asked you if you knew how and you said you did. Otherwise, I would have gone over all the instructions, rules, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have driven as fast as I did.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to think I couldn’t ride. Besides, I did just fine.”

  “I could have made it far less stressful and white-knuckle scary. I could have taken an easier trail. You have to have trust in me enough to share some basic facts.” Ethan took a deep breath to calm his annoyance. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Promise me in the future that you won’t keep things from me.”