The Winter Games

by Sharp, Dr. Rebecca

“I assumed my sister was keeping you busy, King,” I drawled with an eyebrow raised. “Congrats, brother,” I said, reaching for Wyatt’s hand and shaking it again. Un-official SnowmassHole. Official brother-in-law.

  “Thanks,” he replied with a shit-eating grin, stealing another glance back at his bride.

  “Ally was keeping me busy,” King said with a smirk that made me want to throat-punch him. “But she made her way to the dance floor with the rest of the girls so, here I am, wondering when you are going to attach that rock to Jessa’s fucking finger? You are slacking.”

  “Seriously?” Wyatt asked, his eyes widening with surprise.

  I nodded. I’d kept it mostly to myself because first Frost was getting married and then it was Lil’s wedding coming up and I didn’t want anything to overshadow this. I wanted Jessa’s focus solely on me… on us… when I proposed. And after tonight, I would be in the clear.

  “That’s so great, man,” Wyatt continued, his accent thickening slightly, and pulled me in for a hug. “Congratulations!”

  All in all, my new brother-in-law was really a good guy to the point where I wanted it to be annoying, but it wasn’t. Especially working so closely with him at the school, I’d ended up adding him to my list of brothers that I never had, coming in behind King and Frost.

  “When are you doing to do it?” King asked.

  “I think we are going to take a long weekend and head over to Park City. So, I’m thinking I’ll do it then.”

  “On the slopes,” Wyatt said with a smile. “Have to say that’s the way to go.”

  He’d proposed to Lil when they’d been on the mountain in Canada; I almost hadn’t known about that one either until my stubborn ass finally decided to return his phone call.

  “As the King of the mountain, I’d be happy to give you some tips, too, bro,” Emmett teased and I glared at him.

  He’d proposed to Ally on Christmas morning in our house with a giant yellow diamond. Fucker hadn’t even told me ahead of time because he knew that my glowering at him—like I was doing right now—would give it away. My parents, who’d been out here for the holidays, and Jessa were the only ones who’d known. He still thought I hadn’t forgiven him.

  “I can still take back my fucking approval, you know,” Pride replied, clapping the lid shut and tucking the ring box back into his inside pocket.

  His grumbles were overpowered by my laugh. “Yeah? And deal with Ally’s wrath?” I countered. “I don’t think so.” I smirked triumphantly, knowing that my threat was completely empty.

  I’d surprised Ally by flying her parents out from Florida for Christmas. There’d been a shit-ton of snow and we’d all ended up staying at their house on Christmas Eve—except for Tammy and Nick who’d been up in Wyoming with Tammy’s family.

  I’d been waiting by the tree Christmas morning—everyone else instructed to stay in their rooms until they heard her screams—hopefully from excitement. And when she came downstairs, I got down on one knee and asked my sunshine to light my world every day for the rest of my life.

  There’d been tears first, but then squeals of happiness, drawing the rest of the extended Ryder family out to celebrate all of our blessings this year.Chance could pretend he wasn’t thrilled, but I knew how happy he was for the both of us.

  I’d never been one for family time or holidays—never really celebrating them growing up. But with her… my eyes caught sight of Ally’s radiance brimming from the dance floor. Yeah, Lil looked beautiful and yeah, Tammy was ‘glowing’ or whatever pregnant women were supposed to do, and Jessa, well, Jessa always had that shockingly, ‘I-don’t-give-a-fuck‘ gorgeous going on, but Ally, she lit up the whole goddamn room and she didn’t even know it. And as much as she loved the snow, I had a feeling that it would be sand between our toes on our wedding day.

  But I didn’t care.

  As long as she was mine.

  “Does it look like they are talking about us?” Frost mused, nodding to our group of girls in their matching mossy-green dresses.

  “They better be talking about us,” Pride grumbled.

  “I think I’d rather that they were dancing with us,” I added, giving the guys a mock salute as I walked onto the floor.

  They all followed behind me.

  “They think we are talking about them,” Jessa giggled as we danced to Blake Tyler’s latest record-setting hit.

  “Well, we are,” I retorted. “How long did you say I have to stay in this dress, Ally? I swear, I should have just worn white snow pants and a white snow jacket.”

  “Oh my God,” my sister groaned. “You are unbelievable.”

  “Are you feeling okay, Tam? Do you want some water?” Jessa asked our newly pregnant friend, loving how her face lit up at the reminder.

  “I’m good, thank you,” she said as Jessa carefully spun her and then pulled her back to the group.

  “I can’t believe Wyatt got Blake Tyler here,” Ally squealed, glancing up at the young blonde playing guitar on the stage.

  “He knows everyone.” I sighed and rolled my eyes. “She’s actually pretty good though. My vote had been country, but I really do like her music.”

  “I can’t believe you are married, sis,” Ally gushed and began to wipe away the tears that had been flowing freely all day. “And Tammy.”

  “Who would have thought?” Tam replied quietly, glancing down at the large oval sapphire on her finger.

  “Tell us what he said again,” Ally begged.

  Tammy’s face turned beet red, but she replied. “He said that the blue is because I am his ocean. And then he got down on one knee and asked me if he could drown in me every day for the rest of his life.”

  “Who would have thought something so romantic could come from Nick Frost?” Jessa sighed.

  “You know Chance is going to propose,” I said.

  “Maybe.”

  “Seriously. Read your cards,” I returned. “But I’ll bet you that they will agree with my twin-ly intuition.”

  “Maybe they already did,” she muttered softly, biting her lip as she tried to stop a grin.

  “Two cases of La Croix says that he’s going to do it before the end of next month.” I stuck out my hand and she quickly took it.

  “You know I can’t turn down that bet,” she giggled, and we all broke into a laugh.

  I glanced over, seeing Emmett making his way through the crowd on the dance floor followed by Chance, Nick, and finally my husband.

  Me—the tomboy—had a husband. And was wearing a wedding dress. Who would have thought that would ever happen?

  “Can you believe that all of the great SnowmassHoles fell?” I asked the group as we all got bumped and knocked closer together. Man, Wyatt knew a lot of people who liked to dance. Thankfully, my awkward moves were hidden by the girls; no one needed to see that from the bride.

  “Well, look at us,” Jessa retorted, giving us her best model-flick of her pink hair, “what other choice did they have?”

  “Good point,” I conceded with a laugh.

  “I’m glad that it was here,” Ally added, glancing out the giant windows of the lodge. “There’s just something about the mountain.”

  “It can save you in a way that nothing else can,” Jessa said wistfully, pulling her in close.

  Silent heartfelt agreement fell over the group for a moment before the guys got to us and it disappeared into hugs and laughter and kisses. We’d been through a lot, together and separately, but here, under the twinkle lights, with snow falling outside, it was all worth it.

  Here, it all began and ended with the mountain.

  But the mountain isn’t just the place. It’s not just the trees and the snow and the trails and the kickers. The mountain is the people that you surround yourself with, the people who are the solid foundation under your feet. It’s their friendship that builds you up to places you’ve never been, that pushes you to reach for things that never seemed within your grasp, and hope for things that you never thought possible.<
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  The mountain is love.

  The End.

  To my husband—My home is where your heart is. Thank you for everything that you do for me. Thank you for loving me. And thank you for letting me read Jane Austen out loud to you because you know how much her books mean to me.

  To my family and friends—Thank you for supporting me even when I don’t share too much about this journey with you. I love you.

  To all those who have inspired me with their tales of adoption, your love speaks even louder.

  To Amy & Nadine—Thank you for helping me make this book the best that it could be! Your input was invaluable!

  To Nick—Aren’t you glad you’re my brother? LOL Thanks for all your help! I know you’re so excited to be checking out half-naked dudes at work!

  To Ellie—Thanks for all your hard work on my baby. And thanks for loving Starbucks like I do. One day we won’t have to leave the house anymore and it will just come to us… because fairytales do come true.

  To RS—Thanks for being with me through this whole journey and taking such good care of my books!

  To Stacey—I’ve tried to do what you do and it almost ended with my laptop through the window. Conclusion: Your formatting is beautiful magic. Thank you!

  To all the bloggers who work enthusiastically to help me spread the word about each and every one of my stories! Duchess, Caitlin, Ashley, Shelly, Cassie, Elizabeth, Mary, Mackenzie, Cassandra, Patricia, Autumn… There are so many of you that, at the risk of forgetting someone because I haven’t had enough coffee today, I’m going to say that you KNOW who you are and I LOVE you beyond words.

  To my Sharpies—Thank you for being my safe space. Thank you for supporting me and sharing your enthusiasm to read whatever it is I decide to write.

  And, as always, to all my readers. Thank you for loving this series and these characters. Thank you for being on this journey with me. Thank you for enjoying the ride!

  To Mette.

  Thank you for being so kind and so badass.

  “I love Mette’s kindness and heart!”

  “She always brings a smile to my face!”

  “The thing I love about Mette is her kindness in everything.”

  “I love how she always cares about others and goes out of her way to make others smile”

  “She has a way of brightening the darkest days with her colorful personality

  and shining outlook. She is definitely a brilliant light in this world.”

  Thank you for inspiring all the brightest parts of this book. Never stop shining!

  Your story isn’t calm.

  The road has been chaotic at times, filled with detours and rain and loss

  so sudden, and soon.

  Sometimes, the bliss was so elevated your heart could hardly hold it.

  Sometimes, it was maddening to have, and then to lose.

  You learn soon enough that it hardly ever goes as planned—gentle, easy, and smooth.

  But that, my friend, is what makes you fascinating.

  You have something to tell.

  Something you’ve walked through.

  Something wild.

  Something courageous.

  Something true.

  —Victoria Erickson

  “THANKS FOR COMING OUT, GUYS.” I was a little short of breath from finishing up the last set, but I loved getting out in the crowd to see my friends before they left.

  “You know we wouldn’t miss it,” Jessa Madison replied, blowing a strand of pink hair out of her face before she hopped down from her barstool and gave me a hug.

  She was a friend and one of the other physical therapists who worked with me at Porter Adventist Out-Patient Facility. I also tried to date her about a year ago, but Aspen’s local snowboard legend, whose warning glare was on the brink of full-on assault, Chance Ryder, came back to town with a vengeance and claimed his old girlfriend before I was even a shadow of a thought in her mind.

  It was for the best. She and I were better as friends.

  When she pulled back, she added with a smile, “I sent Ally some videos and she said you sounded really good! She wished she could come but midterms are next week and she’s just swamped.”

  Ally Ryder was Chance’s younger sister. She’d gotten together with Chance’s best friend Emmett about this time last year and they’d been inseparable ever since. Emmett ‘King’ Jameson was the man all the pros went to for custom snowboards. And Ally? Well, she’d started designing the graphics for them and recently enrolled in college in Denver to get a degree in graphic design. Of course, Emmett wasn’t letting his girl out of his sight, so in the fall, they moved to the city.

  “You sounded really good, Kyle,” Tammy Lucas said as soon as Jessa stepped back into Chance’s waiting arms.

  There was a point in time where someone had tried to set me up with the mild-mannered, model-esque brunette, but then Nick Frost happened. And, well, there was a reason Tammy didn’t rise to hug me. No one messed with what belonged to Frost—especially his fiancé who was now visibly pregnant.

  The three of them, Chance, Emmett, and Nick were known around these parts as the SnowmassHoles, although the asshole part seemed to now be reserved only for those who tried to mess with their women—or their children.

  “Good stuff,” the cold bastard muttered. Only Tammy Lucas had the patience—and the pure fucking magic—to thaw a man like Frost enough for that kind of compliment to slip out.

  “Thanks, guys. Really appreciate you coming out. Last show for a while,” I said, running a hand through my hair.

  Ski season was picking up and that meant not only more injuries coming through the rehab facility, but also more injuries on the slopes. This year, I’d volunteered to be on the medic team at Snowmass. I enjoyed snowboarding and the free lift-tickets were worth the time spent.

  This season, Snowmass was hosting three events for the Alpine Skiing World Cup at the end of December: the downhill, Super G, and Giant Slalom. I didn’t realize how short-staffed the mountain was until the head of patrol put me on the schedule to be working almost every free hour I had for the three weeks prior and through the event to make sure all of the athletes were tended to properly. I said I was flexible but holy hell…

  All that meant my band, the Wanderers, was going to have very limited performances at Peak’s Pub until at least January.

  “Let’s grab you a drink, Masters,” Chance said as he clapped me on the back. “I think I see my sister and Olsen at the bar.”

  I should be helping my bandmates pack up, but a beer sounded real good right about now.

  “Hey there, Rockstar,” Channing greeted me with a familiar grin when she saw us walking over.

  Channing was Chance’s twin sister who’d met her fiancé, Wyatt Olsen, when she’d competed against him in the Winter X Games last year; he’d retired after last season as the best snowboarder in the world and they’d opened up a winter sports academy together.

  “Hey Kyle, good to see you again.” Maybe it was a long night, but Wyatt’s Canadian accent was just slightly less noticeable.

  Chance greeted his sister and her fiancé as he ordered two IPAs from the bartender.

  Nodding my thanks when he handed me one, I turned back to the other two. “What are you guys watching?”

  “You see who’s coming to town?” Wyatt asked, setting his empty glass on the bar.

  My eyebrows rose. “Santa?”

  Channing swatted my arm with a snort.

  “Jac Blanchard,” Wyatt answered with a chuckle, nodding up to the TV that played preliminary coverage for the World Cup.

  It was still several weeks away and we had Christmas to get through, but that didn’t stop the media from getting everyone all hyped about who was going to win what and whose careers were on the line.

  “No shit,” I said softly, pressing the cool glass of the bottle to my lips and taking a sip. I glanced up at the TV as they replayed a clip of her gold-winning race last year.

  Jaclyn
Blanchard was to skiing what Wyatt Olsen had been to snowboarding. I didn’t follow skiing, to be honest, but like most great athletes, you’d have to be living under a rock to not have heard about her. And, like most great athletes, there was a shadow of gossip that followed her.

  “Is that an R2D2 helmet?” I squinted up at the screen, wondering if my eyes deceived me or if her helmet was really decorated to match the friendly Star Wars droid.

  “Huh?”

  I shook my head and mumbled ‘never mind’ to Wyatt, keeping my focus on the screen. A little more curious than usual, I watched intently, wishing they’d show something without all her gear on; I couldn’t recall what she looked like.

  ‘Jaclyn Blanchard will be on her way out here in just a few days to train for the World Cup events. Will this year be the fourth in her record-setting winning streak?’

  She was the only woman to have won four World Cup overall championships. Three times.

  Total badass.

  Also, kind of an ass.

  If Wyatt was the mountain’s Prince Charming, then Jac was the slope’s Ice Princess. She came, she talked trash, she kicked ass, and then she left—her gold medals clapping against each other with every step. I guess, with that kind of applause, who needed to be nice enough for the real stuff?

  “I met her once a few years ago in Bormio,” Wyatt continued as we watched replays of the various events over the past years that she’d absolutely dominated.

  “How’d that go? Is she as nice as they say?” I asked wryly, drinking down the last of my beer.

  “About as warm and fuzzy as Frost on a bad day,” he replied. “I mean, she’s fucking phenomenal. And I know people like to give her shit for a lot of stuff but still, let’s just say it’s a good thing skiing isn’t a contact sport, or that chick would be knocking people out left and right.”

  I nodded, partially intrigued about her story, but also figuring it was really time I got back to packing up the speakers.