“I’ve worked with them for many years, but I actually just took another job for a different family. I start in a month.”
“Really? Another local family?” His brows furrowed.
Ashley shook her head. “Out of state.”
“Oh.” Austin’s expression fell slightly. “By choice?”
“Pretty much. I like the adventure of trying new places, but I love snow, so I’m going to miss Cherry Hill.”
“The mountains here are beautiful,” Austin agreed. “And so are you.”
Ashley’s gaze flashed to his, and she narrowed her eyes on him. “I bet you run into a lot of beautiful women.”
“You’re not only beautiful. You’re adorable, and frankly, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.” He smiled, grabbed a napkin, and dabbed a bit of ice cream off Ashley’s cheek.
“I don’t know what to make of you.” Ashley looked into Austin’s eyes and knew she was out of her element, but she no longer cared.
Chapter Eight
Ashley’s expressive blue eyes watched him as if she were calculating a bet she’d yet to place. He had to confess he never felt more scrutinized in his life, and he loved it. She kept him on his toes, and they’d only managed to eat half their ice cream.
“You know, you’ve never formally introduced yourself, apart from your email,” she said, smiling. “And flexing your muscles by tossing a guy out at the bar.”
“There’s probably not all that much to tell.” He saw her look out the window toward the glowing Silver Ridge Resort and started laughing. “Okay, maybe there is a bit more. Where do you want me to start?”
“How about . . .” She took another lick of her ice cream, and it about did him in. He had never seen something so innocent look so sensual in all his life, and he’d lived a lot over the years. “How about your job?”
“My brothers and I own the Silver Ridge Ski resort. I oversee the day-to-day activities.”
“So, the operation of the resort?” she asked, and Austin nodded.
“And I was just informed today by Erika that most of the staff is afraid of me, which was a complete surprise.”
“Most of the staff?” Ashley asked, brows raising, and Austin realized that wasn’t exactly something you wanted to spill to your date.
“Well, apparently, everyone but her.”
Ashley snickered and took another lick of her ice cream before she glanced around the ice-cream shop that had brightly-colored gumdrop wallpaper and an entire wall filled with candy. At the end of the store, there was also a homemade candy section with fudge, caramels, and candy apples.
“I can see it. You looked pretty badass the other night.”
“Badass?” Austin laughed.
“Very stern. Very . . .” Ashley tried to find the words. “In control.” Her eyes connected with Austin’s. “I thought it was sexy.”
Her admission completely surprised Austin, and he glanced at Peter and Sylia, who seemed to be immersed in conversation about marshmallows with their children, and it oddly took the heat off.
Austin leaned in a little and whispered, “Sexy?”
She smiled without saying another word about that. “So, tell me more about how you fill your days? Do you get to ski in between putting out fires at the resort?”
“I ski as much as I can fit in, but recently, it hasn’t been much.”
“Why’s that?” Ashley asked, seemingly intrigued.
“We’ve been building a couple of new runs, and that’s been taking a lot of time. My brother decided one of the runs needed a ski-in-ski-out restaurant, so a lot goes into the planning and development.”
“I can imagine.” Ashley’s eyes stayed on Austin, and it was hard not to lean over the table and softly kiss her.
“Do you ski?”
Ashley nodded. “I haven’t for years though. I’m not sure it’s my thing.”
“When did you last try?” Austin lived for the slopes, and the thought of dating someone who didn’t enjoy outdoor activities kind of worried him. Not that he’d even made tonight successful enough to try for date number two.
“Oh, gosh.” She giggled. “I last went when I was twenty-two, but . . .” Ashley shook her head and polished off her cone. “I kind of wasn’t in the best shape to try to sail down a mountain.”
“I highly doubt that.”
She nodded. “It’s true.” Ashley pulled the sleeves of her sweater into her palms. “I love being outdoors, but sometimes, I just go hiking or spend time at the lake in Cherry Hill. Kind of depends on my schedule with the kids.”
Austin let out a silent sigh of relief.
“You probably noticed my limp, but after my accident, I was kind of limited in terms of activity so . . .”
Austin shook his head quickly. He’d observed Ashley, memorizing all the curves of her body, but he hadn’t noticed a limp.
“What?” She tilted her head slightly. “Why’d you shake your head?”
“I never noticed a limp when you walked.”
“Really?” She seemed genuinely surprised.
“No. Not at all. I can check next time you walk in front of me though.” He smiled and her eyes locked on his as a strange mix of relief and happiness darted through her gaze. “Honestly, you’re so beautiful that all I noticed was your smile and . . .”
Her right brow arched. “And?”
“And your affinity for turtlenecks.”
Ashley’s laughter filled the ice-cream shop, and he loved hearing the sound. Never had he been so taken with a woman’s laugh before.
“I do like a solid turtleneck.” She sucked on her lower lip for a brief second, and all he could imagine was taking his mouth to hers, kissing her, tasting peppermint, and relishing everything about her.
Austin smiled. “Well, you wear them well. I’ve never seen a turtleneck look so sexy.”
Ashley lit up and giggled, brushing away a strand of her blonde hair that had fallen along her cheek. He felt such a strong connection to Ashley, a pull he’d never had before, and they’d only just met.
“What about ice skating?” he asked.
The resort’s Winter Festival was in full swing, and they were particularly proud of their rink.
“Now, that’s something I haven’t done.” She smiled, and he noticed the dimple in her left cheek. How had he missed it before? Was there anything about this woman that didn’t completely infatuate him?
“What if you let me teach you how to skate?”
Ashley’s eyes darted to his, and she quickly shook her head. “I don’t think you can teach me in a few weeks.”
“Why only a few weeks?’
“I’m headed to Virginia in a month. Remember? Headed to a new family.”
Austin bit his lip and nodded. Part of him refused to believe that she was really leaving Washington for another job. But he wasn’t going to let that stop him from spending time with her.
“I guarantee that I can get you up and skating in one weekend.”
She threw her head back in laughter. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m a complete mess. Impossible. Did you know a person can actually do splits while still wearing skates? Roller skates, ice skates, rollerblades . . . they’re all the same thing. I’m sure my orthopedic surgeon would have an aneurysm if he knew I was trying to skate at thirty-seven.”
Thirty-seven. He liked that she was thirty-seven.
“I doubt your surgeon is still even practicing. And Peter can fix you right up regardless.” Austin grinned, and she chuckled.
“Is the accident you spoke about a ski or skating accident?” he asked gently. If it had been, he’d quickly forget trying to get Ashley on the ice or the slopes.
Her gaze came back to his, and she shook her head. “No. It was a horse accident. I was a teenager when it happened.”
“Those can be really ugly.”
She nodded. “I almost died, actually. I was on a ventilator while they tried to stabilize me. I had been knocked
unconscious. I broke my clavicle, pelvis, and to say I broke my right leg would be a gross misrepresentation. It was pretty much smashed. With the healing and physical therapy, I was out of commission for like nine months.” She squirmed in her chair, and Austin suddenly wanted to wrap his arms around her, tell her how strong she was, how incredible. “I didn’t have the most supportive family, so it was kind of a rough recovery.”
He saw a dart of anger flash through her gaze, and Austin wanted to ask about her family, but instead, he kept to a safer topic.
“How long after that did you try to skate?” he asked, suddenly wondering if getting Ashley on two slippery, waxed lighting bolts was a great idea.
“About two years. I picked skating for my winter P.E. course. I love the snow, so I figured it would be a fun thing to do. The rink was in the mountains, so we had to bus up every Saturday. I was just thrilled to least get out of the house. I knew my parents would never take me, so it seemed like a good idea at the time.” She laughed. “Wrong.”
He grinned and glanced at the Finns, who seemed to be eyeing them as often as possible.
“And then I tried to skate with the first family I nannied for, and that was when I learned about doing splits on the ice. I didn’t get hurt though.”
“That’s a plus.”
“Indeed.”
“Picturing you doing the splits will make me smile for days.” He laughed. “But I’m glad you didn’t get injured.”
“Me too.” She seemed to be relaxing just as the Finns stood up in the far corner.
He knew it was a school night, and they’d need to be leaving soon, but he wasn’t done. He had so many more questions for Ashley. So much more he wanted to find out.
He wanted to know more about her family, the horse, how she grew up, why she nannied, and if she liked her job.
Everything.
He wanted to know it all.
For the first time in his life, he wanted to know everything about a woman sitting in front of him, and she was going to leave.
“So, your brothers and you all run the resort? And you get along?”
Austin brought himself out of the fog of losing her before he had her and nodded. “Yeah. Pretty much. We might disagree here and there, but it’s usually over the business and generally solves itself.”
“And the rest of your family?” she asked.
Austin couldn’t help but smile when he thought about his mother and grandmother who both lived in Silver Ridge. They both raised his brothers and him when his dad left. Not that his dad was every really there. He merely existed as a ghost in our lives, never really participated.
“Well, my grandma owns the best bakery in town, and I’m not just saying that because it’s the only one.”
Ashley laughed and shook her head. “No. No, of course not.”
“But she serves sandwiches and other specials during the day. And mother helps her out with that as well as helping with the resort when she’s not busy gardening or praying for grandchildren.”
“And your dad?”
Austin’s chest tightened. “He wasn’t really in the picture.”
He noticed the Finns coming over, and he wasn’t about to lose this chance. “How about I pick you up on Saturday for that skate lesson, and if you don’t want to do it, we can figure something else to do at the resort? The Winter Festival is going on all month, so there’s plenty to do.”
“You know what? I’d love that.”
“Perfect. We can snowshoe, ride the carousel, or sit in the lodge and do nothing. Whatever you want.” He smiled, watching the amusement behind her gaze. “If it were summer, we could go golfing, canoeing, hiking . . .”
“I have a confession.” She leaned in, and he ignored the urge he had to kiss her. He had no idea why, but something told him to resist the pull, to give her space.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I’m not really the country club, ski-resort-type of girl, but I do a great job working for those types of folks.”
Austin laughed and shook his head, leaning back in the chair. “Ashley Malone, you’re an incredible woman, and to think there’s something that sets you apart from that crowd is entirely accurate. You’re right. You aren’t that type of person. You’re better than those codgers. You’re unique.”
“I’m definitely special.” She laughed.
“I’m serious, Ashley. It’s not that you can’t hang out at some country club, it’s that you’ve chosen not to.” He smiled. “Answer me this.”
“Okay.”
“Would you rather hang out gossiping at the country club’s restaurant all afternoon or being outside, doing something?”
She chuckled. “That’s an easy one. I’d much rather be gardening.”
“There you go.” He grinned.
Ashley smiled as Sylia walked up behind her, holding Esther, who was already nodding off despite her sugar fix. “I think it’s time we head home.”
Peter walked behind his wife with Erin on his tail and Josh completely asleep in his arms.
“Yeah.” Ashley nodded her head. “There were some items I needed to email to my latest family in Virginia.”
Austin nodded and stood up, glancing at Sylia, who winked at him.
“It was nice to meet you,” Ashley said as she stood up and dusted imaginary crumbs from her lap. “I’m glad this all worked out.”
“And Saturday works for you?” Austin asked.
“I think it does.” Ashley smiled, and Erin wrapped his tiny hand around two of her fingers.
“L.O.V.E. Austin and Ashley sitting in—”
“Okay, that’s good for now,” Ashley said, laughing.
“Could he be onto something?” Peter teased, and Sylia elbowed her husband.
“Ashley thinks you’re cute,” Erin told Austin, who couldn’t help but smile as Ashley swooped Erin into her arms.
“Okay, Saturday it is,” she hollered behind her as she rushed out of the store with the little traitor cradled in her arms.
“Did it go okay?” Sylia asked, and Austin couldn’t help but smile.
“Better than I ever could have imagined. Just sucks that she’s moving out of town.”
“Not if I can help it.” Sylia chuckled and glanced at her husband. “Cherry Hill is her home. I just wish she’d see that instead of always trying to run.”
“What’s she running from?” Austin asked.
“I wish I knew.”
Peter adjusted Josh in his arms. “Why do I feel like you two orchestrated something I didn’t know about?”
A wry grin spread across Austin’s expression, and he let out a curt laugh. “You should know you’re not the only romantic in your family, Peter. Your wife gave me just the boost I needed to reach out to Ashley.”
Paul shook his head. “I’m not following.”
“I saw photos of your children on Ashley’s social media. Well, not the actual children’s faces or anything, but enough so I recognized them and you. I reached out to Sylia, who suggested that I reach out to Beth.”
“To be sneaky,” Sylia added. “Make it look like we had nothing to do with it.”
Austin spotted Ashley climbing into the Finns’ SUV, and he laughed. “But if you don’t want to get left behind, you’d better head out.”
Sylia and Peter laughed, and they all said their goodbyes as Austin stayed behind in the ice-cream shop and wondered if he was making a mistake. The last thing he wanted to do was promise a woman like Ashley Malone something he couldn’t give her, but something made him want to try.
Chapter Nine
For the first time in a long time, Ashley’s excitement was bubbling over for what the day might bring. She stared at her closet and realized she really did have a lot of turtlenecks. She went through her stack of sweaters and finally settled—against her better judgment— on a sweater sans-turtleneck.
But before she could help herself, she grabbed a silk turtleneck and slipped it on first. There was no point in
freezing to death for a little bit of vanity. She slid on her pink sweater and white jeans and did a quick spin in front of the mirror. Ashley still wasn’t sure how Austin didn’t notice her limp. She saw it even with a quick turn of her heels. Perhaps he was merely polite.
“You about ready?” Sylia asked, popping her head into Ashley’s closet.
Closets were another thing she would miss about leaving the Finns’ home. Every bedroom had a walk-in closet, and her wardrobe had grown to fill it, but there was no point in bemoaning her fate. This is the job she had. Every few years, she had to move. New family. New house. New friends.
Although, friends were something that were a little bit slim in Ashley’s world. Not that she didn’t try. She was just so busy. And when she’d get to know moms in the new town she was in, they’d immediately put her in the nanny category and invites dried up unless they were for the kids.
So, Ashley learned not to count on much. With Sylia, however, she felt a real friendship, and she’d miss that.
“As ready as I can be.” Ashley shoved away the nervousness that kept rearing its annoying head and glanced at Sylia. “I still think this is a bad idea. I’m leaving town. We probably have absolutely nothing in common. He’s a wealthy bachelor with his pick of women and—”
“Who cares?” Sylia grabbed Ashley’s hand and pulled her out of the closet. “Live a little for yourself and enjoy spending time doing adult things with adults.”
“My job isn’t to do adults things with adults,” Ashley reminded her, and Sylia shook her head while Ashley grabbed a puffy white coat.
“But you’re not on the clock at the Finn household any longer. You’ve got a little over three weeks to kick up your heels. Don’t waste that precious time, my dear.”
Ashley chuckled and let out a sigh as she grabbed her tiny wallet and stuffed it in her coat.
“Fine. If you insist.” Ashley smiled, thinking back to the catastrophic mini-dating session she’d just experienced, and now she was heading into another one. She could feel it.
“Take the Rover.” Sylia dangled the keys in front of Ashley. “Another storm is on the way, and it handles better in the snow than your little Focus.”
A Surprising Fact About Love: Small Town Romance (Silver Ridge Series Book 4) Page 7