by Sandy Loyd
“I know, but thanks anyway.”
Kate took a deep breath and chanced a glance at him. His words sounded so sincere. Why was he being so nice? She wished he’d revert to the old Paul. She’d learned how to deflect his snide, cutting remarks. This Paul, however, was all new to her and very appealing. She certainly didn’t need the complications that came with finding him appealing. He was James’ brother—the same man who’d tormented her for years. Thanks to her evening with Paul the night before, she’d spent too many hours sleeplessly reassessing her relationship with James, unable to dismiss the idea that he’d disappointed her once again. Her camel’s back of patience was nearing its breaking point. She was tired of being disappointed.
Even if she and James broke up for good, the thought of anything happening between her and Paul was just too much for her brain to imagine. Thinking about it the irony of it, she smiled, thankful to find some humor in the situation.
Paul grinned. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” The one word came out in a rush, after being caught with such a ridiculous notion. Paul belonged to her best friend. He loved her, for heaven’s sake, and Judith loved him. She couldn’t stop an expression of guilt from forming, as more heat crept up her face.
“It’s more than nothing.” He eyed her speculatively. “Daydreaming about James, are we?” When she didn’t answer, he chuckled. “Okay, I won’t pry.”
The understanding look he shot her sent another wave of warmth spreading from her toes to her forehead. She glanced at her plate, which held her attention for the remainder of the meal. Somehow, she had to hold on to her resolve of getting through the day without embarrassing herself.
Finished eating, she stood and picked up her plate, relieved to finally escape. “I hope you mean to get an early start, because I’m almost ready.”
“Yeah,” Paul said, checking his watch. “I just need to grab my gear and load up the car. Looks like I’ll need chains.”
“Do you want help?” Kate asked him when he headed toward the mudroom, as she cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.
“No, it’s easier to do alone, but thanks for the offer.”
“I’ll get my stuff.”
Chains were definitely a necessity. The roads to Squaw Valley, their resort of choice, were barely passable. When they pulled into the ski area’s parking lot, it was still snowing. At that moment, Kate was thankful for the full-sized locker the Morrisons rented in one of the lodges.
Paul parked the BMW and jumped out to help her before unloading the skis and boots. Loaded down with equipment, they headed for the lodge.
Kate came out of the women’s room wearing a red ski suit, a recent birthday splurge, and walked up behind Paul, who’d also changed and sat on a bench putting on boots.
Once ready, they gathered the rest of their gear from the locker and trudged toward the tram.
“Look at all the powder,” she said, glancing around and seeing only snow as they waited in a short line. “It’s almost a foot deep already.”
Paul glanced to the west, where the storm systems came from, and shrugged. “Looks like we’ll have an awesome day.” He retrieved his cell phone from a hidden pocket and pulled up the weather page, then showed her the screen. “There’s a little clearing on the radar, but the system isn’t done dumping yet. We should ski as much as we can before it starts to get nasty.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’m ready and willing to ski till I drop.” She peered over at him and added, “I’m glad you’re here. I like the company. I ski alone a lot, so this is a treat.”
“Yeah, I hear you. I’ve experienced too many solitary days myself,” he said. “But you have to keep up, or you’ll be left in my tracks.”
She laughed. He was an expert skier, but then, so was she. “You seem pretty confident that I’m going to be following you.” Oh, yeah. This was going to be fun. She’d definitely give him a run for his money. He’d be lucky not to be left in her tracks. Her smile turned smug. “You might rethink your opinion, Morrison. You’ll be eating the snow from my turns.”
Then, she hurried to reach the open doors on the tram, which had just landed. Seconds later, the doors closed, and the car carrying a throng of skiers started its ascent to the top of the mountain.
~
“Try to keep up, bucko,” Kate goaded, waving a pole in the air and racing ahead of Paul when he bent to tighten his boots. “See ya at the bottom!”
She hit the rough terrain and she didn’t dare slow, instead releasing her edges to increase her speed, knowing he’d have to work hard to catch up. It would be a battle of skills and wills, just like it had been most of the day. Her agility and size more than made up for his strength and endurance. On the straightaways, however, he was faster.
She sensed him behind her, narrowing her lead. Unable to risk glancing back, she let loose a little more. The path in front of her was visible enough and no one was around to impede her progress. She’d almost made it to the lift line when he edged ahead.
“I won.”
“No fair,” she said, laughing at his satisfied grin. The same grin he’d sported hours ago, after winning their first impromptu race. “You’re bigger than me, so you pick up more speed near the end.”
“You got a running start.”
“So?”
“Concede, Kate.” She followed when he skied to the lift and both waited for the next chair. Once seated, he turned to her and said, “I beat you fair and square.”
Kate rolled her eyes and snorted. “I could’ve won, if I’d really wanted to.”
“Not while I’m around.”
She laughed. “I can’t believe we both hate to lose.” Her skill brought out his competitive nature, caused him to take on every challenge she threw his way. She understood his motives. She felt the same. She relished any chance to best him when behind and worked to hold on to any lead if he was the one in the rear.
“Yeah,” he said. “But I don’t cheat.”
“I only gained a second or two advantage.” At least he didn’t have to wait for her, which definitely pleased him. They’d spent their morning hiking to pristine powder mountaintops perfect for carving figure eights, moving to other lifts when one run became boring because they ran out of fresh powder.
The chair reached the top of the lift. They exited and skied to the cliff’s edge.
“Doesn’t look good,” Paul said, nodding at the darker clouds rolling in. The snowfall thickened, but they still had visibility. “We’ve been lucky so far, but judging by what’s ahead, we only have a few more runs.”
Kate pushed off, laughing. “Meet you at the bottom.”
Three-quarters of the way down, Paul whizzed by her. Though breathing heavily and feeling the burn in her thighs, she pushed on, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her quit. He only had to shift that knowing blue gaze, so like James’, in her direction and she’d respond. Why did it have to be Paul who brought this competitive drive to the surface, when no one else ever had? It rankled to admit she enjoyed skiing with him, but she couldn’t deny the elation rushing through her.
As she neared the end of the run, Kate realized couldn’t remember a more exhilarating day, one where she’d been challenged and taunted so much.
She hurried to catch up with Paul to repeat the process twice more. At the top of the third lift, he said, “Time to quit.” The heavens had totally opened up, dumping pure white and hampering visibility. “Let’s take this one easier. No sense killing ourselves in a burst of speed when we can’t see a foot in front of us.”
She nodded and followed him, barely able to see the dark outline of his coat and only too glad to have him in the lead. They’d put in a vigorous five hours and skipped lunch because the mountain beckoned. Her muscles ached. She was tired—a good tired only felt when one had exerted to the point of soreness without overdoing it.
At the bottom, they both stepped out of their bindings. When Paul hefted both pairs
of skis onto his shoulders, she shook her head and reached for hers. “I can carry my own gear.”
“I got ’em. You grab the poles,” he said, turning and heading for the locker room.
She sighed. His resolute expression told her it was useless to argue. She picked up the poles and followed, wishing he’d stop being so nice and considerate. In all the times she and James had skied together, he’d never carried anything for her. Not that she expected it. Still, Paul was definitely more courteous in a thousand ways that James wasn’t. Now she understood what Judith saw in him. Kate didn’t want to like him, yet she realized the more time she spent in his company, the more she did.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“Geez. Look at it,” she said, noting the blizzard-like conditions, in an effort to push her attraction to the background of her mind. “I think tomorrow might be a better day than today, and it doesn’t get much better.”
Paul looked around and nodded.
Once they made it to the lodge, he held the door open and waited for her to go ahead of him. They’d leave the skis and poles in the locker overnight, although neither dared leave their boots there. Nothing short of sticking them next to a heater or the fire would dry them out. Putting on a damp boot tomorrow was a sure way of spending the entire day with cold feet on the slopes, so it was worth the inconvenience of carting them back and forth.
At the locker, she watched him work the combination lock. He unlatched the door, took out each of their bags, then placed both pairs of skis inside and turned back to her. She passed him the poles.
He closed the door and spun the dial. When his hand moved toward her, she leaned away.
“Hold still.” He grinned as he gripped her shoulder with one hand and brushed her hair with the other. “You look like the abominable snowman.”
She stood stock still, allowing him to sweep the snow off her bangs and hat, then shoulders. She hoped he couldn’t feel her heartbeat pounding out of control as the heat of his fingers on her shoulder overwhelmed her with a warm sensation.
“Thanks,” she murmured, risking a quick glance at him. His blond hair, darkened from all the melted snow, framed his handsome face. He looked so much like James, but he was nothing like him. The thought made her smile.
Paul caught it and his eyebrows shot up.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said, and turned to grab her street clothes to change. She rushed toward the ladies’ room as fast as her legs would carry her, feeling her face flame, hoping he hadn’t noticed how red it must be.
In the privacy of the restroom, Kate forced herself to breathe. She took her time dressing, and stewed the whole while.
Their hours together had all but wiped out her resolve to not interact with him. Who knew Paul Morrison’s personality would draw her with the force of a magnet? His daring taunts and boyish grin were hard to resist. She wished she could ignore both. Being stuck with him no longer seemed like a chore, a notion that didn’t bode well, especially since she couldn’t see a way to make it through the rest of the afternoon without unwittingly revealing her attraction.
How had she gotten into this position? Why did Paul Morrison have to be the one to make her heart flutter now that she entertained the notion of moving on with her life? He’d have such a laugh if he knew. After enjoying the man and his challenges for a change, she never wanted to revert to being the butt of his jokes again.
~
Paul strode out of the men’s room carrying his wet clothes. As he stuffed his ski suit into a bag and gathered their boots together, his thoughts centered on Kate, torturing him with unwanted desire. Every provocative smile she’d sent his way during their hours on the slopes had twisted his insides with an incomprehensible need. He was certain his attraction had nothing to do with his lack of sexual activity. This was different. He’d certainly never felt this way about Judith.
He turned when the ladies’ room door opened. Damn! How had this gotten so crazy? He watched her saunter toward him with such attitude and grinned. Though tiny, she knew how to move to attract him, as he’d spent the morning discovering.
That wasn’t all that attracted him. Every time she’d state an opinion, something in her voice infiltrated his brain, and his body responded. Like now, when he worked to ignore the hum of awareness that hung in the air, a tension that had been present during every lift ride they’d taken.
All day, he’d diligently worked to keep his eyes off her svelte form. Too often, thoughts of unzipping her ski suit, to see exactly what lay beneath had flashed inside his mind. Thoughts that wouldn’t shut off, no matter how many times he’d flipped the mental switch.
He shook his head and snatched both pairs of boots, holding them with a firm grip. His internal switch was still on the fritz so he was glad to have something to keep his hands busy, preventing them from following that crazy impulse to explore underneath Kate’s clothing.
“You ready?” he asked, surprised that the steadiness of his voice revealed nothing of his inner turmoil.
She nodded with a smile and reached for her bag.
Paul started for the door, refusing to be taken in with such a beguiling expression. Yet his mind continued paying no attention to his commands to ignore the way her hips swayed with each step as she walked toward him. He sighed, then averted his gaze as he held the door open, waiting until she was out before following, purposefully not looking at her butt.
Halfway to the car, he noticed the white-out conditions and wondered how long it would be until James arrived. It couldn’t be too soon for his peace of mind. He had no idea how he’d survive the rest of the day trapped with her in a winter wonderland of snow, snow that continued to fall relentlessly.
By the time he and Kate reached his BMW, they were almost white again. He brushed as much as he could off her and opened the passenger door.
Once she was seated, Paul quickly put the boots and bags into the trunk. He shook snow from his body before he opened his door, then slid in next to her, and started the car. “I’m glad I put the chains on earlier.”
“Yeah. There’s only one thing worse than taking chains off a car in a parking lot, and that’s putting them on in the same parking lot during a blizzard.”
He nodded and shifted into gear. Both remained silent as he steered carefully out onto the road.
Forced to drive at a crawl because of the conditions, he chanced a couple of surreptitious peeks in her direction. On his last, several emotions played across her face and ended in a cheshire grin that drew his gaze to her lips. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said too quickly, as her glance darted to the window.
“Nothing, huh?” His tone sounded skeptical. The experience was too similar to the other times he’d caught her smiling throughout the day. She was definitely hiding something. “That’s what you said this morning. I think it’s a secret.”
She offered a half shrug. “Maybe.”
He shook his head and grinned. “You know, I have ways of finding these things out.”
“Oh, really?” She crossed her arms. “Good luck trying.”
His focus landed on that self-satisfied smile again. “I bet I can get you to talk.” He meant the words in jest, but they came out in a flirty, almost seductive tone. He stared at her lips a little too long, having a hard time remembering why he shouldn’t have made the comment in the first place.
“I’m sure you could,” she countered in an equally sultry manner that sent a signal south and brushed Judith and James further into the background of his thoughts. “Which is why I’m not willing to risk it.”
“Spoilsport. I would’ve enjoyed trying to loosen your tongue,” he murmured, wondering for a fleeting moment what it would be like to kiss her.
Kate didn’t reply. She whipped her head around to stare out the passenger window as if fascinated with the snowy vista.
Just as well, he thought, sighing. Thinking about kissing her wasn’t the best idea
either. He concentrated more on driving, intent on ignoring this hum of attraction that continually overrode his good sense. Still, as much as he struggled to expel them, images—of the methods he’d use to loosen her tongue—clung to his mind.
Quit thinking about locking lips with her. His mental urgings did no good, as his gaze kept zeroing in on her mouth.
He blew out a silent expletive. Not good, Morrison. Not good.
His only recourse at this point? Put some distance between them. Thank God, she was staying in the guesthouse—well away from him and his crazy desires. He turned on the radio.
As Train’s “Soul Sister” slowly faded, a news bulletin interrupted in a loud blare, informing drivers that the winter storm system had stalled. The forecast called for flooding in the lower elevations. Interstate 80 and Highway 50, the main thoroughfares from the mountains to Sacramento were a mess. The highway patrol required chains through Donner Pass, a common event. The storm had already produced twenty inches in the last twelve hours and the weather service predicted another twelve to twenty-four inches.
“Damn.” The one word came out in an explosive rush of annoyance. Stilling the urge to hit the steering wheel, Paul gripped it tighter and glanced at Kate, frowning. “No way Judith will make the trip now.” She’d check the news and would never attempt to drive in a snowstorm, let alone deal with putting on chains. He mentally snorted. Not that he believed she’d have made it before the storm hit harder than expected.
“I hope James is okay.” Kate grimaced, then sighed and shook her head. “This weekend isn’t going the way I planned.”
“Don’t worry. He should be fine with four-wheel drive,” Paul said, not adding his other similar thoughts. This weekend wasn’t even close to what he’d expected. Awareness was a bitch, he thought, unable to shake the thought that for years he’d given the woman sitting next to him grief over something he was equally guilty of—a humiliating realization, to say the least.
Though slow going, they eventually arrived at the house and he was only too grateful to see Kate veer toward her haven, mumbling about having things to take care of.