Trails Merge

by Rachel Spangler

  Or she could stay put and hope that someone would come along soon and find her. In theory the snowplows should clear this road soon, but since it wasn’t a main thoroughfare, they might have to wait until the major roads were accessible. With the snow still falling, no one might come by for hours. Her windshield was already covered, and in an hour or so she would have to get out and check the tailpipe again. Not liking any of the possibilities, she turned up the heat, closed her eyes, and rested her head on the steering wheel. She needed to make a decision soon, but not until she warmed up a bit.

  *

  Campbell turned up the windshield wipers on the groomer, and the massive blades snapped back and forth across the large panes of the glass that made up the front of the cab. The thick, wet snow had been coming down hard for hours. After a storm like this they would be able to open all the slopes, even the ones they hadn’t been able to make much snow on. A major storm during the first weekend in December was good for business, and now that Parker had finally gone home, Campbell could enjoy the weather more.

  Parker hadn’t been far from her thoughts all week. When they’d almost kissed, they crossed a line from casual company to something more. Parker obviously hadn’t given her the full story about why she fled Chicago. She had probably only skimmed the surface, but at least now Campbell understood that Parker was shaken. It must have been so hard for her to have misjudged Tim Brady’s character like that. Parker definitely took a lot of pride in her work, so spending all her efforts on someone so unworthy would have devastated her. No wonder she’d thrown herself into her new job with such intensity. She wasn’t a workaholic. She was simply trying to prove to herself that she could do something right.

  As Campbell throttled down the groomer, nearing the base of one of the mountain’s main trails, she glimpsed lights just beyond the single line of trees that marked the resort’s boundary. Normally she wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but something about their angle made her slow the groomer and look again. She could barely see through the driving snow, but the light obviously wasn’t a street lamp. It was much too close to the ground in an otherwise dark area. Then she realized she was seeing headlight beams, coming from something buried on the far side of the snowbank.

  “Damn,” she muttered, realizing that whoever had slid off the road probably needed help. She pulled the parking brake to anchor the groomer and zipped up her coat. A cold blast of air hit her the second she opened the door and hopped out. She pulled down her hat, trying to protect her ears from the biting wind, and trudged toward the lights. The snowbank was at least six feet high and not easy to scale. Campbell sank up to her knees with every step. As she crawled over the pile of snow several feet away from where the headlights appeared to start, she slipped several times. She was glad she hadn’t changed out of her weatherproof ski clothes. She was freezing already and didn’t want to be damp also.

  As she slid down the other side of the snow bank and planted her feet on more solid ground, she first caught sight of the car. It was Parker’s black Volvo, half buried in the bank and completely covered in a layer of freshly fallen snow.

  “Oh, my God,” she gasped, stumbling to the driver’s side as quickly as possible. Brushing the snow from the window, she saw Parker slumped over the steering wheel, not moving. Her stomach clenched and she fought the urge to vomit at the prospect that she was hurt, or worse.

  “Parker,” she yelled, and quickly whipped open the door.

  Parker jumped, looking shocked and staring. “Campbell?”

  “Where are you hurt?” Campbell knelt next to the car, trying not to cry with relief. At least Parker was conscious.

  “Holy shit,” Parker shouted. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  “I scared you?” Campbell shouted back. “I thought you were unconscious or—” She choked on the last word, unable to speak her worst fear.

  “I’m sorry.” Parker’s voice softened. “I’m fine. I was just catching my breath.”

  “You’re not hurt?” Campbell reached in and touched Parker’s thigh, but that wasn’t enough. She was still upset. She needed to feel her, touch her, hold her close. Campbell’s racing pulse wouldn’t return to normal until she was completely convinced that Parker was safe.

  “I’m fine. I just slid off the road and couldn’t get any traction. I was trying to decide what to do.”

  Campbell sighed in relief, the knots in her stomach starting to loosen. She stood up and examined the car again. It wasn’t going anywhere tonight. Parker got out of the car and stared at it, too.

  “We’ll have to leave it here for now,” Campbell said, “but I can tow it out tomorrow. It’ll be okay.”

  Parker nodded, and Campbell realized that while she wasn’t hurt, she was overwhelmed. Her pants were soaked from the knee down, and her long, dark hair was tangled from the wind and the snow. She needed to get Parker someplace safe and warm before the shock wore off and she crashed from exhaustion. “Come on.” She wrapped her arm around Parker’s shoulders. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  It wouldn’t be easy to get Parker back over the snowbank, but the groomer was the closest thing to comfort. So Campbell plotted the easiest path, then steadied Parker on her way up, both of them stumbling and falling. They were covered in wet, clinging snow but Parker didn’t have weather-resistant apparel, and she was shivering heavily as they slipped down the other side and waded to the groomer. Campbell placed her hands on Parker’s hips, only briefly noticing the subtle curve of skin beneath her fingers as she lifted Parker onto the tread and into the cab. She mentally chastised herself for noticing Parker’s body at a time like this, but she couldn’t stop the tingle that raced through her.

  As soon as she had the groomer’s heater running full blast, she slipped off her coat and wrapped it around Parker’s shaking shoulders. At first she seemed as though she might refuse the coat, but then she merely mumbled, “Thank you.”

  “Just hang on,” Campbell said. “We’ll be home in a minute.”

  Firing up the groomer and taking the most direct route to her house, she didn’t want to think about the fact that she had just referred to her home as though it were Parker’s as well. Just a slip of the tongue, or perhaps something more Freudian?

  After she stopped outside the small, two-story cabin less than ten yards from the edge of the trail, she hopped out and struggled through the snow to help Parker down. Each threaded an arm around the other’s waist and they stumbled up to the porch. When Campbell pushed open the door, the warmth rushed out to greet them. She kicked off her own boots as she went, then removed her coat from Parker’s shoulders on the way across the living room. “Upstairs,” she muttered as they headed for her bathroom.

  She turned on the water as hot as possible and put the stopper in the tub. “Get out of those wet clothes.”

  Parker flushed. “Campbell, I think I can take it from here.”

  Campbell blushed when she realized she had basically ordered Parker to strip in her presence. An image of Parker’s naked body flashed across her mind, and before she could stop it, her pulse quickened. “Right,” she stammered. “I’ll go get you some dry clothes and put them outside the door. Call me if you need anything,” she said, then turned to leave.

  “Campbell?”

  “Yeah?”

  The clouds of shock in Parker’s eyes had disappeared, replaced by a raw softness that made Campbell light-headed. Parker closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Campbell’s waist, pulling her close and resting her head on Campbell’s chest. The move caught her off guard because Parker didn’t seem to be the hugging type. But this felt so right, and Parker’s body fit so snugly into her own. She pulled Parker to her and shivered at how good it felt to hold her.

  “Thank you for rescuing me,” Parker whispered.

  “Anytime.” Parker had worked her way into Campbell’s heart, and after feeling the length of her body against her own, it wasn’t a sensation she’d soon forget. />
  Chapter Twelve

  When Parker finally emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, she felt infinitely better. The warm water had eradicated the bitter cold from her body, and Campbell’s steady presence had helped calm her mind. While Parker was in the bathtub, Campbell had changed into pajamas—an old pair of flannel pants and a ribbed, long-sleeved shirt. The sweatpants she had left for Parker were a few inches too long, but she’d snugged up the drawstring so they stayed firmly above her hips. Parker also wore a long-sleeved T-shirt with a Wisconsin Badger on it. She chuckled at the choice. Campbell had used up any brownie points she’d garnered during the rescue by picking that shirt.

  “Thanks for the clothes,” Parker said, a bit sarcastically.

  “It suits you,” Campbell teased back. “Why don’t you just keep it? I’ve got plenty more where that came from.”

  “Maybe I will.” Parker grinned. “I could wear it to paint in, or dust with.”

  Campbell threw back her head and laughed, and Parker was relieved they were back to their familiar banter. The shock and cold that had quieted Parker on the way to the cabin was beginning to wear off, but now she felt exhausted.

  Campbell must have read her body language because she started for the door. “You must be pretty tired after all the excitement today. I’ve changed the sheets on the bed and I’ll be right downstairs if you need—”

  “Absolutely not. I’ll take the couch. You’ve done more than you should have already.”

  “No.” Campbell shook her head as she yawned. “Sammy will be up before five tomorrow morning to go groom the rest of the slopes, and I may have to help. You need to get some sleep, and you won’t be able to do that with the two of us moving around downstairs.”

  Parker studied Campbell. She seemed exhausted, too, the lids of her piercing blue eyes getting very droopy. “I’m really not that tired.”

  “You will be soon. Why don’t you get in bed? I bet you’ll crash right away. I’m always asleep before my head hits the pillow.”

  “I doubt it,” Parker said with a shiver. “Every time I closed my eyes in the shower I could still feel myself slipping and sliding on that road.”

  Parker wondered if Campbell could sense how terrified she’d been during the wreck. Surely she knew Parker didn’t cope well with losing control.

  Finally Campbell smiled at her reassuringly. Her lips looked so full and soft that Parker wondered what they would have felt like brushing against her own if Campbell had followed through on the near kiss a week earlier. “Okay, how about this? Why don’t you get in bed, and I’ll sit with you until you fall asleep? I’ll help you keep your mind off things.”

  Parker wanted to refuse the unaccustomed help, but something about Campbell’s offer seemed so genuine and not the least bit condescending that she couldn’t say no. Instead she nodded and climbed into the double bed, snuggling under the sheets, but propping up on her elbow and a pillow.

  Parker thought she heard Campbell’s breath catch when Parker motioned for her to join her on the bed, but she shook off any further thoughts about the reaction. Campbell was just going to help her get to sleep, and then she was going downstairs. She even reclined on the other side of the bed without putting her body under the covers where she might touch Parker, which was probably for the best. If they touched again she might not be able to let Campbell leave.

  “Your house is lovely,” Parker said, trying to take her mind off the nearness of Campbell’s body. Campbell’s room reflected her personality—clean, comfortable, and completely unaffected. The walls were a non-descript cream color, but the woodwork was all original and well kept. The decorations, while simple and mostly family pictures, gave the space a homey feel. The room was on the second story, and the large windows in front of them provided a view of the slope that ran along the back of the house.

  “Thanks. It’s one of the ones my grandfather built. It’s become a sort of halfway house for his children and grandchildren. I think every one of his kids lived here at some point, and I’m sure someday Emery’s twins and Janelle’s kids will get their turn, too.”

  “So you’ll stay here until you start a family of your own?”

  “That’s the plan. I want to build my own place at some point. I even have the spot picked out, but my dad doesn’t want me to build anything new on the resort property. He’s a little resistant to change.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed that,” Parker said, “but I’m sure you’ll find the perfect place for your and your future family.”

  “I’ll work something out with my dad eventually, but whether that will be for a family or not”—Campbell shrugged, her eyes heavy, as she attempted unsuccessfully to stifle another yawn—“only time will tell.”

  A hint of sadness mixed with the weariness in Campbell’s face, and Parker thought back to their conversation in the groomer earlier that week. Perhaps Campbell was thinking about her first love again. Parker could hardly bear to watch the subtle hints of pain that creased Campbell’s gorgeous features but didn’t know how to ease them, so she lay back and stared at the ceiling. Surely Campbell hadn’t given up on the idea of a future just because it hadn’t happened on her first try. The silence stretched between them as she tried to think of something to say to help Campbell. Finally she said the only thing that felt right. “I’m sure someone will snatch you up before long. You’re too special for them not to.”

  When Campbell didn’t respond, Parker began to worry that she’d said too much. Had she made her uncomfortable, or hurt her further? When she finally got up the nerve to sneak a peek at Campbell, her worry disappeared. Campbell’s eyes were closed, her breathing soft and steady as she slept. She looked so innocent, almost cherubic. Parker quickly pulled the covers up over Campbell and switched off the bedside lamp, then studied the darkness and waited for sleep. She refused to think about how much the sight of Campbell asleep stirred her.

  *

  When Campbell awoke, the soft light of dawn was beginning to show through her window. The snow had stopped, and outside the sounds of morning spread across the mountain. She felt wonderful, better than she had all year, but it took her a moment to realize what made this day so different. The answer was right in front of her or, more accurately, pressed against her. Sometime in the night she had curled herself around Parker, her front to Parker’s back, spooning perfectly. Her arm wrapped around Parker, and her hand rested on the flat plane of Parker’s stomach, slightly under her shirt.

  Campbell lay very still for fear of waking her. She tried to control her breathing as her sleepy comfort gave way to arousal. When she breathed in their combined scents, her body betrayed her further and her nipples hardened. She fought to keep from pulling Parker tighter. Shocked at her response to their nearness, she tried to remember the last time she’d felt like this. Not since Lynn had she been so aroused, and even then her reaction wasn’t this sudden or strong. Sure, she had been attracted to women. She had a pulse, but it hadn’t raced like it did for Parker. Her reaction was specific to this woman, and the feeling was downright dangerous. If she needed merely a physical touch, she could deal with that, but having that need directed at Parker was simply too much. She was too close, the feelings too complicated.

  Campbell carefully withdrew from Parker’s waist. Struggling not to groan at the emptiness she felt, she edged off the bed. She pulled on a pair of jeans and quietly closed the bedroom door behind her, then tiptoed downstairs. Sammy, in his ski clothes and a stocking cap, sat at the bar between the kitchen and the living room sipping coffee and watching the muted weather report on TV. Wordlessly, Campbell poured herself a cup.

  “I saw the groomer out back. Did you break it?” Sammy asked, absentmindedly.

  “No, I just left it there after I brought Parker here last night.” That got his attention.

  He quickly flipped off the TV and faced her, grinning wickedly. “That was fast.”

  “She ran her car off the road last night. Got it stuck in a snowb
ank.” Campbell ignored his innuendo.

  “Is she okay?”

  “She was cold and a little shaken up, but she’ll be fine.”

  “So she stayed in your room.” Sammy’s voice took on a more suggestive tone again. “Not on the couch?”

  “It’s not what you think, Sam.” She wanted him to know that the joking was inappropriate, but then she sighed. How she felt when she woke up with her arms wrapped around Parker was probably closer to Sammy’s suggestiveness than she cared to admit. “We fell asleep while we were talking.”

  Sammy appeared skeptical but stopped teasing her. “Okay, then why don’t I finish grooming this slope? You should be here when she wakes up.”

  Campbell shook her head. “I’ll do it. I need to stop by Mom and Dad’s anyway and have them help tow her car over here so she can go home when she wakes up.”

  Sammy shrugged. “Whatever you say. I’ll hang out here until you get back.”

  “Thanks,” she said on her way out the door. She wasn’t ready to face Parker yet, but she hoped some space and some fresh air would help clear her head and, more important, calm her body.

  *

  Parker slowly stretched out and, during her gradual awakening, sensed an emptiness she couldn’t name. She rubbed her eyes, attempting to focus on her surroundings. This wasn’t her bedroom, but it felt like home. Slowly she remembered she was in Campbell’s home, Campbell’s bed, and had, up until a short while ago, been in Campbell’s arms. She flushed at the image that was half memory, half dream of sleeping soundly, wrapped in the safety and warmth of Campbell’s embrace. She had expected to sleep fitfully, given the stress of the evening and the unfamiliar setting, but in the unguarded moments of sleep, she surrendered herself to the innocent intimacy of Campbell’s touch. She sat up suddenly. She wasn’t thinking of some random woman, some stranger to seek solace in. This was Campbell—strong, sweet, sexy Campbell—with her sharp blue eyes, knee-weakening smiles, and firm muscles. Her entire body tightened in arousal.