Christmas Magic on the Mountain

by Melissa McClone

  Almost as tasty as Sean’s kiss.

  She grinned, wanting more, more snowflakes, more kisses. But kisses were too complicated. Sticking with snow was the smarter, safer option. She looked up at the sky and opened her mouth.

  Warmth cocooned Sean as he lay on the sofa. He kept his eyes closed, ignoring the pressure in his legs and the crick in his back. He rarely slept in late, but drifting back asleep sounded like a good idea this morning. He’d been dreaming of riding powder with a pretty brunette with long hair.

  Zoe.

  As he pulled the blanket up under his chin so he could return to his dream, something tickled his nose. Coffee. Good coffee based on the robust aroma. After days of awful hospital sludge, the scent teased him fully awake. His dream would have to wait.

  Sean opened his eyes.

  Leave it to Zoe to know exactly how to kick off his first full day at home. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

  Rising slightly on his elbows, he glanced toward the kitchen. No lights were on, but he saw the coffeemaker on the counter. Zoe wasn’t there. He felt a twinge of disappointment. She must be upstairs.

  The boot felt awkward. He adjusted one of the pillows beneath his left leg to get more comfortable.

  The play of light and shadow through the wide glass windows snared his attention. He glanced outside at the falling snow and saw Zoe.

  Zoe…dancing?

  In her pajamas, a thin lavender tank and a pair of flannel bottoms. With her arms outstretched, she dipped and twirled.

  Surrounded by falling snowflakes, she reminded him of a ballerina in a snow globe. Snow clung to her wet hair. She was barefoot, too.

  He sat upright, ignoring the ache in his legs.

  Showtime was over. She had to be freezing out there. That deck got slippery when wet. What if she fell?

  “Zoe,” he shouted, but she didn’t hear him.

  Sean reached for his walker. He wasn’t comfortable using it yet, but Zoe needed to be inside where it was warm.

  Standing up proved harder than Sean thought it would be. Twice he fell back on the couch, wincing. On the third try, he found his footing.

  He ignored the dull throb in his legs. He tried to move faster, but couldn’t. The muscles in his forearms strained as Sean supported himself with the walker. He steadied himself with one hand and opened the back door with the other.

  Her bare feet stood on the snow-covered deck. Wet flannel clung to her skin, accentuating the curve of her hip and round bottom.

  Sean grimaced, a combination of pain and arousal. “Zoe.”

  She swirled around, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her wet lavender tank plastered against high, round breasts and beaded nipples. “Sean.”

  Desire hit hard and fast. The pressure in his legs was nothing compared to the ache in his groin. “Get inside before you freeze.”

  His voice sounded rough, on edge.

  Zoe hurried into the house, closing the door behind her. Goose bumps covered her bare arms. The cotton, sticking to her body like a second skin, left nothing to his imagination.

  She looked…really hot. And cold. Her wet feet left damp marks on the floor.

  “Careful,” he said huskily. “Don’t slip.”

  “I didn’t realize you were awake. You shouldn’t be up.” Concern filled Zoe’s voice. “Are you in pain? You still have about fifteen minutes before you can take your medicine.”

  No medicine was going to help him now. His gaze continued to linger, his body responding to the memory of his dream and the closeness of her body. She smelled like woman and snow…

  Cool it, Hughes.

  She was living with him. She worked for him. He shouldn’t leer. “Grab the blanket off the couch and warm yourself up.”

  “Let me make you breakfast—”

  “Please, Zoe.” Desperation filled his voice. Blood was rushing where he didn’t want it to go. “For both our sakes.”

  Zoe wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “Standing can’t be good for you.”

  Lusting after his caretaker wasn’t good for him, either. Sean hobbled to a chair, trying hard not to lose his balance, and sat. He felt immediate relief in his legs. If only he could get the same relief in other parts of his body.

  Don’t think about that, he told himself.

  “You shouldn’t be outside dressed like that.” Sean put on his team leader face. “It’s too cold. You could become hypothermic.”

  She raised her chin. “I appreciate the concern, but I wasn’t out there that long.”

  “Long enough. Your pajamas are soaked through.” And practically see-through, he thought.

  Zoe opened the blanket and glanced down. “Oops.”

  He would have used another word.

  She met his gaze with a rueful grin. “Well, I guess since I’ll be seeing you half-dressed it’s only fair you got to see a little of me.”

  He wanted to see a lot more. She had a killer body. She also had an easy confidence and humor that he liked a lot.

  She shivered.

  “You need to warm up,” he said.

  “A cup of coffee will do the trick.” She retreated into the kitchen with the blanket around her. “Would you like one?”

  “Please.” He watched her pour coffee into two mugs. “What were you doing out there, anyway?”

  “There were two deer in your backyard.”

  “Deer?”

  “You know, Bambi,” she explained.

  Sean hadn’t thought of Bambi since he was six. “There are lots of deer around here.”

  “Well, I’m not used to seeing them, so I went outside to get a closer look.” A thoughtful smile formed on her lips. “Oh, Sean, you should have seen them. Velvety horns and dark eyes. Simply beautiful. And then all of a sudden, it started to snow. These perfect little snowflakes just floated down. I half expected to hear music play. It was that…”

  Her wistful tone intrigued him. “What?”

  She looked outside where snowflakes fell in a sheet of white. “Magical. The way Christmastime should be.”

  Zoe sounded like a Hallmark greeting card. Normally he hated sappy sentiments, but he found the words attractive coming from her.

  “I’m sorry you had to come after me,” she added.

  “But you’re not sorry for going outside to see the deer.”

  She pursed her lips. “No, I’m not.”

  He appreciated her honesty. “When Denali’s here, deer keep their distance. But you should see a few more before she gets home,” Sean said. “But next time you go outside put on shoes and a coat. A hat and gloves, too.”

  She nodded. “Do you want your coffee at the chair or couch?”

  “The couch,” he said. “But I’m going to wash up first.”

  As Sean stood, he felt off balance and nearly fell.

  Zoe ran from the kitchen to his side. “I’ll help.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  “I’m sure you do, but you have to be sore and your medication is wearing off. Don’t forget, you’re paying me to help. It wouldn’t be right to accept a salary if I wasn’t doing my job.”

  He’d hired her to keep his parents off his back more than to play nursemaid. “Suit yourself.”

  Zoe didn’t say a word, but remained with him. When he reached the bathroom, Sean negotiated himself inside with less effort than it had taken last night. Not a lot of progress, but he’d take it.

  At the sink, he stared at the row of toiletries laid out conveniently on the counter: washcloth, towel, shaving cream, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste and comb. He stared at Zoe. “You did this.”

  She nodded. “Last night.”

  Her actions touched him. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s get your shirt off.”

  His temperature spiked higher. He gripped the handles of the walker. He wanted her to undress him. And he wanted to undress her. But…

  “Don’t be modest,” she said.

  Sean pressed the walker and himself close
to the sink. She must have no idea what she was doing to him. Or maybe she did. He glanced at her. No, she didn’t seem the type to purposely tease a man. All she wanted to do was help him.

  Maybe her help would extend past her caretaker duties. He’d be game. “Go ahead.”

  Zoe tucked the blanket under her arms. As she raised the hem of his T-shirt, her knuckles grazed his skin. His tingling nerve endings stood at alert.

  “Let’s try one hand at a time,” she suggested.

  He let go of the walker with his left hand and pulled it through the armhole.

  “Other one,” she said.

  He did and soon stood shirtless with Zoe right behind him.

  She tilted her chin. “Was that so hard?”

  He shook his head, not trusting his voice.

  Awareness buzzed through him. He tried to think of something to kill his attraction, but all he could see was Zoe in her wet pajamas. He swallowed. “What’s next?”

  “I can handle the rest,” Sean said between clenched teeth. Not even the blanket was keeping his fantasies at bay. He needed her to go away and get dressed ASAP.

  “Go change into dry clothes,” he added. “And can you grab me some clean clothes to put on while you’re upstairs? Shorts and T-shirts are in my dresser.”

  “I can’t leave you alone.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t—”

  “I need clothes to wear.” He was losing his patience.

  “Okay.” She lowered the toilet seat cover. “I’ll run upstairs if you promise to sit here until I return.”

  “Zoe.”

  “Sean.”

  He needed to get her out of here before she realized the effect she was having on him, so he sat.

  “I’m leaving the door cracked,” she said.

  She acted as if she was his babysitter, not a woman attracted to a man. “Is that necessary?”

  “Yes, and I promise I won’t peek,” she said light heartedly.

  “You’re more polite than me.”

  Smart, Zoe, really smart.

  Upstairs, she peeled off her wet pajamas. She really needed to think before she acted.

  Zoe dried off with a towel from the upstairs bathroom, stepped into a pair of panties and clasped her bra.

  Seeing the deer had made her happy. Sean, however, didn’t look happy with her at all. At least he hadn’t chastised her like her mother had when those photos of her topless at a beach on the Côte d’Azur made the rounds in the tabloids and on the Internet this summer.

  She pulled a sweater over her head.

  Still, this wasn’t the impression she wanted to make with him. Sean hadn’t hidden his interest. She was interested in him, too. And she hadn’t had to take off his T-shirt and see his muscular chest and abs to realize it.

  But she would have to ignore the physical attraction between them. She had to be responsible. She was Sean’s caretaker, his pretend girlfriend. Anything more would be a really bad idea.

  She only hoped he agreed.

  Sean.

  Zoe needed to get back downstairs pronto. She wiggled into a pair of jeans, pulled on a pair of socks and rushed into Sean’s bedroom. She’d been in such a hurry getting the pillows and later his toiletries, she hadn’t taken a good look at his room before.

  A navy blue comforter covered a king-size bed. The nightstands and dresser matched the slotted headboard. A painting of Mount Hood hung on the wall. A digital alarm clock and lamp set on one of the nightstands. Books—Freedom of the Hills, Classic Climbs of the Northwest—and a snowboarding magazine were stacked on the other.

  Masculine, yet comfortable.

  A lot like Sean.

  Zoe opened his top drawer to find neatly folded underwear—boxer-briefs and boxers. She grabbed a pair of green plaid ones. The next drawer contained socks, which she took even though he hadn’t asked for any. Another had T-shirts so she grabbed a white one. In the bottom drawer, she found a pair of navy shorts.

  She returned downstairs.

  Things had not gone well so far. Zoe had to put the morning behind her and show Sean she could take care of him. Looking on the bright side, at least things could only go up from here.

  Sean sat in the bathroom, waiting. His heart pounded against his ribs.

  Forget the injuries to his legs and head. Zoe was the one who would do him in.

  Ignoring her order to stay seated, he awkwardly positioned himself in front of the sink and splashed cold water on his face. A cold shower would be better, but he didn’t have that option. At least washing off would cool him down and help get himself back together.

  A mix of emotions swirled through him.

  Anger, annoyance, arousal.

  You know, Bambi.

  Amusement.

  Sean laughed. He couldn’t be upset at Zoe. She’d admitted she was impulsive. He’d just experienced it in action. Life would never be boring with her. That was for sure.

  He liked her. He appreciated her thoughtfulness at setting out his toiletries. He liked the way little things, such as wildlife or snowfall, excited her. She made him smile and feel better. He wanted to return the favor though he wasn’t sure how to do that.

  Maybe in a couple of days when he felt better he could convince her to play doctor. He grinned. Her impulsiveness could turn out to be a good thing in the long run.

  He caught his reflection in the mirror and frowned.

  Damn. Even after three weeks of climbing in Patagonia, he hadn’t looked this grungy. Sean combed his fingers through his hair. It didn’t help.

  Forget playing doctor. Zoe wasn’t going to want to be anywhere near him. Ignoring the throbbing in his legs, Sean brushed his teeth.

  No pain, no gain. The phrase summed up ice climbing, where scaling a waterfall of ice in the biting cold made calves whine and shoulder and back muscles burn. The words fit his situation now.

  Sean balanced his weight by resting a hip against the walker. He rubbed shaving cream on his face and ran the razor across the whiskers.

  “You’re supposed to be sitting down.”

  Uh-oh. Zoe didn’t sound happy.

  Sean turned to the sound of her voice. She stood in the doorway with his clothes in the crook of her arm. A green V-neck sweater fit tightly across her chest and her jeans accentuated the curve of her hips.

  The air in the bathroom seemed to crackle with attraction.

  Forcing himself not to stare, Sean rinsed his razor. “I have to look in the mirror to shave.”

  “You shouldn’t be standing.”

  “You shouldn’t be peeking.”

  She gave his bare chest the once-over. Approval filled her eyes. He stood taller.

  “I couldn’t help myself,” she said after a long moment.

  That brought another smile to his face. Maybe Zoe liked scruffy, rugged types. “Irresistible, huh?”

  Her assessing gaze made him feel as if he were under a microscope. “Not really.”

  He nearly nicked his face. Women usually flocked to him. “You like pretty boys.”

  “If you were any prettier, you’d have to change your name to Shauna,” Zoe said. “It has nothing to do with how you look. I know being injured must be hard, but if you’re not careful you could fall and hurt yourself more. I don’t want that to happen.”

  “I can take care of myself,” he said stiffly.

  “Then you don’t need me.”

  She was stronger than he expected. Smarter, too. He’d played right into her hand.

  “I do.” He repositioned the walker and sat. “I just…” The concern on her face made him feel like a jerk. “I’m used to being the one helping people.”

  “You are helping,” she said. “You’re helping me.”

  He looked down at his useless legs. “Yeah, right.”

  “It’s true.”

  Sean didn’t need her pity. “I have no problem relying on climbing partners when I’m on the mountain or at a crag. There I can pull my own weight. But
here…”

  In his own home. In the bathroom.

  He shook his head.

  “Let’s talk about here. At your house and at the hospital. You gave me a job.” Zoe touched his shoulder. Her warm, soft skin sent a burst of heat rushing through him.

  “A job to keep me from having to live with my parents.”

  She shrugged. “That’s one way to look at it. We might be using each other, but we’re also helping each other. The day we met, Thanksgiving, I only had enough money to buy a lift ticket or food, not both. I had no idea where I would go next or what I would eat that day.”

  “Yet you decided to ride.”

  Zoe nodded, her eyes dark. “I chose one family Thanksgiving tradition over another. Not the most financially responsible decision I’ve ever made.”

  “It’s a decision I would have made if I’d been in your shoes,” he admitted. “Actually I have made that same decision when I was younger.”

  Except Sean had a family he could fall back on, a family that would have never let him go hungry even if he spent every dollar he made on snowboarding and starting his own company.

  He remembered what she’d said about being estranged from her family. She must really miss them if she wanted to keep their traditions alive so badly she would go hungry. “So what’s the deal with your family?”

  She shrugged.

  “You miss them.”

  “Sometimes,” she admitted. “But I don’t miss being judged. My mother and brothers…”

  Sean wondered about her father. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  He didn’t press, even though he was curious. He respected her privacy. She would tell him more when she was ready.

  “Anyway,” she continued, “I’m really happy I chose to ride that day because I got to meet you. You gave me a lift, an invite to dinner, a job and a place to stay. H-E-L-P, in case you need me to spell it out for you.”

  Sean hadn’t thought of it that way. “I can see your point.”

  “Good.” Her smile widened. “Now maybe you’ll let me do something for you.”

  Her generosity of spirit—and her offer—took his breath away. He could think of lots of things he wanted her to do for him. “What did you have in mind?”

  She blushed. “How about breakfast?”

  Baby steps. That was what the doctor had said. The same strategy applied to Zoe. Sean grinned. “I am hungry. Maybe you could fix us both something while I finish washing up.”