Luckily for Ashley there was no one else on that particular run. Nick stood and watched as she finally slowed her heart-stopping drop downward. She moved into a leisurely curving S down the side of the mountain, looking for all the world as though she was enjoying herself, instead of battling a heavy snowfall that could cause all kinds of damage if she hit something covered by the new snow.
The fact that she made it without a problem did not endear her to him at all. However, at the moment, he was just damned glad to see her safe.
He stood and waited, knowing that she would have to pass by his location on her way to the lodge. It was only when she got closer that he saw her white face. He knew exactly when she spotted him. She called out to him. “Oh, Nick, am I ever glad to see you!” she said, and skied over to one of the benches, where she dropped, exhausted. She removed her goggles with fumbling fingers and began to tug at the straps of her skis.
Nick sat down beside her and took off his skis, then he knelt in front of her and gently brushed her hands away from hers. With an economy of movement he removed hers, as well.
“I didn’t know what to do,” she said, sounding Breathless. “I missed one of the turns on the trail, then I couldn’t see anything, it was snowing so hard.” She brushed tendrils of hair away from her eyes. “After a while I came across one of the restaurants up there, so I stopped for a few minutes to get warm.” She was still out of breath and trying to cover the fact that she was shaking. “Then it seemed as though a break came because the snow lessened and the visibility cleared. I knew I had to go right then, fast as I could, before I lost my nerve and the visibility went back to zero.”
Nick stood, then pulled her up and handed her skis to her. He turned and gathered up his, then dropped his arm around her shoulders. Neither one of them spoke during the walk to the chalet. Once there, Nick placed their equipment in the storage area.
Only then did he speak to her. “I think we need to get you warm,” he said brusquely. “The lodge has a big fire going and plenty of hot drinks. I think that’s where everyone else is.”
She shivered, than laughed with more than a hint of shakiness.
“I don’t think it’s the cold as much as nerves.” She looked back toward the run she had recently come off, which was now veiled in a heavy white curtain of snow. “I can’t believe I got down that mountain in one piece.”
“Neither can I,” he said in a low voice. Once again he placed his arm around her shoulders and headed toward the lodge.
Only then did Ashley seem to realize that she was allowing him to touch her. She stiffened, and Nick figured she would pull away from him. Instead, she relaxed against him. She shook her head as though to clear it, then lifted her gaze to meet his.
“I bet you’re furious with me,” she said, sounding weary.
“Oh, yeah. Big-time furious.” He kept his voice low, almost gentle. “You scared the hell out of me, I don’t mind admitting to you. I went back up looking for you. I don’t know which is worse, really. I sure as hell didn’t want to find you lying somewhere hurt, but not spotting you anywhere didn’t mean you hadn’t been injured…or worse.”
She sighed. “I know. I certainly didn’t do this on purpose.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
The double doors into the recreation area of the lodge swung open in front of them and several skiers came out chatting with each other and heading for their vehicles. Nick stepped back and motioned her through the doors, then followed her inside.
He nodded toward the conversation pit, which was built around one of the massive fireplaces radiating an enormous amount of heat.
“Wait over there while I get you some coffee. Or would you prefer hot chocolate?”
“Coffee’s fine,” she replied. He watched her sink wearily into the comfort of a padded chair. She held out her hands toward the boisterous fire.
Nick turned away, grateful that she would soon be able to shrug off this morning’s scare.
Ron met him at the bar. “I hear you misplaced our gal this morning.” He glanced over to where Ashley sat. “She looks okay now. How are you doing?”
Nick leaned his elbow on the bar and rubbed his forehead. “It was definitely not one of my finer moments. I’m just glad she wasn’t hurt.”
“What happened?”
“Damned if I know. She was skiing down the mountain in front of me, then I lost sight of her during a flurry of snow, and when I looked back to where she’d been, she was nowhere in sight.”
“Did you think someone had grabbed her?”
“That thought never entered my mind. Which I guess is a good thing. No, I figured she was enjoying one of her stupid games, playing hide-and-seek or something.”
“Was she?”
“If so, she had the fear of God instilled in her by the time she showed up. If she wasn’t so good on skis, this could have turned ugly.”
“So why don’t you let me take over for a while? I think you need a break.”
Nick rubbed his hand down over his face. “Good idea. Thanks.”
The bartender set a cup of coffee on the bar and Nick paid for it, then nodded to the cup, saying, “She’s all yours, Ron. I’d just as soon not have to deal with her for the next few hours.”
Ron nodded. “Fair enough. Looks as though I won’t have to convince her to stay off the slopes for the rest of the day.”
They both turned and saw the snow blowing almost horizontally past the wide windows overlooking the ski runs.
A babble of voices caused them to look back at the conversation pit, where Ashley now was surrounded by her friends, all trying to talk at once. Nick watched Craig pull her into his arms and hold her. Then he kissed her.
Nick idly noted she wasn’t pushing him away. He shook his head and walked away. He definitely could use a break.
Ashley glanced up when Nick returned with the coffee only to discover that it wasn’t Nick at all. “Hi, Ron. I thought you were Nick.” She took the cup and eagerly wrapped her fingers around its warm surface.
Craig continued to sit on the side of her chair, his arm around her. “Then we need to have your eyes checked, honey. Your guardians have their own distinctive appearance and are not easily confused for the other.”
The other four chuckled nervously. Erin spoke up. “That was really scary, Ashley. Everyone was very worried about you.”
Nothing like adding to her guilt, Ashley thought. She needed to apologize to Nick, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. She glanced over at Ron, who had found a seat nearby. “What happened to Nick?”
“He had somethings he needed to do. How are you feeling?”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, now. But I sure don’t want that to happen again anytime soon.” She glanced around at her friends. “So. What are we going to do with the rest of the day? It’s almost time for lunch. Any ideas how we should spend the afternoon?”
There was an immediate discussion of all the possibilities. Ashley didn’t really care. She sat back and watched the others. Right now she didn’t have the energy to move out of the chair she was sitting in. But maybe after a good lunch, she would feel better.
She kept remembering how relieved she’d been when she recognized Nick waiting for her. He’d looked safe and solid, standing there waiting for her. She hadn’t cared what sort of lecture he delivered. Even though she hadn’t deliberately set out to get lost, she probably deserved anything he had to say.
She kept remembering how she’d felt when he’d held her close against his side for that walk between the chalet and the lodge. She’d felt his heart beating at a rapid pace, almost racing. He hadn’t immediately started lecturing her, although he had made his thoughts quite clear on the subject of her disappearance. However, he’d continued to hold her. And he hadn’t raised his voice.
Nick’s concern had been very real. Of course, it was his job to look after her. There was no reason to read anything into his behavior. What surprised her was how safe and protected she’
d felt. All of her animosity toward him was gone.
“What about you, Ashley?” Joe asked. “What do you want to do?”
She grinned and jumped up from her chair. “That’s easy. I want to eat. I’m starved!”
They all laughed at her and made a general exodus into the dining area, where once again an appetizing array of food had been spread to tempt the guests and visitors at the lodge.
By the time lunch was over, Ron had volunteered to drive them to town, where the women intended to look at all the shops, and the men planned to find a movie theater.
They headed back to the chalet to change clothes. Ashley felt better once she’d gotten some food inside of her. She wondered if Nick had eaten, then couldn’t believe she was actually worrying about him.
Once they reached the chalet, everyone was in a hurry to get ready for an afternoon adventure in town. Ashley decided she might go to a movie, instead of shopping. She was fairly certain that Ron would appreciate her choice!
Nick headed for the chalet as soon as he left the lodge. Thank God Ron had decided to take over. He didn’t want to dwell on all that could have happened to Ashley. The fact was that she was safe and had received a good scare. Perhaps it had been inevitable, but he wished that he hadn’t lost track of her on the slopes.
As soon as he reached the chalet, he decided to warm up with a shower. Later he dressed, stretched out on the sofa and closed his eyes.
He was still there when Ron walked in an hour later.
“You okay?” Ron asked.
“Oh, I’m all right,” he replied, sitting up and stretching. “What’s the plan now?”
“I’m taking them into town. They may see a movie or something. I’ll stay with her this afternoon. No need for you to tag along.” Ron sat down on the sofa across from Nick. “You missed out on a great lunch. Why don’t you go on over and get something before the buffet closes?”
Nick stood, arching his back in another stretching motion. He’d changed into jeans and one of his heavy sweaters. Since he didn’t intend to stay out in the weather any longer than it took to walk over to the lodge, he figured he was adequately dressed. “Sounds good. I may do that.”
While he was at the lodge, he might give Sam a call to see if he’d like to get together this afternoon. They could stay here at the chalet and visit. It would be more private than the bar at the lodge, not to mention having the place to themselves for a few hours. The idea was more than a little appealing.
Nick was at the door a couple of hours later when Sam pulled up in his midsize sedan. He stood in the open doorway and watched Sam walk up the snowy path to the door.
“This is really a mess today, isn’t it?” Sam commented, brushing snow off his coat as he stepped inside. “I guess the storm canceled the skiing plans.”
“I don’t think it matters to these guys. They’re off doing something else. Ah, for the resilience of youth.” He motioned Sam to follow him into the kitchen, where fresh coffee was waiting.
Sam Masters was thirty-eight years old, but looked several years younger. His white-blond hair and clear blue eyes reflected his north-European ancestry.
“How do you like working here in Colorado?” Nick asked, placing a steaming cup in front of Sam and sitting down across from him.
“I’ve had worse assignments. Remember that winter we were in Amsterdam?” Sam shivered at the word.
Nick grinned. “Oh, I don’t know. I have some rather fond memories of the place myself.”
“But then, you could always find a warm port in any cold area, as I recall. Do you ever hear anything from Brigit these days?”
“Not since a letter a couple of years ago informing me she was marrying into a wealthy banking family and hoped I wouldn’t do or say anything to embarrass her regarding her past.”
Sam threw his head back and laughed. “Not too tactful, but she got her point across.”
The phone rang, the first time Nick had heard the instrument since they’d arrived. Not many people knew they were here.
“Excuse me a moment,” he said, walking across to the wall phone. “Hello,” he said cautiously.
“May I speak to Ashley, please?” came a pleasant voice that Nick instantly recognized.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Sullivan, but Ashley and her friends have gone to town. We’re having some heavy snow at the moment, and they had to forsake the slopes.” He paused, then added, “This is Special Agent Logan. May I give her a message?”
“Oh. Well, yes, please. Ask her to call me when she gets back. We’ve been missing her and I just wanted to make certain she’s happy with her decision. I want her to know that she can still join us on the coast if she wants.”
Nick smiled, but made certain his voice was suitably neutral. “I’ll certainly have her call you, Mrs. Sullivan.”
“No matter how late she comes in, all right?”
“Of course.”
Nick hung up the phone and returned to his seat at the table.
“A worrying mother, I take it?”
“Aren’t they all? My mother still frets about me for one thing or another.”
Sam chuckled. “If she only knew some of the scrapes you’ve been in, she’d have real cause to fret.”
Nick leaned back in the comfortable seat and sighed. “I’m glad you were able to get away today, Sam. It feels good to be off duty, even if it’s only for a few hours.”
“It was good to hear from you. As I told you on the phone, it’s my day off and I’d already decided there wasn’t much to do with weather like this. Besides, I’m eager to hear the real scoop on this latest transfer of yours.”
Nick gave him a puzzled look. “Scoop? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t give me that, Logan. This is me you’re talking to. With your background and experience, it makes sense they’d use you to chase down the rumors.”
Nick shook his head in bewilderment. “Sam, I’m afraid you’ve lost me. What the hell are you talking about?”
Sam threw up his hands. “Okay, sorry to have brought it up. If you can’t talk about it, I understand. I hope to hell you can get to the bottom of this thing before somebody gets hurt. There’s already talk that Colin’s death was no accident.”
Nick studied the man across from him with narrowed eyes. “Why would there be speculation about that?”
Sam shrugged. “Several theories are being tossed around. Maybe he learned too much and couldn’t be trusted to keep it to himself. I happen to know that some big bills have been flashed around lately. I made the mistake of asking about a co-worker’s recent windfall a few weeks ago. The next day I was exiled out here. So somebody with clout is behind this.”
“You’re talking about men in our ranks?”
“Yep.”
Nick leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “I find that hard to believe. Do you have any idea where the money’s coming from?”
“Nope, but I figure once we know that, we’ll know why. It’s got to be something really big or they wouldn’t have worked to in filtrate our group.”
“Have you reported your suspicions, Sam?”
“And get myself killed by choosing the wrong one to tell? Hell, as far as I’m concerned, I’m reporting it to you. You were my commanding officer at one time, the only person I have no trouble trusting.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re saying that it’s possible that some of our agents are working for someone else, as well? Who’s the target?”
“When I saw you at the airport yesterday, I assumed it was the first daughter. Why else would you be assigned to watch over her?”
“The president specifically requested me to be here since I’m familiar with the area. I don’t think it had anything to do with a sinister plot.”
Sam shrugged. “Maybe my paranoia is getting the best of me, then.”
“I’d like to think so, but I’ll admit you’ve got me worried. I believe in your hunches. So let’s look at this. If some
thing is planned, why would it be directed toward Ashley?”
“Because the best way to control the president is to have control of a member of his family.”
Nick didn’t like the sound of this, not at all. Because it made a certain amount of sense, and yet…
“You’re talking about traitors within the White House detail? The very men who are sworn to protect the president and his family with their lives?”
“I think someone has been bribed enough to forget his allegiance. The real kicker is to find out who is behind it. I can’t get a whisper on that one.”
The sounds of slamming doors and voices reached them through the window, and Nick realized the crew had returned. He also noticed for the first time that it had stopped snowing.
“Looks like you’ve got to get back to work, huh?” Sam said, standing and stretching.
“I appreciate your coming by, especially on your day off. I’m glad you trusted me enough to warn me about all of this, although what I can do about it is anybody’s guess.”
“Look at it this way, Nick. If you aren’t part of their plan, then you may very well be the monkey wrench in the works.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I happen to know that nobody expected the daughter to be away from her family at this particular time. In fact, most people still think she’s on that yacht with the rest of them. Having you with her is the best thing that could have happened for her safety.”
“If what you say is true, then it’s more likely that whoever is behind this is planning something where the family is concerned. Do you know who on the detail will be with them on the yacht?”
“Nope. Like I said, I was sent out here a few weeks ago. Not much filters to this part of the country.” He met Nick’s gaze. “All I’m saying to you is to watch your back and to trust no one.”
Nick studied Sam for a long silent moment before asking, softly, “You included?”
Sam shrugged. “That’s up to you, of course. I figure I owe you this much. I wouldn’t be here today if you hadn’t bailed me out of a couple of tight places. I don’t forget things like that.”
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