Parker didn’t bother with a walk through the condo. There would be time for that later. At the moment, all he wanted to do was take a hot shower and crawl into bed. It would be the first time since he’d been working in the trauma unit that he would not have to worry about being awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call. The thought brought a smile to his face. He might sleep until noon, but then remembered he had to call Max and make arrangements for his truck to get towed off the mountain. That old guy, Nicholas Star, would be sure to say “I told you so” when he learned that the pickup truck hadn’t made it up the mountain as Parker had assured him it would.
After a hot shower, he dressed in sweats and a worn-out T-shirt, yet another from his college days. He let Leon out of his carrier, opened a can of smelly Chicken Delight, and filled a small cup with water. Leon had it made and didn’t even know it. Maybe Parker would come back as a cat in another life.
Right. If you believed in such garbage.
“Meow,” Leon offered after he’d finished his dinner.
“Yep, I’m tired, too,” Parker said absently.
The black and white ball of fluff pounced from the floor to the countertop. “Meow, meow!”
“Hey, I said I was tired. And I don’t think so,” he said as he scooped Leon from the countertop. “This should meet your needs.” Parker set Leon in the black leather recliner situated next to the fireplace. “Warm and comfy. What more could a guy ask for?”
Leon’s fluffy tail flapped slowly from side to side, letting Parker know he was being dismissed. Cats, he thought as he reached down to scratch his buddy between the ears. Can’t live with them, and he personally couldn’t imagine life without a feisty feline. Sort of like women. Couldn’t live with them, or without them. Though if he were honest, he’d lived just fine without one. And this brought to mind that gorgeous actress. She was sexy, easy on the eyes.
And he was not going to even think about her. Not now. Tomorrow he planned to shop for a new wardrobe in the Snow Zone, or at least something warmer than what he had on. He didn’t think the college T-shirts were going to cut it in the weather at Maximum Glide. He spent so much of his time in scrubs, he’d never given too much thought to what he wore beneath them. He’d have to at least consider making a few purchases out of necessity. Remembering that Mr. Star had said that someone with a funny name, Candy something or other, had taken care of this, he’d take a look at her selection before calling it a night.
He went in search of the ski supplies the girl had delivered. Leave it to Max. He knew him well even though it had been years since they’d seen one another. Max knew that his old friend wouldn’t have bothered replacing his skis or boots. When had there been time? he wondered, as he spied several items of heavy-duty clothing on the sofa. A red and black Spyder jacket, with matching ski pants and wool socks that promised to keep one’s feet warm in subzero temperatures. Boots that weighed as much as a small child were sure to support his ankles and keep his feet warm in the iciest conditions, too. And there were several fleece shirts and a pair of mountain boots. From the looks of it, Max’s employee hadn’t missed a bit. Three pairs of what he knew had to be top-of-the-line skis leaned against the wall. He chuckled, as he viewed the windfall. Christmas was going to be good this year. No more holidays spent caring for people who were either ill, injured, or incapacitated by their own hand—or their parents’, he couldn’t help but add, as he recalled the reason he’d needed to get away in the first place. He shook his head, thankful for Max’s generosity. The first full day there, he’d ski until he dropped and try to forget the real reason he was at Maximum Glide in the first place.
Satisfied that he’d be properly outfitted when he hit the slopes, he returned to the master suite, dropped his sweats and T-shirt on the floor, and crawled beneath the heavy comforter. Leon had situated himself on the pillow next to Parker’s the same way he did at the apartment. So much for the soft leather chair.
It had been forever since he’d slept in the nude, and he could not recall ever having slept on sheets as soft. The thread count must be up there in the thousands. Again, Max spared no expense when it came to his guests.
Guests. He couldn’t help but remember the woman who’d given him a lift up the mountain, a total stranger. Then he’d had the audacity to tell her he wasn’t out to make friends. Damn, it’d been too long since he’d been with a woman, in an intimate setting, or any setting, for that matter. If he ran into her, he would apologize, and if she didn’t tell him to go to hell, he might even ask her out for a drink. It would take his mind off that little girl who wasn’t going to be celebrating Christmas this year or any other, opening presents and screaming and shouting her delight.
With an even heavier heart, Parker slid farther beneath the plush bedding, willing himself to go to sleep and forget about events of the dreadful day.
Tossing and turning, Parker concluded sleep was not his friend that night. Normally, he could fall asleep instantly; given his profession, he had to catch a few winks when the opportunity arose. Now, there he was in that luxurious condo, nothing to keep him from doing whatever he wanted, and he could not force himself to fall asleep. Unwilling to lie in bed any longer, Parker found his sweats on the floor where he’d left them. He slipped them on and went to the kitchen in search of a late night, or in this case, an early morning snack.
Upon hearing his feet hit the floor, Leon stretched, arching his back into a V, then had the audacity to crawl into the warm spot Parker had just vacated.
Laughing as he found the kitchen, Parker realized Max had outdone himself yet again. The kitchen was all black and chrome; a man’s kitchen, Parker thought. He found a giant refrigerator filled with so much food, he had a hard time choosing.
Between fresh meats, fruit, and a variety of cheeses, he finally settled on slicing a Granny Smith apple and a few wedges of sharp cheddar. Some gourmet he was. He poured himself a large glass of milk and took everything to the living room, where he found a giant-sized television mounted on the wall. It had to be at least sixty inches if his estimate were correct. He found a remote on the table by a long, sleek, black leather couch. While the leather was a nice touch, it wasn’t him, he thought, as he sat down with his plate of food and his milk. As he munched, he surfed through hundreds of channels yet saw nothing that would grab his attention.
Without knowing or understanding why, his thoughts returned to the woman who’d driven him up the mountain to the condo. Hadn’t old Nick Star, as he was now going to refer to him, said she was an actress from New York City? What in the world is she doing out West? Or is she simply taking a vacation, like me? And alone, too.
It surprised him that someone with her good looks would be alone. Maybe she isn’t, he thought. Maybe she has a lover, boyfriend, beau, however they referred to them now, coming to meet her tomorrow. She had said she’d be on the slopes, but she really hadn’t indicated if she would be skiing solo. And, of course, he’d had to put his foot in his big-ass mouth and let her know he would not welcome any new friendships. On or off the slopes. Period. So, just like everything else in his life, he’d screwed that up before he’d even had a chance to start anything.
Normally, Parker was not one to wallow in self-pity. As a doctor, he knew you couldn’t allow your emotions to get the best of you, knew that there was a risk with all patients, even those with nothing more than a runny nose. It is what it is, he’d told himself. But in all his years as a trauma surgeon, he had never lost a child. This event had marred his vision of himself as a professional.
Then he reminded himself, before that day, he’d never had a child die on his table.
Never.
Chapter 10
Angelica jolted awake, disoriented. Seeing her surroundings brought it all back to her. She was in Colorado to ski. She’d fallen asleep on the sofa, her cup of coffee still sitting on the hearth, the Christmas tree lights still twinkling. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, tossed another log in the fireplace, then went to the dream ki
tchen, where she made another pot of coffee.
Excitement tingled in her veins for the first time in a very long time, even more so than her first time walking on stage in a semi-big production. She’d spent so many years trying to “make it” in the theater that she hadn’t focused on life’s simple pleasures as much as she should have. As she waited for the coffee to brew, she peered out the kitchen window.
A clear blue sky shone on glistening ivory snow on the mountain. Giant spruce trees, cedars, and firs of what must be every variety in the world dotted the mountainside like individual Christmas trees, their branches full and heavy with recent snow. Snow that sparkled like diamonds instead of the brown slush she was used to. Yes, the first real snowfall in the city gave Manhattan an added purity, but once it melted, the beauty became nothing more than a hassle to get through. Angelica didn’t see that where she was now. What she saw boggled the mind, the great majestic mountains serving as a protector of Mother Nature’s bounty.
Not wanting to waste another minute looking out the window, she gulped her coffee down, poured a second cup, and brought it to the master bath. She would have loved to sink into the large Jacuzzi tub but knew she would appreciate it much more when her muscles ached from a day of hard skiing. She opted for the giant shower and was mildly surprised to see there were eight showerheads, each placed at a different level, so that no part of her would be without the shower’s warm spray. Ingenious, she thought as she lathered with a grassy-smelling body wash provided by someone who knew the business. All she was lacking were a few groceries. She scrubbed and washed her hair, then dried off with a warm towel from the heating rack. She could get used to this lifestyle. Afford it, no; used to it, most definitely.
From her luggage, she removed a pair of old jeans she’d had since high school, which, fortunately, still fit. She pulled a white tank top on, then topped it with a bright yellow wool sweater. Layers always worked in the city; she didn’t know why they wouldn’t work at the ski resort. She pulled on red wool socks, then slid her feet into her worn black Uggs. She wouldn’t trade her Uggs for anything. Well, maybe a new pair, she thought as she saw that the heels were low and worn.
She piled her wet hair on top of her head, then thought better of it. The temperature was due to drop into the single digits. She found a blow-dryer in the bathroom cabinet, dried her hair, then placed it in a ponytail. It was nice not to wear a wig, or have her own hair styled in such a way that it actually hurt. No, this was perfect. Clean hair and nothing more. Again, one of the simple things in life that she’d been somewhat deprived of. Then she thought about the makeup. No wonder she was starting to see early signs of aging. She’d allowed her skin to take a brutal beating daily with stage makeup. Other than sunscreen, she was not going to put anything on her skin either. It was time to go au naturel.
Angelica finished her coffee, then turned off the pot and Christmas tree lights before heading out to her rental. Though the air was cold, it was dry, making it much more tolerable than what she was used to. She hadn’t bothered to wear her gloves or hat, deciding she wouldn’t need them since she would be inside the car except when she’d make a fast run inside the minimarket. She cranked the heat to max and was greeted with an icy blast of cool air. She clicked the fan off, allowing the engine to warm up before turning it on again. Just showed her lack of driving experience. Once she adjusted the heat control and her rearview mirror, she backed out of the narrow drive and steered the SUV downhill toward the main village at Maximum Glide.
Angelica drove carefully down the mountain. Though there was snow piled at least five feet high on either side of the road, salt covered the road itself, assuring her that someone was watching out for those slick patches of ice she did not want to become acquainted with.
She’d traveled approximately two miles when she almost ran off the road. Not from a patch of ice, but from what she saw. Slowing down to a crawl, she lowered the passenger window, straining to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing, that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her. Squinting against the bright Colorado morning sun, Angelica checked her rearview mirror for traffic, then, seeing there wasn’t any, she stopped right in the middle of the road.
“Hey,” she called out to the guy she’d taken to the penthouse condo last night.
Parker North.
He stopped and turned to look at her. When he saw her, he shook his head and stepped up to the passenger side. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” he said, his voice and attitude the complete opposite of last night’s.
“I take it you must’ve had a visit from old Scrooge himself,” she added, trying not to smile. She was not going to make this easy on him. He’d told her she looked rough, and he’d been incredibly rude to her after she’d driven him all the way to his condo.
In the early morning sun, Angelica thought him much more handsome than she had last night. His dark hair flipped up at the ends, and his eyes were a deep chocolate brown with gold flakes, making them appear as though a fire radiated from within. He wasn’t tan at all, so she could safely assume he didn’t spend too much time on the slopes. She guessed he did most of his work inside, though she had no clue exactly what kind of work he did and didn’t really care. As he’d said last night, he really wasn’t there to make friends. Well, she wasn’t either. Not really. She reminded herself she was in Colorado to relax, enjoying life’s simple pleasures while she debated her future as an actress.
He leaned against the door, peering inside the open window. Angelica was sure he was blushing. Or maybe he was about to have a heart attack from walking in this thin air and at such a high altitude. “Oh my gosh, are you okay? Get inside, quick!” Without further thought, she leaned across the bucket seats and opened the passenger door. “Hurry!”
He did as instructed but didn’t appear to be in any kind of physical distress. “Thanks, I guess I deserved that.” He hit the button to raise the window.
Angelica glanced at him. “What are you talking about?” She put the car in gear and cautiously drove down the mountain, trying to watch the road and her passenger at the same time.
“I was rude last night. I’m usually not so quick to snap a pretty girl’s head off.”
She slowed down, then stopped. “You’re not having a heart attack?” she inquired, suddenly unsure of everything that had passed between them in the past minute.
“Why would you think I’m having a heart attack? I’m not in the best of shape, but I do work out when my job allows me to.”
Angelica felt like the idiot of the month. She wasn’t sure what to say but knew she needed to say something, anything, that would get her out of the hole she worked her way into. “Uh . . . your face was red. I just thought . . . the high elevation, you know, some people have trouble with it.” If ever she sounded airheaded, it was then.
Parker North smiled, and when he smiled, Angelica thought a second sun chose that moment to shine exclusively for her. This guy had a smile that truly lit up the world, or at least her portion of it. He adjusted the heater’s vent so that it was aimed directly at his face. “Lucky for me, I don’t have any trouble. I’ve lived here most of my life.”
Yes, he’d told her something to that effect last night, but it escaped her just now.
“I need to get my truck. I tried using my cell phone to call Max but couldn’t get a signal. I figured I’d keep walking until this piece of electronic magic decided to do its thing.”
She never would’ve thought about that; her cell phone was so old, she was sure it still used the old analog system if it still existed, but he didn’t need to know this. Was he into all the new electronic gizmos? And if he was, how did he afford the stuff? You would think he would invest in a new vehicle. She knew the latest models of cell phones were quite pricey, and it hadn’t been something she’d been willing to pay outrageous sums of money for because she had a phone that worked just fine, thank you very much. She did not need all the extras. She’d learned to live in a sm
all space and on an even smaller budget all those years ago when she’d migrated from Texas to New York.
Taking a deep breath, hoping to clear the air of her idiocy, she said, “I was just on my way to the minimarket, and you’re welcome to ride with me.” She couldn’t come up with another intelligent word. She would have sworn he was looking her over in a . . . a seductive way?
Maybe the high altitude was getting to her?
Chapter 11
Focusing her attention on the road, Angelica did her best to ignore her passenger. He was charming, witty, and sexy as hell. She didn’t need his attention any more than he’d needed to make friends, but she wasn’t going to tell this to him, at least not now.
“So why aren’t you on the slopes?” Parker questioned. “I figured you’d be up with the chickens.”
She laughed. She hadn’t heard anyone use that expression since she was a kid in Texas. “My stomach is telling me it has issues to deal with. Like starvation.” Suddenly, her stomach growled, and she busted out laughing. She couldn’t help herself.
“I wish I would’ve known. I made pancakes, eggs, and sausage this morning. Had a ton of leftovers, too. Left a plate out for Leon, but he hadn’t touched it when I left. He’s peculiar.”
Was he trying to tell her something? That he’d cooked too much or that someone had cooked for him? Or was he simply making small talk? She wasn’t about to ask but hoped it wasn’t the latter—yet didn’t know why it would even matter to her as he was practically a stranger. But for some unknown reason, it did matter.
“Max filled the refrigerator with every kind of food imaginable. It’s been a while since I cooked a meal for myself. It’s harder to cook for one person than a crowd, don’t you agree?”
Again, Angelica wondered if there was an underlying meaning to his question. Was he asking her in a roundabout way if she was involved, or committed? Or was he simply making small talk until they reached the bottom of the mountain? It didn’t matter either way, she thought as she stepped hard on the brake, finding that the road practically nosedived for a few feet before leveling out. She was no more in the market for a relationship than he was. He could be married with ten children for all she knew.
A Winter Wonderland Page 5