That’s exactly what she’d never let herself be. Ever. At least not ever again. No, she’d learned her lesson the first—and last—time she became someone’s doormat.
Thank you for the reminder. This is why I say no to you.
Her attention was forced back toward the top of the hill as she noticed it approaching faster than she was ready for. This was it. Time to get off safely or fail miserably trying. If getting on the lift was terrifying, getting off was bound to be a million times worse.
Oh god. Dear God, please don’t let me fall off the lift.
Before she could panic too much, ground appeared beneath her feet and William was already off the seat and pulling her with him. The whole thing ended before she could tell him to let her ride it back down to the bottom.
“This way,” he said, skiing away from her, making it look easy.
How is he doing that?
Watching William ski away for a couple of seconds, she tried to get a feel for his movements as he made the skis go in the direction he wanted. She gingerly planted a pole into the snow and tried to use it to propel herself forward.
She budged an inch, hardly even far enough to consider it actual movement.
“Wait up.” She prayed her voice would carry to William who seemed to be getting further and further away. “Damn it,” she muttered, pulling herself forward with her pole like it was an oar and she was a canoe.
Straining against the pole, Amelia tightened her jaw in concentration, groaning against the resistance of the snow. Wasn’t skiing supposed to be smooth and flowing, not stuck and stationary? Admitting defeat and feeling strangely at peace, she decided to abandon ship—canoe…whatever. She was done.
One, this wasn’t working. And two, judging by the snickers and fingers pointing in her direction, she assumed she must also look like a complete idiot. Just what she needed to start the first day of her weekend from Hell.
She looked around, contemplating her situation. Amelia sighed and rubbed her forehead with a gloved hand. She’d quit, except for one little problem. She currently stood at the top of the mountain with no visible way down but to ski.
Damn.
Somehow, regardless of how much she wanted to give up, she had to keep trying—at least long enough to find William and a way off this mountain that didn’t involve an ambulance or an air evacuation crew.
Amelia straightened her spine and adjusted her jacket, in an attempt to appear as if she knew exactly what she was doing. It didn’t seem to be working. Maybe it would help if she didn’t feel like a complete bumbling idiot, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. How could she have let William convince her this was a safe slope to try? She should have gone straight to the bunny hill.
Giving up, she grabbed both poles and slipped her hands through the loops, then wrapped her fingers around the handle, gripping the poles tightly. She planted each of the poles into the hard packed snow on either side of her skis, slightly forward from her center of gravity. Then moving her right leg forward a little, she slid the ski toward where William had disappeared. She did the same thing with the left ski. Little by little she made progress toward William and the others who were surely waiting for her by now.
I’m doing it.
She gave herself a mental pat on the back and sang a little cheer in her head as she inched along the top of the hill. A feeling of pride and bravery flared to life inside her as she made little strides forward. She glanced around to see if anyone still watched her, reveling in the satisfaction of figuring out how to ski all on her own.
You go girl.
The snow sparkled in the sunlight as she took in the length of the ski run in front of her. She hadn’t realized how dangerously close she was to the edge. Her head spun as she peered down the slope of a steep hill. Very steep. Her head began to swirl faster as vertigo set in and she forced her eyes forward.
Oh no. Don’t look down, idiot. That is not your run. Yours will be tame. Little bunnies will be nibbling on bright pink berries along the edges as their little bunny babies cheer you on to the safety of the chalet below... Or I’ll die a horrible death as the little bunnies watch and laugh their fuzzy little bunny asses off.
Amelia pushed herself to move further along. She could see the rest of the group now. They’d been close the whole time and she just hadn’t realized.
Great. They probably all watched me make a fool of myself too.
She glanced around trying to spot William, but couldn’t tell who the hell anyone was beneath the ski gear. She finally spotted him smiling in her direction. At least his smile was distinctive.
“Thanks for the help getting over here,” she said. “You realize when I said I don’t know how to ski, I wasn’t just meaning the chairlift part. I kind of meant the whole thing, start to finish.”
He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against his side. “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t realize. I wondered what was taking you so long, but then I figured you wanted to see the view for a while or something.”
Babe?
She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that endearment coming out of his mouth. Although, she had to admit to herself he was cute even if she wasn’t sure she wanted to date him. And when he smiled one of his best smiles at her like that, it made it really hard to stay mad at him.
That must be how he always weasels his way out of trouble with the girls—with Sarah in human resources.
Amelia peered down the slope of the run they were standing at the top of as she waited for things to get started with the workshop activity. It seemed steeper than the others she passed along her way. Was steeper even possible? How much steeper could it get?
“What’s wrong?” Concern filled his voice. His grip on her tightened as she swayed on her skis.
“I—that.” She nodded in the direction of the ski run. “It’s so steep. I can’t, I can’t go down that.”
William’s brow creased. “It’s okay, really. It only looks bad, but this is an easy run.”
“Really?” She squeaked the word unintentionally. “Easy? You’re not lying to me so I’ll be lulled into a false sense of security and try it?”
William laughed. “I’m not lying, honest. It only seems bad because the sun is reflecting off of it, creating a weird illusion that makes it look worse than it really is. It’s practically a bunny hill.”
“Practically a bunny hill run isn’t the same as an actual bunny hill run.”
“I promise it’s fine,” he said with a grin.
Amelia wasn’t so sure she believed him, but she didn’t have many other options at the moment. “I can’t go back down the lift, can I?” she asked in her last feeble attempt to find herself an alternate route off the top of the mountain. She just wanted to get back to the chalet in one piece at this point and she didn’t care how that happened.
“Nope. Sorry, babe. You came up, now you gotta go down.”
Ugh.
“Walking?”
“Nope. Skiing.”
“Rescue crew snowmobile?”
He shook his head and grinned. “Emergencies only I’m afraid.”
Damn it.
She sighed. “Fine.”
“Can I have your attention for a moment,” came Nate’s deep voice, warming the cold in Amelia’s frosty cheeks. The blush in her cheeks was immediate as her body deceived her secret desire to be wrapped in a blanket with his voice—his body would be pretty good too.
“I’d like to say a few things before we get started,” he continued. “I brought you up here for a little slice of workshop fun. What good is it to have a workshop somewhere wonderful like Lake Tahoe, if you’re stuck inside all day not enjoying it?”
A chorus of agreement circulated around the little gathering of workshop attendees. A quick estimate made her guess there were about thirty of them altogether and all of them looked thrilled to be skiing except for her.
Nate spoke again, drawing her attention back to him. He was so unbelievably gorgeous. S
he could stare at him all day. Preferably not in the cold, but then she wasn’t sure she even noticed the cold anymore since he’d shown up. It amazed her how much she enjoyed being near him, even across the cold frozen mountain.
Why is he here and not modeling a swimsuit somewhere?
“This session of the workshop is about trust. Trusting yourself, trusting your gear and most of all, trusting your partner to get you down the mountain safely.” He paused a moment, blowing into his cupped hands as though to warm them. She could do that for him. She could think of many ways to warm those large hands of his.
“After lunch,” he continued, “we’ll discuss—inside of course—what all this trust means exactly and how to apply it to your business, your employees, and yourself.”
He clapped his hands together. “Now, let’s all go skiing and have a little fun. You can ski just with your partner if you want or in teams of three or four, whatever you’re comfortable with. I just ask that you don’t ski alone. The Lodge ski instructors and I are here to help you in any way you need.”
Really? Any way I need?
Nate pointed to the people in bright red suits. “Just let us know how much instruction you need and one of us will be able to walk you through it.” He caught Amelia’s gaze. “Okay, have fun. See you back in conference room C at two this afternoon and remember, trust is the key ingredient today.”
The gathering dispensed quicker that Amelia expected it to as people pulled their goggles into place, checked their bindings and dove head first down the mountain. Amelia barely had time to blink before there were only a small handful of people remaining at the top of the hill.
Those people are completely crazy. Seriously, who dives headfirst down a frickin’ mountain?
Nate sauntered up in front of her, startling her out of her thoughts. “Need any help?” he asked with a very pleasant smile—a smile she could easily gaze at forever.
She opened her mouth to answer yes, but was cut off by William. “No thanks, man. We’re good here, right, Amelia?” William pulled her against his side.
No. Not good, not right.
She’d forgotten that William’s arm was around her. How could she be stupid enough to leave it there for so long? Now he was going to think that she wanted it there. Ugh, and in front of Nate of all people.
Mother fu—
“Great. Have fun. See you at the bottom.” Nate turned and skied across to another small group as gracefully as if he were born with skis instead of feet.
She shrugged William’s arm off her shoulders, annoyed at herself for forgetting it was there to begin with and even more annoyed at him for making it seem like they were together or something. That’s the last thing she wanted Nate to think. Damn it. She shook her head, giving up the hope of ever having a chance with Nate now that he was bound to think she was dating William.
She sighed, accepting that the universe had screwed her over once again. “Okay. What am I supposed to do first to get down this damn mountain?”
Chapter Four
Nate watched from a distance as William tried to give Amelia some pointers on how to ski. He thought William was giving her a lesson, but it wasn’t like any lesson Nate had ever seen before. He wasn’t sure the guy really knew how to ski himself, let alone well enough to be giving someone else pointers. Why wasn’t he letting one of the provided instructors teach her instead? Or better yet, let Nate do it.
Amelia wobbled on her skis again, almost falling ass first into the snow. She shrieked as she steadied herself, obviously struggling to find her center of gravity over her skis. She appeared completely uncomfortable—and cute, definitely cute in all that gear.
Amelia.
That guy, whatever his name was, had called her Amelia. He liked the sound of it rolling around in his head. He could imagine he’d like the sound of her name on his lips as they rolled around in his sheets even better.
Shame that’s not going to happen.
Apparently that guy was marking his territory every chance he got with his arm wrapped protectively around Amelia’s shoulders all the time. Too bad. She was very intriguing and Nate would have loved to find out more about her on a personal level. Unfortunately, now he’d have to treat her like any other workshop attendee and forget about her at the end of the workday.
Nervousness filled Nate as Amelia practiced shifting her weight from one side to the other on her skis, then made them turn in toward the middle to create a V pointing down the hill. That wasn’t going to be nearly enough instruction for a beginner to safely get back down to the chalet, even on a fairly easy run like this one.
“Nate.” A voice called from below him on the slope, interrupting his thoughts. He spotted a short plump woman sitting on her rear in the snow. Her skis were crossed and a dusting of snow clung to her ski pants. She must have fallen.
He waved back at her to signal he’d heard and took one last glance at Amelia. Against his better judgment, he had to leave her in her boyfriend’s hands. Hopefully those hands were capable of keeping her safe until she reached the bottom.
Shaking his head, he turned his skis downhill and glided in the direction of the woman who’d fallen and sat in the snow still waiting for him. He was pretty sure he’d seen her nametag the other day. She was Susanna from Georgia if he remembered correctly. Probably she’d never been on skis before either.
Skiing was probably a bad idea.
He skidded to a stop beside her, careful not to spray her with flying snow and knelt as best he could while still keeping his skis on. She didn’t appear hurt, thank God, but maybe he should have the medic come and evaluate her just in case.
“Are you okay?” He reached for the woman’s hand.
“I’m fine. I lost my balance, that’s all. You know, my skis are almost taller than I am? It’s not as easy as I expected getting myself back onto my feet.”
“I can radio for the rescue team to come. Does anything hurt?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Did you hit your head when you fell?”
“The only thing that hit the ground was my ass. Good thing it has lots of extra padding.” Susanna laughed and he smiled at her joke. She seemed fine, but he was no doctor.
“I’d really feel more comfortable if you’d get checked out by the medical staff on site at least.”
“I didn’t really fall so much as just lost my balance and fell over. I was going rather slow.” She glanced around and shifted in the snow. “If you can just get me on my feet Sheryl is waiting a little ways down for me. We’ll go the rest of the way together. Then I guess I can stop in at first aid, just in case.”
He surveyed her situation quickly in his head, wondering what the best course of action was. But when he checked her over, she really didn’t appear to be in any distress. Besides, she was a grown woman. She could make her own decisions about whether or not she needed assistance.
“Good. I’ll check in with you later to make sure you’re okay.” He helped her straighten out her skis and pulled her up to a standing position. After a quick refresher on how to turn and slow down, she was on her way.
Nate watched the woman ski away for a minute or two. She seemed steady on her skis and was indeed taking the slope cautiously and calculated. She neared her friend, slowed to a stop, then got herself started down the hill again with her friend securely by her side. Finally, he was convinced they had a hope of making it to the bottom, so he turned his attention back to the top of the hill and back to Amelia.
He spotted her lavender colored suit quickly but was shocked to see she was part of the way down the mountain already—and skiing alone. A blur of navy blue streaked by Nate, stirring up the freshly fallen snow into a sparkling white cloud that lingered over the ski run.
That asshole. He left her to do the run alone.
Fear gripped his chest as he watched in horror, unable to do anything but stand still, gawking at Amelia. She didn’t know how to ski well enough to be alone on the run. That’s exactly
why he’d told people to use the instructors. That’s why he’d told them to go in pairs or teams. What was that idiot thinking giving her ten minutes of half-assed instruction then flying down the hill without her?
Idiot.
Where were the instructors? He couldn’t see a single one of them anywhere. They must have already been busy working with other skiers lower on the hill. Guilt washed over him as he realized that he was too far away to do anything to help her. He had to stand helplessly frozen and wait for her to find her way down the hill until she reached him. Then he could give her more guidance and he could finish the run with her, like her reckless boyfriend should have in the first place.
He sucked in a breath as he watched her begin to pick up speed. She had pointed herself too vertical and she didn’t seem to be able to shift her weight well enough to turn. She just wobbled on her skis, going faster and faster down the hill. Even from this distance, he could see the expression of fear plastered across her face.
Nate’s pulse raced as he watched her falter on her skis. She was so unsteady and too liquid. She needed movements that were precise and distinct, but she didn’t seem to have the strength or the knowledge to make them. Odds were she would crash before she even got to him, he was sure of it. Or worse yet, she would shoot past him and then he’d really have a problem on his hands. Even as an experienced skier, it would be hard for him to go from standing still to catching up to her if she flew past him at her current speed. He had to find a way to stop her. Fast.
He glanced up at her, then back down the hill, estimating where she would pass him on the slope. Then he began inching his way out to the spot where he thought he might be able to catch her. But she was coming too fast and he was too far to the side of the run. He wasn’t going to make it out there in time to catch her before she went by. Even if he did, catching her would be incredibly difficult if not impossible. But he had to try something. Leaving her out there on her own to get hurt wasn’t an option.
“Shit,” he swore under his breath, frustration edging through his usual calm demeanor. This wasn’t good.
Bunny Hills and Bikinis Page 4