MONDAY WAS, AS PATTI always put it, “Christmas Eve Eve.” Yet Elisabeth felt anything but jolly when she strode into work, a red-eyed Kaylee in tow. A steaming mug of coffee sat on the edge of her dad’s desk, but he wasn’t in the office. It was just as well since neither Elisabeth nor her daughter was fit company right now.
Kaylee had been up twice more during the night, and neither of them had gotten enough sleep. This morning, Kaylee had thrown a fit over breakfast, changing her mind three times about what she wanted to eat until Elisabeth decreed she no longer had a choice. Today had been when Steven was originally scheduled to leave, so they’d said goodbye to him as planned. Kaylee had been so sullen with him that Elisabeth had decided immediately she couldn’t tell the girl about the broken engagement or canceled move. What if Kaylee thought, even subconsciously, that she’d been successful in running him off with her bad behavior? Elisabeth couldn’t encourage her to use tantrums as a means to get her way. The other, less likely but equally troublesome possibility was that Kaylee might guiltily blame herself for Steven’s departure.
No, it was definitely best to wait before broaching the subject with Kaylee.
Elisabeth supposed she could tell the adults in her life about Steven, but sharing the news of yet another failed relationship was the last thing she wanted to do at Christmastime. While this breakup hadn’t left her quite as emotionally shattered as the split with Justin months ago, she was angry with herself. How had she let something with no future get so far? Elisabeth had always valued her family and respected their opinions, so why had she been so stubborn about this? Hell, even Justin freaking Cade could see it wasn’t going to work out. Then again, that shouldn’t count. Not working out was his default mode.
Two days before Christmas, she’d given back a diamond ring she never should have accepted in the first place and had to figure out how best to deal with Kaylee whenever she switched into hellion mode. Was the behavior an aberration, brought out by extreme stress, or did it signal the beginning of a new, prolonged phase? In which case, there wasn’t enough aspirin in the world.
Elisabeth booted up her computer, hoping for a few minutes of calm before anything pressing demanded her attention.
But Kaylee stood up from where she was supposed to be coloring on the floor and announced defiantly, “I’m going to see Chef Bates.”
“Oh, no, you’re not. Chef Bates loves you, but he’s got his hands full with the breakfast crowd right now. If you show me you can behave—”
“I don’t want to live with you anymore! I want to live with Justin.”
“Well, that’s not an option,” Elisabeth retorted.
“Am I interrupting something?” Lina asked as she strolled into the room. Kaylee dashed over to embrace her aunt.
Lina returned the hug. “Morning, sunshine.”
Sunshine? Not in this room. They were more like a couple of solar eclipses this morning, completely blotted out by the moon.
“Everything okay?” Lina asked. “Are we just feeling down because Steven had to leave, or—”
“I’m glad he’s gone!”
“Kaylee Truitt, that is enough.” Elisabeth knew the girl had been through a lot, but she wasn’t raising her daughter to be a disrespectful brat.
Lina’s eyes widened at the hostility in the room. “Kaylee, why don’t you go out to the reception desk? My mom’s got breakfast pastries there. I need to talk to Elisabeth alone, okay?”
“I hope she doesn’t hurt your feelings like she hurt mine,” Kaylee said as she flounced out.
They watched her walk to the desk that was within view of the office, then Elisabeth plopped down at her own desk, head in her hands. “I’ve had her less than six months, and I’ve ruined her. Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a parent.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. Mom and Dad raised you, so you know they must have been doing something right, but you also saw what I was like. My wild moments don’t mean they were doing a bad job. Parenting’s always been tough. Consider this your initiation into the club.”
“Thanks. I just... People’s childhoods shape who they are.” She thought of Justin, of all he’d suffered in his younger years and his resulting inability to let people close. “I’m afraid that what I do and say could affect her whole life.”
“Lots of things will affect her, but you can’t control all of them. Hell, you can’t control most of them.”
Elisabeth arched an eyebrow. “Well, that’s terrifying. Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. It seems as if the two of you could use some space. Want me to take her off your hands for a while?” Lina offered.
Although Elisabeth wouldn’t come in to work on Christmas Eve or Christmas, that had still left today, when she had to contend with Kaylee being out of school. She hadn’t meant for it to inconvenience her family. “The mood she’s in, I’m not sure I want to inflict her on you.”
“I’ll bet getting her fingernails painted and a partial pedicure would cheer her up.”
“Probably, but that sounds too close to rewarding bad behavior. If she gets her act together this morning, she can join you for some beauty treatments after lunch.”
“See, that was an example of responsible parenting,” Lina said. “You balance sternness and caring. Stop doubting yourself.”
She managed a half smile. “You mean show a little self-confidence? Too bad I’m not more like you.”
“More like me? Bite your tongue. I’m a mess. If you don’t believe me, I have the phone numbers of some ex-boyfriends, former high school teachers and credit card companies you can call.”
“Thanks for the pep talk. You may not be perfect, but you’re a good sister.”
Lina winked. “And don’t you forget it.”
* * *
THE CIELO PEAK patrollers covered four resorts, including the Donnelly lodge, and a number of backcountry and Nordic trails. Because the past two nights had dumped so much snow and conditions were expecting to worsen by afternoon, Monday was nonstop action. Whatever seasonal melancholy Justin had been experiencing lately was chased away by other demands. He had no time to think about his brother’s arrival tomorrow or Elisabeth’s engagement.
It was the way he preferred to live—in the moment, the bracing cold rough against his face where his skin wasn’t completely covered in protective gear. He chatted with guests on the mountain and encouraged as many as possible to check out a beacon from the top shack and take the free hour of training. No one ever thought they’d need a beacon, until they did. Several skiers and snowboarders expressed frustration at the predicted weather later today that would close even more trails. Patrollers had already roped off two that morning.
He’d just made it back to the base station when a call came over the radio that Graham Donnelly had reported two missing teenagers.
* * *
THERE WAS NOTHING like a mountain to give a person perspective. Elisabeth had been completely stressed out when she’d arrived at the lodge, but a six-year-old with a bad temper was not a life-or-death situation. Accidents—and, occasionally, even fatalities—happened in ski communities, but overall, the Donnelly lodge had been lucky. This was their first real crisis of the season.
Adrenaline was coursing through Elisabeth’s body, but she worked to keep her tone as calm as possible while speaking to Amanda Lamb.
Twenty minutes ago, the middle-aged Mrs. Lamb had shown up in a panic at the registration desk. She’d been hysterical, so it had taken both Patti and Elisabeth to piece together the story. The Lamb family, including sixteen-year-old Meredith, were staying at the lodge. Meredith had befriended a cute nineteen-year-old guy who was visiting along with some college buddies.
“She’s obviously got a crush on him, but he’s too old for her,” Amanda had sobbed. “I told her to stay away from him, and she was furious with me
, said that all I ever do is try to ruin her fun.”
When the time came for the Lamb family to hit the slopes that morning, Meredith had complained of cramps and asked to stay in the room and read. Her parents had agreed. But after a couple of runs, when the chairlift was put on a wind-hold, the Lambs had decided to return to the lodge for lunch and to check on Meredith.
“She wasn’t in the room,” Amanda said, sounding horrified anew by the discovery. “But her phone was there. She never goes anywhere without it! I thought she must be at the vending machine or the gift shop. Something quick.”
As the Lambs grew progressively worried, Mr. Lamb had tracked down one of the college boys, who admitted Meredith had secretly met with his friend. Both teens had last been seen leaving the lodge, but the boys had expected their friend back by now because they had plans that afternoon. The Lambs were frantic.
And quasi-murderous. It had taken both Javier and Elisabeth’s dad to pull Mr. Lamb away from the college kid. “That’s my daughter out there!” the man had been yelling in full view of other diners. “If anything happens to her...”
Graham Donnelly took the father to a patrol station, and Lina joined Meredith’s younger siblings in the restaurant. Elisabeth ushered the weeping Mrs. Lamb into her office to give her a place to wait where her tears wouldn’t alarm her other children. Kaylee had been coloring in the corner, but Patti challenged her to a few rounds of air hockey in the game room, diplomatically removing her from the office.
“Th-that was your l-little girl?” Amanda asked, blowing her nose. She’d already gone through an entire box of tissues, so Elisabeth pulled out another from the supply closet.
“Yes.” She didn’t see the point in explaining that Kaylee wasn’t hers biologically. She’s mine in all the ways that matter.
“Daughters will break your heart. Every damn day, they’ll break your heart,” Amanda said. “But you love them more than anything in the world anyway. Meredith isn’t a bad kid, overall. Honors student, careful driver, sweet to her little brothers. But, still... Some days, it seems like everything I do is wrong and that she completely hates me.”
“Know that feeling,” Elisabeth commiserated. When the phone at her elbow rang, both women jumped.
“Oh, God,” Amanda wailed. “Have they found her?” The question she didn’t ask was, in what condition had her daughter been found?
The caller was Elisabeth’s dad. “Patrollers have Meredith,” he said. “She’s going to be fine.”
Elisabeth relayed this news to Amanda, who began crying even harder.
“Meredith and the boy she was with ducked under ropes onto a closed trail,” Graham continued, explaining their mysterious whereabouts.
Elisabeth’s heart sank. Those trails were closed for a reason. People didn’t understand, looking at the snowcapped trees and seemingly peaceful white landscape, how deadly conditions could be with no warning at all.
Her father confirmed her fears. “He was buried, and she couldn’t find him. She went running for help. Justin Cade was one of the patrollers already looking for her, and he’s bringing her to the station. Tell Mrs. Lamb that she’s not hurt, only scared. A rescue team’s out looking for the boy.”
Elisabeth thanked her dad for the update and hung up, vastly relieved that she had good news for Amanda Lamb but still worried for the other missing teen. Who they now knew was missing under an avalanche of snow. Her pulse pounded. She’d seen avalanches in person, and the comparison that always came to mind was lava—an unyielding spill crashing down the mountain, a threat to every single thing in its path.
“It’s okay. Meredith is okay.” She squeezed Mrs. Lamb’s hand, surprised to find her own eyes were damp. “Your daughter was lucky. She was found by one of the best patrollers in Cielo Peak, my friend Justin.”
“Is Justin here?” a high-pitched voice demanded.
Elisabeth looked past Amanda to Kaylee. “What are you doing back here? I thought you were playing with Grandma.”
“Lina has to give someone a back rub, so Grandma and I are going to have lunch with those kids. I wanted my crayons. Where’s Justin?”
“Out doing his job.” Elisabeth angled her chin, gesturing toward the window and the snowy expanse beyond. “He saved this woman’s daughter.”
Kaylee didn’t seem as impressed as Elisabeth expected. Or maybe she just assumed that her hero was constantly saving people and therefore wasn’t surprised by the news. “Can I go see him?”
“No, you take your crayons and get back to Grandma. I’ll be watching you cross the lobby to the restaurant, so no detours,” she warned.
Kaylee glared. “I want to see Justin!”
“Maybe later. He’s busy right now. Adults have responsibilities. And so do children,” she added. “Your responsibility is to do what you’re told.”
Glaring, Kaylee snatched up her crayons and stomped out of the room.
Amanda gave a watery laugh. “Guess it’s not just sixteen-year-olds who throw fits when you try to keep them from the men they admire. But my kid disobeyed me for a smug nineteen-year-old who doesn’t think the rules apply to him, whereas your daughter seems smitten with a bona fide hero. At least she has discerning taste.”
Chapter Nine
People who paid money to visit ski lodges sometimes felt cheated when they didn’t actually get to ski—even though their hosts couldn’t do a thing to control weather conditions. Elisabeth was exceedingly grateful for the guests who were in good spirits and even the ones who were disappointed but understood the logic of not skiing in a snowstorm. Why didn’t more people exhibit common sense? And why call it “common” if so many lacked it?
As Monday afternoon wore on, and it became clear skiing was probably going to be impossible for the rest of the day, she found herself dealing with an increasing number of grumbling guests. Some seemed to be getting stir-crazy even though they’d only been stuck in the lodge for a few hours. She had to step in when a woman in the gift shop became verbally abusive with the cashier.
As Elisabeth crossed the lobby to return to her office, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Another complainant? She smoothed her features into a calm, accommodating expression, even as she fantasized about that move in kung-fu films, where a small protagonist was able to grab the hand of the burly cretin behind her and flip him to the ground.
She spun around. “How may I— Oh.” Seeing Justin in his red patrol coat, his eyes brighter than ever in a face abraded by the elements, was like drinking hot chocolate. Liquid heat coursed through her body, sweet and addictive. “Hi.”
“Hey.” His blue-green eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled down at her. “Thought I’d stop by and ask how Meredith’s doing.”
“Better, thanks to you. She could’ve been seriously injured.”
“She could’ve been killed,” he corrected somberly. “That boy was in bad shape when we found him.”
She shivered at the thought of the kid’s narrow escape. “Dad drove down to the hospital to check on him. The doctors say no long-term damage was done.”
“He or either of those other two frat yahoos have any family in the area?” Justin asked.
“Not local, but his mom and stepdad are about an hour and a half away. I called them earlier.”
No doubt the vitriol the boy’s stepfather had spewed at her stemmed from a sense of helplessness and fear, but that hadn’t made it any more pleasant to endure. It flabbergasted her that the man had threatened to sue instead of praising the rescue efforts of those who’d saved his son’s life after he chose to ignore the posted warnings and sneak into an area he knew was off-limits. To say nothing of his taking a minor with him, thereby putting her in harm’s way.
She met Justin’s gaze. “I am so sick of people yelling at me today.”
“That bad, huh?”
�
��Worse.” She squeezed her eyes briefly shut, as if she could ward off her headache through sheer force of will. “Even Kaylee got in on the action. By the way, she doesn’t want to live with me anymore. She informed me she wants to move in with you. To tell you the truth, if her attitude doesn’t improve, I may let her.”
He looked genuinely distraught by this news. “I am so sorry. You warned me at the tree place that this was supposed to be a time for her and Steven to do some father-daughter bonding. I didn’t mean to get in the way of that. Running into you at the mall was an accident, but I guess it wasn’t very sensitive of me to offer babysitting on Saturday.”
She was touched by the contrition in his voice. “Amanda Lamb told me today that drama between mothers and daughters is normal and that I should expect plenty more of these blowups over the next decade. So I guess from that perspective, I’m doing something right,” she said wanly.
Justin cupped the side of her neck, idly rubbing a knot of tension with his thumb. “You’re doing a ton right,” he said, continuing the massage in slow, deep circles. She fought the urge to press into his touch and purr. Before, he’d worked here during the summer season as a hiking guide and first-aid administrator. If he ever wanted to come back, he should talk to Lina about hiring him to give massages. Women would be lined up around the mountain.
“Do you want me to say hi to Kaylee while I’m here,” he asked, “or would it make your life easier if I left quietly, without encouraging her?”
“She had a rough night last night with no decent sleep and everyone around here’s been pretty frazzled today. A quick hello from you may help turn the tide. I think she’s upstairs with Lina getting her nails painted right now, though.”
He pointed to some vending machines outside the game room. “Lina’s over there getting a soda.”
“Oh, then Kaylee’s probably back in the office.” Elisabeth led him behind the reception desk and into the office. Which was empty. She poked her head out of the room and called to her sister across the lobby.
“What’s up?” Lina asked.
Second Chance Christmas (The Colorado Cades) Page 10