by MG Braden
handed her his poles, so she could use them to push up with. “Thank you. I’ve never been on such icy
moguls before and I guess I kind of lost control.”
“Keep my poles until we get down. I suggest you sideslip most of the way since that should be
easier for you. You’re going to find yourself sliding for a ways, but just push on your uphill edge and lean
back toward the mountain to slow down or stop. Let’s go.”
Cassidy frowned, slightly taken aback by his tone, which was decidedly frosty—this time she knew
she did not imagine it. “Listen, Daniel, I appreciate you trying to help, but if I’m interrupting something
you can just go on ahead. I’m sure I will make it down just fine. Even if it is on my rear end!” She tried to
give him his poles, but he pushed them back at her.
“No, I can’t just go on ahead. I’m here to make sure you arrive safely at the bottom. What do you
think you are trying to prove, anyway?”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what his problem was.
He looked back at her with an exasperated expression on his face. “I said, what are you trying to
prove? You think a couple of days ski lessons means you can just go on any ol’ run and you’re now a
whiz? ‘Cause that’s not the way it works.”
She continued to sideslip her way downhill and tried to figure out what he was going on about,
while she concentrated on not falling in front of him again. “I don’t think I’m a whiz. I have done black
diamonds before, you know. Granted none were quite this packed and icy, but still...”
“That would be why it’s closed,” he said sarcastically.
“It’s closed? What’s closed?”
“The run, Cassidy. Devil’s Tongue is a closed run. That means you are not supposed to be on it.
How could you be so foolish? Do you know what kind of risk that was? What if no one had seen you
come down here? What if when you fell you really hurt something and we didn’t realize you were missing
until much later? Do you know how cold it gets once the sun drops? What if....” With every word his
voice grew louder and louder.
“Stop! Just stop, ok!” Cassidy put her hand up. “I didn’t know it was a closed run. I’m sorry.”
“Oh come on, are you trying to tell me you didn’t see the big sign that indicated it was closed? It’s
bright orange!”
The whole time they had been having their conversation they drew closer and closer to the bottom.
Cassidy spied one of her poles and managed to snag it as she went by. She didn’t say anything, and Daniel
continued to rant at her. She swiped at her nose, which was running, something it always did when she
held back tears.
“...it was just stupidity that’s what it was. You are not above the rest of us you know. When you ski
on a closed run you put yourself and others at risk.”
Cassidy finally felt the tears spill over, but as soon as they did she also felt anger rise up. This was
how Rick always treated her. Is this what I want from others? In that instant she knew she was never
going to let anyone treat her that way again. “You know what, Daniel? I said I didn’t know the run was
closed and I didn’t. I wouldn’t knowingly put myself or anyone else at risk. I’m not like that. Perhaps you
don’t know me that well, but I would never do that. You have no right to call me stupid, or to yell at me,
or try to belittle me. People make mistakes. My first one was obviously not seeing the sign; sorry my
thoughts were otherwise occupied. My second was thinking that you were actually a nice guy who wanted
to help me out. Instead I find you are just like the rest of them—when push comes to shove you have to
throw your authority around and play the big shot. If it makes you feel good to make me feel bad, then you
are obviously not the guy I thought you were.”
Seeing that they were pretty much at the bottom, she threw his poles at him and used her one pole to
push away. Skiing the last stretch, she took the run straight on. She slipped slightly, righted herself, held
her head up high and didn’t look back. Astonished that she had actually said all that to him, she was more
than a little unsure of whether or not he actually deserved it. However, she knew she hadn’t deserved his
derision earlier either. No man was going to make her feel bad about herself again. I am human and I
make mistakes, it doesn’t mean I’m stupid and it doesn’t mean I will allow myself to be treated badly .
If I wanted to be treated badly I could have gone home with Rick.
Cassidy skied her way over to the Peaks Café. Seeing that both Debbie and Sandra were inside, she
took off her skis and left them with her pole on the outside rack. Stepping in to the warmth of the café, she
heaved a sigh of relief that she was off the slopes. Her whole body ached from twisting up and over
moguls and sliding down half of Devil’s Tongue on her backside. Entirely different muscles hurt from
side slipping the rest of the way. Groaning she hobbled over to the table and sat down beside Sandra.
“You’re back! How are you dear?” Sandra asked. “Debbie, grab this young lady a coffee, would
you please?”
“I’m fine, I guess. Oh, I just had the worst run. You’ll never believe what I did....” Cassidy
wrapped her fingers around the mug of coffee that Debbie placed in front of her, “Oh, thank you.
Apparently I skied on to a closed run.”
Sandra nodded. “So that was you.”
“You knew?”
“Well I wasn’t sure, but some regulars reported seeing someone head over to the closed run. They
wanted to make sure we were aware of it so that we could make sure the person arrived safely on the
other end. You never know what could happen on a closed run. Runs are closed for all sorts of reasons.
Sometimes it’s just because we don’t have enough staff on to patrol. In this case it was because of the
conditions. You could have been really hurt. But I see you made it down in one piece all on your own.”
“Well, not exactly. I had help. I did manage to slide down half the run on my backside. I probably
would have slid the rest of the way like that if Daniel hadn’t shown up. I swear he is in the darnedest
places. I didn’t see one ski patrol guy and yet here comes Daniel to save the day.” Cassidy realized her
tone was sulky, but she didn’t care. She was tired and sore and more than a little embarrassed. Not to
mention the fact Daniel had torn a strip off her. It was his fault anyway, if I hadn’t been thinking about
him with those cougars I would’ve noticed that sign. Where did that thought come from? Why should she
care who Daniel had lunch with?
“Well you don’t seem very happy about it. Where is Daniel now?” Sandra looked out the window
toward the slopes. “I didn’t seem him behind you. Did he go back up?”
“Who knows and better yet, who cares?” Cassidy continued on, her tone still dour. “While I was
glad he came to help, he could have spared me the lecture. He went off on me like I was some five year
old kid who had deliberately tried to disobey her parents or something.”
“Daniel went off on you?” Debbie asked.
“That’s not like him,” said Sandra.
“Yes, he did.” She answered Debbie first, then said to Sandra, “I have no idea whether it is or isn’t
like him. I’m just darned tired of being used as a verbal punching bag by men who get their kick
s out of
making women feel stupid. In fact, I’m tired of men altogether.”
“Well, I’ve never known him to act like that, but I’m sorry if he did. Something must have got him
all riled up. I can’t imagine what....” Sandra clucked her tongue, deep in thought. “Hmmm, or maybe...
well, never mind dear. I’m sure Daniel didn’t mean it.”
“Yeah, that’s what Rick always used to say too, but he never stopped doing it. At least Daniel’s
tirade made me realize something. I’m never going to let anyone talk to me that way again.” She paused
for a moment and it suddenly dawned on her that she didn’t love Rick anymore, probably hadn’t for a long
time. The thought of being on her own had scared her so much that she had clung to him, his words that
said no one else would ever love her rang in her head so often she’d started to believe it. She sipped her
coffee and continued, “But these last few days here I’ve seen that I’m fine on my own. I’ve had more fun
than I’ve had in years. I’m not living in fear of someone getting angry at me for every little thing. That
was, until Daniel went off on me.” She couldn’t believe that she could be attracted to yet another control
freak. I thought he was different. She sighed loudly.
“I’m sure Daniel didn’t mean to ‘go off on you’, as you say. He was probably just worried about
you,” Sandra chided Cassidy gently. “I sent him up there to look for you because I was worried and he
was more than happy to go. I honestly don’t think he was mad at you.”
Cassidy instantly felt contrite. It wasn’t like her to bad mouth someone, especially someone who
helped her. I’m just so darned tired of men thinking they rule the world, or at least me. I’m my own
person and I’m tired of being told what to do. However, that was no excuse to be rude to these nice
women. Plus, she had a feeling she was being petulant and childish. “You’re right, I guess. I’m sorry for
ranting. I think I’m going to go to my room and have a nice warm bath.” Cassidy hugged Sandra and
waved to Debbie. “Thank you for taking care of me and making sure I was all right. I really do appreciate
it.”
Chapter Six
Daniel kicked himself for being so rotten with Cassidy earlier. I should just leave her alone. I
don’t want to make her think all men are jerks. He had no idea where his holier than thou attitude had
come from . Sitting in his favourite chair by the lobby fireplace, he shifted to get more comfortable. The
book he was reading, or at least attempting to read, lay open in his lap while his thoughts travelled back
to all that happened today.
He knew he’d gone off on a tangent but he just couldn’t help himself. When he’d seen her lying
there, sliding down the slope on her back, he had visions of Natasha flash in his head. Of course, he’d
never seen Natasha sliding down that trail but still... he could imagine it. Ever since Natasha had put
herself at risk, and died because of it, he’d stayed away from any himself. Oh sure, he skied black
diamonds here, but he knew them like the back of his hand, they weren’t risky. Whatever he did now he
always tried to be safe. He wouldn’t dream of putting anyone else in danger. He thought Cassidy had
blatantly ignored the closed run, therefore not only putting herself in jeopardy, but anyone who tried to
help her. She’d looked both embarrassed and contrite when she said she didn’t know the run was closed.
While Natasha had been gone a while now, Daniel finally felt like he had closure. Even though
Cassidy didn’t realize it, she had been the catalyst. When he was yelling at her up on the slope he finally
figured out she hadn’t meant to do it, but he was already well into his rant. It took him a while to
understand that he wasn’t even seeing her face anymore, but rather that of his ex-fiancé. He told Cassidy
everything he would have liked to have said to Natasha but couldn’t. After Cassidy had given him a piece
of her mind and left, Daniel actually sat down on the nearest mogul and thought about all he had said.
Then he had a conversation with Natasha’s spirit, hoping that somehow she knew what was in his heart.
“It’s time for me to move on, babe. I have been holding on to this for so long. I hope you understand.”
Having never talked to a deceased person he felt awkward at first, but since the run was closed, and
there was no around to hear him, he just let loose with everything he’d been feeling for eighteen months.
“I have finally forgiven you and now I’m going to try to forgive myself too. No more ‘if only I had never
let you take that trail’. No more. You know you’re in my heart, but it’s time to set us both free.”
A peaceful feeling had washed over him then and he had skied the rest of his runs with a lighter
heart. He felt that he had finally exorcised any remaining bitterness he had toward Natasha.
He only had one regret and that was that he’d hurt Cassidy. It wasn’t her fault that he had his own
demons to chase. Since he’d already seen the way Rick had treated her, he knew that she was probably
feeling that all men were the same about now. He wanted to prove to her that guys could, and should, treat
women well. Some example you set there buddy. He also realized he was more than just a bit interested
in a woman for the first time since Natasha’s death. Maybe it was Cassidy’s vulnerability which brought
out his protective side. Or maybe it was those smoky grey eyes and the smile that lit them up. Whatever it
was, he was hoping he hadn’t chased her away with his attitude.
“Daniel?”
He looked at the woman speaking to him. “Oh, hi, Sandra.”
“How are you doing? I looked for you earlier today.” She sat on the couch opposite his chair.
“Yeah, sorry. I did find Cassidy, but once she was down safely I just kept skiing. I needed to burn off
some energy.”
“I see. Everything okay?”
Daniel knew Sandra thought of herself as a surrogate mom to him when he was here. He had been
coming here so long he was like one of the family, but he didn’t even get into this stuff with his real
family. Emotions were just something he didn’t deal well with. Not that he didn’t have them; rather he just
wasn’t great at expressing them. He got all tongue-tied and then words usually came out the wrong way.
He smiled at her. “Sure.”
“Hmmm. Was Cassidy all right? Any idea why she was on a closed run?” Sandra appeared to be
asking nonchalantly, but Daniel suspected she already knew what had happened between him and
Cassidy.
“I don’t think she was hurt, although she did slide quite a ways on her back side.” He decided to be
deliberately obtuse in his answer, unwilling to get into this at the moment. Closing his book, he stood up.
“I think I’m going to go take a nap. I was up early this morning.”
She stood up with him. “Oh, that’d be good because then you’ll be refreshed for the dinner.”
“Dinner? What dinner?”
“Goodness, Daniel. Didn’t you see the card I left under your door? I’m having a little gathering
tonight at Glaciers at eight p.m.”
“I’m sorry, Sandra, I’m not sure I’m up to...”
“Oh, but you must. I’ve already booked it and I really would like you there. We’d all be so
disappointed. There’s no charge for anything if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No, it’
s not the money.” He saw the expectant look on Sandra’s face and knew he wouldn’t let her
down. “I’ll be there. No worries.”
She lit up with a smile and Daniel realized how beautiful she still was—time had been good to her.
“Thank you, my dear. Now you go have that nap and we’ll see you later.”
* * *
Sandra sat back on the couch, after Daniel walked away. He really was a good boy, but he
obviously needed a little push in the right direction. She knew he wasn’t one to talk about his feelings, but
hopefully this little rendezvous tonight would be a start. The idea came to her this afternoon after her
conversation with Debbie and Cassidy, although she hadn’t really thought it all out yet. She needed to find
a way to make everyone feel better, safer, and to maybe open their eyes to something new.
Debbie had told her to stop interfering but Sandra didn’t see it as such. She’d spent many wonderful
years with her husband, she’d known him since they were both teenagers, and she felt it was only fair to
help others have that same chance of happiness. Plus, it pained her to see two such young people feeling
so hurt. Life was too short to let people like Rick Bastien be your guide. Although Mr. Johnson wasn’t as
spry as he used to be, he still made her heart do flip flops. They had been together quite long compared to
most relationships these days and the time had seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Enough reminiscing,
Sandra. She stood up and headed over to Glaciers, the resort’s four-star restaurant. She needed to get
busy making arrangements and knew that George, the restaurant maitre d’ would be only too glad to help
her.
* * *
Cassidy stepped out of the bathroom, after a long hot soak in the bathtub. Her foot slipped on
something and it skittered away. With a frown, she reached down to pick it up. It looked like some kind of
invitation. She paused to wrap her hair up in a towel, then carried the card to the bed and sat down.
Y ou are cordially invited to attend a dinner, 8pm tonight at Glaciers, as our guest. Sandra.
Cassidy looked at the clock, realized that it was already seven-thirty and wondered when the
invitation had arrived. She knew that she had been in the bath for quite a while because she had filled it