Winter Heat, Part 2

by Larissa Emerald

  Chalet Romance Series

  Winter Heat

  Part 2

  Larissa Emerald

  WINTER HEAT, Part 2

  Chalet Romance Series

  By: Larissa Emerald

  Copyright © 2014 Castle Oak Publishing LLC

  Smashwords Edition

  ISBN-10: 1311597786

  ISBN-13: 978-1-311597-78-6

  larissaemerald@gmail.com

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  This novella is a work of fiction. And references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All right to reproduction of this work are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the copyright owner.

  Thank you for respecting the copyright. For permission of information on foreign, audio, or other rights, contact the author, larissaemerald@gmail.com

  Author’s Note

  This book is part of a series released in 3 novella installments. Readers should progress through the stories in order. They will read much the same way as episodes in a television series.

  Epub release dates:

  Winter Heat, Part 1 ~ September 1, 2014

  Winter Heat, Part 2 ~ September 15, 2014

  Winter Heat, Part 3 ~ September 29, 2014

  CHAPTER SIX

  At nine sharp the next morning, Jared rapped on Kelsey’s door. Music bombarded him as her shapely figure filled the frame. She greeted him wearing an exercise outfit—crop top, bike shorts and jogging shoes. Her hair formed damp wispy ringlets around her face, clinging to her forehead. She looked fantastic. However, this was not breakfast attire. Disappointment flared in him. Was she standing him up?

  “Oh no. What time is it?” she asked a little breathless as she glanced at her bare wrist. “I don’t have my watch.”

  “Breakfast time.”

  “I’m sorry. I lost track.”

  “Are you almost finished?” No wonder her body looked so toned and fit.

  “Yes. I was just working to a Zumba tape.”

  He nodded. “You want a bit of time to change? I can come back.”

  Her cheerfulness wilted. Uh-oh. But he was not going to allow her to renege.

  She looked up at him. “You still want to go? It’ll take me a while to get ready.”

  “Why not? I’m hungry.” And for more than food—for her company.

  “Well, come on in,” she said hesitantly.

  As he had last night, he seemed to be inconveniencing her. She walked away from the door, leaving it open and allowing him to enter. Your fault, this time, baby, he thought as he closed it behind him.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I need to drop by and see my dad for a second on our way. It won’t take long. He’s right next door.” With a lift of her chin, she indicated up the hill.

  He hung his coat in the entry. “That’s fine,” he heard himself say even though he wasn’t prepared to encounter the man. Just the mention of her father tasted like soured milk. Last night he’d somehow conveniently marginalized that Kelsey was the resort owner’s daughter, not the owner herself.

  The timing wasn’t right to deal with James Moore now. Not until he’d examined the slopes and figured out what had actually happened to Tiffani. After that, he planned on meeting Mr. Moore—with a fist full of ammunition, if warranted.

  Kelsey bounded up the stairs, paused, and grinned down at him. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  Jared couldn’t believe how comfortable he felt around her. How in a flash her dimpled smile negated his conflicted mood. Amazing.

  He strolled into the kitchen and got a glass of water. While she showered and dressed, he ambled around the living room, considering the pictures he’d glimpsed last night. He leaned closer to one of the photos. The snapshot showed Kelsey waterskiing, waving one hand. Long, slender legs went on forever below the ski vest. He glanced upward, listened for the running shower, and exhaled a long rush of air.

  Downing the remaining water, he traveled into the kitchen and placed the glass in the sink. In less than twenty-four hours, this was getting quite personal. He wanted—far more than what time and propriety would allow.

  After returning to the living room, he perused her artwork this time. She liked color, that much was clear, and she blended it expertly. Kelsey had phenomenal talent. He decided his favorite painting was an abstract of a female floating in the ocean. A moon shimmered and touched every surface—waves, water, and woman. There was something lonely, yet strong and independent in the subject, and it caught his attention.

  He must have gotten more lost in the paintings than he realized because, the next thing he knew, footsteps from somewhere near the stairs alerted him that she was approaching. He could feel her watching him.

  “Okay, let’s go,” she said finally.

  He turned, then closed the distance between them. Wearing a moss-green turtleneck, her eyes were the shade of a lush forest in sunlight, darker than an emerald, with golden flecks of brown. Her face glistened a rosy pink, and he wondered if that was from rushing to get dressed or because she felt the same excitement he felt.

  “That color becomes you,” he said, searching her eyes for the vivacious glow that fascinated him so much.

  She grabbed a fur-cuffed jacket off the coat rack. “Thank you.”

  He took the jacket from her and helped her put it on, noting how the curls at her nape were still damp from the shower, and she smelled deliciously of flowers again.

  “How cold is it supposed to be today?” he asked, searching for level ground.

  “Twenty-three right now. But it’s supposed to warm up.”

  They exited the house, but he didn’t don his coat until they were down the walk. He definitely needed the burst of cold and fresh air to clear his head.

  As they walked, he was astonished that other guests were out and about so early. An infatuated giggle mixed with muffled conversation that drifted on the brisk wind. He paused, squinting through the pines and bare deciduous trees, glimpsing a couple apparently making their way to the slopes. With arms wrapped about each other, they stopped briefly to kiss, clearly in love. No doubt his sister and her fiancé had portrayed the same image a few weeks ago.

  Jared gave a rueful snort. “Looks like the resort is doing well.”

  Kelsey’s gaze wandered after his. “We’re hanging in there.”

  Did he hear a note of concern in her voice? She gave him one of those irresistible, dimpled smiles, making him feel damned out of sync with himself.

  “Crazy,” he muttered under his breath.

  Kelsey evidently heard him, though, because she broke into the country and western tune. “Cra-a-a-zy—I’m crazy for—”

  Jared stared at her.

  “What?” She gave him an incredulous sideways glance. “Doesn’t anyone sing in your family?”

  “No.”

  “It feels good to sing.”

  He shook his head. She was a radiant beam of energy—spicy, warm, and genuine. And absolutely beautiful. He wondered if she always did whatever made her feel good.

  “You’ve got a fantastic voice. Have you ever thought of singing professionally?”

  She shook her head. “Nah.”

  “You should.”

  “I don’t know—I don’t like the idea of putting myself on display like that.”

&nb
sp; He gave an understanding nod, even though he didn’t truly comprehend. He recalled the moment he first saw her. She had that—that, something. The thought ran astray as he watched her lead the way up the walk to her father’s chalet.

  “This will only take a few minutes,” she explained. “Then, we’ll grab a couple of snowmobiles and I’ll give you a tour of the slopes. How’s that sound?”

  “Great,” he answered as he irrationally reflected that maybe he should convince her to let him ride behind her and share her sled. Then he could wrap his arms around her waist, any excuse to touch her would do.

  * * *

  Kelsey knocked and let herself in, the way she always did. “Hello,” she announced, moving into the house with Jared at her heels. Her father sat in his wheelchair in his usual mode, watching television.

  “Hi, Daddy. How ya doing this morning?”

  “F-fine,” he said with the slurred speech characteristic of a stroke victim.

  She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. He gave a sloppy half-smile.

  Bill, her dad’s private nurse, entered the room from the kitchen. “Well, look what the cat lugged in.”

  “Hi-ya, Tinny,” she said brightly.

  Jared leaned in. “Tinny?”

  “He’s got a big heart, like the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.” A characteristic she admired.

  “I see.” Jared gave her a thumbs-up.

  She introduced them, then turned toward her father. “I just stopped by to remind Dad to cooperate with the speech therapist when she visits today.”

  Her father grunted like an old grump.

  “I mean it, Daddy. Be nice. She’s doing us a huge favor by coming all this way on her day off, just to see you.”

  “Coming…b-because”—her dad paused as if speaking tired him out—“you gave her f-free use of resort.”

  “That’s not true. Diane Williams is a professional and wants to help you get better. Why are you always so cynical? So I used the age-old barter system to get what I wanted.”

  “Cynic…from dealing…with your m-mother.” It obviously took great effort to push out the last few words, yet his stubborn gaze dared her to dispute him. Kelsey worked the muscles in her throat and swallowed the growing lump.

  She blinked several times while considering her robust, confident dad being reduced to this. Kelsey loved him in spite of the hard times they’d endured over the years. And she definitely didn’t want to engage in a discussion regarding her mother, so she changed the subject.

  “I have someone I want you to meet.” She held out a hand palm-up, directing her dad’s attention to Jared.

  For a second Jared’s eyes held hers, and the compassion she saw in them made her heart turn to mush. Absently, she recalled, breaking into the song “Crazy” as they’d walked here together. Was she crazy? Was she lonely, as the lyrics went? She brushed aside the thoughts, unwilling to go there.

  “Daddy, this is Jared Michaels. Jared, let me introduce you to James Moore, the owner of Chalet Romance.”

  He snorted. “Not…d-doctor…is he?” Her father’s disgusted glance said he’d seen a boatload of new faces lately, mainly in the medical profession.

  Jared moved closer and in front of the wheelchair making eye contact with her father. “Not today. Nice to meet you, sir.” He assumed a confident stance, feet apart, arms folded over chest, with a lopsided grin that made heat churn in her belly.

  “Jared is here as a guest, Daddy. I’m about to take him on a tour of the resort.”

  Her father stared at her. “R-really?”

  Jared peered at her, and—the air seemed to spark with tension. What? she wanted to ask. He held her gaze a fraction too long. When she couldn’t read his thoughts, or determine his intention, a shimmy of anxiety rushed through her.

  “May I ask you some questions, sir?” Jared asked.

  Kelsey sucked in a breath, realizing in that instant she’d made a dangerous, foolish mistake. What was she thinking to bring the man who could crush them, the man who might sue them, to her father?

  Worse, she’d kept Jared’s sister’s accident, as well as the other mishaps that had occurred, a secret from her dad.

  Jared did a speedy once-over of the room. “I see your—”

  “You know after that exercise session, I’m ready to eat,” she blurted out.

  His smile eclipsed an emotion she couldn’t read. Confusion, empathy, doubt?

  She didn’t want to think about it. And he was way too handsome. Pulling her shoulders back, she said, “Oh, good heavens. Can’t a girl be hungry?”

  Stupid. She was plain stupid. She tensed. Waited. What would Jared say next?

  The infuriating man glared back and forth between father and daughter. Kelsey felt the muscles strain in her neck as she forced a smile.

  “W-hat…was…th-that?” Dad asked.

  Kelsey and Jared both started to talk at the same time, then stopped. She could feel the blood rushing into her face.

  “We’re on our way to breakfast,” Jared explained. “I’m not here on business, just a guest. I met your daughter last night when I checked in.”

  Her father seemed to perk up. With a lift of his good brow, he shot Jared an unmistakable, fatherly look of warning.

  Kelsey grinned despite the tightness in her throat. Her dad might be physically incapacitated, but his veins still flowed with over-protective chauvinism. Maybe he was trying to make up for the years he’d missed when she was growing up and lived with her mother.

  Jared broke the tension with a hearty laugh. “How’s your movement doing? Getting stronger?”

  Surprised by his question, she could have kissed him. Thank God he didn’t mention his sister.

  Dad lifted his arm about two inches, then let it flop back to the chair.

  “Good. Good,” Jared said, then peered at her. “How long has it been since the stroke?”

  Of course, Jared would recognize the symptoms.

  “About six months,” Kelsey answered for her father both to save her dad the trouble, and to move things along in order to get out of there.

  Jared nodded. “I’d say you’re making excellent progress. The brain is a remarkable organ that begins healing itself almost immediately. It may take another month or two for your mobility to improve. But I’ve seen it happen. Just stick with the therapy program.”

  Her dad shot Kelsey an accusing glance. “S-sounds like a d-doctor to me.”

  “I come from a long line of medical professionals. Although I’m in a different line of work now. But as I said, you’re doing well, sir,” Jared explained.

  Part of her cringed as a hopeful look eased across her father’s face, part of her whispered a word of caution, and a third part wanted to believe he’d make a full recovery. Tears welled in her eyes.

  Jared looked at her as one drop spilled down her cheek. She quickly swiped it away. He didn’t have to be nice. He could have just as easily blurted out his sister’s situation and bluntly laid into her dad about the real reason he was here.

  Why didn’t he?

  She peered at him and tried to guess what made Jared Michaels tick. Why was he being kind when she suspected his motive for being here was vengeance? Maybe she was witnessing a doctor act he’d learned from his father or through his own practice. If so, he did it extremely well.

  Her mother’s accusations that she was too optimistic, too trusting, and too gullible, thrashed in her brain. Not this time, she promised.

  Kelsey leaned over and gave her dad a peck on his jaw. “I’ll check on you later.”

  She turned, in even more of a rush to get out of there, and led the way to the entry. As she waited for Jared to catch up, she caught sight of an opened note on the credenza. The paper looked similar to the one she’d found on the keyboard last night when Jared had checked in, that the clear connection sent goose bumps racing down her arms. She walked over to read it.

  You’re going to pay.

  Her breath caught in her thro
at. Pay how? Terror shot through her as she grabbed the note and stuffed it into her pocket. She glanced behind her at Tinny and Jared who were engaged in conversation and hadn’t noticed her or the note.

  She wanted to ask her dad about the message. Where did it come from? Had he seen it? But how could she when he didn’t know anything about the ordeal with Jared’s sister? She certainly couldn’t bring him into this mess—whatever the mess might be.

  She glanced from her dad to Tinny. Neither one seemed unusually upset. And she had zero desire of discussing it in front of her dad and causing him stress.

  No, she would return later and speak to Tinny in private.

  She would keep this quiet.

  When Jared finally came over to the door, she was definitely ready to go. She was sooo looking forward to a hot cup of tea and something normal like breakfast. Any ordinary activity would do, truthfully—anything that might keep the words from flashing in her head over and over again. You’re going to pay.

  She shivered but kept walking.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  They sat tucked in the corner at a table for two in the resort’s version of Starbucks. Music piped through overhead speakers.

  Jared watched Kelsey take a whiff of her black tea. She clasped the cup with both hands, apparently savoring the warmth as she closed her eyes, just like she did last evening with her hot chocolate.

  “So, what now?” She sipped the tea and eyed him across the table.

  “I’d like you to show me where the accident took place,” he said pleasantly.

  A frown furrowed her brow. “And then you go home?”

  “Something like that.” He wasn’t about to make that promise. He’d heard that if you asked four different witnesses to recount an incident, you’d get four different descriptions. He was about to test that theory.