“Did you want to join them?”
“Not particularly.” She held her head down, hoping they wouldn’t notice her, but it was too late. Grant was already standing and waving. She held up her hand in a lackluster wave.
“Come here,” he called.
Emma braced herself as she introduced West to the guys, careful not to mention he was the caretaker. “West is the best ski instructor ever,” she bragged as they sat down. “He had me skiing just like that. And I’ve only fallen down a few times.”
“And after lunch she’ll graduate to an intermediate chair,” West told them as he waved down a waiter.
“Sounds like you’re doing better than I am,” Grant said glumly. “At the rate I’m going, I’ll probably be crippled by the end of the day. Maybe I should take lessons from West too.”
“There’s an idea,” Harris said. “How about if we do a swap. West could take you on some beginner runs and I’ll see how well Emma does on an intermediate run.”
Before Emma could object, the guys seemed to have put together a plan. As she perused the lunch menu, she wondered what Grant would think when he discovered it was the caretaker giving him skiing lessons. Hopefully, West wouldn’t mind. And who knew? Maybe it was just part of the caretaker’s job to care for the guests on the ski slope too.
nine
West wasn’t too sure about this new skiing arrangement, but before they parted ways after lunch, he exchanged phone numbers with Emma. “In case you need me,” he quietly told her. “Or if you want another lesson.”
“Thanks.” Her dark eyes twinkled as she punched his number into her phone. “It’s nice of you to help Grant like this. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”
“Don’t forget what I taught you,” he said. “Staying relaxed helps. But don’t lose control. The intermediate slopes are a lot steeper than what you’ve been on. You should probably traverse.”
“What’s that?”
“Cut swaths across the hill by going back and forth.” He used his hand to demonstrate. “That helps you to go down more slowly, with more control.”
She nodded with a look that said she was taking his advice seriously. “Did you use to teach skiing or something?” She put her goggles on.
“Just to friends and family. And most of them weren’t as easy to teach as you.” He remembered the first time he’d tried to teach McKenzie to ski—it had been painful. His nephews caught on much faster.
“Come on, Emma,” Harris called out. “Let’s see what you got.”
West watched as Emma went over to join him. Instead of waiting for her to catch up, Harris shot over to the chairlift, with Emma slowly trailing him. Hopefully, Harris didn’t expect too much from her. The guy had seemed a little full of himself, almost as if he had something to prove. Or maybe he just wanted to show off for Emma.
“You worried about Emma?” Grant asked as he caught up with West.
“Maybe a little. She did surprisingly well this morning, but she’s still a beginner. I hope Harris won’t push her too hard.”
“You mean like he pushed me—like he wanted me to go right over a cliff.” Grant rubbed his elbow as they got in line for the beginner lift. “I’m going to need the hot tub tonight.”
“Or ice packs.” West studied him. “Is this your first time skiing?”
“No, but I’ve only been a few times before, and I never got the hang of it then. Maybe skiing isn’t for me.”
West shrugged. “Or maybe you just need a good teacher.”
“Or a good physical therapist.” Grant looked nervous as they moved up the lift line.
“My theory is that you need to relax to ski well. Have you heard that before?”
“Not really. Harris just shouts directions at me, so it’s been hard to take it all in, let alone relax.”
Once they reached the top of the slope, West began to give Grant the exact same instructions he’d given Emma. Okay, it wasn’t nearly as much fun, but he actually felt a little sorry for this guy. Grant was obviously not as athletic as Emma, and Harris had probably made him feel even less so. But Grant was good-natured, and with each tumble, he’d crack a joke and crawl back to an upright position.
“That wasn’t too painful.” Grant brushed snow off his chin. “Maybe that whole relaxation bit helps.”
Their second run was better, and Grant only fell once. By the third run, Grant was much improved but not nearly as good as Emma. As he finished the run, West wondered how she was doing. Was Harris being too hard on her? As he waited for Grant to make his way down, West checked his phone to see that Emma had texted him. She wanted to meet up.
“Emma wants to meet us for a break.” West held up his phone. “In about fifteen minutes. But we probably have time for another quick run.”
“Nah, I’m due for a break—before I break a bone.” Grant turned to him with a smile then suddenly lost his balance and tumbled backward onto the hard-packed snow. “Guess I spoke too soon.”
West chuckled as he held out a pole to help tug Grant to his feet. “You just lost your focus for a moment.”
“Yeah, along with my self-respect.” Grant nodded to where a cluster of teenage girls were laughing at him.
As they skied toward the lodge, Grant pointed out a blonde in a fur-trimmed blue parka. “Guess we should go say hey to my sister—the resident snow bunny.”
West suddenly remembered his unpleasant encounter with the Ice Princess yesterday. He wanted to think of some excuse to avoid a confrontation now but knew it was too late. She was waving them over. They removed their skis then Grant politely introduced him to Gillian. She smiled prettily until he took off his goggles. Then she tipped up her sunglasses, and her pale blue eyes stared at him with a perplexed look. “Aren’t you the caretaker?” she finally said.
“No, he’s a ski instructor,” Grant told her. “And he’s good.”
“I’m also, uh, the caretaker of the house you’re staying in,” West told Grant.
“No kidding?” Grant peered curiously at him as he peeled off his gloves.
“Yep. It’s my job to keep that house running in tip-top condition.” Really, wasn’t that the truth? West worked to pay the bills and hire maintenance people. In a way, he was the actual caretaker. Just not in the way they were imagining.
“Well, you’re still a good ski instructor.” Grant sat down. “He could teach you a thing or two, Gillian.”
“No, thank you.” She dipped a finger into the whipped cream on top of her hot drink. “I am just here to enjoy the view. By the way, where’s Emma?”
“Harris insisted on taking her on the intermediate slope,” Grant explained. “Where he tried to kill me. Hopefully Emma will survive.”
“But this is Emma’s first day,” Gillian said. “Is she ready for that?”
“Ask West. He was her instructor this morning.” Grant picked up the drink menu.
Gillian turned to West. “Is she ready for that?”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” He nodded to where Harris and Emma were quickly approaching. Harris did a fast stop, shooting snow up as he did. Emma slowed down by snowplowing. But as she got out of her skis and removed her goggles, West could tell she wasn’t happy.
“How did it go?” He went over to help her park her skis and poles.
“Horribly,” she said quietly. “I fell down about ten times on the first run.”
“And after that?” They walked over to the table where Harris was already seated.
“A little better.” She made a face at Harris. “I think you wanted to kill me up there.”
Grant laughed. “Now you know how I felt, Emma.”
“I never should’ve traded ski partners with you,” Emma told him.
“I’m glad you did. West is a great teacher.”
“And did you know he is the caretaker for the house we’re staying in?” Gillian said in a tone that sounded a bit catty. “A man of many talents.”
“No kidding? That’s your real jo
b—taking care of a house?” Harris looked unimpressed.
“Well, if West needed another job, he’d do well as a ski instructor.” Emma sounded defensive, which West thought was sweet. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough lessons to keep up with Mr. Hotdog Harris.” She frowned at Harris. “And I’ve got the bumps and bruises to prove it.”
“Sorry ’bout that.” Harris held up his hands with a sheepish grin. “I guess I got carried away up there. But it’s only because I wanted to do some real skiing today. The snow is awesome, and it’s hard maintaining a slow pace all the time. I’m overdue for a real good run. But you beginners seem to need—”
“Hey, why not ski with me?” West suggested. “I’m ready to go after it.”
“Sure about that? Can you handle a good tough run?”
West smiled. “No problem. But I’m not sure what you consider a good tough run. I mean, some consider Lulu a challenge, but I prefer Needle’s Eye because you really have to work for it. But if you’re super experienced and like to billy-goat down, we could take on Nine Lives. It just depends on how good you are. Totally your call. I wouldn’t want to push you past your comfort zone.”
Harris laughed as he stood. “Man, I wish someone would push me. You’re on, Mr. Caretaker Dude. Let’s go grab a drink then do this.”
West slowly stood. “We’ll probably be gone awhile. So I guess I’ll see you guys later.” He directed this mostly to Emma. That was his one regret, not getting to spend more time with her. But Harris needed a ski buddy—and he was about to get one!
West hoped Harris was as good as he claimed. Otherwise a tough run would be too much for him. In a way, West could relate to Harris’s impatience. He was ready for a good hard run himself. He just wished he’d had a chance to see Harris’s skiing skills first. He didn’t like the idea of seeing anyone—not even someone as arrogant as Harris—coming down on a stretcher.
ten
West and Harris had barely left before Gillian started in. “I cannot believe you guys have gotten all buddy-buddy with the hired help.”
“Is that a problem?” Emma didn’t want to hear Gillian rag on West. Especially since she was still disappointed that Harris had snatched him away.
“Seriously?” Gillian scowled. “Don’t you think it’s a little weird? After all, we’re guests in the home he works for—I mean, he’s like the yard boy. He is literally the janitor, Emma.”
“And he’s literally a nice guy.” Emma had expected Gillian to react but wasn’t prepared for so much animosity.
“He’s the caretaker.”
“You say that word like it’s something terrible—”
“You know what I mean, Emma.” Gillian gave her the look. “He shovels snow for a living—anyway, he’s supposed to. He’s not even a good caretaker.”
“The place seems pretty well cared for to me,” Grant said lightly.
“Whatever.” Gillian rolled her eyes. “My point is that you guys shouldn’t befriend the hired help. He’s a maintenance man.”
“And a durned good ski instructor,” Grant countered.
“But he’s the caretaker.” Gillian sipped her drink.
“He’s both,” Emma clarified. “And he’s a good guy.”
“I have to agree with Emma on that. He might be a caretaker, but he’s cool. I like him, Gillian. So get off your high horse and cut the guy some slack.” Grant excused himself to get a snack.
“Ditto to what Grant just said.” Emma sipped her tea.
“But what kind of career is that?” Gillian demanded. “I mean, he’s got to be our age, or older. And he’s a caretaker? What’s up with that?”
“Well, it’s really none of our business, but I think he takes care of the house in order to ski.”
“So he’s a ski bum.”
“What difference does it make to you what he is?” Emma said, irritated. “Why do you even care?” She knew she should be more gracious to Gillian. After all, she was Gillian’s guest. But still . . . Gillian needed a crash course in good manners.
“Because you’re my friend and Grant is my brother and I don’t get it.”
“Well, he helped me get the hang of skiing.” Emma decided to change topics by telling Gillian about the fun she’d had skiing.
“But then you skied with Harris?” Gillian’s brows arched. “How was that?”
“Like I already said, Harris pushed me too hard.”
“Me too.” Grant sat down with a bag of chips and a soda.
“It was more fun to ski with West,” Emma admitted.
“That’s for sure.” Grant rubbed his shoulder.
“Well, it’s probably because Harris is a better skier than the caretaker.” Gillian’s smile looked smug. “I hope he doesn’t push our caretaker too hard. Who will shovel the snow?”
Grant opened a brochure, pointing to the map. “Here are the runs West mentioned. Needle’s Eye and Nine Lives and whatever the other one was. According to the descriptions, those are considered the hardest slopes.”
“Hopefully they’ll make it down in one piece.” Emma didn’t want to think how Harris might goad and push West up there. And yet, West was sensible and easygoing, and probably more experienced than Harris. West would be just fine. She hoped.
Emma gently elbowed Grant. “Hey, you, feel like taking on the easy slope with me, or are you all worn out and ready to play snow bunny with your sister?”
“Do I look like a snow bunny?” He crumpled the empty chip bag. “It might help my confidence to do a few more easy runs.” He frowned. “Well, as long as you don’t show off by skiing circles around me—like Harris did.”
“Ha—I barely know how to turn.” Emma laughed.
“I’ll get our skis ready,” he said.
Emma forced a smile for Gillian. “In the meantime, I’m guessing you’ll hang out here sipping cocoa and looking adorable.”
“Thank you.” She touched up her lip gloss and smoothed her hair.
“So you don’t mind being abandoned?”
“Not at all,” Gillian said pleasantly. “My chances of attracting some wealthy entrepreneur improve when I’m alone.”
“Right.” Emma put on her goggles. “So are you giving up on Harris then?”
“Not at all. And I’m relieved to find out you don’t like skiing with him.”
“That’s for sure.” Emma tugged on her gloves. “I hope I never ski with him again—I’ll go out of my way to avoid it.”
“I wish you’d avoid that caretaker too,” Gillian said. “Besides the fact he’s not in your league, it’s not fair to Grant.”
Emma wanted to straighten her out on both points but knew it was useless. “Don’t worry yourself, Gil, I have no intention of getting involved with West. I just happen to appreciate the ski lessons.” Hiding her irritation, Emma simply waved and went over to where Grant was struggling to get into his skis. Apparently, he hadn’t gotten a lesson from West on how to do it gracefully. She explained, showing him how to align his skis and plant his poles then neatly step in. “See,” she held out her arms. “Easy breezy.”
He imitated her method, then smiled. “You’re the perfect ski buddy, Emma. And I know you won’t laugh if I fall on my face.”
“Hopefully you won’t do that.” She took off, moving toward the chairlift with Grant trailing behind her. She hoped he hadn’t misread her invitation to ski together as anything more than mere friendship. Sort of like West and Harris now skiing together—except those guys didn’t seem to be on friendly terms. Hopefully, they’d have a good time anyway. Emma didn’t like to imagine them in a skiing showdown. But if it did turn into competition, her money was on West.
West tried to talk Harris into an easier run, but Harris stubbornly insisted on Nine Lives. “You need to be aware this is one of the toughest runs on the mountain,” West warned him. “It’s wicked steep.”
“Are you saying it’s too much for you?” Harris asked. “Chickening out on me?”
“Not at all. I
just want you to be aware of how steep it will be.”
“I like steep runs,” Harris said as they got in line for the lift.
“Then you’re gonna love this.” West chuckled.
“And it’ll be worth bragging rights.” Harris continued to chatter at West as they rode up, talking about other places he’d skied and his favorite runs. But the higher they went, the quieter Harris became. When they got off the lift and West informed him that they still had a fifteen-minute hike to the top, Harris looked uneasy.
“The hike helps to get you warmed up for the run.” West put his skis and poles over his shoulder. “Let’s get going.”
By the time they reached the top, Harris was huffing and puffing. “How high are we?” he asked breathlessly.
“Close to thirteen thousand feet.” West paused to catch his breath. “Even if you live up here, it can catch you by surprise at times.”
“Yeah, this is pretty high. Oh, wow!” Harris stopped to stare down at the sheer drop-off, and unless West imagined it, his tanned face seemed to pale. “That’s seriously steep, man.”
“You okay?” West asked him.
“Yeah.” He nodded with a somber expression. “But I gotta admit, that looks pretty challenging.”
“I told you it was one of Breck’s toughest runs. But you said that’s what you wanted.” West checked his bindings then put his boots into them.
“Uh-huh.” Harris put on his skis too.
West removed his water flask from his pack, taking a long swig. “So you’re good at billy-goating?”
“Guess I better be. Don’t have much choice, do I?” He turned to West. “And you say you’ve done this run before?”
West nodded. “Yeah. And it doesn’t pull any punches. Like I told you, Nine Lives will definitely put you to the test.”
“Do I need nine lives to survive it?” Harris wasn’t smiling.
West laughed. “Nah, you can do this, buddy. Don’t let it psych you out.”
The Christmas Swap Page 6