Page 47 of Wedlocked

I jerked but then kept going, leaving one pole behind.

“Shit,” I cursed and dug the edge of the ski into the snow, but the layer of ice made it impossible to get any traction. I tried again with the same zero luck, but this time, I stumbled, my arms flying out at my sides as I fought for balance. I would have laughed if this weren’t so fucking typical.

There was only one thing left to do.

After letting a few more colorful curses fly, I threw myself to the side, body hitting the packed snow with a grunt. I skidded, skis knocking together, but then I stopped. The only sound was that of my heavy breathing. Rolling onto my back, I flung my arms out and looked up at the floodlights and the sky beyond them.

The distinct sound of skis cutting into the snow came close, followed by a cold, vapory powder that floated overhead in my line of sight.

“Are you okay?” a voice I didn’t know asked.

Great.A witness to my humiliation.

Pushing up onto my elbows, I grinned, sheepish. “Hey, yeah, I’m all good!”

“Just, ah, enjoying the view?” the witness mused.

I laughed. “Yeah.”

The man came closer and leaned over, blocking some of the floodlights above with his head. He had on a red beanie with a white square logo in the center. His goggles were clear but still didn’t really offer a view of his face. His lower jaw was stubbly, and his teeth were white. I knew because he was currently grinning down at me.

“You sure you aren’t hurt? Should I call for backup?”

“The only thing that’s hurt here is my ego,” I said, pushing up into a sitting position. “I’m fine. Just hit some ice.”

“Need a hand?” he asked, sticking his out as I pushed to my feet.

“No, I’m good,” I said, then slipped.

He caught me by the elbow and pulled me the rest of the way up.

“Ah, thanks,” I said when he picked up my ski pole and handed it to me.

“Don’t see the other one.” He glanced all around.

“Yeah, I might have, ah, left it up there,” I said, thumbing over my shoulder.

He gazed past me, lifting the goggles onto his head and revealing his eyes. He was younger than I realized, probably not much older than me. Above his beard, his cheeks were pink and his eyes were blue.

“Oh, I think I see it,” he said. “Give me a few. I’ll get it.”

“Oh, no. You don’t need to. I can get it.” Actually, I’d planned on leaving it there. I mean, if I was having issues getting down the mountain, I sure as hell had no hope of going up it.

He turned back, still walking in the opposite direction. “It’s my job,” he said, pointing to the white patch on his jacket. It was the same as his hat. “Snow patrol.”

“You’re snow patrol?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yep. Wait there.”

He took off, and I watched as he went around the ice patch I’d hit and somehow made it to the abandoned pole, tucked it under his arm, and then skied back to where I was.

“Here you go,” he said, holding it out.

“Thanks,” I said, embarrassed. “I should probably, ah, get back on the run,” I mumbled, realizing I was on the other side of the barrel.

“Need some help?” he asked.

“Ah, no. I’m good,” I said, moving back onto the run, eyes automatically searching for Max’s familiar figure. He’d probably already passed me.

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