Page 15 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas

A question prodded the back of her mind. “I’m guessing you founded this village?”

“Me? Not at all. Melinor was in existence long before I came along.” She slowed her pace, sweeping her gaze around the snow-filled village and its inhabitants. “Interestingly enough, it was the village chief at the time who found me. Darius was a kind man, a bear shifter like me, and he brought me into his home without any trouble. I spent some time in Melinor, trying to process everything that had happened before I decided to accept my situation and move on.

“Long story short, I fell in love with Darius. A few years before he died on a hunting trip, we had a child together.”

“Elena.” The image of the woman who’d been watching over her in the cabin flashed in Rachel’s memory.

Reba nodded. “When he passed, I took over as chief of Melinor. When I am gone, Elena will take my place, and so on.”

Rachel tried to picture a lifetime on this mountain, in this village, where everyone seemed so jolly and seemed to love Christmas. It was peaceful as far as she could see, but that didn’t make the idea any less strange. How had Michael been here for the past three years?

Come to think of it, his time here had definitely changed him. Those grey eyes and that charming smile of his remained the same, but he’d certainly aged a bit, not that it took anything away from his attractiveness.

“So…Michael…” she began.

“Ah, yes.” The old woman nodded. “A good man. Excellent at skiing. Teaches some of the villagers from time to time. And he’s quite the craftsman.”

“Yeah,” Rachel replied, not at all surprised. “You said he doesn’t remember me. That’s…”

“Crushing? I don’t know how it must feel not to be recognized by your lover, but I know that pain doesn’t last forever.”

Rachel blinked. “Wh-what? I never said Michael was my—”

“Oh, please.” The woman’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “You think I can’t tell when a woman like myself is head over heels in love? Why, I’ve seen the same look in my daughter’s eyes when…” She trailed off, the humor on her face waning. “Look, you just need to be patient. I’m really sorry about your situation, but give it time. I’m sure Michael will come around.”

A sigh parted Rachel’s lips. “I guess you’re right.”

“I am. I do hope you’ve learned a thing or two from our conversation.”

Yeah. Old ladies with Air Force history are kinda cool.

“I have.”

Her hand flew to her necklace pendant. She thought of him hammering away in that workshop and felt a pang of longing, but she managed to stifle the urge to turn around and run back to meet him. They’d been separated for three years already. What was a little more time? It wasn’t like either she or Michael were going anywhere any time soon. She could be patient, but she wasn’t going to give up until Michael Malone remembered who the heck she was.

Chapter Six

A Walk Through The Village

“Look out!”

Michael swerved to the right, sending up a spray of snow in his wake as he maneuvered his way around the jutting rock that would have sent him tumbling all the way down the hill had Andrew not jerked him back to his senses. A hard left righted his course, and he tightened his grip on the poles as he skied toward the foot of the hill like a rocket.

The wind howled in his ears. How he’d managed to hear Andrew’s warning, he wasn’t sure, but right now, it was just him, the wind and blanket of snow extending as far as his narrowed eyes could see. The hill grew less steep as he neared the bottom, where the snow stretched across more even ground.

Any second now…

Carefully, he dug his poles into the snow, decelerating a little as he reached the foot of the hill. Another sharp jerk of his skis sent snow billowing into the air ahead. Chuckling to himself, Michael plodded off the skiing path and began divesting himself of his skis just as a couple of other skiers shot downhill. There were four of them, two of whom decelerated deftly once they reached the bottom. The other two stumbled over their skis and face-planted in the snow.

“Good going, guys!” Michael called out to them as the two youths who’d been ostriching in the snow pulled themselves to their feet. “Lori and Jeff, you’re going to need some more practice. Why don’t we go back up and try this again?”

Andrew left the group and clumped over to Michael, a frown on his face as he pried off his skis. “What happened back there? You almost hit that rock.”

Michael nodded, turning to march back up the hill with his friend. “Good thing you were looking out for me, huh?”

“That’s the problem. I shouldn’t have had to. You could’ve seen the rock from a mile away. Is everything okay? It looks like you weren’t really focusing.”

A sigh parted Michael’s lips. “You’re right. I guess you could say I’ve been inside my head lately.”

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