Page 16 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas

Understatement of the year.

Andrew wasted no time responding. “This is abouther, isn’t it?”

No answer was needed. Both men already knew the truth.

A week had ticked by since Michael nearly crashed into Rachel on this very hill. It felt like an hour. Michael still couldn’t seem to shake the image of her for more than a few moments at a time. Somehow, no matter what, his thoughts strayed back to her. It didn’t help that they kept bumping into each other every couple of days or so. Thus far, they’d done little more than exchange a few awkwardgreetings.

Michael thought it was probably best that way. At least, that was what he’d told himself a couple of nights ago as he lay awake in his cabin, staring absently at the ceiling. He wasn’t avoiding her—well, not really. But it all still felt pretty weird to him, and it wasn’t just the fact that she’d kissed him the other day.

Between Michael’s work and the fact that she was still getting accustomed to Melinor, they hadn’t gotten much of a chance to talk. They hadn’t even been alone together since the afternoon of the kiss, but Michael had a feeling it was only a matter of time. When they got that chance, they would talk, nothing more. No kissing, no touching, no matter how much the memory of the softness of her lips taunted him.

He nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll focus on skiing this time. She won’t be a problem.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Andrew told him.

He pointed toward the hilltop, where several figures stood waiting just outside the fence that surrounded Melinor.Squinting, Michael made out a few of the villagers who’d come to take skiing lessons. A few other spectators stood around them, but Michael’s gaze was riveted on a lone woman watching the group march up the hill.

“Cripes,” he muttered. “She’s here.”

“It’s not a mystery who she’s here for.” With a laugh, Andrew clapped him on the back. “Why don’t you go ahead? Give me your skis.”

Feeling his heart thudding madly inside his ribcage, Michael increased his pace, sprinting up the hill toward Rachel. She seemed to freeze as he drew close, her lovely eyes widening as though in alarm.

“Hi,” he said, panting.

“Hi.”

They stared awkwardly at each other for the next few seconds. Michael could feel the eyes of his students on them. God knows what was going through their minds at that moment.

She fixed him with her turquoise gaze. “I, uh, I feel like we haven’t had an actual conversation since…you know…”

Since you kissed me out of the blue.

He nodded calmly as though his insides weren’t bursting with excitement. “Right. Why don’t we take a walk?”

She smiled a little, which caused his heart to beat a lot faster. Together, they turned and headed past the low, snow-covered fence into the village. They meandered through the streets without a word, Michael aware of everything from his pulse pounding in his ears to the eyes that followed them as they walked.

He stole a glance in her direction. She’d since changed out of the leather clothing she’d been wearing when she first arrived. Now, she wore a green varsity jacket over a pair of jeans, her dark hair smoothed into a bun behind her head, leaving the tips of her ears visible. No wonder people were staring so much. Hewas walking through Melinor with the most beautiful creature to exist under the sun.

“I wanted to apologize for the other day,” she said suddenly.

Michael grinned. “What, the kiss? No, don’t worry about it. In fact—”

“No, Michael. Not the kiss. The slap.”

So she wasn’t apologetic about the kiss. He did nothing about the sparks that filled his belly. “Oh, that. Well, my face doesn’t sting anymore. I hope you won’t attack me again?”

He raised both hands as if to defend himself, and she let out a giggle, her eyes gleaming.

“You’ve always been such a kidder,” she muttered.

“What can I say? Humor runs in my veins.” Curiosity pricked at his consciousness. “It’s weird that I don’t remember you. I know I lost my memory when I first arrived on Frost Mountain and hit my head on that large rock down the mountain by the lake, but I was pretty sure I got it all back—or at least, most of it.”

“Clearly, you were wrong.” Was that a hint of pain in her voice?

“Well, it doesn’t look like the rest of my memory’s coming back anytime soon. It’s been three years. Why don’t you catch me up to speed? Were we…friends?”

The look she gave him told him he’d asked a stupid question. Michael refrained from smacking his forehead. Of course not. Friends didn’t kiss each other. They’d obviously been much more than that.

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