Page 28 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas

He gestured toward the skiers past the fence, and it dawned on her what he meant.

“Oh,” she said. “Uh…I don’t think so. Not right now.” God, why did this feel so awkward? “Maybe I should get going…”

She turned but had barely taken a step away from him when his hand closed around her wrist.

“Wait,” he said.

Between the melting timbre of his voice and the warm tingles racing up her arm, Rachel thought she might turn into a puddle in the snow. She sucked in a breath, gazing up into those grey eyes of his, ignoring the pounding of her heart in her ears. “Yes?”

His lips parted, and she wished he would kiss her right there on the spot. Instead, he spoke.

“Why don’t we talk later this evening?” he offered. “I’m not working today. You and I could spend the rest of Christmas Eve together. My cabin.”

She must have looked a little startled because he immediately added, “You don’t have to if you don’t feel like it.”

It sounded so absurd that she almost burst out laughing. Michael, her long-lost boyfriend, was asking her out like it was his first time with her as if they hadn’t gone on so many dates before, as if they hadn’t shared so many kisses in the past, as if they hadn’t made love like the world was about to end…

Then again, itwashis first time because as much as she wanted to believe that this was her Michael, it wasn’t. Her Michael would remember her.

“Sure,” she said. “Let’s hang out this evening. Maybe we can talk some more.”

When he let go of her, she felt a pang of disappointment. She could feel his gaze on her as she walked away.

She hadn’t imagined that loving a man who couldn’t remember her would leave her feeling so confused, but here she was.

***

The evening arrived a little too soon, and Rachel found herself seated in one of the armchairs by Michael’s fireplace. The cabin was quite small, designed for a single occupant. To her surprise,there wasn’t much furniture. Two chairs and a table, and she suspected a bed in the other room. A couple of skis rested in the corner. The scent of cedar lingered in the air. Michael lived a simple life here on Frost Mountain.

Speaking of Michael…where was he?

He’d welcomed her into the cabin several minutes ago and disappeared into the bedroom. Rachel doubted her Michael would object to her following him inside, but this version of Michael didn’t remember enough to maintain that doubt, so she sat waiting impatiently for him.

She heard the sound of footsteps, andheappeared.

“Ho, ho, ho!” Michael said.

He was decked out in his Santa costume—sans the beard, thank goodness. Even still, the sight of him was somewhat jarring. He spread his arms wide, grinning from ear to ear, but the jolly expression quickly faded.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her, drawing closer.

She blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“You look sad.” Michael came over, plunking down on the seat next to her. “Well, sort of. I was hoping to make you smile or laugh, but…well…”

He wordlessly gestured toward her. Rachel hadn’t even realized that she had a downcast expression on her face. She tried for a smile. It didn’t work.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, taking her hand in his. Again, that warm tingle shot up her arm like an electric current.

She sucked in a breath. “You were wearing that suit the day you disappeared.”

“Oh.” A sheepish, somewhat apologetic look crossed his face.

Rachel nodded. “It was just supposed to be a silly stunt, nothing more. You told me you wanted to ski down Lee Canyon in a Santa suit. We were there together, laughing alot. There were people everywhere, watching.” She paused as the memories flooded her mind, no less painful than the actual event.

“Whoa,” Michael breathed.

“You went downhill,” she went on, “and that was the last time I ever saw you. You were just…goneas if you’d never even been there. Everyone was looking for you that day, but they found nothing. It was like you’d just vanished into thin air.”

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