Page 10 of Wild Promises

I was good with people. I had a way with them. I could coax a five-year-old who was fearful of falling to go down a slope. I could convince a stuffy business man that skiing was the sport he had to learn if he wanted to advance in his field. But convincing my brothers I was worthy was an impossible feat. I had no idea what they wanted from me.

I was a ski instructor at my family's resort, and now I was being told I was easily replaceable. It hurt. But there had to be a way to show my brothers that I brought something unique to the family's business. But what?

The one perfect thing in my life had always been Tori Clark. Now she was back, and I was convinced she was the key to my dilemma. She'd brought up the marriage pact. Now I had to gauge how serious she was because there was nothing that screamed commitment quite like marriage.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled to her name. The last message was her reaching out to me. I'd resisted because I couldn't bare to hear how perfect her life was or how she was never planning to return to Telluride.

My fingers hovered over the keys unsure what to say. Should I invite her out to dinner, drinks? Would she even be interestedin a night out in Telluride? It had to pale in comparison to New York City.

Then I remembered our favorite thing to do together—skiing.

Xander: I heard you're home.

Lame. I couldn't believe I hit send on that piece of literary genius. Wasn't I the one who was known for my charm? Surely, I could do better than that.

Tori: I am.

Emotions tore through me. Was she okay? Did she go through a messy breakup? Was the move temporary or permanent?

Xander: You want to do a little nighttime skiing?

It was our special thing. I never took another woman skiing at night unless it was a group thing and I was getting paid to do it. I'd only ever been alone with Tori. The night was usually quiet, and the time felt sacred. I'd thought many times about kissing her when we'd gone off the beaten path and were hidden from any stray skiers. But I never had. Because I knew the truth. Tori was destined for greater things than me or this small town.

So I had no idea what it meant that she was back. I'd heard that she was working with her father, but that didn't mean she was taking over his practice or planning to stay. If her surgeon boyfriend snapped his fingers, she might go running back.

Tori: I'd love that.

Warmth filled my chest.

Xander: You need gear?

Tori: I'll dig out my old stuff.

Shock reverberated through my body.

Xander: You haven't been skiing since you left?

Tori: I didn't have time, and it didn't seem right.

She'd learned how to ski with me and my brothers. But when we were teenagers, we went by ourselves. It was almost intimate, at least for me. I'm guessing she hadn't felt the same because I never saw a spark of interest in her eyes.

Xander: Friday night? Meet you in our usual place.

Tori: Looking forward to it.

I skied for the athleticism of it but also for time to myself. There was something about being out in nature. But nothing could compare to my evenings on the mountain with Tori. They had a magical quality to them, or at least my memory of them did. I was curious to see if being with her as an adult held the same allure.

I had a couple of nights to prepare for our evening together, and I wanted to make it special. I dug out some lights, took them to one of our spots we went to when we wanted to be alone, and got to work.

I'd convince Tori that she'd done the right thing by coming home and that she shouldn't leave. She didn't belong in New York. I just had to convince her of that. And I couldn't lose sightof my brother's ultimatum. I needed to figure out a way to be an integral part of the family business before I was kicked to the side.

4

TORI

Ihad shadowed my dad at his practice the last few days, getting a feel for the place. It was well run after so many years of honing his skills, but he could use more doctors. The only problem was that he preferred to run everything himself.

He cleaned out a second office for me. I was drifting through my days, trying to find my bearings. Several times a day, I wondered if I'd made the right decision. It was such a big change to move from a big city's emergency room to a small-town practice.

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