Page 42 of The Dating Dare

“Should we save these until lunch or do you want to eat them now?” Seth was hoping for the latter choice. He was starving.

“Let’s eat them now. It’s past ten, so we’ll call this brunch and ski straight through the afternoon.”

“You read my mind.”

They sat at a bench outside their hotel to eat their brunch, then went on to get geared up at the rental shop. Seth wasn’t very happy with his rental gear, but he’d already packed up his ski gear to be shipped to Paris. These would have to do. At least Landon’s ski jacket and pants fit him.

“Do your boots feel okay?” he asked.

She walked back and forth a few times and nodded. “Yeah. They’re good. Let’s go.”

When they were ready, they huddled into the gondola to reach the ski slopes. It was always fun to watch the rooftops of the ski chalets grow smaller while climbing to the top.

Tara sat in the middle of the bench across from him and looked around at the changing vista.

“Did I tell you that gondola rides are one of my favorite things about skiing?” Seth said. “It makes me feel like a little kid on a Disneyland ride.”

“Kind of like riding on the flying boat in Peter Pan’s Flight.” A soft smile touched her lips.

“Exactly. That’s my favorite dark ride.”

“Plus, it’s in Fantasyland with Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and the Mad Hatter,” she said, her features brightening up.

“The Mad Hatter? Is that some kind ofAlice in Wonderlandride? I’ve never heard of it.”

“No, it’s a store filled with wondrous things like Mickey ears and tiaras.”

“So which one do you like to wear?” he asked.

“The Minnie ears, of course.”

Seth chuckled, enjoying seeing yet another side of Tara. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a Disney fan.”

“I’m not peggable.”

“It seems you’re not.”

When they got off the gondola, they stepped into their skis and headed for the lifts to the intermediate courses.

“I always get nervous getting on the lifts,” Tara said with a slight tremor in her voice, and there was a pallor to her skin that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“It’s your survival instincts,” he said matter-of-factly, smoothing out the frown that tugged at his eyebrows. He didn’t like seeing her worried but she deserved better than meaningless reassurances. “We’re going to sit on an open chair and go up the mountains. It’s perfectly safe, but also a little reckless when you think about it.”

“We humans happily take unnecessary risks as long as it’s fun.” She smiled, some color returning to her cheeks.

“That’s what separates us from the animals,” he deadpanned.

Tara was still laughing when they plunked down on the lift. He hoped he’d successfully eased her nervousness. When the lift began its ascent, she tensed for just a few seconds then relaxed enough to gently swing her legs back and forth.

“Comfy?” he asked.

“Better.” She blew out a long breath. “Oh, look. We’re almost at the part where we jump off of a moving suspended chair and drop to the ground.”

He chuckled. Humans really were outrageous creatures. They landed lightly on the snow without mishap and glided away from the lift. The course was pretty straightforward and without many challenges, but going down the hill with the wind rushing in his ears was going to feel great.

“Ready?” Her body coiled back like a spring.Hmm. He suddenly doubted her claim of being amodestintermediate skier.

“Here we go,” he said and pushed off with Tara close by his side.

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