Page 21 of Merry on the Mountain
That kiss.
Fuck.
I was instantly attracted to him during our first lesson, but I didn’t think much of it. Any person with a pulse would be able to appreciate his physicality and appearance. But the way that he fathers Izzy takes him from hot jock to irresistible. And he’s generous. It honestly should be illegal to be that hot and that good of a human being.
Maya runs alongside me as we cut through some trees. Joy exudes from her entire body as she races through the powder that fell last night. It’s not often I let her loose like this, solely because when the slopes are crowded it’s not safe to have her running free, for her or people who aren’t used to having ananimal on the mountain with them. But she and I have a great awareness of each other when we’re out here.
That’s why I immediately stop when she alerts and runs toward a tree. I sidestep over to where she stands looking down and barking. Once I reach her, I see exactly what’s going on.
“Hello,” I call down to the person in the tree well beneath us. “Ski patrol here.”
A helmeted head tips back, and I see the tear-streaked face of a man looking up at me. “I think I broke my leg.”
I reach behind me, pulling my shovel out with one hand and my radio with another. “I’ll get you out and call for a sled.”
After calling for help, I start shoveling him out. He’s a few feet past my reach and stuck on an old tree limb. I keep him calm by explaining what I’m doing and chatting with him. Maya lies off to the side, whining every so often as she watches my progress. I’ve dug down just about far enough to reach him when I hear the sound of the snowmobile.
Trent cuts the engine and jumps off the machine, racing over to me. I fill him in on the situation, and we manage to pull the man up. His left leg has a long cut from the side of his calf up to his thigh from one of the branches. We stabilize it and get him laid out and secured on the stretcher. Trent checks with me that I’ll be able to get down to the lodge on my own and then takes off.
By the time I’m down to the lodge, my muscles are screaming. I know it’s going to be a rough couple of days of recovery. Luckily, I’m not back on the schedule until Tuesday, so I can lie around and do minimal work for two days.
Maya collapses on her bed in the lounge while I fill out my end of the paperwork. Trent comes in, wiping sweat from his forehead and flops down on the couch.
“That dude is so lucky you had Maya out with you today. Do you know how long he’d been there?”
“According to him, several hours. Didn’t hear a single person go past him.”
“He’s also so lucky he fell feet first and none of the snow dropped down on him.” He stretches his body out on the couch. “Told him to pick up a lottery ticket on his way home.”
I snort. “No kidding.” I sign a few more forms and then put everything in a neat pile. “I did all my portion of the paperwork. You’re welcome to start on yours whenever.”
“Twenty bucks to do it for me?” He presses his palms together over his heart.
“Hell no, do it yourself. I’m taking Maya and going home.”
“Where are you staying?” He groans as he pushes himself to his feet. “I heard about your van.”
“A guy I gave lessons to has a rental he’s renovating. I’m staying there for the time being.”
“If it gets too expensive, you’re always welcome to crash with me.” His eyes do a slow perusal of me as I pull my coat on. He’s never hidden the fact that he’s interested in me, at least interested in getting me in bed.
“Thanks for the offer. As of now everything is working great there for me, I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
It’s a lie, but it appeases him.
Exhaustion sets into my bones as I drive home. I don’t even notice Drew chopping wood to the side of the driveway until I’m letting Maya out of the backseat of the Jeep and grabbing my bags.
“You look beat.” Drew wipes his brow with the back of his hand before putting his baseball cap on backward. “Long day?”
Managing a half smile I nod. “You could say that. We had a backcountry rescue. Maya found the guy in a tree well, and I did most of the digging to get him out.” I rest my hip against the door of the Jeep. “Probably should have taken the time to sit inthe employee sauna before I came home, but a long shower will have to do.”
“What about a bath?”
“That’d be amazing, is there a working one on the second floor?” I haven’t ventured up there since the primary suite is on the main level.
“Not a working one, but our side has a garden tub upstairs.”
I look at the stairs, tempted until I think about climbing all the way up to the main level and getting my own clothes, then going to his place and up to the second floor. “That’s okay. I barely have the energy to get myself up to the front door. I’ll manage with what I’ve got.”
