Page 11 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

The actual container was a massive chest carved from birch. Tana liked to run her fingers over the decorations on the front of it, something she’d discovered during her first week working for the Elkin family. Lots of well-to-do families vacationed at Elk Lodge, and inevitably they left some of their clothes behind.

Linda, the secretary, poked her head into the room. “Hey, Tana. Hope you find something good because that box is overrun with stuff. I’ve got to run upstairs. Just don’t grab anything with the nameEmilyon it. She loses things so often that we try to set them aside for the next visit, and her mother hasn’t been in to check yet.”

“I’ll make sure. Talk to you later.” Tana started to dig through the chest, piece by piece, searching for the perfect coat.

Bingo.She pulled out a purple jacket that looked brand new and would fit Lindsey.

“Did one of your students lose something?” Chase’s voice sent a shockwave of embarrassment through her.

Tana’s cheeks blazed, and she yanked the jacket guiltily to her chest. She’d walked away from him when their lips were inches apart, as if she didn’t really want to kiss Chase. Except shedid.She wanted desperately to know how it felt to have his lips brush against hers and for his tongue to—

Oh,stop.She hadn’t done anything wrong. Tana lifted her chin and turned to face him, who stood in the doorway watching her. “No, they didn’t. I was looking through the lost and found for a ski jacket for Lindsey. I don’t have the time or the money to go shopping before her lesson with you.”

“Well, if you find one, make sure it doesn’t have the nameEmilyon it.” He grinned.

Tana’s mouth twitched as she fought back a laugh. “Oh, so you heard?” In the past two days alone, Emily had reported to her she’d lost a set of ski gloves, a pair of snow pants—how?—and a change purse. Tana hadn’t known girls still carried change purses—they seemed like an artifact from her own childhood.

“I heard.” Chase smiled, too, and suddenly it felt illicit to be having a conversation with him about a guest at the resort.

She shouldn’t be gossiping about guests with Chase—a bad idea on so many levels. Especially when she was picking through the lost and found. Tana took another look at the jacket, arranging her face into what she hoped was a serious expression.

Chase’s eyes followed hers, then strayed to the chest behind her. “Let me buy her a new one in the ski shop.”

Tana tensed. “No, you don’t need to do that.”

“Why not? I don’t mind. And if there’s nothing here, I could run into town and find her something while you take care of your lessons.”

Tana clutched at the jacket. “Seriously, this is fine.” The fancy ski shops would cost a fortune, not that it would make any difference to Chase. This was precisely why she couldn’t get involved with him. They were from two different worlds. “She’s growing so quickly. We’ll make do with what we have.”

Chase pressed his lips together, and an awkwardness crept in around the beat of silence. “Are you...satisfied with your pay rate working here? Because if it’s not good enough, I’ll speak with the family about upping salaries across the board. It wouldn’t be out of line. We want to make sure we hire and maintain the best and that means paying people what they’re worth.” He caught Tana’s eyes again, and she had to catch her breath.

She made herself meet Chase’s eyes. “The income and benefits you offer here are fantastic. I just learned the hard way that if you can scrimp and save for a rainy day, you should do it.” Tana sighed. “You know, I’d really rather be hitting the slopes and refreshing my skills. I haven’t done any work on the moguls or hills in quite a while, and I’m getting rusty. Not the best look for a ski instructor.”

“I could help you out with that. Want a free lesson?”

Chase’s words cut into Tana’s skin, followed by a burst of irritation. When Tana had found out she was pregnant, her sperm donor, also known as her ex, had immediately offered to make an appointment for an abortion. From that moment on, Tana was determined to provide for her daughter, and she had. She wore that success like a badge of honor.

Chase didn’t know any of this but that didn’t stop her defensive feelings or her angry response that Chase, a hot former ski champion wearing shoes that cost more than her whole outfit, was helping her dig for a used ski jacket and offering herfreeskiing lessons. Tana hadn’t asked for any help—not from Chase, and not from anybody here. She was fine on her own.She had to be.

“I didn’t ask for a lesson, but if I wanted one, I’d pay for it,” she said, her voice verging on a snap, as she became defensive. “Just like Icouldafford new clothes if I wanted them. I’m just saving every penny I can for Lindsey. Emergencies happen all the time, and if we make it through okay, that money will go toward her college.” Tana’s face heated. This shouldn’t be such a big deal.

Except it was. Because depending on someone else never worked out. Something always happened.

Chase straightened, tipping a handful of clothes back into the chest. “You know,” he said gently, “I wasn’t offering you lessons as charity. My work for the afternoon can wait a while, that’s all I meant. Besides, it’s not like Icanski with you—just dole out advice.”

Tana swallowed a tight lump in her throat. She’d been fighting for a long time to make a good life for herself and for Lindsey. It hadn’t always been easy. Whatwasit about Chase that made her feel so defensive about not having a lot of money? She worked with rich people every day. She didn’t have time to figure it out now, especially not with him looking so attractive as he stared intently at her waiting for an answer.

Something unlocked in her chest, way down deep. One run down the hills while Lindsey was in school. What was the harm? And if it helped Chase reconnect with the sport he loved so much, all the better. Just because he didn’t ski, didn’t mean he couldn’t help others. “Okay.” She nodded, pleased to see Chase’s eyes light up, which made her agreement that much better. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Tana came to a stop at the bottom of Elk Lodge’s most challenging run, where Chase waited for her wearing a sturdy pair of snow boots. He might have an injured leg, but he still looked incredible in his snow gear, like a model who had stepped off the pages of Ski Magazine. That made sense—Chasehadbeen a model in Ski Magazine. A face like his made every woman in the world want to buy magazines with him on the cover.

“You’re cutting it a little too close on the moguls, but your balance is killer.” Chase ran through a couple of other pointers—realpointers—and Tana lifted her goggles away from her eyes to look at him. It felt sosexy,having him assess her like this. Tana couldn’t quite catch her breath, and it wasn’t from the trip down the mountain. “Keep an eye on the straightaways, and you could be a champion.”

“I’m not going to be a champion, but thanks for the kind words,” she said, and she meant it. Disappointment needled at her. She hadn’t wanted a free lesson in the first place, and now she didn’t want it to end. “Thank you, we should do this again sometime,” she said, stepping closer to give him a kiss on the cheek by way of thanks.

Chase turned his head, and her lips landed on his mouth instead. “I agree, but I also think we should do something else now.” He grinned, his eyes twinkling. “How about a drink?”

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