Tempting Love: A Single Dad Nanny Small Town Romance (Mountain Haven Series Book 4) by Lea Coll

Author:Lea Coll [Coll, Lea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HEA Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-05-08T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

SAM

When I saw Alice go down, my heart stopped. I checked to make sure I could stop without tripping anyone else up, took off my skis, and carried them up the hill to where she was lying in the snow.

Dropping my skis next to her, I asked, “Are you okay?”

She squinted up at me. “I’m fine. Just embarrassed.”

I held out a hand, helping her to stand, which was awkward with the skis. “Don’t be. Everyone falls.”

She brushed the snow off her pants. “You didn’t.”

“I’ve been taking it easy.” It wasn’t fun to ski with someone who went ahead of you. “As the youngest in my family, they were always racing ahead of me, and I wanted to catch up. I became adept at falling.”

“I like hearing about your family. They sound fun.”

I thought back to my childhood, which was chaotic with three boys, my parents always yelling at us to stop jumping off something or another, or to stop wrestling. It was wasted effort on their part. As soon as they left the room, we were back at it. “It was.”

“Mac was funny. I’d like to meet the rest of your family.”

I scowled. “Don’t tell him that. He already thinks he’s the funniest.”

“He’s not?”

I gave her an injured look. “I’m clearly the funniest.”

She nodded, as if pretending to consider the idea. “Mmm. Maybe because of Maggie.”

“There’s no ‘because of Maggie,’” I grumbled.

She laughed again, and it was the best sound. Skiers went down the mountain around us, steering clear of where we stood, so it felt like we were in our own world.

“You want to continue down the mountain before there’s a collision?”

“See you at the bottom,” she called as she used her rods to push off. I scrambled to get my skis on, pumping my arms to catch up. By the time I got to the bottom, she was doubled over laughing, like she couldn’t help herself.

I grinned. “Did I do something funny?”

“I left you in the dust—or maybe snow is the appropriate saying.”

For a second, I basked in her delight. I knew coming here was the right choice. She could be herself, and I liked who she’d been hiding. She was outgoing, funny, and sweet.

“I don’t know why you’ve been hiding this girl.” I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth because she sobered and looked away.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Meeting my gaze, she said, “It’s okay.”

“You ready for another pass?” I gestured at the line for the lift, not wanting to remind her of who she was.

She considered me for a few seconds before finally nodding.

We ran down the mountain a half dozen more times before my legs were protesting. My favorite moments were the rides on the lift when I shared tidbits about my childhood, and crazy antics and jokes my brothers pulled on each other. After our last run, the sun was starting to set. “Want to get some hot chocolate?”

“I’d love some.”

We stowed our skis in the locker and exchanged our boots to go inside the lodge.

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