by Ann Lister
“Do you live around here?” Colby asked.
“I have a cabin on the other side of the mountain.”
“That must make your commute easy,” she said.
“Instead of a car, I drive a snowmobile to work.”
“You don’t mind the cold and snow?” she asked.
Nick laughed loudly. “If I did, I certainly wouldn’t be doing this particular job. Besides, if you dress properly for the weather, it’s comfortable.”
Colby shook her head. “I can’t stand to be cold and I hate having to wear six layers of clothing just to stay warm. I like the temperature in L.A. much better.”
“The summer’s here are hot.”
“You live here year-round?” she asked with surprise.
“This is a full time job, Colby. The resort is open in the summer for hikers and, believe me when I say, there is just as much need for rescues in the summer months as in the winter.”
“I wasn’t aware you could make a full-blown career out of being a ski-bum.”
“Ski-bum?” Nick repeated, hurt by her accusation. “I wish I had the time to be a ski-bum! I’m an EMT for the ski resort, occasionally using skis to get to the victims. I’ve also had extensive survival training, too. I’m guessing you wouldn’t enjoy the survival training aspect of this job, Colby, since you’ve made it abundantly clear you hate the outdoors.”
Colby heard the defensive tone in Nick’s voice and suddenly regretted what she had said. “I’m sorry about the ski-bum comment. I didn’t mean to imply…”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been called worse.”
“For the record, I don’t hate the outdoors - just the cold. I actually spend quite a bit of time outside in L.A.”
“Doing what?” he asked.
“I like to roller-blade and I also run.”
“I guess that explains why your legs feel so strong,” he said, immediately wondering if he should have made the comment.
Colby tipped her head, absorbing Nick’s remark about her legs and stiffened against his back. Although his statement rang like a compliment, it also made her a bit uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry, Colby. I didn’t mean anything by that.”
“Just keep walking, Nick.”
Silence fell between them and Nick squinted through the falling snow trying to get a visual on their location. In the distance, he could see Colby’s cabin coming into view.
“Are you getting cold?” he asked, breaking their silence.
Colby considered his question and realized how warm she actually was, pressed against the strength of his backside. Or, maybe it was just him that was making her warm, she wondered, then shook the notion from her mind. All men suck, she reminded herself, and most likely Nick was no different than any of the others.
But, Nick wasn’t like the men she was typically attracted to. Even still, she doubted that made a difference. Nick was probably just as big of a jerk as all the men from her past - men hardly worth remembering. That is, except for the one man she was willing to marry.
“No, I’m not cold,” she finally said.
“Good. I’ll start a fire once we get back to your cabin.”
Chapter Two
A few moments later, Nick reached the door to Colby’s cabin and paused. “I’m going to slowly release your good leg,” he said. “I want you to position it firmly on the ground and try to balance on it, while keeping your bad ankle raised,” he instructed. “Do you think you can handle that without falling, while I open the door?” he said.
“I’ll do my best,” she answered with sarcasm.
Colby latched onto Nick’s arm and teetered on her good leg. Once Nick opened the door, he scooped her back into his arms and carried her across the room, setting her onto the couch. Then, he went back to shut the door and tried switching on a few lights.
“I’m glad to see we still have power - at least for the moment,” he said, bending beside the fireplace and preparing to start a fire.
Colby removed her hat and gloves, then slipped out off her winter coat and tossed it to the opposite end of the couch. She watched Nick load the fireplace with wood, taking careful notice of his physical form and the way his ski pants accentuated the muscles in his long legs and ass. He was gorgeous; head to toe and every spot in between.
Nick waited until flames ignited the wood, then removed his gloves and unzipped his coat, throwing it on top of Colby’s. His gaze shifted to her and he smiled. “Okay. Now, I need to take care of your leg,” he said, and reached for his medical bag.
“Do you think I could change out of these wet pants first?” she asked him.
“I suppose so,” he said. “Where’s your stuff?”
Colby pointed toward her bedroom. “My suitcase is in there.”
Nick slid one arm under her legs and circled her back with the other and carried her toward the bedroom.
“I bet you’re getting sick of carrying me around, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Not really. You’re a light-weight compared to some of the people I’ve had to lift,” he smiled at her again and carefully set her on the edge of the bed. “Once you’re transported to the medical unit, they’ll supply you with crutches. After that, you’ll be able to get around on your own.”
“There’s a pair of sweat pants inside that bag. Could you get them for me, please?” Colby asked.
Nick opened the flap of Colby’s suitcase and glanced inside. He noticed a neatly folded pair of gray sweat pants beneath several pairs of panties in various colors with matching lacy bras. He shifted the undergarments aside; the smoothness of the material registering in his brain first before he retrieved the pants. The image of her wearing them shot through his head, spiked his core temperature, and settled in his groin. His eyes darted to her, fearful she might have noticed him touching her lingerie.
“Is this what you wanted?” he asked.
“Yes. Thank you,” she said, and took the sweat pants from his hand.
“Let me know if you need any help,” he said, and stepped out of the room.
“I think I can handle this part by myself,” she said.
Nick nodded and moved back to the fireplace, tossing several more large logs into the flames. Colby fascinated him. Her cool exterior only convinced him further of the fire she must have inside. Part of him wished for a quick transport down to the lodge, but another part of him hoped they’d be snowed inside the cabin for days. The desire to get to know her better was eating at him.
Behind him, he could hear Colby wrestling with her pants. It sounded more like she was fighting with a bear and losing the battle. Nick smiled to himself. As smart as Colby was, she seemed to lack all common sense. She was obviously a klutz, had a wild stubborn streak, and she hated taking direction, but even still, she captivated him. He thought she was breathtakingly beautiful in a simplistic and natural kind of way that greatly appealed to him.
A loud thud distracted Nick’s attention from the fire. He turned to face the open bedroom door. “Colby? Are you all right?” he asked.
“No,” she said weakly.
Nick chuckled to himself and walked back to the bedroom. Colby was curled on the floor in a fetal position, the sweat pants only pulled on to one leg. He knelt down beside her and tried not to laugh. “How’d you manage this?” he asked.
“Stop laughing at me! I slid off the bed. It’s not as bad as it looks, just lift me back up, please!”
Nick placed his hands under her arms and quickly lifted her back onto the edge of the mattress. He did his best to keep his gaze off her bright red panties and reached for her bare leg. “Hand me the leg of your pants,” he said, holding her calf in his palm.
Colby tossed the fabric at Nick and watched as he delicately slid the pant leg over her injured shin. His touch and closeness was seriously starting to effect her.
“I’m going to be covered in bruises by the end of this stupid retreat,” she grumbled.
Nick laughed. “Most of it was
brought on by yourself,” he teased, trying to ignore the smoothness of her leg beneath his fingers. Once he had the pants on both of her legs, he lifted her against his chest and pulled the pants over the perfect roundness of her bottom. Then, he set her back onto the bed.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Colby asked. Her eyes narrowed in irritation at Nick’s boldness in pulling up her pants; his large hands slowly gliding over her butt.
His eyes were charged with heat. “All part of the job.”
“I bet.”
He knelt in front of her and lifted her injured leg, then pressed her foot to his thigh. His fingers gently eased the sweat pant fabric over her cuts and folded it in place. “Do you think you can sit still long enough for me to get my medical bag?” he asked.
Colby nodded and watched him walk into the living room. Nick was distractingly handsome and his friendly manner wasn’t typically what she expected from men. Arrogance? Yes. But kind, patient behavior - certainly not. Nick wasn’t like any of the men from her past and the heat she felt from his touch was like nothing she had experienced. Being alone with him overnight in the cabin both scared and excited her. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the images in her head of what his long, tanned fingers might feel like moving across her bare skin.
“Colby?” he said to her, walking into the room. “You all right?”
She slowly opened her eyes and nodded. She watched him kneel again before her injured leg. “Is this going to hurt?” she asked.
“I’ll do my best not to hurt you, Colby, but it might sting a bit.”
Nick unwrapped the bloody gauze on her leg and prepared to irrigate the wounds with a mild sterilizing solution. As soon as the cool fluid hit Colby’s cuts, she winced in pain and fell back against the mattress.
“I can’t watch you do that, it makes me nauseous,” she said.
“I’ll be quick. I promise.”
Nick worked effortlessly on her cuts to clean them, then adhered a pattern of adhesive strips across each opening. “You could really use a few stitches on this middle laceration, but I can’t give you sutures in the field - only down in triage. For now, I’ll use the tape to hold your skin together, and hopefully, there won’t be much of a scar left once it heals.”
Colby lifted her head from the mattress. “A scar?”
“Maybe. Depends on how well you heal,” he said.
He pulled out a roll of Ace bandage and began to tightly wrap her sprained ankle to hold it in place. “How’s that feel?” he asked. “Is it too tight?”
Colby raised herself up on to her elbows and carefully tried to rotate her ankle. A smile slowly lit her face.
It was the first expression of happiness Nick had seen on her since they met and it took his breath away.
“Feels pretty good,” Colby said quietly. Her eyes went to Nick and saw the odd look on his face. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. He stood up and slid his hands down the length of his thighs to smooth his pants. “Hungry?”
Colby dropped her gaze and wrung her hands together. “Actually, I need to use the bathroom,” she said with embarrassment.
“Okay. I’ll bring you in there, but after that, you’re on your own. At least in that room there are handicap bars for you to hold on to,” he said.
“Very funny, Nick.”
He carried her into the bathroom and set her onto the floor beside the toilet, quickly pointing out the metal bars attached to the wall for her to hold on to. “Try not to kill yourself, while I’m gone,” he said, and stepped away. “And, make sure you leave the door unlocked - in case I do have to come in here and scrape you off the floor again.”
“Another joke at my expense,” she said. “You’re such a comedian!”
Nick partially shut the door and moved into the kitchen to see what was available for food. The cabin was much like his, only his was on a smaller scale. Colby’s cabin had an open floor plan, with the living room spilling into the kitchen, a cathedral ceiling, and three bedrooms. The bathroom had a whirlpool tub, a separate shower unit with sandstone tile and a steam room.
“Nick?”
He slowly pushed open the bathroom door and saw Colby hopping in place on her good foot. He stepped closer and bent to lift her. “Hold on to my neck,” he said.
“I know the drill,” she said.
His eyes fell to her and held her gaze. “Are you always this sarcastic?” he asked, a hint of a smile curled his lips.
“Pretty much.”
Nick brought her to the couch and sat her on the end. “It looks like your friends left about a weeks worth of food,” he commented, walking back to the kitchen. “Good thing, too, because we may need it.”
“Why? How long do you think we’ll be stuck here?” Colby asked.
“Hard to say. Sometimes these storms blow over in a matter of hours. Other times, they can last for days on end.”
“Days? Are you serious?”
Nick twisted to face her. “I’m very serious.”
Colby dropped her head to the back of the couch and groaned loudly. “It’s unbelievable how I continue to get myself into situations like this!”
“What do you mean?” Nick asked. He filled two mugs with water to heat in the microwave for hot cocoa.
“If you really knew me, you’d understand the irony of this…whole…mess.”
“Why, because of your dislike for snow?”
“For starters.”
Nick stirred the cocoa mix into the hot water and carried a mug to Colby. “Here, sip this,” he said handing her the hot mug. “I’m going to see what I can make for dinner.”
“You cook?” she asked with surprise.
“I can make the basics and that’s about it,” he said. “If you’re hoping for something gourmet, then you’re at the wrong restaurant.”
Nick went to work in the kitchen, finding the ingredients to make spaghetti and meatballs. He glanced over at Colby on the couch and noticed she had reclined and was sleeping. He silently walked into the living room and covered her with a blanket, then returned to the kitchen. A few hours later, Nick had everything ready to eat. He loaded two plates with the pasta and meatballs, then carried it into the living room.
Colby heard Nick approaching and opened her eyes. She saw him with the food and smiled lazily, feeling guilty she hadn’t done anything to help him with the meal preparations.
Nick set a plate of food on the coffee table in front of Colby. He noticed her smile and felt his body respond. When her face was relaxed like that, she positively glowed.
“Are you hungry, yet?” he asked, taking a seat on the opposite couch, facing her.
“I'm starved,” she said, and sat upright to eat. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help.”
“It’s okay. I have a feeling I would've spent more time picking you up off the floor than getting the food cooked.”
“Are you trying to say I’m not very coordinated?” she asked.
Nick saw her flushed cheeks and nearly choked on his food. She was driving him crazy and she wasn’t even trying. This would be the most stressful rescue he’d ever done, and not because of the degree of difficulty involved. It would be stressful for the sole reason he was doubtful he’d be able to restrain himself from trying to seduce her.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” Nick said. “I’m amazed you say you roller-blade. You must have to cover yourself head to toe in padding to protect you from all the falls you must take.”
“I’m actually pretty good on skates,” she said.
“So, it’s walking that gives you difficulty?” he asked.
“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” she asked, trying to hide her grin.
Nick shook his head; the smile fading from his face. “I like it when you smile.”
Colby was quiet for several minutes. Again, his comment made her body heat. First his remark about her legs and now one about her smile, both statements warmed her insides. She began
to question if Nick could be feeling the same intense attraction she was, and more importantly, she wondered if he’d act upon it.
“How long have you been doing this job?” she finally asked, trying to get her mind off the raw maleness of him.
“Almost twelve years. I was a graphic designer in New York City before this.”
“Really? I’m surprised to hear that.”
“That’s what I went to college for, but I quickly learned how much I hated working in an office building all day and I quit three years later,” he said. “As much as you hate the outdoors, I hate being inside for long periods of time. I need fresh air. Otherwise, I get really tense.”
Colby wiped her lips on her napkin and nodded in understanding, then twirled more spaghetti around her fork. “The food is very good,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said. “I noticed about a dozen bottles of wine on the counter. Would you like some?”
“Sure, why not,” she said.
“Red or white?”
“Surprise me,” she said.
Nick set his plate onto the coffee table between them and went back to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he returned with two glasses of wine and the bottle. They finished eating and emptied the bottle of wine, the whole time swapping stories of their lives.
Nick opened a second bottle of wine and refilled Colby’s glass.
“Are you trying to get me drunk?” she asked.
“Are you worried I am?” he asked.
Colby’s expression turned serious. She tipped her head to him, trying to size up his intentions. “Would you blame me if I was? I know nothing about you or what you’re capable of, and I’m stuck inside a cabin in the middle of a blizzard with an injured ankle that would prevent me from even attempting an escape.”
Nick crossed his legs. “I see your point, but your concerns are unwarranted. It’s against my nature to force myself on women.”
“That’s what you say, but how would I know for sure?”
Nick sighed and folded his arms behind his head, making his biceps bulge. “Have I done anything since we met to make you feel threatened or uncomfortable?” he asked. A thread of disappointment rang in his voice.
