Afraid

by Jo Gibson

  “Paul gave them to her?”

  Donna nodded. “They were a birthday present.”

  “Maybe I should run down to the pro shop and rent another pair.” Julie was still frowning. “I don’t want to hurt Paul’s feelings.”

  “Don’t be silly. He’ll get over it. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t wear those skis. Somebody should appreciate them.”

  “Vicki didn’t use them?”

  “She dumped Paul before ski season started. Go ahead and enjoy them, Julie. It’s time Paul got over being so touchy about Vicki. And seeing you wear those skis might help.”

  The sun glistening on the hard-packed snow was gorgeous. Julie’s spirits took an abrupt upswing as she followed Ross to the ski lift. So what if he hadn’t wanted to be alone with her? She was going to ski again, and that was enough to make anyone feel wonderful!

  Julie smiled as she gazed up at the jagged peaks towering above her. Then she noticed a beautiful, unbroken slope, right at the edge of a stand of pine trees, and pointed it out to Ross. “Look at that marvelous natural run!”

  Ross laughed at her bubbling excitement, but he shook his head. “Looks are deceiving. See that scrub pine about halfway down? Just to the left of it is a nasty drop. You can’t see it from here, but the landing’s flat, not sloped. It’s a real killer.”

  Julie shivered. She knew it was possible to make a very steep jump if you landed on a downward slope, but flat landings were extremely dangerous. One of her classmates had broken her leg on a four-foot jump when she’d landed on flat ground.

  “It doesn’t look very dangerous from down here, does it?” Ross smiled at her.

  “No. It looks so gentle, I thought it was a beginner’s slope.”

  “That’s part of the problem.” Donna spoke up. “It looks great from down here. And it’s just as deceptive at the top. A skier might start down that slope, thinking he was in for an easy run. He wouldn’t realize he was in trouble until it was too late.”

  Julie nodded and turned to Ross. “Has anyone been hurt since you’ve been here?”

  “No. We’re very careful about marking our slopes. That’s why I asked Paul and Donna to come with us today. We had the slopes groomed yesterday. The crew is supposed to replace the flags, but sometimes they miss a few. We always doublecheck each slope, especially that one.”

  “I’m glad you told me.” Julie felt her spirits rise again. Ross had asked Paul and Donna to work this morning. That was the reason they were here.

  Paul came up just in time to hear the end of their conversation, and he turned to Julie. “That’s Dead Man’s Run, and the name’s no joke. Five people have lost their lives on that slope. I don’t care how good you think you are, stay away from there!”

  “Oh, I will.” Julie nodded, but she felt more like frowning. Paul didn’t have to be so nasty. And the implication behind his words made her do a slow burn. She’d never claimed that she was an expert skier. All she was doing was trying to help out on the slopes.

  Donna gave her brother a withering glance, and did her best to soften his words. “Dead Man’s Run is our biggest worry. We warn the guests, and we never let them out on the slopes alone. Ross even stations one of us up at the top to make sure no one ignores the signs.”

  Ross nodded. “We tape it off at the top, and flag it as far as we can. But that’s a bad slide area, and we have to check every morning to make sure the warnings are still up.”

  “You’re certainly very safety conscious.” Julie gave Ross an approving smile. Then she glanced up at the dangerous run again, and grabbed his arm. “Look, Ross! Someone’s skiing up there!”

  Ross shaded his eyes with his hand. He watched for a moment, and then he nodded. “It’s all right, Julie. That’s Ryan Stratford.”

  “But he’s skiing right down toward the drop!”

  “Don’t worry. He’ll veer off. Ryan’s been skiing these trails all his life, and he knows the terrain.”

  Julie watched for a moment, her heart in her throat. But Ryan was in perfect control. He veered off, just as Ross had said he would, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s really good!”

  “Depends on your point of view.”

  Paul muttered his comment in an undertone, but Julie was standing near enough to hear him. She turned around to frown at him. “You really hate him, don’t you?”

  “Let’s just say we don’t get along.”

  Ross checked his bindings, and then he turned to Julie. “Are you ready?”

  Julie nodded, and Ross motioned to Paul and Donna. “You two go first. Split up when you get to the top. I want Donna to check Sleeping Giant. Paul? You take Spruce Ridge.”

  “Okay, boss.” Donna grinned at him. “Did you bring the flags?”

  Ross nodded, and pointed to two ski packs. “You know the drill. Green circles on the beginner slopes, blue squares for the intermediate, and black diamonds to mark the expert runs. We’ll all meet back here when you’re through.”

  “Which slope do you want me to take?” Julie turned to Ross as he strapped on a ski pack.

  “You’re going to the beginner slopes with me. I want to make sure you can handle yourself.”

  Julie sighed. Ross was certainly being cautious. Of course, that could mean he was beginning to care for her. “How about Dead Man’s Run? Does that have flags?”

  Ross nodded. “We use two black diamonds for extremely dangerous, but that’s not enough. We also have black with a white skull and crossbones. Even if people don’t know the color code, they recognize that symbol.”

  Julie shuddered. A skull and crossbones would certainly keep her away! “If I prove that I’m a good skier, will you let me replace some of the flags?”

  “Sure.” Ross smiled at her. “If you can ski as well as your aunt says, we’ll split up when we finish the beginner slopes. I’ll take Sky Top. That‘s our most difficult run. And I’ll let you try your hand on Camel Back.”

  Julie nodded, and watched him ski away to start the lift. Then she turned to Paul with a pleased expression. “Is Camel Back very challenging?”

  “Oh, definitely.” Paul grinned at her in his exasperating way. “It’s got a couple of jumps that are at least six inches high.”

  Julie felt her face burn, and she turned away. Paul was a despicable person, and she was glad she hadn’t had time to change to another pair of skis. She hoped he was miserable, seeing her wear the skis he’d given to Vicki. He deserved to squirm, and then some, after putting her on about Camel Back!

  Loose snow rose up like a bright white cloud as Julie skied to a stop. She laughed, a pure sound of exhilaration in the crisp mountain air, and turned to watch with sparkling eyes as Ross skied down the gentle decline.

  “Well? Do I pass?” Julie laughed at the shocked expression on his face. It was clear he hadn’t realized she was such a good skier.

  “And then some.” Ross draped a friendly arm around her shoulder as they walked to the ski lift again. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody get so much speed out of Old Betsy.”

  “Old Betsy?” Julie giggled and snuggled a little closer. Ross’s arm felt warm and wonderful, resting against her shoulders.

  “It’s our name for the baby slope. Old Betsy’s like a ancient swaybacked mare, gentle and completely toothless.”

  Julie sighed. “From what Paul tells me, Camel Back doesn’t have any teeth, either. How about letting me try something with a little more oomph?”

  “Oomph?” Ross laughed. “I can give you oomph, but you might not like it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m half tempted to put you to work, now that I know what a good skier you are. Somebody has to check out Hannah’s Folly.”

  “Hannah’s Folly?” Julie grinned up at him. “I like it already. What color flags?”

  “Black diamond.”

  “That’s expert.” Julie felt a shiver of excitement. “I’ll do it, Ross. I’d love to!”

  “If you’re sure
you don’t mind . . .”

  “I don’t. Please, Ross . . . I’m just dying to do some real skiing.”

  Ross nodded. “All right. I was going to have Paul do it, but this way we’ll all finish up about the same time.”

  Ten minutes later, Julie had her own pack of flags and she was riding up the ski lift again. Her spirits were soaring. Ross had taken the most difficult slope for himself, but he’d trusted her enough to give her the next best thing. When she got to the top of the ridge, she met Paul and Donna, who’d just finished their assignments.

  “Going to Camel Back?”

  Paul grinned at her, but this time it didn’t bother Julie. Ross had given her the ammunition to really get back at him. She managed to stifle her urge to laugh, and shook her head dejectedly. “Ross said he didn’t want me to ski Camel Back.”

  “But why?” Donna looked shocked. “Nobody’s ever been hurt on Camel Back. It’s practically a baby slope! Do you want me to talk to him, Julie? He might let you ski it if I go along to help you.”

  Julie winked at Donna, and did her best to keep a straight face. “No, thanks. It’s all right. Ross said I could ski another slope, if I promised to be very careful.”

  “He’s the boss.” Paul shrugged. “Is he going to let you try Lazy Boy?”

  “No.” Julie shook her head, and tried not to laugh. Ross had told her the names of all the slopes and she knew that Lazy Boy was another, very gentle beginner’s run.

  “Rocking Horse?”

  Paul guessed again, and Julie shook her head. It was impossible for her to keep a straight face for much longer, especially since Donna was obviously holding in a giggle. Paul frowned. “But we only have three beginner slopes.”

  “I know.” Julie nodded. She could hardly wait to see the expression on Paul’s face when she told him. “I’m not skiing on a beginner slope. Ross asked me to replace the flags on Hannah’s Folly.”

  “Hannah’s Folly?” Paul’s mouth dropped open. “But that’s an expert slope!”

  “So I hear.” Julie slung her ski pack over her shoulder, and grinned at him. His mouth was still open, and she almost told him to close it before he froze his tongue.

  Paul must have read her thoughts, because he closed his mouth with a snap. He blinked once and then started to frown. “I don’t know what he’s thinking of! I’d better go with you. Somebody’s got to keep you out of trouble.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but you’ll be much too busy to ski with me. You see, Ross has a very challenging job for you.”

  Paul looked slightly mollified. “What does he want me to do? Check out Sky Top?”

  “Oh, no.” Julie shook her head. “It’s much more challenging than that. He told me he wants you to replace the flags on Camel Back.”

  Eight

  Julie skied away with Donna’s laughter ringing in her ears. So far, this had been a marvelous day. She’d managed to put Paul firmly in his place, but that was only part of her pleasure. She’d also made some real headway with Ross. It was clear he thought she was a good skier. He’d told her to replace the flags on Hannah’s Folly, a very difficult slope. But even more important than that, he’d hugged her. Sort of.

  A smile spread over Julie’s face as she found the sign for Hannah’s Folly and began to ski down the steep slope. Perhaps it hadn’t really been a hug, but remembering the warm, close feeling of Ross’s arm resting on her shoulders made her shiver in delight.

  “Oops!” Julie skied dangerously close to the edge of the run and slowed to a panic stop. Hannah’s Folly was steep and filled with sharp hairpin turns. This wasn’t the time to think about Ross. The headway she’d made with him would come to a screeching halt if she did something foolish like break a leg on her way down the slope.

  Ross had told her to replace only damaged flags, and Julie checked each flag to make sure it was intact. She was only about a third of the way down when she found one that was tattered. She skied to a stop, took a new flag out of her ski pack, and tied it on securely.

  It was difficult to ski slowly on Hannah’s Folly. The steep slope was built for speed, and Julie was dying to let loose and soar down the steep incline. She decided to go just a bit faster. There was no reason why she couldn’t have fun and get her task done at the same time.

  She was just rounding a bend when she heard it, a sharp explosion like someone was firing a gun. A split second later, there was a low rumbling directly above her. It was every skier’s nightmare—an avalanche!

  Julie didn’t turn around to look up. There wasn’t time. She just veered off sharply and cut through a stand of pines, skiing around trees with as much speed as she could gather, using her poles to jump obstacles, and praying that she could get to a place of safety before the heavy wall of snow caught her and swept her away.

  The noise was deafening as tons of snow roared down the mountain, uprooting trees and burying markers so deep they might never be found. Julie skied on the edge of the white death, almost caught in its path as it roared down Hannah’s Folly. Somehow she had to stay on her feet and keep veering away from the hurtling snow. If she fell, she’d be buried alive!

  Almost as suddenly as it had come, the avalanche was gone. Now there was only an eerie stillness, a quiet so intense it hurt Julie’s ears. She turned to look back and shuddered. The spot where she’d been only seconds before was buried under tons of unforgiving snow.

  Julie leaned against the trunk of a pine tree, trembling uncontrollably as she stared at the destruction the avalanche had left in its wake. Hannah’s Folly was gone, completely erased, as if it had never existed, by the crushing power of one of nature’s most destructive whims.

  She stood there shaking, thankful to be alive, when she suddenly realized that her troubles were far from over. There was no safe way down the mountain, now that the markers were gone. The mountainside was treacherous, and Ross had warned her not to leave the slope. If she tried to ski down over unknown terrain, she could wipe out on a hidden boulder, or ski over the edge of a drop. And it was impossible to climb the steep slope to the top. She was trapped!

  Julie took a deep breath and let it out, trying to force down her panic. There was no cause for alarm. She was warmly dressed, and the stand of pines was a good windbreak. All she had to do was wait, and someone would come to look for her.

  But would they find her? She was a small speck of humanity and the mountainside was huge and heavily wooded. They knew the slope she’d been skiing, but Hannah’s Folly was gone. No one could ski down the path the avalanche had made. Of course they’d search the area by helicopter, but she was well hidden, here in the pines. Would they take one look at the place where Hannah’s Folly had been and then write her off as the first casualty of the winter ski season?

  Julie shuddered. They might never find her if she stayed here. Nights were cold on the mountain, and she could freeze to death before morning. She couldn’t just sit here and hope that help would come to her. She had to think of a way to get down the mountain safely.

  Suddenly, the drawing she’d seen in the pro shop flashed through her mind. The slopes all started from a central area on the ridge, and ran down the mountainside in roughly parallel lines. All she had to do was ski horizontally across the mountain until she ran into another slope!

  Julie picked up her poles and smiled in relief. If she was lucky and ran into another slope quickly, she could be back at the lodge before they even sent out a search party.

  But the task was harder than she’d anticipated. The ungroomed ground was rough, and Julie had to pick her way carefully. This wasn’t the time to suffer a mishap. The farther she skied from Hannah’s Folly, the less chance she’d have of being spotted.

  Julie skied until her legs were aching, and her lungs burned with the cold mountain air. She was doing cross-country skiing with downhill skies, and that was difficult. She was about to take a break and rest for a while when she spotted a slope in the distance. It hadn’t been groomed, but perhaps the crew still had a
couple of slopes left to do.

  It took at least fifteen minutes to reach the slope, and Julie arrived breathless. She glanced around for markers, but none were visible. Perhaps the crew had taken them out, intending to replace them when they’d finished their grooming. It really didn’t matter. The slope was wide and it looked gentle. It would be an easy trip down.

  As she started her downhill descent, Julie realized her legs were trembling from fatigue. She told herself that the sooner she made it down, the sooner she could rest, and she dug in her poles and forced herself to go faster. This was practically a baby slope, although it was quite steep. She’d be at the bottom in no time at all.

  Suddenly she heard a shout above her, and she turned her head quickly to see who was there. A figure in black was streaking toward her, and she recognized Ryan Stanford.

  Julie smiled as she dug in her poles again. Ryan obviously wanted to race. Of course, she wouldn’t be much competition in her weakened state, but she’d do her best to give him a run for his money.

  Then there was a terrible jolt, and Julie felt herself flying through the air. She landed heavily and started to skid down the icy slope, but Ryan clamped his arms around her. She rolled several feet, tangled in Ryan’s embrace. His arms were like steel bands around her, and she couldn’t get loose. Finally they came to a stop, sprawled in a heap in the center of the slope.

  “What . . . what do you think you’re doing?” Julie glared up at him. He’d knocked her down on purpose, and now he was holding her so tightly, she couldn’t move. She was pinned down, his body covering hers in a way that made her blush and then steam with anger.

  Julie’s leg throbbed where he’d barreled into it, and she knew she was bruised all over. She started to struggle, but there was no way she could get to her feet.

  “Let me go!” Julie glared at him again, and then she drew in her breath sharply. Ryan’s face was a pasty shade of white, and his gray eyes blazed with something that looked almost like fear.