by Jo Gibson
“Don’t move a muscle.” His voice was tight. Clipped. “Just inch back with me, up the slope.”
Julie’s eyes widened. Had he gone mad? “But . . .”
“Do it! Now!”
Julie did it. She had no other choice. Ryan was holding her so tightly, his fingers were digging into the tender skin on her arms.
“More. Come on! Wiggle your hips and scoot backward!”
Julie did as he said. This really wasn’t the time to argue. They managed to move a foot or so up the slope, and then Ryan seemed to relax.
“Thank God! I thought you were a goner!”
“What do you mean? I was just skiing back to the lodge.” Julie frowned at him. His eyes had lost their fierce gleam, but he was still holding her tightly.
Ryan shook his head, and laughed. “Well, you wouldn’t have made it. You owe me one.”
Before Julie could do more than gasp, Ryan’s lips had clamped over hers. They were cold at first, chilled by the winter air, but then they warmed and Julie sighed softly. How could firm lips be so soft? And why was she trembling? She really should stop him. He’d been terribly rude. He’d knocked her down like a battering ram, just so he could kiss her. If he thought these caveman tactics would impress her, he was dead wrong.
Julie tried to twist away, to open her mouth to tell him to stop. But Ryan seized the opportunity to kiss her more deeply. His tongue flickered into her mouth, and she felt her pulses race. She’d never been kissed this intimately before, and she shuddered as she began to respond to him.
And then he stopped. Abruptly. Julie blinked and then she shivered. What had gotten into him? And what was the matter with her? She thought about the sensations he’d evoked with his hot, wet tongue, and she shivered again. She was almost disappointed that he had stopped!
Ryan pulled back and laughed at the confusion in her eyes. “You still don’t know what happened, do you?”
“I . . . I certainly don’t!” Julie did her best to sound outraged, but her voice was shaking. Ryan’s kiss had affected her much more than she wanted to admit.
“You’re on Dead Man’s Run. And I stopped you about six inches before you went over the drop!”
Julie was trembling as she approached the group that awaited her at the base of the slope. Naturally, her two near brushes with death had terrified her, but Julie wasn’t thinking about the avalanche, or how she’d almost gone over the drop on Dead Man’s Run. Ryan’s kiss had been her real undoing, and she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the way his lips had claimed hers, and how his tongue had teased the moist, hot depths of her mouth.
After Ryan had helped her to her feet, Julie had tried to thank him. After all, he’d saved her life. But Ryan had just grinned and told her that the kiss had been his reward. The gleam in his intense gray eyes had made her tremble even more as he’d checked to make sure she wasn’t injured, inspected her skis and bindings, and shown her a trail through the trees to Lady Luck.
Lady Luck was an expert run, and he’d skied at her side most of the way down, watching her critically for signs of fatigue. He’d forced her to stop several times to rest, and the last time they’d stopped, she’d asked him to keep her near accident a secret.
“Why should I do that?” Ryan had raised his eyebrows.
Julie had winced, and tried to think of a good excuse, but finally she’d settled for the truth. “It’s embarrassing. They warned me about Dead Man’s Run, and I should have realized where I was when there were no markers.”
“You don’t want to admit you made a mistake?”
Ryan had chuckled, and Julie had felt a blush spread over her face. She’d nodded and glanced down at the ground, rather than meet his eyes.
“It’s our secret, then.” Ryan had reached out to raise her chin, until she had to meet his eyes. “But don’t forget you owe me another one.”
Julie hadn’t asked what he meant. She didn’t want to know. She’d just nodded and started to ski again, almost hoping he wouldn’t follow her.
But Ryan did follow her, and he’d skied at her side almost all the way down Lady Luck. He’d only veered off when he’d spotted the group waiting for her at the bottom. And here she was, only a little worse for wear, despite her frightening experiences.
Julie did her best to smile, but it was a pitiful effort. She was so tired, her legs were shaking. Suddenly she remembered Donna’s comment. The first day on the slopes was the best. Julie hoped her friend was wrong. She couldn’t imagine a day any worse than this!
“Julie!” Ross looked alarmed as he skied to meet her. “Are you all right?”
“I . . . I’m fine.” Julie nodded, and quite unexpectedly, the terror of her near brush with death caught up with her. She swayed, and Ross caught her in his arms. And then Paul was there, too, taking her other arm and helping her the last few feet down the slope.
Donna came up to hug Julie, and Julie noticed that there were tears in her eyes. “We thought for a minute that . . .” Donna’s voice broke and she swallowed hard. “We’re so glad you’re all right! You’d better sit down, Julie. You look like you’re ready to pass out.”
“I’m fine . . . really.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, Julie really did begin to feel better. She was safe. She was with friends. And now that Ross and Paul were supporting her, her legs steadied and stopped their trembling.
“Sit down over here.” Ross propelled her toward one of the rustic benches near the bottom of the slope. “I’ll call the lodge and tell them what happened.”
“They don’t know?” Julie looked up at him in surprise.
“Not yet. We skied over to Hannah’s Folly to see if we could spot you. And then we had to cut over to Sleeping Giant to get down. I was just dialing the emergency rescue team when Paul and Donna saw you skiing down Lady Luck.”
“Don’t call the lodge.” Julie’s voice was firm. “They’d only worry.”
“But, Julie, you were almost killed up there!”
“I know.” Julie shivered at the grim reminder. “But it was just a freak accident. There’s no reason to upset them, now that it’s over. I’d really rather you didn’t tell anyone.”
Donna reached out to grab Ross’s arm. “She’s right, Ross. Think of how Mrs. Hudson will feel if she finds out Julie was almost killed. It’ll be almost like . . . well, you know.”
Ross thought it over for a moment, and then he nodded. “All right. We won’t mention it. Tell me exactly what happened, Julie.”
“It won’t be easy.” Julie sighed deeply. “Everything happened so fast. I was about a third of the way down Hannah’s Folly when I heard the avalanche. I skied off into the trees as fast as I could and it just missed me.”
Donna shivered. “It must have scared you practically to death!”
“Not really.” Julie frowned slightly. “It was all over before I had time to be scared.”
“You didn’t look back?” Paul looked surprised, when Julie shook her head.
“No. The minute I heard that cracking noise, I knew what was happening. All I could think of was to get away as fast as I could.”
“Tell us about the noise.” Ross looked worried.
“It was . . . loud. And sharp. Almost like a rifle shot. And then there was a roaring noise, like a thousand freight trains rumbling past me.”
“An ice pack?” Paul looked at Ross and frowned.
“I guess so.” Ross didn’t seem to be pleased with that explanation, but he nodded reluctantly. “I didn’t think we had that much ice, but we’d better set off the cannon, just to be sure. If there’s any more loose snow, we want it down before we open tomorrow.”
Donna looked puzzled as she turned to Julie. “How did you get over to Lady Luck?”
“I took a trail through the woods. I knew I’d run into another slope if I just kept going. There was a map on the wall at the pro shop and I remembered that they were roughly parallel.”
“You must have skied right past Dead Man’s Run!
” Donna shivered again. “You’re lucky you didn’t try to get down that way.”
Julie nodded. “I saw it, but it wasn’t groomed. And there were no markers. I wanted to be safe, so I went on to Lady Luck.”
“Smart girl!” Ross smiled as he knelt down and snapped loose Julie’s bindings. Then he held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go back in and have some lunch. You need to warm up.”
Julie’s mind was whirling all the way back to the lodge. Ross’s arm was around her shoulder, and she was nestled close to his side. It felt wonderful, but Julie knew she hadn’t deserved his praise. Ryan just had to keep his word and not tell anyone she’d made the mistake of trying to ski Dead Man’s Run. If Ross ever found out she’d made such a stupid mistake, he’d never smile at her again!
Nine
Julie was so excited, she could hardly sit still as she worked the switchboard. It was Saturday afternoon, and tonight was the night of Saddlepeak Lodge’s annual Halloween costume dance. Aunt Caroline had explained that the dance was a lodge tradition, started by Julie’s great-grandfather. Everyone in Crest Ridge was invited to attend, and almost everyone did. Of course, the lodge guests were welcome, too, and an enterprising costume rental place in Denver had set up a temporary shop in the lobby this morning.
The phone rang and Julie reached out to answer it. “Saddlepeak Lodge. This is Julie speaking. How may I help you?”
Julie listened for a moment, but there was only a distant crackling on the line. The indistinct background noise reminded her of the other call she’d received, the one that had frightened her so badly.
She frowned and forced herself not to panic. Perhaps it was just a bad connection. “Hello? Is there someone on the line?”
Without conscious thought, Julie reached for a pen and the message pad. If this was another threatening call, she was determined to take down every word.
“Julie.” The word was a harsh whisper, spitting and crackling through the line. “I warned you, but you’re wicked, just like she was.”
Julie shuddered. It was the same hissing voice. And he’d used the word “wicked,” just as he had before. Her fingers shook as she scribbled down the words. What should she do? Call for help?
Suddenly Julie knew. She’d pretend she couldn’t hear him and ask him to call back again. That would give her time to find someone to listen in, someone who might recognize his gravelly, whispery voice.
Julie took a deep breath, and spoke into the receiver. “Hello? I’m sorry, but we must have a bad connection. Could you call back, please?”
“You heard me!” The whisper was even harsher, filled with hateful venom. “I watched you with him, and I know what you’re doing. You’ve adopted her wicked ways!”
Julie frowned. She hadn’t done anything he could possibly think was wicked, unless he was referring to that kiss on the mountain with Ryan. But he couldn’t know about that!
“I saw you flirting with him. Stop right now before it’s too late!”
Julie’s fingers were shaking so hard, she almost dropped her pen. There was no way she could pretend to be calm any longer. She was too frightened. But if she could keep him talking, she might get a clue to his identity. “I don’t believe you! You’re not watching me.”
“Oh, but I am. You’re wearing her earrings, little gold hearts. You can’t hide from me.”
Julie whirled around and glanced out the window, but no one was there. She had to calm down. He was trying to scare her, and she couldn’t let him know how well he was succeeding.
“Such a wicked girl.” The voice sighed deeply. “I warned you up on the mountain. Next time I won’t be so nice. Mend your ways before I have to punish you, too.”
“Who are you? What do you want?” Julie’s voice was shaking. But the whispery voice just laughed, the same chilling sound she’d heard over and over in her dreams. The awful laugh reached a screeching crescendo, and then it trailed off, leaving only the sound of any empty line. And then there was a click as the connection was broken. And a dial tone, loud and droning in her ear.
Julie’s hands shook as she replaced the phone in its cradle. She was shaking so hard, her teeth were rattling. She tried to tell herself that the caller was just a harmless prankster, someone who got his kicks by scaring women on the phone. But he knew too much about her to be a random caller. He had to be someone she knew.
Julie glanced down at her scribbled transcript. He’d said he was watching her, and to prove it, he’d described Vicki’s earrings. But she wasn’t wearing Vicki’s earrings. She’d forgotten them on the dresser this morning, and she hadn’t had time to go back to her room to get them. She’d worn them every other time she’d worked the switchboard, but not today.
He had made an error, and that made Julie feel slightly better. He’d lied about watching her, but what did he mean about warning her on the mountain? Julie shivered as she remembered how puzzled Ross and Paul had been about the avalanche, especially when she’d mentioned the loud crack she’d heard right before it had happened. Was it possible he’d started the avalanche to scare her?
Julie’s heart pounded hard, and she turned to her scribbled notes again. She hadn’t flirted with anyone . . . except Ross. It was true that she was trying to get him to notice her. Would Ross make a whispered phone call to warn her to stay away from him?
That thought was so ridiculous that she almost laughed in spite of her fear. If Ross didn’t want to be around her, he’d just tell her to leave him alone. But how about Paul? There were times when he acted as if he hated her. But she did look like Vicki, and Donna claimed that Paul had been in love with Vicki. What if Paul hated her and wanted her, all at the same time? Would he make a whispered phone call to warn her to stay away from Ross?
Julie sighed. No. Paul didn’t seem to be the type to hide behind a phone call. He’d be nasty to her face. But no one else had been on the slopes except Ryan. Why would Ryan call her wicked?
The kiss! Julie shivered as she thought about their secret moment of passion. Did Ryan think she was wicked because she’d responded to his kiss? He was very intense, and Donna had said she thought he was weird, but Julie couldn’t believe Ryan would resort to making a whispered phone call.
“Hey, Julie!” Donna walked in, and hurried to the desk. “Your aunt said to tell you that . . . what’s wrong?”
“Oh . . . nothing. Nothing at all.”
Donna raised her eyebrows. “You look freaked, Julie. Did you get a prank call?”
“What do you mean?” Julie tried not to looked as shocked as she felt. How had Donna known about the call?
“It’s Halloween. I worked the switchboard last year and it was ridiculous. Vampira asking to speak to Frankenstein, the Wolf Man howling, all sorts of kid stuff like that.”
Julie seized the opportunity Donna had given her and nodded. “No wonder! I forgot people would be making calls like that on Halloween.”
“Well . . . don’t let it get you down. Just remember that tonight’s the biggest party of the year. What costume are you going to wear?”
“I don’t know yet. Aunt Caroline said she’d send someone to relieve me so I could go to the costume shop before all the good ones are gone, but she must have forgotten, because . . .”
“Say no more.” Donna interrupted her. “That’s what I started to tell you when I came in. I’m supposed to relieve you. Go ahead, Julie. And when you come back, I’ll go.”
Julie got up and gave Donna her chair. “Does everybody unmask at the end of the evening?”
“Not unless they want to. Last year I danced with a totally incredible pirate, and I still don’t know who he was.”
“You never found out?”
“No.” Donna shook her head. “Vicki taped the whole thing, and she was going to let me borrow it, but . . .”
“Vicki had a camcorder?” Julie interrupted.
“Sure. Your aunt gave it to her when she started competition skating. She was supposed to use it to imp
rove her routine, but she spent more time taping parties, and dances, and stuff like that. I’d give anything to see some of those . . . what’s the matter, Julie?”
“I wonder what happened to Vicki’s tapes. I went through the things in the entertainment center, but there were no personal tapes.”
Donna shrugged. “They’re probably packed up with the rest of her things. I know Paul carried a bunch of boxes up to the fifth floor.”
“Are you working tomorrow?”
“No.” Donna frowned slightly. “You know Sunday’s my day off.”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Sure, if I have to. What’s up?”
Julie began to smile. “I think I’ll go through some of my parents’ things tomorrow. They’re on the fifth floor, too. Do you want to help me?”
“I’d love to!” Donna began to grin. “And if we happen to stumble across some of Vicki’s videotapes, we might just decide to watch them, right?”
Julie nodded. “You got it!”
The costume shop was deserted and Julie frowned as she went through the costumes still hanging on the rack, looking for something in her size. She had just pulled out an old-fashioned nun’s habit that was much too large when she felt an uncomfortable prickling at the back of her neck. Someone was watching her.
Julie turned and tried to keep the pleasant expression on her face as she saw who had just entered the shop. It was Ryan Stratford, and he was grinning at her.
“Are you sure you want to rent that?” Ryan laughed as he saw the costume Julie was holding. “You have to take a vow of chastity to wear something like that.”
“Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea.” Julie blushed, and turned away. She knew Ryan was referring to the kiss they’d shared on Dead Man’s Run.
Ryan walked up, close to her side, and reached out to touch the bulky material. “I think it would be a terrible waste of natural resources. And it’s much too big for you, anyway.”
“That’s true.” Julie put the costume back on the rack and sighed. She didn’t want to get into any sort of personal conversation with Ryan, but she had to be polite to him. He’d saved her life up there on the mountain, and he hadn’t told anyone about her embarrassing mistake. He hadn’t mentioned the kiss, either. She was sure she’d have heard some gossip if he had. Perhaps Mr. Stratford had been right when he’d told her that Stratford men didn’t kiss and tell.
