A Family Like Hannah's

by Carol Ross

  Hannah didn’t like the look on his face. She snuck a glance at Park who was proudly watching Tate like some kind of loyal subject pledging fealty to his liege lord.

  “I feel so strongly about this that I’d like to pay for the entire board of directors and their families to participate in this snow-sporting getaway. Big G is having a competition in a couple weeks—the Super Big G Ski and Snowboard Event. We could be there to see how they conduct that while we spend some time hitting the slopes ourselves. I intend to show how the additional revenue from opening Snowy Sky up to competitions would cover the added insurance costs, as per your third point.”

  The room erupted with a buzz of chatter, questions thrown out about accommodations, airfare, event tickets and logistics. All of which Tate had answers for and would be handling on the board’s behalf through his employee, Stacey.

  Stacey? Hannah didn’t even know he had an employee named Stacey. Listening to him rattle on, she once again felt as if control of her resort—of her life—was slipping from her grasp.

  Tate was bribing the board with a ski vacation? Or a—what had he called it? A snow-sporting getaway? How very diplomatic, she thought cynically. Skiing, snowboarding, snowball fighting—no matter what you called it the idea was outrageous. Was this even legal? she wondered. Despair and anger fought for the top spot on her emotional tier. How in the world was she supposed to compete with this?

  * * *

  HANNAH WAS BUSY pacing in front of her fireplace. If the knock hadn’t been so loud on her door she probably wouldn’t have heard it. Only one person she knew knocked like that and thankfully it was one person she wouldn’t mind seeing right now. She needed to vent.

  “Come in, Adele.” She yelled, but Adele was already opening the door.

  Hannah heard her cousin stomp the snow from her boots. Adele came in and removed her dark gray down jacket. She looked stunning in a soft clingy sweater in shades of pink and gray. Tight blue jeans disappeared into tall gray boots that stretched up to her knees.

  “You look gorgeous,” Hannah told her.

  “Thank you,” she said. “You look frazzled. I’m guessing the meeting didn’t go well. Are you ready? You don’t look ready. You can tell me about it on the way.”

  “Ready? For what?”

  “The bonfire.”

  Slapping a hand to her forehead, she realized she’d totally forgotten. Bering and his wife, Emily, were having a bonfire to celebrate Emily’s birthday.

  “Give me five minutes.”

  “Of course. I’m actually a little early anyway. How did the meeting go?”

  “Terrible. Tate is taking us all on vacation.”

  “A vacation? That does sound terrible,” Adele quipped, her lips twitching with a teasing smile.

  “Yep, the entire board and their families. I don’t have a family—do you want to come with me? I’ll tell you about it in the car.”

  Hannah raised one hand, fingers spread wide. “My five starts now.”

  She scurried into the kitchen and poured some kibbles for the cats and changed the water in their dish. When Shay married Jonah and moved into his house in town, she had inherited three of Shay’s six cats who didn’t care for Jonah’s dog—or any dogs for that matter. Hannah was thrilled to keep them and happily spoiled them rotten.

  She stepped into the bathroom, ran a brush through her hair, and pulled the messy mass away from her face and secured it with a rubber band at the base of her neck. A touch of balm to protect her lips from the biting cold and her primping was done.

  In her room she slipped her feet into a pair of chunky snow boots, grabbed her hat, scarf, gloves and down jacket out of the closet, and reappeared.

  “How did I do?”

  “Three minutes, forty-three seconds,” Adele said. “I don’t know how you do it.”

  She gestured at herself with a head-to-toe sweeping motion. “Well, I don’t try very hard for one thing.”

  Adele chuckled.

  She grinned. “Speaking of trying—nice eye shadow. Is Cricket coming tonight?”

  Adele’s cheeks turned pink as she muttered, “Um, I think so. He mentioned he might be there.”

  “Mmm-hmm. I can see right now we’re going to need a longer car ride.”

  After climbing into Adele’s sporty SUV, Hannah briefed her on her Tate troubles. Adele admitted that “something” might be forming between her and Cricket—if he would stop being so high-handed and bossy.

  They could see bright orange flames from the bonfire shooting toward the sky as they neared the end of the long driveway leading to Bering and Emily’s home. They parked and piled on their cold-weather ensembles, Adele’s looking much more coordinated than Hannah’s.

  Cricket met them when they were about halfway toward the group of people already gathered around the large fire pit Bering had constructed. The roaring blaze crackled and sparked. Hannah found herself looking forward to roasting marshmallows with the kids.

  “Hey, Cricket.” Hannah smiled.

  “Hi, Banana.” He was the only person outside of her family who still used that childhood nickname.

  He grinned at Adele, who suddenly looked fidgety on her feet. “Hi, Adele.”

  “Hello, Cricket.” Her voice sounded so prim that Hannah nearly laughed.

  He looked back at Hannah. “You know how we’ve been talking about hiring another pilot? To fill in for me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I found someone. He’s great. And he’s got plenty of experience. So I’ll work with him this week, then I’d like to take next weekend off.”

  She nodded. “Sounds good. You deserve a break.” Hannah trusted him implicitly. If he thought the pilot was good, she knew he would be good. Cricket had logged hundreds of hours since they’d started JB Heli-Ski. To her knowledge, he’d never turned down a single trip, with the exception of inclement weather.

  “Big plans?” she asked.

  “Yes, actually. Tate invited me to go to Big G with you and the board.”

  “That’s great! Adele is coming with me.” Hannah meant it. Even though Cricket and Tate were friendly, she knew his loyalty lay with her. The idea of having this support system along on the trip further buoyed her mood.

  Cricket was already looking at Adele with a satisfied grin. Her cousin was staring at her feet, both of which left Hannah wondering What the heck? And thinking they should work it out, she headed for the crowd, greeting family and friends, and giving Emily birthday wishes.

  A while later she was browning yet another marshmallow on the end of her metal roasting stick when she felt someone walk up behind her. She knew it was Tate before she even turned around because she smelled his tantalizing mix of soap and spicy cologne.

  Ignoring him, she shifted her marshmallow away from the coals and moved it toward her cousin. “Here, Reagan, do you want this one?”

  “Awesome, yes. Mom wants me to make s’mores for the twins.” He sandwiched the gooey marshmallow between two graham crackers already full of chocolate and slowly pulled it off of the roasting stick.

  “I’m taking this one to Gabe. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll start another one for Finn.”

  She retrieved a marshmallow from the bag and carefully arranged it on the end of the stick.

  “Hey,” Tate said, moving to sit in the now-empty seat beside her. “How mad at me are you?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the marshmallow.

  “How mad about the Big G trip? On a scale of one to ten—one being an irritating mosquito bite and ten a criminal offense?”

  Hannah felt her lips twitching with humor. Tate being his troubled Heathcliff-like self was difficult enough to resist, but Tate being funny was impossible.

  “Hmm.” She looked up
thoughtfully toward the sky for a few long seconds before latching her eyes on to his. “I could do bodily harm but not a felony. More like a body slam or a good hard punch. So, that would be like...what? An eight?”

  She finally met his eyes and swallowed nervously because they seemed to be asking her something, but she had no idea what. His lips curled up into a grin as he softly replied, “I don’t know. The body slam sounds okay.”

  She felt her limbs go weak. Because Tate being flirtatious was way, way too much. Not to mention crossing the line he’d laid down. She narrowed her eyes. “I thought we were going to be just friends.”

  “Believe it or not, that’s what I’m going for here.”

  She dipped her chin and delivered a flat look. “I have a news bulletin for you—your friend skills need some work. You can flirt with your friends, but not the ones you’ve already kissed. You know what? Scratch that. I don’t care if you flirt with them. Just don’t flirt with me.”

  She looked back at the fire and let out a huff of frustration. “Now my marshmallow is burned.” She blew on the end of her stick to cool the marshmallow and then plucked it off the end of her stick and tossed it into the coals.

  “Hannah—”

  She let out a tired sigh. “I’m sorry, Tate. It’s just... I can’t take it. I’m having a hard enough time keeping my feelings for you separate from what you’re trying to do to Snowy Sky. I get that it doesn’t matter to you because this is your business—it’s what you do, but Snowy Sky is my...” She stopped herself.

  She wasn’t going to whine and try to make him feel sorry for her. What good would that do? But at the same time she couldn’t keep this up. She wished he never would have kissed her, because then maybe her emotions wouldn’t be all muddled like they were, although she had a feeling that wouldn’t matter.

  She went on. “I love Lucas. I want to do whatever I can to help him. But I can’t do this flirty thing with you. You set the boundaries, remember? So, let’s adhere to them, okay?”

  His jaw went tight, his mouth a grim serious line, like the Tate she’d first met. And that was fine with her. She didn’t like that Tate nearly as well, and would find him much easier to resist.

  She saw Lucas approaching with Viktor.

  “Hey, Lucas! Have you ever made a s’more?”

  He shook his head, the expression on his face pure curiosity. Hannah thought, Poor kid, he needs me more than I even realized. And so did his uncle. Too bad Tate couldn’t see that.

  She flashed Lucas a bright smile and it felt good to mean it. “Well, come here, buddy, and I’ll show you how these little pieces of heaven are done.”

  * * *

  HANNAH PICKED LUCAS up the next morning. They hadn’t decided what they were going to do for the day, so she took him up to Snowy Sky. A shipment of rental equipment she had ordered to cover the soft openings and a few “Rankins Ski Free” days had arrived the day before. Freddie had been going through the gear in the rental shop. He had some questions and Hannah wanted to check out the equipment anyway.

  Lucas began eyeing the skis, playing with poles and just generally exploring. Hannah liked how he was beginning to act more engaged and confident every day.

  “So,” Freddie was saying. “There’s a mistake on the packing list. It doesn’t match up with my order here.”

  He explained the problem as she studied the papers. “I see what you mean. I have the original on my computer. I’ll go get it.”

  Lucas was across the room playing with the buckles on a pair of ski boots. “Hey, Lucas, I’m going to run over to my office and print something off of my computer. Do you want to come with me or stay here with Freddie?” Heeding Janie’s advice, Hannah always tried to let Lucas know the schedule, and she tried to give him options if she thought a situation might make him uncomfortable.

  He eyed Freddie, whom he had taken to almost immediately upon meeting. They’d spent a bit of time with him since and she was sure it was Freddie’s laid-back manner that attracted Lucas. The kid just oozed friendliness.

  “I’ll stay.”

  “Okay, I won’t be long. And you know where I am if you need me. Just have Freddie text me.”

  He nodded.

  His answer felt like more progress and she ran the errand with a happy heart. Fifteen minutes later she returned to find Lucas standing on the fitting table wearing a pair of tiny ski boots atop a shiny new pair of skis. Freddie was explaining how to tell if a boot fit properly.

  “Hannah, look at me—I’m skiing like you.”

  Freddie grinned. “Isn’t this cool? This little guy offered to help me out getting some of these bindings set.”

  “It is.” She smiled and pulled out her phone to snap a photo. “Thank you, Lucas. That’s awesome. This photo can go on our website if your uncle Tate agrees.”

  “The boots are tight, not like snowboard boots.”

  “I know it feels kind of funny, but they are that way so your foot feels connected to the ski. Then, when your foot moves, even a little bit, the ski knows what to do.”

  He nodded solemnly, fixing his wide dark eyes on hers. “Hannah?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Could you teach me how to ski?”

  She hadn’t seen that one coming. Tate had been busy teaching him to snowboard. But kids were curious. She remembered trying snowboarding a few times herself.

  “Sure. What do you think, Freddie? You want to fire up the lift and take a few runs?”

  “You know it.”

  * * *

  WHEN LUCAS TURNED and executed a near-perfect stop next to her, Hannah asked him, “Lucas, you’re sure you’ve never skied before, right?”

  He shook his head. “Nope.”

  “Well, holy cow, mister. You’re a natural. What do you think?”

  “It’s awesome,” he gushed. With each and every one of his smiles he seemed to capture a bigger chunk of her heart.

  Feeling his helmet again to make sure it was secure, she said, “Okay, I’m going to show you something. Are you ready? Watch me.”

  He nodded, so she took off down the hill, making a big wide S-shaped turn. She stopped and turned to look at him, ignoring the ache in her leg.

  “Do you want to try that?”

  He nodded confidently, something he didn’t do often. Then, to her complete astonishment, he followed in her tracks, stopping beside her.

  “How was that?” he asked.

  “Perfect,” she stated and meant it.

  “Can I keep going?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They made several more runs and Lucas continued to improve. She wasn’t sure what to think, other than the kid truly had something special.

  She had skied to the bottom to watch him when she heard a noise behind her. She turned to discover it was Tate.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  An angry Tate if his tone was any indication.

  “What are you are talking about specifically?”

  “I’m talking about Lucas, what else? Why does he have skis on?”

  She expelled a relieved breath. “Oh, that.”

  “Yes, that,” he returned coldly.

  “He asked me if he could try skiing and I said yes. Don’t worry, I’m a great teacher. I used to show kids all the time. And, Tate, he’s absolutely amazing. Your nephew could be a downhill phenomenon someday.”

  “There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re an excellent teacher. That’s not the point.” Along with the angry furrow on his brow, there was a look in his eyes that she’d never seen before. What was wrong with him?

  “What is the point, then?” she asked carefully.

  “I don’t want him to be a downhill phenomenon. I want him to be a snowboard freestyle champion. Is this your way
of getting back at me?”

  She felt her own brow creasing with confusion. “Back at you? For what?”

  “For my proposal to the board, for this trip, for what happened between us?”

  “Are you...?” She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, because she couldn’t. “You must be joking. You honestly think I would take Lucas skiing to spite you somehow? Get over yourself. You’re always accusing me of being prejudiced against snowboarding, but now I can see that maybe that was coming from your own place of bias. He asked me if he could try it. I didn’t—I don’t—see the harm.” She added a shrug, hoping to dispel his angst.

  It didn’t work. His agitation was obvious. Looking down, he placed a gloved hand on his forehead and then removed it with a sigh. “You don’t get it.”

  “Get what?” She inhaled a deep breath of frosty air and met his eyes, which were still shining with hostility. “I am honestly shocked that you’re upset about this.”

  They heard a voice and simultaneously turned to see Lucas gliding down the hill. He shifted his skis to one side, skidded to a stop and dashed off a happy wave. Hannah smiled and returned the gesture, incredibly pleased with his progress. She had thought Tate would be, too.

  “I can ski, Uncle Tate,” Lucas called out proudly.

  She glanced at Tate, who seemed to be watching his nephew with new eyes.

  “I see that. Good job, buddy,” he yelled back. “Have fun. I’ll see you later.”

  Without another word, he turned away from her and headed back to the lodge.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ON NEW YEAR’S EVE Hannah actually found herself looking forward to a night out. She needed a distraction. She’d been spending entirely too much time thinking about Tate. They’d barely spoken since the ski episode, not about anything meaningful anyway.

  By silent, mutual agreement, they were careful to keep things friendly for Lucas’s sake. Something she seemed much better at than him, which didn’t seem fair, because although she knew he was angry with her, she wasn’t too pleased with him either.

  Now she and Adele walked through the door of the Cozy Caribou, which had been decorated in shimmering silver and black for the evening. A stage had been set up at the far end of the bar, and twinkle lights had been wrapped around the posts and strung across the ceiling.