Boxed Set: Intercepted by Love (The Complete Collection): Books One - Book Six

by Rachelle Ayala

  Fortunately, the exit appeared shortly, and Andie opened her mouth again to direct him to the parking area of Watkin’s Peak.

  After paying the fee, he found a spot near the edge of a field and shut off the ignition.

  “Sorry about bringing up Gollie.” He reached over and touched her shoulder. “I was hoping we could have fun today.”

  “Me too.” She glanced warily at him. “I just wish you’d tell me more about yourself. It’s like you don’t trust me, or maybe you are an axe murderer.”

  “I’m not an axe murderer. I prefer shotguns.”

  “Oh, ha, ha. But seriously, who are you?”

  “If I tell you, promise you won’t tell anyone else in town? Like your boss, Margo?”

  “Of course not.” Her eyes sparkled with interest and she sat up straighter, all attention turned to him.

  “I’m a celebrity, like your rock star King David. I’m on vacation and I’d rather not have anyone bothering me.”

  “You? A celebrity? Are you a movie star?”

  “Maybe.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “Do you like movie stars?”

  Her lips pursed and she shook her head. “You don’t happen to know Declan Reed, do you?”

  “Might have run into him a time or two.” He wrinkled his nose. “Why, you know him?”

  “Let’s not ruin the day by talking about him.” Andie zipped up her jacket. “If you know him, then you’d know what an ass he is.”

  “So you do have a past. Was he an ex?”

  Andie turned her gaze down and sighed. “I’m over him now, so don’t worry.”

  The way she sounded, still hurt or affected, made him want to strangle this Declan Reed, whoever he was.

  He took her hand and rubbed it. “I don’t know who he is. I bet he’s not really that famous.”

  “No, he’s not. I suppose, but in this small town he was a star. The only guy from Itasca to make it in Hollywood. He used to be nice.”

  “You cared a lot about him?”

  Andie closed her eyes and bit her lip, as if she were composing herself. Dammit. She did care, and the clown had hurt her badly.

  “What happened?” he asked. “Tell me.”

  “After he got his first movie deal, he started seeing other women. It’s the same old story, really. Boy meets girl. Boy makes it big. Boy meets lots and lots of girls. I didn’t want to be a number.”

  “I’m sorry.” He kissed the side of her head. “Is that why you haven’t had sex for a long time?”

  “Pretty much. I can’t believe I was ready to give it to you, not knowing anything about you. But you seem nothing like that type of guy.”

  How wrong she was. He was worse. He had more than one at the same time. Try the three he had the night of the Super Bowl.

  “You shouldn’t trust me either.” He tipped her chin to face him. “I already told you I’m here on a getaway. Let’s have fun while we can and leave the ghosts behind.”

  “Sure, that’s what I also want.” Andie gritted her teeth into a semblance of a smile. “I enjoy spending time with you. I can be your tour guide, so you can remember our neck of the woods once you’re back to your real life.”

  “I appreciate that. Tour guide, it is. Maybe we can go somewhere every weekend. I’d like to try all the other things you mentioned.”

  “Cool beans.” She opened the car door. “Today we’re fat biking. Last one down the hill’s a rotten egg.”

  Chapter 14

  “This is awesome!” Cade shouted at Andie as they swished and slid over big fat tires down the winding trail. They’d caught a snowmobile that took them to the summit of Watkin’s Peak. From there, it was all downhill.

  Red, his long fur streaked with snow, bounded behind them, barking as he chased their tires.

  “Watch out!” Andie leaned into a sharp curve, dragging her foot around the turn, before letting downward momentum carry her faster.

  Cade’s weight made him sink into the snow more, so he was always pedaling to try and catch her, whereas she seemed to fly over the powdered snow.

  The tires were deflated below anything he expected, probably to give them better grip and control, much like a deflated football was easier to handle.

  Andie zoomed ahead of him and jumped over a ramp.

  “Woohoo!” she yelled as she landed, her hair flying in the air behind her.

  “No fear!” Cade shouted as he drove over the ramp, going airborne.

  The rush of adrenaline and the cool breeze had him high. He held the handlebars steady and swoosh, he landed without even a wobble.

  This was fun and so easy, like mountain biking on clouds. Red raced around them, barking and yipping happily.

  Ahead of him, Andie pedaled to pick up speed and headed down a trail marked with a black diamond.

  Cade swung wide in the turn, almost careening off the edge. He pumped hard on the slight rise to catch Andie, before realizing he was on the cusp of a huge bowl-shaped slope downwards.

  “Yahhh!” He gained speed while dodging trees and boulders, wondering if he could stop at the bottom, wherever it was. Did the brakes even work on a bike that could keep sliding?

  His handle bars wobbled, and the entire frame of the bike shook as the wind chill across his face burned and numbed him. Ahead of him, Andie was a tiny dot. How did that chick go so fast?

  He turned to look for Red. The dog had been behind him when he’d gone over the edge of the bowl. Where was he?

  His bike took a dip, and he was airborne, headed straight down the vertical face of the mountain. Cade’s heart just about popped from his mouth. This was suicide.

  A shockwave ripped the handlebars from his grip, and he was tumbling, doing cartwheels as he lost the bike in a blur of snow.

  Everything was white and swirling, and he was falling, hitting branches and stumps. How far down would he go before he stopped? Pain shot through his body, his arms and legs flailing before he face-planted into a wall of snow.

  Woof, woof. He could hear his dog but not see him. He had to get the snow from his eyes. His ski goggles were gone, and he wasn’t sure which way was up or down. Had he fallen into a snow cave?

  The sound of panting and digging oriented him, and he pawed at the snow, clearing it toward the light. Red was above him, barking.

  Andie had been so far ahead, there was no way she’d even know he’d wiped out. He had to get himself out of this hole and quick. He’d never been this cold his entire life. His breath formed icicles on his growing beard and his fingers and face were numb.

  Red whined, and a black nose burrowed into his face, followed by licks from a hot tongue.

  Cade moved aside enough snow to climb up and out. Every bone and muscle ached, but he was in one piece, thankfully.

  “Thanks boy, for sticking with me.” He hugged Red and gingerly stood to his feet. “Guess the only way down is down. Let’s go.”

  # # #

  Andie swung her bike sideways to skid to a stop at the bottom of the bowl. Woohoo! That was great.

  She looked back. Cade was nowhere in sight. What a slowpoke. He was probably braking the entire way down or zigzagging sideways like a skier trying to slow himself down.

  She propped the bike against a tree and waited. He couldn’t have been that far back, could he? And what about Red? Had they both gotten lost?

  It was a long way back up. She shielded her eyes against the sun and studied the mountain top. Clumps of trees dotted the bowl, and a few areas were bumpy with giant moguls. Of course she’d known to stay to the left where they’d groomed the snow for the skiers.

  What if Cade had veered off course?

  Fear gripped her heart and brought her to her knees. He could be hurt or worse. She shouldn’t have left him behind. He’d never done this before. Heck, he probably didn’t even know how to handle snow.

  Andie started walking back up. A few skiers whizzed by, and one guy stopped, spraying her with powder.

  “What’s happened? Did you lo
se something?”

  “I don’t know. My friend. Did you see him? He was on a fat bike with his dog, an Irish setter.”

  “No, miss. I didn’t see anything.”

  “He was behind me, but I’m afraid he veered off path or something.”

  “Let me get down to the lift and call the ski patrol for you.”

  “Sure, thanks. Please do.”

  The man skied off, and Andie continued to walk up hill. She hadn’t been exercising, so she was soon winded. Her thighs ached, and her breath tore through her throat, but even worse, worry gripped her heart. For the first time in her life, she wished she had a cell phone.

  She cupped her hand and yelled. “Cade, where are you?”

  The roaring of a snowmobile approached her. Oh good, the ski patrol.

  “Miss, hop on,” the driver said.

  She took his hand and jumped on behind him. The snowmobile raced uphill, covering greater distances than she could on foot.

  “Where do you think he went?” the man yelled.

  “Probably off the trail. Do you have a cell phone?”

  “Not sure if we can get a signal, but I’ll try.” The man slowed the snowmobile. “Do you have his number?”

  Andie was grateful that her non-use of cellphones allowed her to still remember phone numbers. She dictated it to him, and he keyed it in.

  She held her breath while they waited for Cade to answer. Please, please, be okay.

  “Hello? Cade? This is the ski patrol. Your girlfriend’s looking for you, and we’re wondering if you need a lift.”

  The man nodded and scanned the hillside. “Any landmarks? Are you on foot? Lost your bike?”

  He listened a bit more and then passed the phone to Andie. “He wants to speak to you.”

  “Cade?” Andie’s teeth chattered. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll live. I crashed into a snow cave of some sort. It looked like a wall. I think I went off the trail. There was an edge and then a bowl like depression.”

  “Did you stick to the left or were you on the right?”

  “I saw you go left, but I was looking for Red and when I looked back, I must have gone off course. Lost the bike.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m on a snowmobile. We’ll find you.”

  “You better, tour guide, or I’ll want a refund.” He chuckled. “You owe me, babe.”

  “Is Red with you?”

  “Man’s best friend. He dug me out.”

  “Just be okay. Don’t fall asleep or anything. Keep moving. I, I like you, Cade. I do.”

  “I’m kind of fond of myself, too. You won’t get rid of me this easily. I love you, babe.”

  He said that? Andie palmed the side of her head. He had to be getting confused, suffering from hypothermia delirium or thinking she was someone else.

  “Hold on, Cade. We’re on our way. Hold onto Red to stay warm.” Andie handed the phone to the snowmobile driver. “He went off trail toward the right and crashed into a snow cave.”

  “I think I know where that is. Hope he’s not injured. If he’s where I think he is, we have to go around because I can’t take this snowmobile down the cliff he fell from. We better get to him fast before he gets hypothermia.”

  He fell off a cliff? Maybe he was putting on a brave face saying he was okay.

  The driver made a sharp turn and zoomed in a different direction. Andie could only hold on and pray. She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to Cade.

  She didn’t care if he was a celebrity or not. He’d already embedded himself deep into her heart, and she was in for some major pain once he left. Yet, he was worth the risk, even if she could only have him for his winter escape. Maybe he’d come back every year, and he’d be her very own well kept secret.

  If he survived.

  Chapter 15

  Cade concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. He was numb all over, but he couldn’t stop the shakes. His entire body, arms, legs, hands, and fingers shook and hurt, and he was getting tired. One of his legs dragged, and daggers shot through him every step he took.

  Red stayed close to his side. His fur was entirely white, covered from head to toe with snow. Icicles formed on the lower fringe where an Irish setter’s fur hung below his body.

  He couldn’t tell how long he’d been walking, and when he reached for his phone, he couldn’t find it. Had he dropped it thinking he’d slipped it into his pocket? Or were his fingers too frozen to function?

  He was cold. Too cold to look for it. He just wanted to sit and curl up into a ball. Hold onto his dog and stop the shaking. The damn shaking that cost his team the Super Bowl—that made him lose control of the bike.

  Keep moving, Andie’s voice sounded in his mind. Keep moving. I like you. Keep moving.

  She said she liked him, but did he love her? Why’d he let those words slip? He’d never known what love was, and he wasn’t the type of man who went all mushy. He’d kept his feelings in check. He had to when he never knew when he’d have to move or be assigned another family to stay with. So why had it felt so natural to say, I love you, Andie? It wasn’t something he threw around, and he definitely wasn’t sure what it really meant. Hopefully she didn’t hear him. Maybe he’d only thought it, not spoken it out loud. He couldn’t give her the right kind of love if he’d never known it before.

  Cade stumbled forward, not knowing where he was going, except to go downhill. Down, down, toward what? Civilization? The parking lot.

  He wasn’t sure what that noise was. A lawnmower or a wood chipper. He walked toward it, but the sound shifted so he turned around.

  “Red? Red?” he called. Where had that dog gone?

  Cade lost his footing and tumbled down a ravine. When he stopped, he was flat on his back. The rays of sun blinded him because his goggles were long gone, probably slipped off his helmet.

  The sky was bright blue, so blue it was unreal. Was that what they called cerulean? He could almost hear angel voices and harp strings. It was that kind of peaceful. Yet something was missing, a flash of red, a woman’s laugh, her freckles dancing on her pert ski jump nose, those jade green eyes. Where was she?

  A cloud of red pounced on him, and a warm tongue lapped at his face, slobbering. Hot breath fanned his face, followed by sharp barks in his ear.

  “Okay, okay.” The pain returned, and Cade swiped at the wiggling distraction. He’d rather have the woman, but a dog would be all he’d ever have. “Good boy, Red. Good boy.”

  Yes, he’d appreciate what he had. Half-full, right? He had Red, and he wasn’t going to overreach for that other redhead and ruin everything. However, if he didn’t try, he’d never know. Never know a life with her, a chance to love and be loved. A gamble worth risking his heart for. Because even ugly babies deserved love. And since he’d never given anyone his love, he had a lot to give. He couldn’t let her down without trying.

  Woof. Woof. Red tugged at his collar, trying to help him up.

  “I got it. I’m not a quitter,” he mumbled through frozen lips. “I’m going back. Not quitting. I’ll win the Super Bowl someday. I’m going to get the girl. I have a heart. A good heart, and no one’s keeping me down.”

  Slowly, his joints and bones screaming with pain, Cade struggled up the slope after his dog. His knees gave out after a few steps, and he dropped to all fours. He had to stay with his dog. He couldn’t let Red get lost. He didn’t want to die. Now that he’d found Andie, he couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t miss tasting his cake and eating it too.

  Woof. Woof. Red bounded toward a whirring sound. Cade crawled faster. He tried to stand, but he kept falling. Hand over hand, he pulled himself up.

  “Cade. Cade. Thank God. Oh, thank God.” Andie jumped over him, pulling and tugging.

  “Miss, miss, don’t move him,” a man’s voice said. “I’m calling in for a rescue sled. We have to put him on a backboard until we check him out.”

  “I’m okay. I can walk.” Cade pushed himself to his knees. No way
was he going to be a wuss dragged out of there like an invalid. “I got it. I’m okay.”

  Shivering and aching, he climbed to his feet and fell forward. Andie caught him, along with the rescuer. The man looped his arm over his shoulder and helped him to the snowmobile.

  “My dog, don’t forget my dog.” Cade needn’t have worried. Red hopped onto the bike carrier that the snowmobile dragged.

  # # #

  “You didn’t pack a change of clothes?” Andie slid the keycard into their room at the ski lodge. It was located at the edge of the resort and included a kennel where they boarded Red. Cade was on massive pain killers and in no condition to drive back to Itasca, so he’d gotten a room for the night.

  Cade stood behind her, still shivering in his wet clothes. “You didn’t tell me to. The concierge said they left warm Turkish robes and towels for us.”

  She huddled up to him and stroked the side of his neck. “You, me, Turkish robes, sounds decadent.”

  No matter how she fought her feelings for Cade, she was sunk the moment he’d said he loved her. Whether he’d remember or was caught in a moment of delirium, Andie figured she’d ride the moment like her mother said.

  Cade’s grin split his face wide open. “I’ll take decadent over almost dying any day.”

  “I’ll make it up to you. It was my bad taking you on a black diamond trail. Let’s get you in there and warmed up.” She pushed the door open and sucked in a gasp.

  The view of the side off the mountain was like a scene out of a movie. The sky was incredibly blue, and the mountain gleamed white over the tops of the trees. Skiers like tiny dots wove back and forth down the steep slopes.

  “Are we in the right room?” Andie stepped aside to let Cade in. “This view must cost a fortune.”

  “I got it.” His wink was more like a wince, but he managed to quirk a grin at her. “Told you I’m a celebrity.”

  “And I told you I’m a nuclear physicist.” She waggled her butt in front of him while she set her backpack on the rack in front of the closet. “Let’s check this place out.”

  Andie wandered into the expansive bathroom. Instead of being decked out in marble and chrome, it was rustic, with tiles like glazed pottery, bright turquoise mixed with brown. The fixtures were distressed copper, and the tub had a simulated water pump spout complete with handle.