by Jane Peart
He leaned close and kissed her cheek. “I wish I could take you back to Bermuda.”
She turned to look up at him, wishing that he would add, “on our honeymoon.” They stood, inches apart, gazing at each other.
Robbie desperately wanted to say, “Tyler, I love you.” But she wanted him to say it first, and he didn’t. Instead he bent and kissed her lightly and said, “Well, I guess I’d better take you home.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I’ve made all the arrangements,” Tyler told her.
“But I don’t ski!” protested Robbie.
“You’ll learn! They have ‘bunny slopes’ for beginners.” Ty grinned. “There’s no use making excuses. I’m not taking no for an answer. We’ll leave first thing in the morning. It takes about five or six hours to drive up to Beech Mountain. We’ll have the rest of tomorrow, all of the next day, and part of another. I know you’re going to love it!” he declared.
Robbie was not that certain, but she wanted to please Tyler. She knew that it was important to share the things he liked to do with him. She had never been particularly athletic, but now she wanted to become a part of everything in his life. If skiing were a prerequisite, then she was willing to try;
“I’m not sure I have the right clothes,” was Robbie’s last weak protest,
“ Women!” Ty struck his forehead in mock despair. “The resort is full of shops, and you can rent boots and ski equipment there. There’s nothing for you to worry about, Robbie—nothing for you to do but relax and enjoy yourself!” he assured her laughingly.
Tyler had met Robbie’s flight and driven her home. They stood on the deck outside her apartment door.
“Now are there any more unsettled questions?” he demanded, looking down at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Robbie shook her head slowly.
“Good!” he declared decisively. “Just get a good night’s sleep, and I’ll be by to pick you up a little after seven, okay?
“Okay.” Robbie answered meekly.
Tyler bent down and kissed her—a warm, seeking kiss that lengthened possessively. Then he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly for a few minutes. “I can’t wait to show you one of my favorite places and to show you off! Sweet dreams, sweetheart.” After another light kiss he scampered down the porch steps whistling.
Robbie stirred sleepily, burrowing deeper into the blanket and pulling it over her head against the persistent sound of the phone. Gradually she came awake and groped with one hand for the bedside phone and fumbled for the receiver.
“This is your wake-up call,” Tyler’s brisk, alert voice announced.
Robbie muffled a groan.
“Come on!” he urged. “Up and at ‘em. I’ll be over in about forty-five minutes. Put some coffee on.” There was a click and then the dial tone.
How did I ever get into this? Robbie asked herself as she dragged out of the temptingly warm bed, shuffled into the bathroom, and turned on the shower.
Nevertheless, when Tyler’s familiar knock came at the front door, she was dressed and waiting. Tyler, handsome in a heavy, ribbed coat sweater, stepped inside, rubbing his hands together excitedly. His eyes, bright with anticipation, roved around the room eagerly.
“All set?” he asked, smiling broadly.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Robbie said doubtfully “
“Do I detect a note of hesitation?” Ty inquired playfully.
She shrugged. “Not really. I just hope my lack of skill on skis won’t be a major disappointment to you.”
“You serious?” Tyler looked at her sharply.
“Well, after all, this will be my first time on skis…”
In a few quick strides, he went over to her and put his hands on her waist and drew her close. “Honey, it’s not all that crucial! I just want you to enjoy the things I enjoy. I want us to do things together. I didn’t want to go away on another ski trip without you. I don’t expect you suddenly to be eligible for the Winter Olympics, for Pete’s sake.”
Robbie’s heart felt its usual flutter at Tyler’s nearness. She smiled up at him, and he gave her a quick kiss. Then, looking around the room, he asked, “Where’s your bag?”
She pointed to it sitting beside the front door.
“Okay, then. Ready?” Tyler raised his eyebrows hopefully.
Robbie grabbed her short down jacket, locked the door behind her, and followed Tyler out to his waiting car. The early morning air was sharp and crisp, and a frost as thick as snow lay on the long-dead grass.
The realization that Tyler wanted to be with her this much gave Robbie a pleasant little glow. As he maneuvered the sportscar smoothly through the heavy morning traffic and concentrated on driving, she kept glancing over at his classic profile, thinking how lucky she was and feeling a thrill of anticipation at having nearly three whole days together with a man she was coming to adore.
Once out on the freeway heading north, Tyler opened the glove compartment and tossed a sheaf of brochures in her lap. “Take a look at these and you’ll get an idea of what it’s like up there,” he instructed. “Most of that kind of literature is press agent hype, but Beech Mountain really is a skier’s dream. I’ve been to both Squaw Valley in California and Aspen, and it’s every bit as good,” Tyler commented.
Robbie looked at the full-color, lavishly illustrated folders promising all kinds of delights for both the adventurous skier and the fireside sitter and shopper. “It looks great!” she had to agree.
The farther they drove and the nearer they got, the more she found herself looking forward to the week end. Most of all, she wanted to match Tyler’s own obvious enthusiasm. The fact that he had planned it all as a surprise for her gave her new hope that their relationship was becoming even more important to him. As an experienced ski enthusiast he could have chosen another solo weekend of uncomplicated skiing. Instead, he was dragging along a neophyte who might hamper his own pleasure in the sport. Robbie looked over at him, feeling suddenly shy. Why else would Ty have arranged this weekend if he hadn’t wanted to spend some special time exclusively with me?
What was it he had said? “I want you to enjoy the things I enjoy. I want us to do things together. I didn’t want to go away on another ski trip without you!”
They stopped for lunch. The attractive rustic restaurant was filled with other people whose garb and conversation clearly indicated they too were bound for a weekend in the snow.
“This place specializes in fantastic hamburgers,” Tyler mentioned as they were handed huge hand printed menus. “And if you have any room left after one of them, they serve a fabulous apple pie with hot cinnamon sauce!”
“Stop!” Robbie held her hand up in laughing protest. “If I eat like this all weekend I’ll be suspended from flying for being overweight!”
“Come on!” Tyler scoffed. “You?”
The waitress came for their order and Robbie gave an exaggerated sigh and said, “Well, I’ll have one of the Jumbo-burgers with the works!”
“Good!” Tyler laughed and nodded in approval. “We’ll probably have the pie, too.” Then he added, “A la mode!”
After lunch they started on the second leg of their trip. The terrain was visibly changing, Robbie noticed. They were climbing now into mountainous areas, and here and there among the towering pines were patches of snow.
“The predictions for ski conditions are great this weekend,” Tyler told her. With each passing mile Robbie could see his eagerness mounting.
“You have it too, I see,” she commented after a while. “Yes, I believe it’s a classic case—one of the most severe I’ve ever observed.” She affected a crisp, professional tone of voice.
He turned and looked at her quizzically. “I don’t get it. What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you hear that charter bus driver rounding up his passengers as we were leaving the restaurant?” she asked him.
“I guess not. Why?”
“He called, ‘Al
l patients with ski fever, line up for Beech Mountain bus. Guaranteed cure.”
Tyler chuckled but added, “He’s wrong, you know. It’s only a temporary cure. Next weekend you come down with the same symptoms all over again!”
“Is it contagious?” quipped Robbie.
Tyler reached over and pressed her hand. “I hope so,” he beamed.
Two hours later, after driving along a spectacular stretch of road through snow-covered hills dotted with dark green pines, they arrived at Beech Mountain. As Tyler parked the car, Robbie saw that they were in a setting that easily could have been Gstaad in the Swiss Alps. People in bright ski clothes milled along the streets as a holiday atmosphere electrified the air. Skiers could be seen on the hills surrounding the little town. They looked like tiny toy figures moving down the slopes.
The lodge was a large, low-roofed building of native stone and timber The lobby was crammed with people in a party mood. Loud greetings, talk, and laughter filled the huge room with sound.
Tyler, holding Robbie firmly by the arm, elbowed his way to the desk through the clusters of gaily dressed guests. “There may still be a chance to get on the slopes this afternoon,” Tyler said expectantly.
After they had registered at the desk, Tyler was directed to check with the ski information booth. Robbie urged him, “You go ahead, Ty. I’ll freshen up and meet you after you have had your run. I’m sure there are no beginner groups this late in the day.”
He hesitated a split second and then agreed. “You’re sure you don’t mind? If I can catch a lift, I can get one good downhill—” His eyes snapped with excitement.
Robbie watched Ty disappear as the clusters of chatting vacationers parted to let him through and then closed again into tight circles. Her room key in hand, she made her way to the elevator and stepped into the crowded enclosure. The ski talk that swirled around her might as well have been partially in another language! She gathered from all she overheard that the snow-pack this week was “terrific” and the skiing so far had been “fantastic"—good news for Ty for sure. But for herself? The little nagging worry about coming began to tighten her stomach again.
What if this were some kind of test? Maybe Tyler wanted to see how she functioned in a totally unfamiliar setting, but that seemed unlikely. After all, plenty of girls he knew who did ski would have jumped at an invitation like this.
He wants to be with you! Didn’t he say so? Stop being so insecure, Robbie encouraged herself. Okay Okay! she retorted. All I can do is be myself.
Her room was “rustic, but luxurious,” Robbie noted as she stepped into the deep shag-carpeted room and looked around. Tyler had made the reservations and these had to be expensive accommodations. Robbie frowned. This whole trip had come up so unexpectedly he had not given her much time to think about the protocol of it. Should she have allowed him to pay for her room? It would be awkward now for her even to broach the subject, but she did feel a little strange about it. Of course, he could afford it, but still…
Robbie shooed away the uneasiness she felt. It was too late to start fretting about whether she should have come or not. She was here now, so she was not going to say or do anything to make Tyler uncomfortable or to put herself in an embarrassing position. She would simply assume that their situation was the same as it had been in Bermuda or when they were seeing each other in Atlanta.
The adjoining bathroom was luxuriously appointed as well, complete with gold flecked brown tile, thick beige and brown towels, and a step-in shower with several shower heads on the side walls. Robbie took a long, hot shower and then looked over her hastily packed weekend wardrobe. Pants or a long skirt for dinner? She had seen pictures of apres-ski outfits in fashion magazines, but she was not sure whether this lodge was formal or casual. Better casual tonight, she reasoned, and then see what the general trend is for tomorrow. Saturday night is probably the big dress-up night, anyway. She put on royal blue corduroy pants and a lighter blue velour top with a standup collar that framed her face becomingly.
Robbie went over to the window and looked out. Through the frosty pane she saw that it was already dark. A cobalt blue sky hung as a backdrop to the various buildings with lighted windows that were orange squares casting rainbow-colored patterns on the white snow. On the hillside, little flickers of lights marked the trails for the late skiers’ return. It was the proverbial winter wonderland.
The phone rang and Robbie hurried to answer it. A second later she heard Tyler say, “I just got down a little while ago. Meet me in the lounge in fifteen minutes? I’m starved, aren’t you?”
“Don’t you think of anything but food?” she teased.
There was the slightest pause before he said, “Yes …but I’m trying to sublimate.”
Robbie was glad he could not see her blush. “I’ll see you in a few minutes,” she said softly.
As she stepped off the elevator, Robbie was the object of several admiring glances. Everything about her glowed. The russet sheen of her casually brushed hair, the look of shining expectancy in her eyes, and the intriguing dimples at the corners of her upturned mouth all gave her a look of vibrance. She glanced around, looking for Tyler, unaware that any number of unattached males would have willingly approached her.
Suddenly she spotted him. Although he was facing the elevator, he had been distracted momentarily in conversation—and his strong, handsome head was bent toward a slender blonde in a purple jumpsuit and a young man.
Robbie hesitated to join them. But, just then, as if somehow alerted, Tyler turned and his eyes met hers. Immediately Robbie felt that’ sharp throb under her heart that only he could cause, and she caught her breath.
Tyler’s tanned face had deepened to a ruddy bronze from his afternoon on the slopes. His golden ochre hair, usually carefully groomed in town, was tousled and wind-blown, giving him a carefree, unstudied air. Wearing a natural-colored Irish fisherman’s sweater and standing beside the glowing fireplace, he might have posed for one of the lodge’s publicity advertisements.
As soon as he saw Robbie, he raised the glass he was holding in a toasting gesture. She saw his lips moving as he said something to his companions. The gorgeous blonde turned and gave Robbie a slow inventory with cool, appraising eyes. Tyler detached himself from the group and started across the crowded room toward Robbie.
Tyler’s arm circled her waist and he asked, “What took you so long?” He bent his lips to her ear and whispered, “I missed you.” He brushed her cheek with a kiss and told her, “Come on, I want some people to meet you.”
Robbie thought happily, He said to meet you, not the other way around.
They ate dinner with a crowd seated at a round table in the dining room that fairly hummed with laughing voices, above the sound of clinking glasses and bursts of song. Skiers, Robbie was discovering, were a funloving bunch, and the room rang with a feeling of good fellowship. Although Tyler joined in actively in the table talk that was largely a discussion of the day’s skiing and tomorrow’s weather, he was very attentive to Robbie. He heaped her plate with generous amounts of salad and urged her to try the three different kinds of fondue in the center of the table.
Even though she could not participate much in the ski talk, Robbie nevertheless began to feel perfectly at ease and comfortable. As they all lingered over coffee after dinner, Ty’s arm was draped casually over the back of her chair, establishing them definitely as a couple. It gave Robbie a nice feeling.
When he leaned down and whispered, “Let’s get out of here. Take a walk? I want you all to myself for a while,” Robbie’s reaction was a foolish kind of gladness.
“I’ll get my jacket,” she whispered back.
She found herself heading for the elevator at the same time as Regina Overstreet, the blonde she had first noticed standing with Tyler when she had come down to meet him earlier. Again Robbie felt herself the target of a sweeping appraisal. When she met Regina’s steady gaze, Robbie saw the blonde’s eyes widen slightly, but then she asked ingenuously
, “Are you and Ty an ‘item’?”
A little taken aback, Robbie hesitated.
“I mean is he your boyfriend?” When Robbie did not answer right away, Regina persisted, “The reason I’m asking is because he comes up here all the time to ski, but this is the first time he’s ever brought anyone. We were all just wondering…” She let her sentence trail off insinuatingly.
Suddenly the elevator doors slid open and, in the crush of people getting off as well as going in, Robbie was rescued from giving an answer—an answer she really didn’t have.
Did Tyler consider her his girlfriend? Were they an item? It was interesting to learn that he had never brought any other girl up here with him before.
Robbie darted to a corner of the crowded elevator and wedged a burly man between herself and Regina. After a glance at Robbie, the blonde began talking to someone else.
Outside, the air was so clear and cold that it almost took Robbie’s breath, away. As she greeted Tyler, who was waiting near the door, clouds of frosty smoke spun from her mouth. He took her hand and tucked it with his into one of the fleece-lined pockets of his suede coat. The sky, now a deep velvety purple, rose around them like a canopy held up by the shimmering snow-capped hills. The frozen crust of snow crunched crisply under their booted footsteps as they walked hand in hand down to the skating rink in the silver light of a half-dollar moon.
“Having fun?” Tyler asked Robbie.
She looked up at him and, nodded.
“Tomorrow will be even better. I’m going to introduce you to one of life’s greatest pleasures,” he promised.
“Oh? What’s that?” Robbie took the bait.
“Skiing, naturally. I’ve already talked to Detmar. He’s one of the instructors—very good, very patient, the best. He’ll have you started before you know it, and the right way. You won’t have to unlearn any bad habits like I did.” He paused and then added jokingly, “He is also extremely handsome and quite a ladies’ man. I’m just warning you.”
“Don’t bother. I’m not the least bit susceptible, I promise you,” Robbie replied.
