The Strong Family Romance Collection

by Cami Checketts

  She walked toward him, moving awkwardly in the bulky, unforgiving ski boots. They fell into step together. “Everything about this place is magical,” she said.

  He grunted in response, which bothered her. He owned this incredible place and he didn’t think it was magical?

  “Are you just too used to this idyllic spot?” She gestured around at the towering mountainside covered with green pine trees and white ribbons of snow-covered ski runs. It was Thursday and nowhere close to a holiday, so the runs weren’t crowded. She loved everything about this resort, but she imagined that even when it was bursting with people, it would still be perfect to her. “You don’t think it’s magical?”

  They reached a conveyer-type belt set right into the snow. Gavin set their skis down and turned to her. “I try not to take Angel Falls for granted,” he said. A simple answer, but telling. He knew how awesome this spot was—it was his spot—but being here day in and day out would make it harder to remember the magic and not take it for granted.

  “I’ve been wondering about that,” she said.

  He simply stared at her, though she couldn’t see his eyes clearly through his stupid goggles. She wished she was brave enough to lift them onto his helmet. “About what?” he asked.

  “Angel Falls. The name of the resort. Are there really waterfalls here, or is it just a marketing ploy?”

  His lips tilted up, but he didn’t give her a full smile. She was coming to see that a full smile from Gavin Strong was a gift not many received. She hoped she’d earn one soon.

  “Not a marketing ploy,” he said.

  “I love waterfalls,” she gushed. “Can I see them?

  His smile grew, slightly. “There’s a run that goes right by them, but it’s … a little advanced for a new skier. How about we work up to it?”

  Kari felt disappointed because she probably wouldn’t see the falls, but she liked that he’d said we in referring to her and him. He definitely was a closed book, but she wouldn’t mind prying the pages open, not at all. The fact that he was here with her right now, when he could’ve been doing a myriad of other tasks to keep his beautiful resort running, had to mean something.

  “All right.” She rubbed her gloved hands together. “Let’s get to work, then.”

  They spent the next couple of hours riding up the magic carpet and then going down the short, gently-sloped hill next to it. Gavin was patient with her, and he was a good teacher, but he definitely wasn’t one to hand out superfluous praise. As she learned to snowplow, turn, stop, and increase or decrease her speed, she also learned that she liked being around Gavin Strong. He was steady, calm, and kind. Sadly, he still wasn’t opening up to her.

  Her stomach was grumbling. She hadn’t had time to eat this morning, as she’d slept in; she’d barely been able to fit in a run on the treadmill in the lodge’s gym and a quick shower before she hurried to her lesson. She hadn’t even been hungry then, too excited about learning a new skill, or more likely hopeful to see the very man who’d volunteered to be her instructor. She wanted to get to the bottom of his motivation. She’d only paid for a one-hour lesson, and they had to be passing two hours at this point. She wasn’t about to complain, but she was tempted to ask him if she could buy him lunch to thank him. She smiled to herself. Buy him lunch at his own resort?

  “I think you’re ready to go up the Little Falls lift.”

  “Yes!” She punched a fist in the air. “The lift is the exciting part, right? The view, the wind stinging your cheeks, the thrill of knowing you could fall to your death at any second.”

  Gavin grunted out a surprised laugh, and she grinned. She’d gotten him to laugh again.

  “Not really,” he said. “The skiing is the exciting part.”

  “Oh, of course. I can’t wait for all of it.” She squeezed his arm with her glove, unfortunately getting none of the zip that she’d felt yesterday. Darn, too many clothes. She wanted to write all kinds of books about ski resorts, ski resort owners, hockey games, and cute little boys and their incredible father, or brother. But writing the layers of clothes into the book would put a damper on the physical touch. That was all right, though: it would simply increase the emotional connection. Perfect.

  Gavin held up one of his poles to her. She didn’t have any poles yet—he’d told her they’d get some later—but he’d used his poles for her to hold on to for stability or to direct her one way or another. She grabbed them, and he tugged her forward so they started sliding down the hill toward the smallest lift to the left. She could count the beginnings of three lifts from here before they disappeared in the trees and the steep mountainside, but he’d told her there were two other lifts that you had to ski to that took you to different, out-of-sight spots on the mountain.

  They glided easily down to the lift, and she let go of his pole and shuffled through where a line would usually form. They stopped to wait for the four people in front of them.

  “Is it usually busier than this?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Holidays and weekends are really busy, but we never get too long of lines on the lifts.”

  “Why?”

  “There are the five lifts to distribute the crowd, and it’s mostly just the people staying at the lodge and people from town coming up.”

  “You don’t get much traffic from Vail or Denver?”

  He shook his head. “Too many resorts to compete with.”

  “Well, I love this one the very best,” she told him.

  He gave her a slow half smile that robbed her of oxygen. What would full strength do to her?

  There was no one in front of them, and a couple of chairs went by empty.

  “You two going?” a voice asked from behind them.

  “Sorry,” Kari said over her shoulder. “We were having a moment.”

  The couple behind them laughed.

  Gavin didn’t say anything; he just took her elbow and helped her get moving. They waited for a chair to zoom by, then shuffled into position to load up on the next chair.

  The lift operator turned to them. “Hey … Mr. Strong?”

  “Hey, Charles.” Gavin put his glove out, and the guy fist-bumped him.

  The lift swooped around and knocked into the back of her knees. Kari sat hard on the cushioned seat.

  “Have a good run,” the guy called to them.

  “Thanks.” Gavin waved.

  Kari turned to him. “Why did he act so surprised to see you?”

  Gavin lifted his broad shoulders. “I don’t usually do this run.”

  “But you’re sacrificing for me?” She put her glove to her heart. “That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  Gavin turned to look out over the valley. “You’re missing the view,” he said.

  “Oh my goodness, I am.” Kari’s eyes trailed over the valley sloping away past the lodge, with a perfect icy gray river cutting through it. The mountains surrounding them were impressive and beautiful, all covered in green pine trees and white snow. She loved it here. She couldn’t resist letting her eyes sweep back to the man next to her. He was a big, obviously strong guy. He was successful and accomplished. He seemed very dedicated to his family, especially his little brother. She couldn’t find a single thing wrong with him, but she feared he’d never open up to her. Who was she to command the attention of a man like Gavin Strong?

  “What do you think?” he asked. He was focusing on her and not the view.

  Kari probably shouldn’t have done it, but she couldn’t stand it any longer. She reached over and lifted his goggles onto his helmet. His deep brown eyes stared back at her, so full of depth and longing and angst. Oh my, he was incredible. She might have no right to try to bust past his barriers, but until he sent a pit bull after her to keep her away, she was going to keep trying. “I think your eyes are incredible,” she said bravely.

  His eyebrows rose, yet his mouth softened. “I could say the same,” he murmured so softly she could barely hear it.

  She did hear it, though, an
d it made her unreasonably happy. “You can’t even see my eyes,” she said breathlessly.

  He pulled in a quick breath and said almost as quietly as before, “They’re imprinted in my memory from the first moment I saw you.”

  Kari’s breath was coming hard and fast. Had he just said that? Had he been as affected by her last night as she had been by him? She stared at him, feeling her own longings stir deep inside. She spent her life in other people’s heads, her characters’ heads. What would it be like to live the romance for real, with someone as amazing as Gavin meeting her gaze with those deep brown eyes?

  He opened his mouth, and she waited for more beautiful revelations. “Tips up,” was what he said.

  “What?” she asked, confused. Was “tips up” a new term for “I want to kiss you,” or at the very least “I want to take you to lunch”? Her brow wrinkled. She doubted it.

  “Lift the front of your skis up so they don’t catch,” Gavin instructed.

  “Oh.” Disappointment rushed through her, but just as quickly came a sense of excitement. This was it. The end of the lift.

  She lifted her tips as high as she could. Gavin grasped her elbow, and as their skis hit the slope, she naturally stood and glided down next to him. He guided her to a stop a fair distance away from the lift, and she stared down, down, down at the slope of the hill. No, it wasn’t a hill; it was a mountain. This was the starter slope? No wonder he’d taught her for so long on the magic carpet thingy. Her breath caught, and her heart thumped faster.

  “Ready?” Gavin turned to her.

  “No.” Panic was rushing through her. She grabbed on to his coat and said, “This is too steep. I’ll probably end up rolling down this.”

  Gavin shook his head. “No, it’s not as steep as it looks, and you were doing good on the magic carpet. Just do wide swipes down, ski all the way to the left, and then turn and ski to the right. Don’t go straight down. Does that make sense?”

  “No.” She was panicking hard-core. The bravest thing she ever did was occasionally go on a hike instead of her regular run. She couldn’t just ski down this mountain.

  “Do you want to follow me?”

  “No! Please don’t leave me.” She gripped his coat tighter.

  “I’m not going to leave you,” he reassured her. “I can ski down backwards holding on to the pole, and you can hold the other end.”

  “No.” The panic was rising. Her fingers tingled, and she couldn’t catch a full breath. Why had she let herself get on the stupid lift? This might be a gentle slope to some, but to her it looked like a cliff. “Please. Can’t you just … hold me on the way down?”

  Gavin’s gaze sharpened on her. His goggles were still on his head, and she got the full range of emotion from his eyes. He wanted to hold her, but for some reason he was scared. Of her? She was as nonthreatening as anyone she knew. The only mean thing she’d ever done to somebody was write them into a book as the villain.

  Had she just made an idiotic request, though? How did you hold somebody skiing down a mountainside? He probably thought she was a silly, wimpy girl. She bit at her lip and saw his eyes dart to her mouth, then back up. She wanted to lift her own goggles so they could really connect their gazes.

  “There is a way to do that,” he admitted, “if you’re scared.”

  “Sorry I’m being such a wimp.”

  “No, it’s okay. I just …” He shook his head and then muttered, “I’ve seen Heath do this with Hazel. We can try it.”

  “Hottie Hazel?” She tried to joke, but it came out flat. She was really scared of going down that slope by herself, and she really hoped he would hold her.

  “That’s the one.” He eased back behind her, put his skis on the outside of hers, and sidled in close. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he leaned around to her ear and said, “We can go down like this, if you like.”

  Did she like? This was perfect. Gavin was close by, holding on to her, and even with the snow clothes, her body trembled with the thrill of it all. Her heart raced for reasons far different than the fear of crashing on the snow. His warm breath brushed her cheek as he waited for her answer.

  “Yes, please,” she said.

  Gavin didn’t say anything, but his body pressed against her from behind as he pushed off, and then they were skiing to the left. He guided them with his skis to turn to the right. They were easily weaving back and forth down the slope, and she was trying to remember his instructions and turn her skis with pressure on the outside like he’d taught her, but it was hard to think straight with him close.

  They made their way slowly down the hill, and she could see now that it wasn’t very steep at all—the first lip seemed steep, but the rest was pretty gentle. She felt silly that she’d gotten so panicked, but the result of having Gavin close was definitely, definitely worth it.

  They glided to a stop close to the lodge. She worried that he would pull away, but he leaned around to her side again. Their helmets touched as he asked, “How was that?”

  She turned so she could look into his eyes. Their faces were aligned perfectly. Was it too soon to write a kiss into their story? Normally, she’d say yes, they hardly knew each other and the tension wasn’t built up enough. In reality, there was so much tension happening that her chest felt like it would explode from it.

  She wished he’d lift her goggles up, throw his gloves off like a hockey player, frame her face with his hands, and take possession of her mouth. At least his goggles were still up on his helmet. She drank deeply from his dark gaze. She could swear he was inching closer and closer. He wanted to kiss her. He was as drawn to her as she was to him.

  A ringing noise jolted her from the moment. She glanced around, then realized the ringing and buzzing was coming from Gavin. “Your phone?”

  Gavin eased back away from her and came around to her side. He unzipped the pocket of his coat and pulled out his phone. His brow furrowed as he silenced it and put it away.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, ticked at whoever had shattered their moment.

  “My assistant,” he said. “I only blocked out from ten to noon, and it’s almost one.” He gave her a very forced smile. “I guess I should be grateful for the break I got.”

  She nodded quickly. “I’m the grateful one. Thank you for teaching me.”

  His eyes swept over her. “Will you be okay on your own?”

  “For sure. I’m going to go up this lift and do it all by myself; then I’ll get some lunch and write down some thoughts; then Austin is meeting me at four to teach me.”

  Gavin almost smiled. “He’s a much better teacher than me.”

  “I doubt that.”

  He lifted his eyebrows.

  “I doubt anyone could best you, Gavin Strong.” It was too bold, but she wanted him to know how drawn she was to him, before he had to leave. When would she see him again? She might not, but he’d taken the initiative to teach her to ski. That had to mean something.

  “Have a good day,” he murmured. “Have them put your lunch on my tab.”

  “When will you eat?” The question felt almost as bold as her earlier statement. She wanted to eat with him.

  “My assistant will have something for me. I’ll be rushing to catch up before hockey practice.”

  Kari was being written off. She’d already taken too much of his time. She nodded and lifted a hand. “Thanks again.”

  “Sure.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but she was certain he was just going to ski off without giving her any indication that he wanted to see her again. Had she messed up by being too wussy to go down the hill by herself? He’d seemed to enjoy that as much as she had, but maybe she was projecting her feelings onto him.

  He suddenly handed over his poles. “These might be a little long, but you can use them so you won’t have to go back to the rental shop for some.”

  “Thanks.” She grasped the poles, hoping they’d make her feel more confident being on her own. “Where should I take them when I’m don
e?”

  He licked his lips, paused a couple of beats, and then said in a husky voice, “Take them back to your room. I’ll come get them tonight.”

  Kari felt like the breath had been knocked clean out of her. Tonight? He’d come to her room tonight? Yes! He wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t interested. “Okay,” was all she managed to get out.

  Gavin lifted a hand and skied off toward the lodge.

  Kari stood watching him stop next to the rear lodge entrance, pop off his skis, and swoop to pick them up. She realized she was leaning forward and staring like a teenager, but she didn’t care. That incredible man had taken three hours out of his busy day to teach her to ski, and he was coming to see her tonight. As he disappeared into the lodge, she pushed off for the smaller lift. She was going to conquer this hill, and tonight … All kinds of schemes and ideas started playing through her head. Somehow, she was going to kiss that man.

  Gavin hurried into the lodge, carrying his skis but not his poles. A rare smile curved his lips as he thought about how gutsy that had been for him, asking Kari to take them to her room so he’d come for them later. If she had any clue how uncharacteristic his behavior was for him, she would realize he was far too lame for a woman as vibrant, smart, and beautiful as she was. He’d tried to push himself to talk and engage her the hours they’d had together this morning. It hadn’t been as tough as it usually was for him to be social, but maybe that was because Kari was so open and appealing. He couldn’t believe he’d held her like that skiing down Little Falls. He always shied away from physical touch, but he found himself wanting to be closer to Kari.

  He responded to employees’ greetings as he worked his way through the lodge and into his office. Sure enough, Thomas had soup, salad, and a sandwich from the restaurant waiting for him. He took off his ski boots and outerwear and stashed it in his closet, used his private bathroom to wash up, and then pulled a flavored water from his fridge before sitting down to eat and start working. He sent a quick thank-you text to Thomas and was immediately inundated with marketing questions, along with inquiries for everything from the lifts to the snow conditions to employee issues. Luckily, with the lodge only half full, there weren’t any problems with the rooms or guests staying there. He’d missed Ella since she and Trey had moved to Kauai, but he could handle all of this.