He stopped upon realizing that it would be impossible not to kiss her when the two stood huddled together gazing up at one of the world’s most beautiful displays.
That would be a mistake, and while he hated for her to miss what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity, he’d hate it even more if their making googley eyes at each other all this weekend cost both of their bosses the deal they so hoped to make.
Maybe he was just homesick, after all. For all the over-the-top ridiculousness of his mother, he loved her and felt guilty for being so desperate to escape her company this holiday.
Maybe he could make it up to her by taking her to that new cat café that had just opened up downtown. She’d like that, and he could deal with the complete weirdness of the whole thing, if at least it made her happy.
That’s what you did when you loved someone, right? You put on ugly Christmas sweaters and adopted cats, and you did whatever it took to put a smile on her face.
Riley had a beautiful smile.
One of her front teeth was slightly crooked, but it gave her such a warm, inviting countenance that it only made her prettier in his eyes. She tried to hide it by smiling without her teeth, but every time she laughed, it was like she was letting him see more and more of her true self.
And the amount of fight packed into that little frame!
Riley was a woman who knew what she wanted and would do whatever it took to get it. No wonder her client had chosen to fly her here all the way from Seattle. She had to be a bear at the negotiating table.
He fired up his engine and drove to the outer edge of the property, focusing on the winding road as he tried to clear the many images of Riley from his mind. It seemed his brain had stored every single frame, as if it somehow knew these moments were important and that he’d want to look back at them again and again.
It was all ridiculous, of course. He was acting like the hapless hero of a Hallmark holiday movie. He’d teased Riley for being so into the syrupy sweetness the days leading up to Christmas brought. Yet here he was, wondering if he might be able to scrounge up some mistletoe and where on the property he’d most likely find it.
If he played the part of the corny romantic lead, would that get him the girl? Would it make her happy? Would it ensure she remembered him even after she’d gone back to her home thousands of miles away?
Most of all, why did it matter?
He didn’t have any of the answers, but he was determined to find that mistletoe or at least a little bit of evergreen that he could pass off as the kissing plant in a pinch.
It was colder than it had been last week and even colder than the weathermen had predicted it would be now. Luckily, they’d only be up here for a couple days, so there was no need to go through the long list of safety procedures required when the resorts were open for business. Even though he hadn’t spent much time at the Fairbanks location, he was a trained expert and knew which areas would be safe and which should be avoided.
And for the time being, the Frosty Peak was closed to tourists for the season—or at least until they made the sale. Then the new owner could do whatever he wanted with it.
Sebastian found himself wondering if Riley would be back should the deal move forward. The chance alone was enough to make sure he showed this Mr. Evers the best time of his life.
And maybe, if he was lucky, Riley would enjoy herself, too.
Riley had wanted to stay up and wait for Sebastian to return from his checks. Actually, she had wanted him to ask her along, but he hadn’t. Now it seemed impossibly late.
The exhaustion of her travels weighed heavily on her. And even though she’d only been faced with a one-hour time change, it felt like she should have been in bed hours ago.
When she’d finished a second mug of Swiss Miss and another three chapters of the self-help book she’d picked up at the airport, Riley at last decided to call it a night.
She’d see her handsome host bright and early the next day.
For now, she changed into her pajamas, wishing she’d packed something more flattering and less worn-in, then turned the TV on for company and went to bed.
The next morning she was awoken by a knock on her bedroom door. As she slowly transitioned from sleep, the tinkling sound of her phone alarm greeted her as well.
“Riley?” Sebastian murmured through the door before knocking again. “Are you up? Your alarm’s been going off for like five minutes at least.”
Well, so much for getting herself ready before facing him this morning. She quickly dragged her fingers through her hair and threw on her fuzzy pink bathrobe to hide the absence of a bra.
He continued to call through the door, apparently thinking she’d chosen to ignore him. “If you’re too tired, we can skip the ride. I’ll just—“
“No, we don’t have to do that,” she said, flinging the door open and taking Sebastian by surprise when she did.
A huge smile of relief stretched from one strong cheek to the other as he took her in. “Good morning, Riley.”
She leaned against the door jamb, crossing her arms protectively in front of her. “Good morning, Sebastian,” she managed before a yawn pushed its way up and out.
“Think you can be ready in ten?” He gestured at his wrist, tapping it as he said, “We won’t have much time out there, but at least we’ll have time to greet the bosses after.”
“Client,” she corrected. “Your boss, my client.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, then shook his head with a chuckle. “Do you want to stand here and argue about my vocabulary choices, or do you want to take the wildest ride of your life? Hmm?”
“You know, if you sell it too hard, I’ll only end up disappointed.”
“And you know if you don’t go get dressed now, I’ll push you out there in your pajamas.” He reached around her to grab the knob and swung the door closed.
The intoxicating aroma of sandalwood and pine stirred in the air between them, suggesting that just maybe he’d put a little more effort into his appearance this morning than he was trying to let on.
Lucky for Riley, she’d never needed a full face of makeup to feel like her best self, and despite what Sebastian seemed to think, she was in fact a morning person. She just needed a few minutes to fully exit sleep, and she’d be good to go.
Determined to be quick, Riley worked her hair into a low pony-tail, rubbed some lotion into her hands and face, then dressed herself in the clothes she’d packed for the flight home. Everything else was too business casual for riding on the back of some cocky guy’s snowmobile.
With a few minutes still to spare, she brushed her teeth and rubbed a bit of a body spray into the pulse points on her wrists and neck, then strode out to meet Sebastian in the large sitting area upfront.
Soon she’d have her arms wrapped tightly around him as the two of them zoomed through the endless beauty of this untouched winter scape. But, honestly, who cared about the scenery?
She’d hardly been able to take her eyes away from his sparkling blues, strong jaw, and endearing scruff since she’d landed in Fairbanks. If this snowmobile expedition was the excuse they needed to finally be able to get a little bit closer, then so be it.
Thank goodness Sebastian Rockwell didn’t live in Seattle. She’d never be able to leave him behind otherwise.
Chapter 6
Sebastian stood beside Riley as she stared down at the beautiful piece of machinery before them. Her eyes were wide, almost reverent. “I wasn’t expecting it to be so big,” she admitted.
He laughed. “You’re in store for a lot more surprises then. Let’s start with snow machining 101. Hold on tight and if I lean, lean with me. It’s like an awkward dance. Oh, and luckily, we have intercoms in the helmets so you’ll be able to hear me over the engine.”
She nodded and took a step toward the vehicle, her helmet held tightly against her chest. He loved how nervous she was. That meant this was truly something new to her, which she should remember for a long time.
/> He slung a leg over the machine and mounted. Right before lowering his helmet on, he said, “And best part of it all? The comms don’t pick up the Christmas station.”
He thought he saw the beginnings of a smile before she shoved her helmet down and climbed on behind him, holding blissfully tight as he’d anticipated. Even with all the winter layers, his skin still tingled at her touch.
Sebastian took a deep breath to center his focus and kicked the engine on, explaining as they went, “We’re going up slope five here. This is our most used slope, in between the bunny and the expert ones. This one has three paths, one with a half pipe for the borders. There’s another full area for them over on slope eight. That’s where most of the kids film their YouTube videos. The other path over there is set up with moguls for those daring few, and then we’re on the main path here.”
She squeezed tighter as he slowly began to pick up speed. If he eased her into this, she’d be begging him to fly faster and faster in no time.
“Doing okay back there?” he asked just to be sure.
“Just taking it all in,” came the reply without a hint of fear. Oh, she did catch on quickly. Maybe before the ride was through, he could really show her some of his favorite stunts.
“Up and fast approaching on the right, you’ll see a couple of our resident snow machines. And to the l—“
“Wait, I thought this was a snow machine?” her voice came sharp and sure through the intercom, as if she was pleased to have caught him in a lie.
“Not so fast, detective. This is a snow machine for riding. Those are snow machines for making the stuff, and they’re very helpful during those weeks where we don’t get as much powder as we’d otherwise like to have before letting people out. As you know, the weather outside—“
Her laughter cut him off. “Is frightful?” she finished for him.
“Is a key factor to operations. And bah-humbug.”
“Don’t you mean bahoo doris? I thought we’d already established you’re the Grinch.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at that one. She’d earned it. “Continuing on the tour, we’ve got the main hall over there. Main equipment rental is there, plus we’ve leased out another store front to a Billabong franchise. The food court has a few different fast food options with our own cafeteria style dining hall. There’s also a restaurant on the top floor where people can look out and see that.”
“It’s amazing,” Riley practically whispered, and Sebastian was just able to catch her words over the sounds of their vehicle tearing through the snow. “Will we be able to show this all to Mr. Evers? One ride through this place and the deal will be as good as done. We’ll all be able to get home in time for Christmas morning, after all.”
Sebastian grimaced beneath his helmet. He was in no hurry to say goodbye, and it hurt that she seemed to be choosing something that came around every year like clockwork over him.
Those thoughts were quelled when her arms wrapped even tighter around him in what was unmistakably a hug.
“Thank you for taking me out this morning. I know you didn’t have to, but I really appreciate it.”
“Any time you’re in Alaska, feel free to look me up and demand a ride. It’s what I’m here for.”
“Like my own personal… what was your title again?”
“Winter Sports Manager.”
“Nice.”
“You ready to really kick it into high gear?”
“Sure?” she answered uncertainly.
“It’s time to hit the summit. Hang on tight,” he instructed, even though she already clung to him with all her strength.
As he transitioned the machine to a higher gear, a section of snow broke out beneath them and Sebastian had to act quick to keep them on course.
“What was that?” Riley asked, a worried tremor in her usually sure voice.
“Since this place has been closed for the season, nobody’s been around to break in the trails. That’s what we’re doing now—getting it all nice and ready for your boss.”
“Client,” she corrected.
And just like that, they were back to the easy banter between them.
Oh, if only this ride could last forever.
The quick jolt of the snow-mobile startled Riley, but Sebastian knew just what to do to get them back on track. It wasn’t quite a sleigh ride, but this still felt like the perfect Christmas date.
Not a date, she reminded herself, opening her eyes again to take in the beautiful scenery all around them. It was as if they’d magically transported into one of the many snow globes in her mother’s prized collection. As a child, Riley had often pretended that she, too, was cozy inside the tiny toy houses as she shook the glittering orb and unleashed a fresh fall of powder onto the village.
Her favorite had been the one with Santa’s sleigh parked atop a lucky child’s roof. It played “Up on the Housetop” when she wound the key at the base. Even though she had accidentally dropped and broken the globe many years ago, she could still picture Santa, the sleigh, the…
“Reindeer!” she shouted, jerking one arm away from Sebastian so she could point to the beautiful animal on the horizon.
“Okay, now you’re just getting desperate here. Shouting random Christmas words into the intercom? Really?”
“No, over there,” she said, tapping a mitted hand against his shoulder and pointing again.
“Huh? Oh, that’s a caribou. The domesticated ones are called reindeer.”
“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Always Right about Everything. Can we get closer?”
“Sure, but the loud noise might scare him off.”
She gripped him tightly as they leaned into a turn. “C’mon, where are those snowmobile skills you were bragging about all last night?”
Just as she’d predicted, Sebastian couldn’t resist the challenge. The snowmobile revved and whirred as they zipped off across the snow, working their way higher and higher up the mountain. As they crested the ridge line, they looked down into a serene snow blanketed valley where not just the one caribou, but a whole herd, or pack, or whatever you called a group of these magnificent beasts moved slowly down the mountain.
She held onto Sebastian tighter, wishing she didn’t need the helmet to protect her because she so very much wanted to snuggle her cheek against him, see if she could hear his quickly thrumming heart over the noise of their vehicle.
Silly, silly, silly! She internally scolded, loosening her grip again as if to punish herself. This man was wrong for her in so many ways, not the least of which that he lived over a thousand miles away! It had to be the magic of the season playing tricks on her heart. Perhaps she had read one too many holiday romances this year. She’d have to keep a better eye on her book selections next year.
Yes, that would fix everything.
Chapter 7
Sebastian had ridden a snow machine hundreds—maybe even thousands—of times before, but never had it been quite like this. He may not be big on Christmas, but that didn’t stop him from believing in Heaven, especially when it felt so near. There, with Riley’s arms snuggled tight around him, riding in a winter wonderland. He stopped the snow machine on the ridge and hazarded a quick glance behind him. Riley wasn’t looking at him, but—
Oh crap, she was starting to wear off on him. Quick, make a joke!
He stared out at the trotting line of caribou as they headed through the valley below. The one they’d seen was trotting quickly to catch up with his friends. “Now how many of those do you think could fit on your roof?”
“Hush, you. It’s part of the Christmas magic,” she said almost without missing a beat.
Sebastian counted the members of the herd as their wayward companion caught back up to them. Eight? Oh no. Riley was sure to name them all after Santa’s reindeer.
But instead of her triumphant banter, he could hear her gasp through the intercom, “It’s just so wonderful.”
And he couldn’t help but agree. “You know there are eight of them,” he point
ed out, deciding it was more important to make her happy than to prevent more of her holiday mumbo-jumbo.
“What?” she asked, squeezing tighter.
“The caribou. There’re eight of them.”
“Huh? What are you… Oh! Like Santa’s reindeer! Which one is Rudolph?”
“Well, I think—“
Another plate of snow shifted beneath them and Sebastian grunted as he put his whole weight into trying to right the snow machine. Suddenly, it was just him and the machine and the sweet woman clinging tightly to his chest, putting her full faith in him to keep them safe. The caribou were already forgotten as a sheet of snow rushed over the edge of the mountain and into the abyss below.
“Hold on for your life!” he shouted to her and thought he heard her say something back, but he couldn’t make out the words over the rush of everything happening all at once.
He gave it everything he had, pushing the vehicle as fast as it could go and hoping he could get it to move faster still. They rushed down the mountain, but the rocky wall of snow moved faster. Still hoping to gain a bit of distance on the now full-fledged avalanche, he opened up the throttle and angled them up and away from the snow, knowing it would continue to move toward the lowest point and that this was the fastest way out of its line of destruction.
They were almost in the clear now. “Just a little bit further,” he grunted out over the comm.
THWACK! Out of nowhere, they were both knocked clean off their mount. The world spun wildly out of control. His head knocked into something hard, cracking the visor of his helmet. Riley screamed near his head, but not over the helmet intercom. He couldn’t see her amidst all the messy white and green, but he hoped that the she was still holding on to him. If they got separated—
Trees everywhere now! They must have been buried by the beginnings of the avalanche. No wonder he had missed them in his desperate drive for safety.
He landed with a thud and felt the cold tidal wave of snow overtake him, throwing him into a tree. The wind rushed out of his body and blinding pain shot through his limbs. His visor was gone and he could taste blood in his mouth, but he felt as if he had at least a dozen drinks too many in him, unable to stand on his shaky feet or to make sense of the scene with his spinning head. Squinting carefully, doing his best to stop the world from spinning, he was at last able to make out the treads and handlebars of the snow machine, torn apart at the seams, completely busted up. It would not be taking them any further.
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 17
