Page 50 of Beastly Mountain Man

For a second she looked stunned.

Then she started laughing.

Not the quiet laugh I’d heard over dinner. This one took her over completely until she had to brace both hands in the snow.

“I told you he’d probably knock one of us down.”

“You said probably.”

“I was trying not to scare you.”

“That was your mistake.”

I offered my arm.

Caprice ignored it, rolled onto her knees exactly as I’d shown her, and pushed herself up.

“Look at that. I retained training under pressure.”

“You did.”

She planted one boot, stood, then shoved a handful of loose snow down the front of my coat.

Cold slid straight across my chest.

I sucked in a breath.

Caprice backed away, eyes bright.

“That wasn’t covered in the briefing. You laughed when I fell.”

“You were laughing too.”

“Those facts can coexist.”

She ran.

I caught her around the waist before she made three steps.

Caprice squealed and grabbed my forearms.

“You can’t use superior reach after a rules dispute.”

“You put snow down my shirt.”

“I was making a point about adaptability.”

“You’re about to adapt to a snowbank.”

She laughed harder.

“Lucky, don’t you dare.”

I stopped.

Her laughter eased when she realized I’d gone still.

I kept my arms around her waist without moving her anywhere.