AllFreeNovel
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Sam parked at the red barn in town where the gondolas came down. “We’ll take the lift to the rentals.”
I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans before stepping out. He met me by the hood and took my hand. I didn’t know many people in town since I kept to myself, but it felt like a public declaration that he was holding mine in public. Someone might know I was the nanny. It wouldn’t look good for us to be together like this.
As we waited in line for the gondola cars, he leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Relax.”
For some crazy reason, it worked. I felt the tension in my shoulders and neck easing as we stepped onto the moving car. The doors closed, and it was just us. If he wasn’t worried, I shouldn’t be either.
“I haven’t been on one of these since I was a kid.” My stomach dipped as the car moved through the open doorway and lifted, the ground falling away, leaving us with a view of the mountainside. “It’s both gorgeous and a little frightening.”
I didn’t realize I was afraid of heights. Not until the ground got farther and farther away.
Sam’s gloved hand gripped mine on my thigh, and he said, “Focus on the top of the mountain, not on the ground.”
I slowly lifted my gaze to where we were headed, the ski resort on top of the mountain. There was white everywhere and dots of black, red, and blue people milling about. My stomach settled.
He squeezed my hand. “That’s better, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Thank you for planning this.”
His cheeks were pink from the cold, and his eyes were playful.
He grinned. “It’s worth it to watch your face. When you experience something new, you’re very expressive.”
I looked away from him, fighting a grin. “I don’t know that I like how you can read me so easily.”
“I wouldn’t say that. Maybe it’s just in moments like this, where you let down your guard and drop your mask.”
I should have argued with him, telling him he was mistaken. I wasn’t wearing a mask, but I didn’t say anything because he was right. I had been putting on a front with everyone since I moved here.
At first, it was to reassure Elle and Gray that I was fine, and then it just continued because there was no way I’d tell them the truth about what happened. It was too embarrassing, and I didn’t want Elle to say I told you so.
He squeezed my hand as the car started to descend. “I hope you’ll trust me enough to tell me everything.”
If I wanted more from him, I needed to be honest.
He nodded in front of us, where the car in front of us was disembarking. “You ready for this?”
With him, I was.
He kept hold of my hand while we stood and moved out of the way of the car. He dropped my hand to put his arm around me, tucking me into his side. “That wasn’t too hard, was it?”
His face was close to mine, his breath on my lips.
“It’s easy with you.” Everything was better when I was with him.
He seemed to sense the change as he squeezed my shoulder. “Let’s get skis.”
We both rented boots, helmets, and skis. Sam had done this more often, so he took charge and pulled down what I needed. He paid for it, and I didn’t argue. I’d already offered, and he’d insisted on treating me. I thanked him as we traded our snow boots for ski boots, then we carried the skis outside.
“You remember how to do this? Just step until you hear the click.” He demonstrated on his before removing them again and walking over to me. “Go ahead.”
His hand on my elbow steadied me as I stepped onto the ski. Once I had both boots secured, I pulled on my helmet, and he did the same. We took off for the slopes.
I concentrated on pushing off with one ski and then the other. The mechanics were slowly coming back to me.
I wondered if he was athletic. “Did you do this a lot as a kid?”
“My brothers were friends with the Wilde boys. Their family owns the resort. We’re all the same age. Just two years apart. Except there’s four of them, three boys and a girl.”
