OnceIarrived, my mother said, “You’reearlier than we expected.Thoughtwe wouldn’t see you until after you skied today.”
“Mylegs had enough this weekend, soIthoughtI’dcome spend more time with you andDad.”
“Mommy, you’re back!”Paigeexclaimed from the top of the stairs.Sheran down and gave me a hug.
Iwrapped my arms around my sweet girl, the brightest part of my life.Sure, it was fun to have a little break from responsibilities for the weekend and have some me time, butPaigewas whoIvalued most in the world.
Weall sat in the living room and chatted about the weekend.Paigeshowed off her drawings of her exploring the zoo nearby with my parents.
“Itsounds like you had a great time withGrandmaandGrandpa.”Ismiled at her.
Shenodded with eagerness. “Wealso went sledding and made cookies and did puzzles.Wewent to the bookstore.”Sheshowed me a new book.
Myparents smiled atPaige.
“Howwas the skiing?” my mother asked.
Mymind fast-forwarded from the chairlift dating to the tumble to being rescued by ski patrol to it leading to a date with him to a wonderful day skiing with him yesterday—and an even better night. “Itwas great,”Isaid. “Theconditions were good.”
Myfather glanced outside the window. “Todaywould be an even better day than yesterday.”Hepointed. “Lookat those clear blue skies.I’msurprised you’re not taking advantage of it.Yesterdaymorning was gray.”
“Mylegs are still sore from yesterday.”Itapped my thighs. “So,Idecided to give them a break today.”
Mymother glanced at me. “Didyou enjoy your weekend?”
IpicturedValen’sintense eyes and the way he looked at me last night likeIwas the most beautiful woman in the world. “Yes, very much so.”
Paigelooked up at me from her big hazel eyes that reminded me of her father’s.AlthoughIcouldn’t stand to look into his now, they’d been one of the reasonsIfell for him so hard when we were young.OnPaige, they reminded me of all things wonderful and good.
“CanIgo skiing with you next time?” she asked.
Ismiled at her. “Ofcourse, honey.”
Thefour of us spent the day together and had an early dinner—a roast and potatoes.Afterwe ate,PaigeandIhugged my parents and said our goodbyes.Thenwe climbed into my car and headed south.AsIdrove,Icouldn’t shake the feeling thatIwas leaving something behind—not an item.Itwas more like a sense of loss for what could have been.IthoughtValenandIhad connected.Wasall that chemistry in my head?
Ithad to have been.Imust have misinterpreted our connection.Thismorning, he’d been as easy to read as a tarot card turned facedown.Exceptfor one thing—he wasn’t comfortable with me in his space.
Thatwas fine.Hecould have his cabin all to himself.Ourfun was over, andIdoubtedI’dever seeValenagain.
CHAPTER9
VALEN
Iblew it.Cassandrawas gone, and my wolf was not happy about it.
AsIpulled on my gear and yanked on my boots,Ikicked myself.WhyhadIacted like a buffoon who’d never cooked breakfast before?Eggsand toast were hardly a challenge—even kids could handle something that basic.Andwhen hadIever let a dish towel catch flames?Never.Theone time had to be whenIwas making breakfast for a beautiful woman, hoping we could spend more time together before she left.Onlymy flailing burning dish towel incident coupled with the unmanly shriek sent her running for the hills—or down the mountain.Samedifference.
Nowonder she hurried to get the hell out of my cabin.Stayinghere could be risky sinceIcould burn the entire damn cabin down next.Igroaned.Shedidn’t even want me to drive or walk her home—that was clear by the way she insisted she wanted to be alone.Sheconsidered herself safer away from me.
Igrimaced asIheaded outside.Thechill in the morning air was brisk, and a gust of wind bit at the exposed skin on my face.Itwould warm up as the sun rose, but the single-digit temperatures would keep the crowds sparse until then.
Afterpopping on my skis,Icut through the woods to start my shift, attempting to focus my attention on my responsibilities.Iscoured trails for obstacles or bare patches that could pose a danger.Atrail through the glades had a thin coverage with plenty of spots of rock or tree roots poking through.Itdidn’t appear safe to ski or snowboard on.I’dhave to close the trail with a sign.Hopefully, no one would be foolish enough to chance it.
AfterIchecked in at the ski patrol hut,Ishared the info about the trail, and then grabbed a sign and poles to close it off.AsIrode up the chairlift,Cassandrapopped back into my mind.Thatwas the trouble with being out here on these lifts—it gave you time to think.Thatwas also the benefit of them as well.Withnothing else to do but admire the mountain scenery, you could either kill time chatting with whomever was next to you or get lost in your thoughts.SinceIwas alone, the latter happened, and regrets returned.
Cassandrahad even turned down my offer for lunch today, eager to get away from me.Igroaned.Whata way to react to accepting that the womanI’dbeen fallen for was actually my mate, the way my wolf had insisted.
He’dhowled in protest afterI’dscared her away.HeinsistedIshould have claimed her last night.
