Copper huffed, then started moving again, now with confidence. Nicole stood in the snowy path, watching as her horse pulled the sleigh deeper into the property, past the paddock, and toward the row of cabins.
Well done, indeed.As she watched the back of the sleigh disappear over the rise, her eyes burned, and one thought danced in her head.
If Copper could do it…
Could she? She turned on her heel and jogged down the path, determination sparking in her chest. If she stopped and second-guessed this decision, it would be all over. She had to do this.
With a burst of excitement, she threw the door of the ski shed open, practically colliding with some customers carrying bags and poles.
“Oh, sorry! And thank you! Come again! Have fun on the slopes!” She gave them a wave and met Brianna’s surprised look from behind the counter.
“You got him going?” she asked.
“I did…and it got me going.”
Brianna’s brows lifted. “How so?”
She caught her breath from the run, placing both hands on the counter and leaning in. “I want to try again.”
Brianna blinked. “You do?”
God bless her bestie—she didn’t have to ask what Nicole wanted to try.
“I do,” she said. “I want to get over this thing. Will you take me?”
“Yes. Yes! Of course I will. First lift at Deer Valley. Are you sure me and not your dad?”
Nicole nodded fiercely. “Yes. I think he might accidentally hit some triggers for me, but if I go with you…”
“No triggers,” she promised, coming around the counter to offer a huge hug. “I’m proud of you.”
“Don’t be yet.” Nicole laughed into her shoulder, hugging back. “But we have to get someone to cover the store or go really, really early.”
“I vote for early, and we’ll get coverage. Maybe enough to stay for a few extra runs.”
Nicole sighed. “That would be so nice. I want to…” She bit her lip. “I want to ski so bad, Bri.”
“Then ski you shall!” She gave her another squeeze, then spun them both around toward the jacket rack. “And I say you do it in style.” She grabbed a bubblegum-pink ski jacket and held it up. “This. Absolutely this.”
Nicole wrinkled her nose. “That looks like cotton candy.”
“Exactly. It screams, ‘I am joyful and fearless andadorableon skis.’”
Nicole took the jacket. “Okay. Fine. And when I wipe out, I will look like a massive Pepto-Bismol spill.”
“Ifyou wipe out,” Bri corrected. “I’m a very good instructor.”
They shared a grin. Then Bri gave her a sly look. “So, what exactly was going on with Jack and Cindy on the sleigh? I could have sworn they kissed.”
Nicole just shook her head, smiling. “Right? I couldn’t tell, but Mom was a tad flustered, and Dad looked…” She let out a moan. “I don’t know. I hate that I want them to rediscover each other but, oh, man, do I ever.”
“Same,” Bri said. “And just to give you a little more motivation? If you start skiing again, your dad will have another reason to stick around Park City.”
Nicole looked down at the jacket in her hands, letting her imagination go there and ache for how much she wanted that, too. “I’m doing it, Bri. I swear, I’m doing it.”
And just like Copper, she’d find her way forward. One slow, steady, peppermint-sweet step at a time.
The sleigh creaked under his weight as Red settled onto the bench beside Jack, who already had the reins in his hands and a look of calm focus on his face. Copper gave a faint whinny ahead of them, his hooves shifting in the snow. The big Belgian Draft horse looked surprised to be attached to the sleigh but had—somehow, with Nicole’s help—gotten himself moving.
