Nicole shrugged. “I texted Bri last night and asked if she’d cover the ski shed this morning, since I didn’t know when we’d get back. I’ll probably go to Snowberry Lodge and bore my dad with ski stories.”
“Thrill him, more like.”
She laughed, liking that he really understood that.
“Or…you could come back to my place and meet Elise.”
Nicole froze. The invitation was so unexpected that she barely managed to keep her voice steady. “I—I’d love to. Really. But, um, can we stop by my townhouse first so I can change out of this?” She gestured to her ski gear with a sheepish laugh.
“Of course,” he said warmly, clearly pleased she’d agreed. His grin turned teasing. “But only if you can keep up with me on the way down.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “Oh, it’s on.”
They stepped outside where the powder gleamed like sugar under the bright blue sky. The silence was almost holy, and Nicole’s breath caught at the sight.
“This is every skier’s dream,” Cameron said reverently. “Two feet of fresh powder and no one else around.”
They put on their skis and Nicole pushed off, bracing for fear. But the moment she sliced into the soft, forgiving snow, the whole world floated away and she went gliding through clouds.
Cameron whooped ahead of her, spinning in a graceful arc, and Nicole laughed, exhilarated. She followed him down the slope, her heart soaring. She’d follow him anywhere, she realized. Even to meet the sister he adored. Especially to meet her.
When Cameron turnedhis sturdy Toyota Tundra off the highway on the rural outskirts of Heber City, the whole world seemed to widen under an endless sky. The mountains around this valley were some of the most beautiful in Utah, rimming stretches of fields dotted with red barns, cattle, and spacious family ranches like the one he told her the Hale family owned on twenty acres.
“It’s so pretty out here,” Nicole said, forehead against the cool window glass as he shared stories about growing up in this bucolic area.
“It’s different from Park City or even Salt Lake,” Cameron said, glancing out the window as though seeing it through her eyes. “But I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”
She could see why he loved it. The Wasatch mountains glowed to the west, the sun winking through the snow-covered canyons under a deep blue sky. Outside of town there were no strip malls or hotels, just old brick houses, horses, sheds, and land.
They turned again onto a narrow lane flanked by cottonwoods, the branches glazed with ice. At the end sat a long, sixties-style brick ranch house that looked both loved and lived-in.
A wide carport hugged one end. Well beyond it, a much smaller second structure was tucked behind the tree line, bigger than a garage, but not a full-sized home.
“That’s me,” Cameron said, nodding toward the little house. “The permanent guest.”
“Have you ever considered living a little closer to Deer Valley or Park City?”
“With three roommates?” He rolled his eyes. “No, thanks. Anyway, not only do I love this place, but I can keep an eye on Elise and on my folks. I know, by today’s standards, they’re not ‘old’ at sixty-eight, but I like to be nearby.” He shrugged. “It works for me.”
It worked because he put family over fun, freedom, or a fast-paced lifestyle that a lot of thirty-year-old men might want. She couldn’t deny that she found that incredibly attractive.
He pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. A minivan sat under the carport, and Nicole instantly spotted the blue accessibility icon on the side door. A low ramp sloped up to the front door, with sturdy rails and non-slip treads dusted from the night’s snow that blew into the carport.
“I know she won’t go out today, but I have to salt the ramp,” he said, almost to himself. Then he glanced at Nicole. “You’ll get used to ramps, low sinks, bars to get around. It’s not out of a magazine, but this house is tricked out for Elise. She could live alone, which she likes to remind us regularly, but none of us would have that.”
They sat in the quiet for a beat, not quite ready to end their long date with another person in the mix.
“Hey. About Elise,” he said, breaking the silence. “She’s a firecracker, just so you know. She talks about her accident easily, so you don’t have to dance around the wheelchair. Figuratively. I suppose if you want to actually dance, she’d be all about it.”
Nicole laughed. “I’m game if she is.”
He didn’t laugh, though. His face actually grew serious. “You should also know that I, um, have never brought anyone home for my family to meet.”
Her heart did a slow somersault. “Really?”
“Really.” He searched her face. “And I guess you won’t meet my parents this time, since they’re on a cruise, but Elise is, well, she’s…really important to me.”
“I get that.”
