I smile, tightening my gloves. I’m going to need buffers for that. Caleb, Nix, Theo. Someone. Cas skiing is hot, Cas wet and half-naked? Jesus.
Speaking of. “Where are Caleb and Nix?”
Cas grins. Yeah, if anyone is paying attention they might recognize him from the smile. But they aren’t. We are a small group like any other at the top of the mountain.
“I think Caleb and Nix are appreciating a lull in our normal schedule and are making up for lost private time.”
“Ah.” My eyebrows shoot up. So, that’s why they keep taking off for the pool house early every night.
“The tour bus gets. . .crowded.”
Bishop stops next to us, with Piper and Liam also in tow. The kids have been amazingly laidback about skiing with a celebrity, and since Theo, Bish, and Cas are all intermediate skiers, we have spent the day on the blue runs.
“After this next large group, there is going to be a guy in all blue and brown gear. Do you recognize him?” Bish directs the question to me, and I let my gaze turn that way, although with my goggles on, it’s hard for anyone to tell which way I am looking.
I register the guy, right where Bish said he would be. “Nope.”
Bish looks over at Cas. “What about you?”
“Nothing recognizable from here.”
I lean into Bish. “What’s up?”
“He seems to be on similar runs a lot, that’s all. Could be coincidence, but I told Caleb I would look out for anything that seemed off.”
Cas laughs, giving Bish a good-natured shoulder bump to his upper arm. “Caleb is an overgrown, overprotective bodyguard. Me being out in the wild like this doesn’t happen often. The fact that he isn’t here means all is cool.”
Bish hesitates a minute, and although I can’t be one hundred percent sure, I would bet he has eyes on the guy in blue and brown gear.
“Alright,” he says, and skis down to join Quinn and the rest of the group.
“That’s all of us,” I tell Cas. “Think your legs can handle a few more hours?”
Cas smiles, although I know he will be sore and probably already is. “Not to be demanding or anything, but hot tub and beer after this. That’s a requirement.”
“I’ll do you one better. Matt and Theo are cooking over at my place after. So, all that, and whatever they come up with.”
He leans into me this time, his nearness and the scent of his soap putting my body on high alert. “Damn. Bear Valley is better than I remember.”
Everyone drags their asses out to the ranch, which is nice. Often, when things are busy, we end up somewhere in town. I can’t help noticing how good it feels when my home is full of people. I may get teased for needing my solitude, but that doesn’t mean I don’t also love when my family is here.
Caleb pulls me aside with Bish when everyone is distracted by food, drink and a good time. I like the guy, he reminds me a lot of Bish, always observing even when he’s fully engaged with what is going on around him.
“Tell me about this guy on the slopes.”
Bish pulls out his phone, and sure enough, I can see a video Bish took playing across the screen that captures the guy skiing close to us. Bish was discreet, too, and I can tell from the angle anyone would have thought he was just a guy filming the mountain for a moment at the top of the run.
“He never came up to us, never tried to get on the lift at the same time as one of us or anything like that,” I tell Caleb.
“Can you send me the video? Just in case?”
“Anything on the guy out in Cali at Cas’s house?” Bish asks as he sends the video over to Caleb.
“They are still looking into it. So far, nothing to go on. They just think some fan took it too far.”
“What do you think?” Bish asks Caleb.
“When he was on tour, there was nothing like this, so it’s sorta strange to show up now. He would have been much more accessible on tour if someone were trying to get to him.”
