He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Hold on now.”
But he was too late. She was already climbing to her feet and using her crutch to propel herself upward. “I want to see the view too.” She was bundled in layers of clothing and her coat and hood and mittens. But none of the heavy garments could hide just how beautiful she was, especially with her cheeks flushed, wisps of dark hair loose from her braid, and the green of her eyes so bright in the sunshine.
Hyacinth, who had followed behind the sled, halted beside Violet and steadied her.
The snow on the precipice was thinner, almost melted in some places. At least the rocky terrain was easy to cross as Violet hobbled forward.
She’d been there several times with him in the past. They’d even shared a kiss one time while standing and overlooking the ranch. He’d been brimming with such excitement at that time, holding her in his arms and thinking he had his future secured—a soon-to-be wife and the start of his own family, and the ranch that his dad said would be Sterling’s someday. He’d believed he had everything he needed.
But once again the plans had been about him. He hadn’t stopped to consider what Violet might want. He’d been too focused on how she was making his life better and fulfilling his dreams.
Her crutch slipped in the snow, causing her to wobble. Even though Hyacinth still had a hold of her, Sterling slid toward Violet and latched onto her other arm. “I’ll carry you.”
She hesitated.
“I’ll have to help you down the last hill. It’s too steep for the sled.” The sled, while rudimentary, had done the job of getting her out of the mountains. He had his brother Jameson to thank for having some carpentry skills. His younger brother, the middle child of their family, had a knack for building things and had always had a special place in Sterling’s heart, probably because the two of them hadn’t gone to college the way their dad had wanted.
But Jameson had taken off midway through the summer after a heated argument with their dad. Sterling hadn’t been present during the argument that morning. Apparently it had been like so many of the others, with Dad telling Jameson he needed to stop riding into town and spending so much time at the saloons, except at the end, Dad had issued an ultimatum and told Jameson to stop all the carousing or find a new place to live and work.
The next morning, Jameson had packed his bag and ridden away. They hadn’t heard from him since. They had no idea where he’d gone or even if he was still alive.
All Sterling had left were memories of his brother, and he’d thought of Jameson a lot while creating the sled. He’d appreciated that, during their stay at the cabin, Violet had asked about his family and specifically Jameson, that she’d remembered Sterling’s connection with his brother. He’d also appreciated how well she’d listened to him as he’d shared his worries and grief that Jameson was gone. Violet had always been a good listener and still was.
“Climb up.” He cocked his head toward his back.
She sighed and reached for his shoulder. “You’ve already carried me enough.”
“I don’t mind.” Truth be told, he’d relished the few times he’d already had her on his back. He’d liked having her close and feeling the pressure of her body against his.
As she began to hoist herself up, he bent and helped to situate her. She tossed her crutch onto the sled with their valises, and then he started forward again with her legs wrapped around his torso and her arms snaked around his neck. She was lithe and light, but under her weight, he sank lower into the snow and had to work harder to propel his skis.
“I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet, Sterling.” Her voice rumbled behind his ear, and in the next instant, he could feel her warm breath against his neck. She was closer than the previous times he’d carried her. Or maybe she was just leaning in so she could talk to him and didn’t realize how intimate the movement felt.
Maybe it wasn’t intimate, and he only thought it was because he couldn’t get the image of her lips around his fingers from his mind. He hadn’t meant to create a charged moment with her last evening, but what had he expected after putting a piece of the snow candy into her mouth? Anything that had to do with her pretty lips was sure to make him think all kinds of thoughts about what it would be like to kiss her again.
As usual, Hyacinth had noticed, had easily seen through all the walls he’d tried to erect to keep Violet out and prevent himself from letting her in. Hyacinth had seen something in him—maybe the long-buried feelings for Violet—and had warned him to do better this time.
He’d almost protested, but Violet had beaten him to it. He agreed. There wouldn’t be athis time. But he respected Hyacinth for loving Violet so much and pushing him to be careful.
“So thank you for coming after us.” Violet’s words seemed to caress his neck. “We wouldn’t have made it if not for you.”
“I only did what anyone else would have.”
“No, you didn’t.” Her arms tightened around his neck as she leaned in even closer. “Most people wouldn’t have taken the riskin going out to the cabin, especially for someone they didn’t like.”
Was she right? Sterling couldn’t imagine just sitting back during the storm and leaving the two women to fend for themselves, even if he didn’t like them. Which wasn’t the case anymore. Maybe it had never been the case.
“I don’t dislike you, Violet.” He could at least make that clear.
“You’d rather not be near me, though.”
He was finding her nearness at the moment thoroughly enjoyable, but he couldn’t say that. “We’re fine now. We forgave each other, and we’re moving on. Right?”
“Right.”
As he approached the trailhead at the edge of the precipice, he glanced over his shoulder to see how Hyacinth was doing. Instead, he found his face mere inches from Violet’s, close enough that she could press a kiss to his cheek.
But he didn’t want her kissing his cheek or breathing on his neck. He didn’t want to raise to life the attraction that needed to remain dead. That desire had already tried to resurrect itself, and he kept having to shove it back into the casket.
