For a moment she lay winded and disorientated, and it took her a minute to realise she must have flipped at some point as her head faced down the slope. Giving into an almost welcome sense of defeat she stayed put, a little scared by the thundering beat of her heart. Perhaps if she just lay here, she could pretend that everything was fine, and that she didn’t still have to get down the rest of this awful slope. Self-pitying tears welled up in her eyes that she couldn’t even dash away without taking off gloves, goggles, and helmet. Maybe if she just stayed put someone would find her. And then she’d look a complete idiot, because clearly this run was far too difficult for someone who’d only done a couple of weeks’ real skiing.Come on, pull yourself together and stop being such a wuss, she finally told herself, and carefully hauled herself up, feeling an ache in one her arms where she’d wrenched it. Her knee hurt too, where it had been twisted when her leg went one way and the ski the other. But on the plus side, as she gingerly tested each limb, nothing had broken – although everything seemed to hurt, especially her head.
Forcing herself to her feet, she unclipped the other ski and trudged a few metres back up the slope to collect the other one. After weighing up all her options she decided that there was nothing for it but to walk down this bit and through the mogul field that she could now see ahead. If the run got easier in places she put her skis back on, but up here with that treacherous drop to her right she refused to take any chances.
Once she started moving, the aches and pains receded. Although her head still thumped, some of her natural optimism reasserted itself. It could be a lot worse. She could walk, the sun was shining, and now that her heart no longer threatened to pump its way out of her chest, she could appreciate the wonderful view. No wonder Luke loved it up here; these mountains made you aware of your own insignificance at the same time as inspiring you to live life to the full. Mina couldn’t imagine a more life-affirming sight. Hoisting her skis higher onto her shoulder and gripping her poles in one hand, she trudged down the hill, tilting her face up to the sun, and tried not to think about where Luke might be right now, and what he was doing. Instead she just said a heartfelt prayer, focusing on the mountain tops. Please let him be safe and happy. It had been a month now. Had he set sail yet?
A skier shushed by and then swerved to a flashy stop.
‘Mina.’ Kristian pushed up his goggles, his kind eyes anxiously surveying her. ‘Are you alright?’
‘Took a tumble. This is a bit advanced for me. My pride is bruised and a few other bits of me, but I’m OK.’
‘I’m sorry.’ He bent and unclipped his skis. ‘I will walk with you.’
‘You don’t need to do that.’
With a boyish grin, he shrugged. ‘I can ski anytime. I like talking to you.’
‘Thank you. I appreciate it.’ She felt pathetically grateful to him. ‘I thought I’d wait for an easier bit and maybe have another go.’
‘Yes, otherwise it is a long walk.’ A thought struck him, so obviously that it made Mina chuckle. ‘Where is Bernhardt?’
‘Long gone,’ she said.
Kristian frowned but didn’t say anything.
‘Not very gentlemanly,’ she teased, trying to make light of it with a laugh. ‘He was testing my mettle.’ She paused, before saying, more to herself than Kristian, ‘He failed.’
His frown deepened. ‘I thought he liked you.’
‘He did.’ Mina grinned which clearly puzzled the poor man.
‘You didn’t like him?’
‘As a friend,’ she said to keep things simple. Actually Bernhardt had opened her eyes to something she’d missed. Luke would never have left her on the mountain, he would have made sure she was safe. He would have made it his responsibility to know what she was capable of before he took her anywhere. It struck her that Luke might be fun and impulsive, but at the same time he thought things through, planned, and weighed up the risks. She’d been an idiot to let him go. She should have fought harder to keep him. He was the perfect match for her. Now all she had was hope that one day serendipity would deliver and bring him back to her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
She and Kristian skied to the end of the run, which traversed the mountain going across instead of down, which meant that the slope flattened out a lot and lower down became, thankfully, a lot easier. Even so Mina’s leg’s felt decidedly wobbly, and she was even more grateful to see the two-way lines of the cable cars and the station up ahead.
As always she took a moment to take in the view, the craggy mountain tops, greyed-out against the white, the sun casting secretive shadows in the rough-hewn, granite faces. They made her think of sleeping giants keeping a watchful, and possibly despairing, guard over the planet. And such thoughts led her to Luke, and him taking her to the viewpoint of Eggishorn.
Another overnight fall of snow had created fresh pristine vistas with only a few ski tracks marring the surface, and crystals of ice sparkled in the sun like half buried diamonds. The clouds had rolled back and edged the mountains leaving a crater of blue above them and the sun’s rays felt warm on her face. This was what was important. Life, being alive, and enjoying what you had. She forced away the melancholy that crept in, like a stray dog, whenever it got the chance.
‘What kept you?’ asked Bernhardt with a Cheshire cat grin when they pulled level with him at the bottom, where he was chatting to another group. ‘Are you ready for that beer?’
‘Sure,’ said Mina with a wink at Kristian.
Kristian rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything about their painful progress down the mountain. He’d actually been a patient and kind coach once they’d got back on their skis, guiding her down some of the more difficult bits, breaking them up into small achievable sections. Underneath all that social awkwardness, lurked a very kind, gentle, and surprisingly thoughtful man, and Mina could see exactly why Amelie was so determined to nurture him.
As they queued in the busy bar, delayed shock began to set in, and the sweat on her body had cooled now making her a little chilly.
‘Why don’t we sit inside?’ suggested Kristian.
‘No,’ said Bernhardt. ‘Why would you want to? It’s a lovely day.’
‘I’m feeling a bit cold,’ insisted Kristian.
‘I’ll stay inside with you,’ said Mina shooting him a grateful glance.
