Holden couldn’t help but detect the residual pain in the wince that chased Lance’s laughter. His business partner rubbed his kneecap absentmindedly, mouth bending into a grimace.
“You know? I find I’m rarely surprised out there anymore,” Holden said. “The mountain seems to bring out the daredevil in everyone, regardless of age.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Lance yanked his beanie from his head, wild strands of cropped blonde hair springing into place. “We rode hard out there today, and of course my knee is acting up because of it. I’m going to go in the back room and ice it for a bit. If you need me, that’s where you’ll find me.”
Holden hated seeing Lance in pain, and it truly bothered him that even after all the years since his skiing accident, his discomfort only seemed to worsen.
“Can I do anything for you?” It was an offer he’d been reciting longer than he could remember, but Holden already knew the answer.
“I’m fine, buddy. Promise. Just need to ice it.”
Holden dipped his head in understanding. “Mind if Scout tags along? I’ve got someone coming in soon, and I don’t plan to take her with us.”
Pulling on the knees of his pants, Lance crouched down to the dog’s level with a grunt. “This sweet little lady isalwayswelcome company.”
The wave that tumbled through Holden’s stomach at the thought of his own approaching company had him feeling a sudden and foreign giddiness. What was that about?
“I’ll be in the back if you need me,” Lance said again before slipping down the hallway toward the break room, Scout following jollily on his heels.
It wasn’t a minute more and Holden heard snow tires crunching over the slushy parking lot. He lifted his gaze to glimpse the beautiful blonde steering her Jeep into a spot just on the other side of the big glass window. She flipped down her visor, ran a tube of gloss over her mouth, and pressed her lips together in an act that had Holden’s shoulders tingling. Even the hairs on his neck stood on end. He shuddered.
“Pull yourself together,” he admonished under a breath as he rounded the checkout counter to stand in front of it. He lifted a heel to prop himself against the wooden structure, trying to look casual but feeling ridiculous. His arms wove across his chest and he cocked his head coolly, another silly effort at conveying calm when everything within him jumped with nerves.
“Hey,” he said before she’d even fully entered the building. He needed to temper his enthusiasm. “Hey,” he tried again once she was within earshot.
“Hi.” Her smile was hesitant, but lovely all the same. She came closer and stopped in front of Holden, slipping her hands into the pockets of a periwinkle jacket that matched the sky blue tone of her eyes.
“Have any trouble finding the place?”
“No.” She shook her head. The tuft of yarn at the top of her beanie bobbled like a spinning top. “Your directions were great. And I actually think I’ve been up here before.”
“Oh, yeah?” Holden leaned an elbow onto the counter, then yanked it back when he realized how forced he looked. “You’ve been to our shop?” He figured he would have recognized her.
“No, not the shop. But before it was here, I think.” Her shoulders flinched in a shrug. “It looks familiar.”
He echoed her smile and stood there a wordless minute. “Okay.” He clapped his hands. “Just a little paperwork before we get on our snowmobiles—”
“Our what?” Her eyes sprang open wide.
“Snowmobiles. The trees with the mistletoe grow further down the mountain. We’ll take the snowmobiles to them.”
She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and Holden read it as an act of frustration, but it had his heart doing cartwheels all the same.
“You didn’t say anything about snowmobiling.” Her voice trembled.
“I didn’t?” He knew he hadn’t. If he had, she wouldn’t have agreed to the invitation.
“No, you didn’t.” She whipped her head back and forth, making that ball on her beanie go crazy. “I thought you would have a collection of mistletoe up here to show me or something like that. I didn’t realize we’d be hunting for it.”
“Well, lucky for us, mistletoe is an easy shot, what with it not moving and all.” The joke fell flat in the increasingly awkward space between them. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been more clear.”
She slipped a hand from her pocket and fluttered his comment away. “It’s fine. Where’s the paperwork?”
He led her to the register to retrieve the folder of blank waiver forms. Conversation was stilted between them, and his next question wasn’t going to do anything to remedy that. If he was going to ask for her name again, he’d have to do it now. He thought he’d heard her introduce herself at the coffee shop, but the noise and commotion had completely drowned her out. Plus, she’d seemed so annoyed with him then. He had a feeling asking her to repeat herself would only add to that irritation.
But he had to try one more time. “So, this is going to sound sort of strange since I’m sure you already told me, but—”
“Buddy?” Lance’s voice crackled over the speaker. “Would you mind coming back here for a second?”
