Chapter Sixteen
COLE
She had found another partner. Only, the expression on her face told him she wasn’t happy about it.
Cole’s jaw tightened as he watched from behind, listening to the competition official’s remarks without really hearing them.
His eyes stayed locked on the man standing far too close to Aspen—arm draped possessively over her shoulders, leaning in to whisper in her ear before dropping a kiss on the top of her head.
Did Aspen have a boyfriend? Was there something she hadn’t told him? But why would she need to tell him anything? It wasn’t as if they were a “they.” Heck, he had barely spent enough time with her to even call them friends, let alone anything more.
Cole’s shoulders slumped, and he scuffed his boots against the ground as his heart sank. Not only did he no longer have a partner for the event, but all his plans to help Aspen rediscover the meaning of Christmas now felt ruined.
He eyed the man touching Aspen, and recognition dawned.
This wasn’t just Chase—it was Chase Sanderson, the professional snowboarder.
But the Chase Aspen had mentioned in their conversations was her ex, and one she clearly didn’t have any fond feelings for.
Cole stepped closer, almost directly behind them, and watched as Aspen tried to pull away.
He noticed her deliberately avoiding contact, pushing his arms off her shoulders—only for him to put them back.
When she finally succeeded, Cole could have shouted for joy. Atta girl, Aspen.
Chase whispered in her ear again, and Aspen’s body froze, her hands clenching repeatedly, every movement radiating discomfort. Cole edged closer, careful not to appear obvious, and listened as Chase leaned toward her once more.
“I already told you, Red; you’re my partner.
You’d lose with anyone else. Remember those cookies you just decorated?
Pathetic. Not even fit for the garbage can they were tossed in.
Now, if I’d been more involved, they’d have been perfect.
On your own, your efforts are worthless—but with me, Red, we’ll do wonders.
” Chase’s self-satisfied smirk tugged at his lips as he leaned closer.
Cole’s hands clenched into fists as the words hit him.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch someone treat Aspen that way, so he did the only thing he could think of.
Stepping forward, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring smile and a wink, watching Chase’s expression shift from cocky to confused, then to disgust, his eyes scanning over Cole.
“Hey, Aspen, sorry I’m late. I had a last-minute lesson. I tried to get here as fast as I could, but you beat me, as usual.”
Aspen’s face lifted slowly, and her smile seemed to light up the world around him. The sun? Who needed it anyway—not with the look she was giving him now.
“Ready to build this snowman, Snow White?” Cole whispered, his eyes locked on hers as he gave her a gentle squeeze, drawing her closer to his side and farther away from Chase.
She nodded, her eyes locked on his, and he guided her away from Chase just as the other man threw out one last jab. “You’re going to lose with that guy, Red. But I guess only losers can be losers.”
Cole’s jaw tightened, his fists itching to react, but with Aspen pressed against his side, he forced himself to stay calm. He would take the higher road—for her. But oh, how satisfying it would be to see that smug idiot stumble face-first into the snow.
It didn’t take long to form the base of the snowman. They worked well together, and Cole smiled as he rolled the snow while Aspen packed it firmly around the ball, smoothing out the bumps as they went.
“I forgot how to do this if I’m being honest,” Aspen admitted, scooping up more snow to fill in an uneven spot on the base.
“Looks like you remembered just fine,” Cole said, rolling the snowball again as it gathered more snow. He hadn’t realized how much effort it took to move a chunk of snow across the ground, and a memory from his childhood crept into his mind.
“When I was a kid, my siblings and I had a week off school because of a huge snowstorm—which we thought was awesome,” Cole started, and Aspen listened as they worked on the giant snowball.
“Well, we decided we were going to build the biggest snowman ever. We spent all day working on him and named him George. Don’t ask why—we just did.” He continued, and Aspen smiled at him.
“It was getting dark outside, and we had just finished decorating the snowman with Dad’s black peacoat, a ball cap, and little odds and ends for his mouth, eyes, nose, and arms. Then Mom called us in for dinner.
” He kept talking as Aspen bent to lift the next snowball onto the base, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Let me help you with that, Aspen. It’s probably heavier than it looks.” He reached down, and together they managed to lift it onto the first snowball. Brushing snow from their jackets, they stepped back to assess their snowman so far.
“Looks pretty good,” she said. “Let’s get started on the head. How long did your snowman last before he melted?” She reached down and started rolling the snow—guess they were switching tasks this time. He could roll with that. Literally.
“Well, that’s the thing. It didn’t last at all.
My dad got home late from work, and he backed right over poor old George.
We heard the crash and all ran outside, worried he’d hit something else.
My sister Maggie, only five at the time, was inconsolable and wouldn’t stop crying.
‘You killed George, Daddy! You killed him!’ The rest of us were upset too, but we were also trying not to laugh, because a few neighbors ran outside, drawn by the commotion.
When they thought he’d killed a person, one of them called the cops.
So then the cops showed up, thinking my dad was a murderer—only to find out he’d killed a snowman. ”
Aspen’s shoulders shook with laughter, and he couldn’t help but join in, unable to control himself.
“My mom was so mad. She made my dad stay up all night building us a new snowman. So when we woke up in the morning, Maggie ran outside, and there was George—bright, shiny, and fresh.” He crouched down and helped Aspen roll the snowball a few more times, packing on the snow as they went, waiting for her to say something.
“That’s a great memory, Cole. Thanks for sharing it with me.
” She placed her gloved hand on his and gave it a few pats before standing from the snow.
He waited, expecting her to share a memory of her own, but she simply walked away.
He watched as she moved to the tables surrounding the area, scanning the decorations, then returned with a baseball cap, sticks for the arms and legs, a carrot for the nose, a piece of thick rope for the mouth, and a red-and-white striped scarf.
Once the snowman was decorated, Aspen and Cole stood back, hands on their hips, assessing their work.
“We make a pretty great team,” Aspen said quietly, glancing at the snowman before discreetly wiping her eyes and turning toward him.
“I think so too. And I have to say, Aspen, you built a pretty stellar snowman.” Cole gave her a wink.
Before he could react, Aspen threw her arms around his neck. Startled, his feet slipped out from under him. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her back, holding her close as they tumbled to the ground. When he finally opened his eyes, they were lying in the snow.
She lifted her head, her green eyes sparkling in the sunlight.
“And you make a pretty stellar friend, Cole. Thanks for helping me build George 2.0.” Aspen reached up toward him, and Cole closed his eyes, thinking she was going to kiss him—only for a handful of snow to be shoved down his shirt.
His eyes flew open as he watched her leap to her feet, already scooping another snowball while he reached over to grab one of his own.
Cole blinked, a sliver of disappointment at not being kissed creeping in, but he pushed it aside and scooped up some snow. “Alright, Snow White. You asked for it.”
Cole launched a snowball at her, and she barely dodged it—though somehow, she managed to land a perfect shot on him at the same time.
He leapt to his feet and ran toward her, scooping her up around the waist as he crumbled a snowball over her head, making her squeal.
“No! Cole! It’s in my shirt! Oh my gosh, that’s freezing!
” She fanned her shirt to shake out the snow and hopped up and down, and Cole couldn’t help but laugh. She was adorable.
They tossed a few more snowballs at each other before the announcer called time, and everyone gathered around, waiting to hear who had won.
Aspen and Cole didn’t take first place, but they exchanged a high five anyway—at least they hadn’t come in last. They watched as Chase’s snowman was handed the “Ugliest Snowman” award, and Aspen had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh as he kicked the head off in frustration and stormed away.
“He always was a sore loser,” Aspen whispered under her breath, making Cole laugh even harder as they walked back to the lodge.
“I have an idea, but you can’t say no,” Cole said, and Aspen frowned as he waited for her answer.
“Fine,” she said. I won’t say no. But I won’t say yes either.”
Cole shook his head, motioning for her to follow him. “Okay, here’s the plan. Let’s order some soup and take it back to your place.” Aspen’s eyebrows pulled together, and he could tell she was getting the wrong idea about his plan so far.
He waved his hands in front of him. “No. Not… uh… not what you’re thinking. Just hear me out, okay?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Continue.”
“Okay. Let’s get some soup to go. I want you to head back to your place with the food, and I need to grab something from my cabin first. Then I’ll come over—just to eat. And only to eat.” He held his hand up like he was taking an oath, and she smiled, shaking her head at him.
Holding out her hand, he took it, and she shook it firmly. “Deal,” she said.
“Deal,” he echoed, shaking her hand before slowly letting go.
They ordered the soup. Cole packed it into a bag and walked her back to her cabin. Then he dashed to his own, returning to her place a few minutes later with a few boxes in hand.
He knocked on the door, and it swung open as she motioned him inside. Balancing the boxes in his arms, he set them on the floor before heading to the kitchen, where she already had everything laid out on the table.
“What’s in the boxes?” she asked as they sat down.
“Nope, not yet. You’ve gotta wait until after we eat.”
She gave a little pout, then shrugged, and they dug in.
Cole learned more about the cookie-decorating event, and they laughed over what had happened at the snowman-building contest. He noticed Aspen seemed a little put out when she mentioned her PT session—her knee was still bothering her, and the extra stretches her trainer added weren’t exactly her favorite.
“Thanks for brightening my day, Cole,” she said with a small smile, and he couldn’t help but grin back.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad ending to a pretty good day. Now he just needed to convince Aspen to do one more thing with him—and hopefully she wouldn’t be too upset about it.