Chapter Twenty
COLE
Cole watched as Chase pulled her up from the bench and heard his threatening words as they stood at the edge of the drop-off.
Did she not want to jump? Why would he need to threaten her to get her to?
Something didn’t seem right. Before he had a chance to think about it, he quietly crept toward the two of them, bracing himself against the snow as he reached out and grabbed the edge of Aspen’s snowboard just as Chase began his countdown.
Let the loser jump. But if Aspen didn’t want to, he would stop it from happening.
“Three…” Chase bent his knees and jumped, while Aspen wobbled at the edge, Cole’s hand steadying her board and keeping her from sliding off.
Her eyes followed the length of her board, and when she saw him waiting at the bottom, tears of relief filled her eyes.
She unclipped from her board, took a few limping steps, and finally collapsed onto the snow.
Cole released the snowboard, jumped up, and rushed over to her.
He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bench, settling down with her against him.
She clung to his neck, trembling as he held her close.
He waited until her breathing slowed, then gently pulled back to meet her gaze.
Reaching up, he wiped away her tears, and she returned a small, watery smile.
“Hi,” she said, wiping her nose on her glove.
“Hi,” he replied with a smile—but then something dawned on her, and her face went pale.
“But… Chase. No. No. No. You’ll lose your job, Cole.” She tried to slide off his lap, taking a step toward the drop-off, but her knee gave out, and she gasped in pain.
Cole was instantly on his feet. “Aspen. He’s long gone. You can’t go after him with your knee like that.” He rushed over, gently guiding her back to the bench.
“What makes you think I might lose my job?” He sat next to her and took her hand in his.
“Cha–Chase said he was close to the owner, and that he’d tell him you’ve been breaking the rules…
and that it would be a shame if someone lost their job.
” She sniffled and hiccupped, taking a long, shuddering breath.
As she opened her mouth to speak again, Cole gently pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back to help calm her.
“Aspen. I’ve been working here for ten years. I’ve never missed a day, never canceled a lesson—until today—and I’ve never gotten in trouble with the rules. You could say that Mr. Mynt and I are on pretty good terms.”
Her breathing slowly calmed, and she pulled back just enough to look up at him, her eyes studying his face.
His heart quickened as they sat there, staring at one another, nothing but snow, wind, and the mountain as witnesses to their quiet moment.
She shook her head and began to ramble. “Well, now I feel utterly stupid. I was so worried about you losing your job that I didn’t even stop to think about any of that.
Chase does that, you know—he manipulates people like that, making them believe one thing instead of another.
I don’t want to say I hate him, because that word is so strong, but I really don’t like him.
” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.
“I don’t like him either, Aspen. It’s okay to not like who a person has become and what they do to the people they love. Just as long as it doesn’t turn you into an angry, bitter person in the end.” Her hair blew into her eyes, and he reached up, pinning it gently behind her ear.
“But when… where… how…” She trailed off, her eyebrows scrunching in confusion.
“Well, which one do you want to start with? When, where, or how? Or maybe a who… what… and where?” He chuckled and gave her a wink, making her cheeks flush a pretty shade of pink.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head. “Why don’t we talk about it over a nice, big, hot bowl of broccoli cheddar soup? I’m starving, and you’ve got to be hungry too,” he said with a grin.
“Sounds like an excellent plan. It’ll be my treat—a sort of thank you for… well… saving me.” She tried to stand, but pain shot through her knee, and she quickly sat back down, her face twisting in pain.
“Would you stop doing that, Snow? You’re going to hurt yourself even more than you already are.
” He patted her leg, then stood and crouched in front of her, turning so his back faced her.
“Well, jump on.” He pointed over his shoulder, waiting for her arms to come around his neck—but they didn’t.
When he turned back around, Aspen’s eyes were filled with tears once again.
He kneeled in front of her and took her hand. “What’s wrong? Does it hurt that much? What can I do?” The tears came harder, and he just stayed there, waiting for her to find her words.
“It’s not my knee, Cole. It’s… y–ou.” She sniffed and wiped her nose with her free hand. What did she mean, it’s him? Had he done something wrong? Said something wrong? She didn’t look angry—just sad.
“I don’t know what to do, Aspen. If you need me to carry you, I will.
If you need me to punch that idiot in the face, I will.
I just want to see you happy. That’s all I want.
” His heart hurt watching her cry. He’d comforted her the other times she’d fallen apart, and each time his chest ached for her.
So he stayed—just holding her hand—until she calmed.
“You don’t need to do anything, Cole. You’ve already done far more than anyone else in my life—other than my Papa Bear—has ever done.
” She pulled off her gloves, her hands trembling slightly as they came to rest on either side of his face.
“You are quite possibly the nicest person I’ve ever met in my entire life, and I don’t even know your last name.
” She leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek and smiling.
His heart skittered in his chest as her fingers traced lightly across the whiskers on his face, sending an unexpected warmth throughout his body.
He smiled back at her and spun around. Her arms came around his neck as he gently hoisted her higher onto his back. She tried to grip him with her legs and sucked in a breath. “I don’t know if this is going to work, Cole. I can’t hold on with my legs.”
He squatted down again, and she climbed off, putting her weight on her good leg.
“How am I goin—”
He scooped her up in his arms, cutting off her words, and started walking.
“How’s this? Any better?” He took a few careful steps down the trail, testing to see if the jostling hurt her knee.
She nodded. “Yeah. It hurts a little every once in a while, but I think this is the best way. But… What about the snowboard?”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be up here tomorrow morning. I’ll just tell the lodge what happened and that I’ll grab it then.”
“Thanks, Cole.” She smiled, and they continued on their way.
“Rivers.” He said, and she looked up at him, confusion written on her face.
“My last name. It’s Rivers.” He gave her a small smile, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead, careful not to slip on any ice patches.
“Tell me more about your family. Your mom and dad have to be the most wonderful people on the planet to raise someone as amazing as you,” she said, and heat crept up his neck at her words of flattery.
He rounded the next switchback, slowing down as he carefully picked his way around the corner, avoiding the icy patch that always formed there in the winter. Her arms tightened around his neck, and he adjusted his hold on her.
“I won’t fall, Snow. I promise. You’re safe.”
Once they were past the switchback, her grip loosened, and she let out a relieved breath.
“My mom’s name is Deborah, but she goes by Debbie. She had a surgery similar to yours about five years ago,” he told Aspen, explaining the complications she had with pain meds and how he had taken time off to help her heal, along with the rest of his family. She listened quietly.
She placed a hand gently on his chest, her green eyes soft. “I’m so sorry, Cole. I… I went through some of that too. Knowing I couldn’t do everything the same way as before… it changed me.”
A small smile tugged at his lips, his heart picking up pace from her gentle touch.
“She really is the kindest person I know, but it was hard to see her like that—not herself. My dad struggled with it too, and Mr. Mynt let me take the time I needed to help them get through the worst of it. He’s a good guy, Mr. Mynt.
Though I’ll have to have a little chat with him about a certain someone.
He doesn’t appreciate it when the rules are broken. ”
He adjusted her in his arms again, pausing for a moment to catch his breath.
“Oh, Cole. That reminds me—Chase said he was going to tell the booking manager at the lodge that they made a mistake and that he’s supposed to be in my cabin with me.” Her eyes widened in panic, and Cole shook his head.
“Don’t worry about that. There’s no way they’d put him up with you—not after I talk to Mr. Mynt.” He started walking again, the last few switchbacks coming into view.
“I’m afraid he’ll find out where I’m staying, Cole.” Aspen bit her lip, and Cole kept his eyes on the trail ahead, afraid of what he might do if he continued watching her lips instead.
“You can just stay at my place if you want. You can take my room, and I’ll take the couch.” Silence met his ears at the suggestion, and he stopped walking. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that. But he wanted to protect her, and the only way he could do that was if she were close by.
“Never mind. Sorry. That was weird. We barely know one another. I can find another solution for you.” He kept walking, and laughter met his ears.
“You’re so cute when you’re nervous.”
Heat crept up his neck, and he tamped down his smile. Forget about him making a fool out of himself. She thought he was cute. He carried her the rest of the way down, to the snowmobile waiting at the bottom, and set her on the back.
“You can rest your leg on mine while we ride. It won’t be super comfortable, but it’s the best I can do for now.
” He sat in front, guiding her leg gently onto his thigh, and they slowly set off toward the lodge.
First, he needed to get Aspen to see her trainer; they’d know best how to help her.
Second, he had to find Mr. Mynt and explain what had happened.
And third, he needed to swing by the reception desk—just to make sure Chase hadn’t somehow bribed someone to sneak a housing change through.
If he had, Cole decided right then and there that breaking the rules himself—and maybe leaving Chase with a nice, memorable black eye—would be a perfectly justified souvenir of this place.