Chapter Ten
“Enrique,” Leighann called from behind him in that sultry alto voice he was slowly beginning to like. “Focus on me. Only me. Soon that will be you up on those slopes but for now, we are here on this one and it is time to get off the lift. Watch the kid in front of you. See how he stood and just swung the T-bar away. Do the same thing. You got this.”
A solid thirty minutes later, they were exiting the lift for the fourth time, and he was “skating” his way to the top of the bunny slope for what would be the last time that day. Hopefully, the last time, period. Leigh said if he showed mastery this time they would move on the next day.
He had fallen at least ten more times, and each time, his breath caught in his throat, but the panic receded more quickly each time. The last fall, he had recovered almost instantly. At one point, concern seemed to cross Leigh’s features, and he worried that she had seen his panic, but she didn’t say anything, and her face cleared quickly, so he was pretty sure his secret was still safe.
At the top of the slope, Leigh observed his little pep talk. He inhaled then exhaled deeply, a thick white cloud escaping into the air from his breathing. From the place beside him, she saw a flicker of something flash in his eyes before a look of determination rooted there, and then he skied forward slowly.
She wondered if she had just imagined it. The emotion in his eyes left as quickly as it came. But there was a certain way in which he gripped the poles, too, and his jaw worked occasionally in what looked to be an involuntary stress response. By this point on the bunny slope, the first-day jitters should be gone, but yet, every time he got to the top, they seemed to come right back.
From his appearance, he looked like he was ready to take the world by storm. His strong physique exuded confidence to the point of arrogance, but something in her gut told her there was something underlying here, and she was missing it.
She shrugged her concern off and followed him down the slope, watching his technique carefully, monitoring for any sign that he was not fully in control. He looked good, so she quickly accelerated and reached the bottom of the hill so she could see his final descent and stop at the bottom.
“You’re doing good!” she called encouragingly. Just at the right time, he widened his heels to increase the wedge and further slow his descent. A smile was forming on her lips with a sense of accomplishment when he glanced to his side, distracted by a random skier short stopping at the bottom, a large spray of snow and ice reaching above their heads
“Enrique,” she called, but he wasn’t listening. By the time he turned back to her, he had lost control of his stance. “Oh, man,” she murmured under her breath when he frowned at her and started to wave his hand at her to move away. Leigh tossed her poles to the sides as she spread her arms wide apart, preparing for the impact.
“Get out of the way, Leighann.”
“No,” she said. “You’re going to crash aga – oof .”
Whatever she was going to say was cut short when he slammed into her. Her arms automatically went around his broad back, but the force was greater than she was expecting, or maybe she just wasn’t expecting him to be that large because she was too small to stop him, and they tumbled to the ground in a heap.
In an effort not to crush her, Enrique had leaned backward, taking her down but at least breaking her fall with his body. The wind had been knocked out of him on impact. As they slid to a stop in front of the entrance to the lodge, Leigh lifted her head off his chest where it had landed. Her hair, having escaped its ponytail, fell in a golden curtain around her face. Pushing up on her forearms, still plastered to his chest, she looked deeply into his eyes, noticing for the first time their unique honey color. Not amber, but not exactly brown either. And those lashes... they were long enough to make any girl jealous. She became aware that she was staring when a devilish grin began to form on his lips, and her heart pounded like a racehorse just out of the gate.
Leigh slugged him in the shoulder as hard as she could before planting her glove-clad hands in the snow and lifting herself off of him. She rolled onto the snow-covered ground beside him, carefully untangling her legs and skis before resting comfortably on her side, using her left arm to support her as she leaned over him from above.
“What were you thinking?” she scolded loudly. “You could have injured someone or yourself! You have to pay attention to what you are doing out here. Consider yourself a lethal weapon when on the slopes. You are two-hundred plus pounds of hard muscle. Hitting someone at speed can cause great physical injury, even death!”
He turned his head slightly, feeling the crunch of snow and ice crystals against the base of his helmet, and looked into Leigh’s stunning blue eyes. A chuckle shook his body before turning into a full-fledged belly laugh.
“What do you think is so funny?” she growled, glaring daggers at him.
“You!” he replied, trying to calm his laughter. He removed the glove from his right hand to wipe the tears from his eyes before they froze. “You are all worried about me running someone down and killing them, and yet you thought it was a good idea to park your skis in front of me and then try to catch me, with all your what 5’5” and one-hundred thirty pounds? ”
“I’m 5’6”, for the record, and that is different. I was hoping you would deepen your wedge when you saw me there, and it would be a matter of stopping your slow slide before you crashed again. Instead, I think you may have closed your wedge and sped up while you were watching that skier. You really must work on your focus”.
Leigh sat straight and disengaged the bindings on her skis before standing.
“You’re right; I’m easily distracted. I will try to keep my eyes forward. If for no other reason than to have forewarning the next time you decide to play human bumper cars. I much more prefer soft landings and will plan out our next roll in the snow a little better.” The wink he sent her way with this statement brought a gorgeous pink blush to her cheeks.
“You’re impossible!” she exclaimed, sliding her skis together so they interlocked before walking up the hill to where she had thrown her poles. Collecting them, she stomped back towards the lodge, “Meet you inside. I hope you remember what I showed you about taking the skis off.”
Without a backward glance, she entered the lodge’s warmth and ordered two cups of hot chocolate. She had already changed into her regular snow boots and packed up the rest of her ski gear by the time Enrique joined her, a scowl on his face. Handing him the now warm beverage, she asked, “Did you have any problems getting out of your skis?”
“No. I did just fine, thank you very much,” he mumbled, taking a sip of the tepid drink and grimacing .
“So well, it took you almost fifteen minutes to complete the simple task.” Leigh had been trying to hide her humor in the situation until he turned, glaring at her, and then growled. The laughter bubbled up from her belly and spilled out.
“Laugh all you want. I’m a quick study, and soon, you will be chasing along behind me, Miss Gold Medalist.”
Plopping down on the bench beside her, he began changing his shoes and stowing his gear in his bag. Leigh stood, collecting the white Styrofoam cups and slinging her bag over her shoulder.
“See you tomorrow, then. We can meet right here. I will be here at eight, which is plenty of time to claim our spot before the rest of the skiers arrive. The lodge café stays open until 7 pm if you need something quick and easy for dinner. Their burgers are the best you have ever had. The Crest is a resort restaurant all the way down at the end that stays open until 11 pm and offers a slightly fancier but still affordable dinner fare. You are more than welcome to hang out here and rest. From this spot, you have a perfect view of the sunset behind the mountain. They also have a large fire pit and lounge area up front for folks to hang out and socialize,” she informed him, pointing her thumb over her shoulder in the general direction.
“I’m not here to socialize,” he grumbled, standing to put the remainder of his gear in the bag before zipping it closed.
Turning to go, she shrugged her shoulders, “Okay, it’s your call. Have a good night. ”
“Wait, I’m your transportation!” Enrique shouted at her retreating back.
“No worries, I got a ride. My brother always taught me never to be dependent on anyone, especially a man,” Leigh shot over her shoulder, then merged into the crowd, exiting the lodge.
Enrique wasn’t sure why that parting comment chafed so badly, but it did.
‘Yeah, well, I’m not sure how the big guy would feel knowing I didn’t see you safely back to his shop. If you get hurt, it’s my head that will roll,’ he thought miserably. He had never had a woman walk out on him before, or if he had, he hadn’t cared enough to remember it. Leigh had taken him into new territory, and he didn’t like it.
Climbing into his rented SUV, he turned the heat on high, taking a moment for the cabin and engine to heat up while reflecting on the day. Things had not gone as he’d planned on so many levels. All he could hope was that the next day would be more successful, and he would get on an even playing field with Leighann. No woman had ever gotten under his skin like she had, and it made him feel unsettled and on edge. It was making learning from her even harder than he had expected when he found out she was a woman.