Chapter 21
GRACE
BACKCOUNTRY BUNNI
“Are you ok back there?” Josie calls over her shoulder, hiking up the steep trail toward Cody Peak — just outside the ski resort in Jackson.
“Yeah,” I bark out from behind her, always surprised at the pace she keeps with her short legs while hiking with a full ski pack on her back.
Going uphill on skis, even with climbing skins covering the bottoms, is always exhausting.
“Just a little tired. Didn’t get much sleep.
Stop at that outcropping ahead. That’s the end of our trail. ”
I should be much more rested and I’m glad this hike is almost over.
I got a nice relaxing shower and slept in my warm bed, all after hearing TJ finally confess that he wants me.
His confession was enough to make myself come so hard I needed to catch my breath on the cool tile floor of the guesthouse.
Something about hearing him panting into the phone, already knowing how his breath feels like on my skin, completely undid me.
So even after all of that, I still woke up restless and needing to blow off steam.
This hike with Josie is exactly what I needed, even if my body is saying otherwise.
I’ve made this hike countless times over the years, starting as a teen with my family.
Our parents, but especially Mom, always loved teaching us the finer points of backcountry skiing.
It was her way of teaching us to connect to nature and know how much joy it can bring, but also how insignificant we are in comparison to these timeless mountains and Mother Nature.
She made sure we were always prepared: having our hike up mapped out, our ski path planned to get down the mountain safely, knowing the snow conditions and avalanche risk and making sure we had our safety gear.
We learned to always have a buddy in case anything bad happened, close but not too close though.
Staying spread apart in case of an avalanche meant there might be someone there to help dig you out to save your life.
Even though they taught all of us, it was still my special thing to do with Mom.
Tanner was always into extreme skiing on big cliffs and crazy runs.
Clay was qualifying for the Olympics, training with Dad and then the Jensen family.
Mom and I though, we spent so many mornings hiking up at dawn, catching our breath at the summit, then skiing completely fresh lines down the mountains, untracked by anyone else.
Earn your turns as she would say. Sure we could ski in the resort and take a chairlift up, but this is just different.
Even after we moved to Utah, we kept doing it in the Wasatch Mountains, bonding over exploring a place new to both of us.
Yes, backcountry skiing has always been therapeutic.
And today, I want to make sure my head is clear before I talk to TJ after last night.
Not that Josie is going to be any help with that.
She’s keeping a pace up that has my heart pounding in my chest so hard I can feel it against the straps of my avalanche beacon under my jacket.
Finally reaching the crest of the trail, I take the moment to shed my pack, sit down in the snow and take a long gulp from my hydration pack.
From here, I can see the entire Jackson Hole valley below us.
The town, the ski village, I can even make out my brother’s cabin — every place I’ve known for years.
Somehow, I find myself looking down into the woods on the outskirts of the ski resort village, looking for a certain rockstar’s house, wondering what he’s doing right now.
“You’re dragging ass today.” Josie’s voice breaks the nice, quiet moment. “Normally you’re the one kicking my butt on the trail. You alright?”
I take another long gulp of water and smack my lips.
“Totally fine,” I say way too enthusiastically, hiding my very unfamiliar nerves about talking to TJ tonight.
Am I going to get confident, decisive TJ finally?
Or was last night just a fluke, never to happen again, and he’s going to go back to being too scared to explore whatever chemistry is clearly there between us?
I look over to catch Josie eyeing me skeptically. “So how’s Hot Boss?”
“He’s good,” I say and I hear the pitch of my voice go up. “Or at least he seems like it.”
“He’s good?” Clearly, Josie heard my voice go up too, judging from her knowing grin. “How good is he?”
I roll my eyes at her, but can’t fight the matching grin growing on my face.
Her eyes widen at my reaction. “Spill!”
“I don’t know.” I look up at the sky and squint. “We kissed a few days ago.” I don’t know if I should tell Josie about last night because she’ll be like a dog with a bone, but I need to get this off my chest and maybe she can help me make sense of it.
Yep. Screw it. “But then we sort of had phone sex last night? My knee buckling orgasm was definitely real though.”
A shiver runs through my body just thinking about it again and every thought in my brain is replaced by one driving need. I want to see him, preferably sooner than later.
Josie laughs, bringing my attention back to her. “Girl, again, only you could find yourself in that situation with someone like him. So are you two, like, just hooking up or?”
“I don’t know. It’s not that simple,” I say, borrowing TJ’s words and shrugging.
“We have this weird chemistry and I want to give into it and see where it goes. Let the universe take the wheel.” A nervous laugh escapes me.
“I was hoping to talk more with him tonight. That’s where we left things. So yeah, I think that’s it for now?”
Josie nods and hums to herself. “Well, I will make myself scarce tonight. I’ll see what Collin and Walker are up to.”
I smile back at my best friend, knowing she’s always looking out for me. Not that she’d really be in the way if she came and parked and camped next to my van in TJ’s driveway tonight like she has been, but I appreciate her wanting me to get TJ alone. “You’re the best. That would be perfect.”
She turns away, looking back over the scenic valley.
“This would be a great spot to film some content. Talk about a view.”
I burst out laughing, feeling much less anxious. “Are you serious right now?”
She looks back at me, shrugs, and winks. “Don’t act surprised. Backcountry Bunni never sleeps.” She waggles her brows suggestively. “That’s why I’m a top content creator.”
She has a point. I can’t argue with her success.
“Seems a bit chilly though, even for you,” I say, watching my breath float through the freezing air, as snow flurries around us. I might love the cold, fresh air on my skin, heightening all my senses, making my skin tingle, but I know that’s not for everyone.
She just laughs, reaching down to put her ski pack back on.
I know that’s her cue that she’s ready to go back down to the trailhead.
“Come on, let’s get going. If we leave now, we’ll have time to hike back up and get another run in.
” She looks over her shoulder at me smirking.
"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re back to TJ soon enough. ”
Pulling up to the guesthouse, I throw my van in park and hop out of the driver’s side.
When my feet hit the snowy driveway, my legs wobble and my muscles ache.
When Josie suggested we get a second run in, I was all for it until halfway through the hike back up the mountain.
My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach, or I guess legs. Whatever. Either way, I’m beat.
I throw my tote bag with a change of clothes over my shoulder, ready to head inside the guesthouse for a luxurious shower that I have to admit I’m getting very used to. As comfy as my sweats and hoodie I threw on after skiing are, I’m dying to change out of them and relax.
I stop at the charging pedestal to plug my van in for the night. When I flip open the outlet cover, a familiar little bit of paper falls out and flutters down into the snow. I grab it and read the handwriting I’d now know anywhere.
I’ll be in the hot tub if you want to hang and talk.
That sounds just as good as a shower, even better if he’s there.
I make my way down the evergreen shrub lined path, past the guesthouse, to the patio separating it from the main house.
Sure enough, TJ is there, sitting chest deep in the bubbling hot tub that’s sunken down into the stone patio.
He has his back to me, looking out toward the sun setting behind the mountains.
His arms are stretched over the sides of the hot tub along the patio, the water dripping off of them highlighting each dip and ridge of muscle. I find myself ignoring the beautiful sunset in favor of this.
I reach out to the shrub beside me, grabbing a fistful of snow, and balling it up. If he doesn’t know I’m here yet, he’s about to.
I rear back and send the ball of snow at him, satisfied with the direct hit into his broad back that sends a puff of snow into the air.
“You know you didn’t sneak up on me, right? I heard you walking down the path. You’re losing your touch,” he groans, running his fingers through his hair and looking over his shoulder. “Take it you found my note.”
I step toward him and set my bag down on a nearby patio chair. Standing over him, I look down to see him smiling back up at me, his piercing, deep blue eyes meeting mine.
Now that’s a view I like.
“Hi.” My voice comes out as a high pitched, mousy squeak. Really, Grace? Now’s when you lose your confidence? You’ve been thinking about seeing this man all day and ‘hi’ is all you come up with?
He snorts a laugh and I know I would blush now if my cheeks weren’t already red from the frosty air. “Hop in. The water’s great,” he says, tipping his beer to me.
“That’s why I came over here, dumb dumb. My legs are spent after skiing with Josie. I’ve thought about this all day.” I’ve thought about him all day too, but that’s not exactly new.