Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Gavin didn’t sleep well. Maybe the fact that he slept with his own coat, inhaling the incredible sweet scent Kari had left on it, was the problem. Maybe it was that he couldn’t get her voice, her smile, and her deep blue eyes out of his head.
He slid out of bed at four a.m. exhausted but ready to focus on work.
He worked in his home office until six, when Austin came down for their morning workout.
Austin was really too young to be lifting weights, but Gavin struggled telling the kid no, and he was impressed that someone so young would be so motivated.
Austin had the drive to be successful in whatever he put his mind to.
They lifted in the garage. Gavin pushed hard, trying to forget about Kari, but wanting to go find her first thing this morning.
Her lesson was at ten. Could he take her breakfast in bed before that?
He grabbed heavier weights for his overhead press.
No thinking of breakfast in bed with Kari. Good crap, what was happening to him?
He had so many questions for her, though.
Was she really a hermit? Why didn’t she have a string of boyfriends at her beck and call?
How long was she staying at the lodge? Could he talk her into staying longer?
And how in the world had she pegged so quickly that Austin was his son?
He glanced over at Austin as the little man pumped out a round of burpees.
He was so stinking cute, perfect in Gavin’s eyes.
He felt a huge responsibility to raise him right.
Mama and Papa were very involved in his life, but with Papa’s health worsening lately, Gavin had taken over Austin’s care.
The two of them lived at the huge house Gavin had built almost a year ago, and Gavin loved being involved in every aspect of Austin’s life.
“You okay, Gav?” Austin questioned, straightening up and grabbing some ten-pound dumbbells. Gavin regularly insisted that he not lift anything heavier than that, and thankfully, the little man trusted his knowledge.
Gavin smiled. “Yeah. I just like being around you.”
“Of course you do. I’m the coolest.”
“For sure.”
Austin finished a few sets of lateral raises and then shelved the weights. He crossed the distance and slammed into Gavin, giving him a fierce hug, then pulling away. “I’m going to shower, bro. See you soon.”
Gavin was still clinging to the weights as he watched Austin go.
He wished he could set them down and go give his son another hug.
He’d never really been comfortable with a lot of physical touch, but Austin broke through all of his barriers.
Sometimes he worried, though. He was successful at running his lodge and professional in his conduct with staff and guests alike, but he knew he wasn’t overly warm or gushy.
Did a kid need that in his life? Gavin had always contented himself with knowing that Mama, Papa, and all of his siblings gave Austin plenty of love, especially Cassie and Ella, but did the kid need a mom?
In the past, Janielle’s pretty face would flash through his mind when he thought about Austin needing a mom, even though he’d never forgive her for her betrayal.
Today, all he could see was the beautiful Kari Love.
He pulled in a quick breath and grabbed even heavier weights.
He needed to stay far away from that gorgeous woman, or he’d be in a lot of trouble.
Yet his mind was calculating that he would have Austin dropped off at school at eight-forty, be able to get into his office at the lodge and deal with fires, and maybe find out who her ski instructor was and join the lesson.
If he allowed himself to do that, he’d officially know he was sunk.
Kari showed up early for her ski lesson.
She was supposed to meet the instructor, Beau, outside the ski shop.
She’d already been in the ski shop and got all outfitted with rented skis and a helmet.
She’d bought winter gear before coming, but now, as she shivered slightly in the crisp Colorado morning, she wondered if her gear was good enough.
What did somebody in Arizona know about Colorado and snow?
A well-built man walked in her direction.
He wore a helmet and goggles, and his skis and poles were slung over his shoulder.
His coat and ski pants fit him perfectly, and she found herself checking him out and trying to remember every detail for future novel reference.
Some men just moved in ways that were tantalizing, and this guy was one of those: strong, confident, and king of his corner of the world.
She’d written until almost two a.m. last night before her eyes were so bleary and her fingers so tired that she forced herself to go to bed. Austin, or rather Gavin, had just given her too much material last night.
She felt a little guilty checking out some other guy when she’d thought she was so taken with Gavin.
Yet she was only doing it for research, and Gavin was definitely the closed-off hero.
She sadly doubted that she was the woman to break through his hard, yet ultra-appealing shell. A frown pulled at her lips.
The man stopped in front of her, and she realized that she knew those lips and that beard and jawline; she’d been writing about them and then dreaming about them last night.
“Gavin?”
He gave her his quarter smile. “Hey.”
“What are you doing? Are you playing hooky from work and going skiing?”
He chuckled softly at that. “No, I’m filling in for a ski instructor. I was told Beau had an appointment with a Kari Love at ten a.m.”
Kari’s heart walloped against her chest. She got to have Gavin as her instructor?
Oh my, this was awesome. She prayed that learning how to ski involved lots and lots of touching.
She frowned then, realizing that since they were so bundled up with gloves, coats, and all the gear, she probably wouldn’t be able to feel his glorious touch. Dang it.
Gavin’s smile fled. “Is that okay?”
“Is what okay?” Was it okay she couldn’t feel his touch? No, it was definitely not okay.
“If I’m your instructor?”
“Oh, oh, yes, of course. I’d love to have you … instruct me.”
A part of his smile returned. Dang, the goggles covering up those intriguing eyes.
“Was Beau sick or something? How did I get blessed with the top dog as my instructor?”
His smile disappeared, and his jaw looked like it was carved from granite.
Dang. What had she said wrong now? It was interesting that the owner would volunteer to take a ski lesson, or maybe that was how it worked at this intimate resort.
She loved everything about this resort, and the owner only added to the appeal.
“Beau’s fine,” he said shortly. Sweeping her skis off the ground, he tilted his head to the side. “We’ll start you out on the magic carpet.”
She walked toward him, moving awkwardly in the bulky, unforgiving ski boots. They fell into step together. “Everything about this place is magical,” she said.
He grunted in response, which bothered her. He owned this incredible place and he didn’t think it was magical?
“Are you just too used to this idyllic spot?” She gestured around at the towering mountainside covered with green pine trees and white ribbons of snow-covered ski runs.
It was Thursday and nowhere close to a holiday, so the runs weren’t crowded.
She loved everything about this resort, but she imagined that even when it was bursting with people, it would still be perfect to her. “You don’t think it’s magical?”
They reached a conveyer-type belt set right into the snow.
Gavin set their skis down and turned to her.
“I try not to take Angel Falls for granted,” he said.
A simple answer, but telling. He knew how awesome this spot was—it was his spot—but being here day in and day out would make it harder to remember the magic and not take it for granted.
“I’ve been wondering about that,” she said.
He simply stared at her, though she couldn’t see his eyes clearly through his stupid goggles. She wished she was brave enough to lift them onto his helmet. “About what?” he asked.
“Angel Falls. The name of the resort. Are there really waterfalls here, or is it just a marketing ploy?”
His lips tilted up, but he didn’t give her a full smile. She was coming to see that a full smile from Gavin Strong was a gift not many received. She hoped she’d earn one soon.
“Not a marketing ploy,” he said.
“I love waterfalls,” she gushed. “Can I see them?
His smile grew, slightly. “There’s a run that goes right by them, but it’s … a little advanced for a new skier. How about we work up to it?”
Kari felt disappointed because she probably wouldn’t see the falls, but she liked that he’d said we in referring to her and him.
He definitely was a closed book, but she wouldn’t mind prying the pages open, not at all.
The fact that he was here with her right now, when he could’ve been doing a myriad of other tasks to keep his beautiful resort running, had to mean something.
“All right.” She rubbed her gloved hands together. “Let’s get to work, then.”
They spent the next couple of hours riding up the magic carpet and then going down the short, gently-sloped hill next to it.
Gavin was patient with her, and he was a good teacher, but he definitely wasn’t one to hand out superfluous praise.
As she learned to snowplow, turn, stop, and increase or decrease her speed, she also learned that she liked being around Gavin Strong.
He was steady, calm, and kind. Sadly, he still wasn’t opening up to her.