Chapter Twelve
“I promise, Nina, we’re taking your concerns very seriously.
” Doug’s voice on the other end of the line sounded as suave and professional as ever.
“We’ve distributed Nicholson’s photo, and resort security is on alert.
If he’s spotted, security will remind him that he is obligated to avoid contact with you. ”
“Excuse me if that doesn’t make me feel very safe,” Nina said. “Whatever happened to reserving the right to refuse service to anyone?”
“SkyCrest Resort has a firm commitment to customer service,” Doug said. “That means every customer. As of now, Aaron Nicholson hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“He’s stalking me,” Nina said, struggling to keep from screeching the words. She pinched the bridge of her nose, where a headache was building.
“He saw you on the ski run and he left.”
“He left after I called for help.”
“He probably realized he could get in trouble for violating his parole. That doesn’t mean he intended to do more than speak with you. And the photos he left weren’t threatening, either. We don’t even know if he left them. You have other fans, I’m sure.”
She ground her teeth in frustration. Everything Doug said was technically true.
But he hadn’t been trapped in a room with Nicholson.
He hadn’t read the hatred in the other man’s eyes.
“Make sure security knows what he’s been up to,” she said.
“The more they know, the more they’ll be in a position to help me if I need it.
” She didn’t really believe that, not at this point.
The only people she really trusted to help her were Liam and her fellow ski patrollers.
“Of course.”
She ended the call, then released Sky from her kennel, left ski patrol headquarters and headed for her car. She’d call Liam after she got home and tell him she was too tired to see him tonight. She wouldn’t be very good company in her present mood.
She was sliding into the front seat of her car when her phone rang again. Liam’s number flashed on the screen and her heart beat a little faster. “Hey,” she answered.
“What would you think about me coming over to your place tonight?” he asked. “I need to talk to you about something, and I could make dinner.”
“What do you need to talk about?”
“Just something that came up. I was thinking boeuf Bourguignon and some wine, then we could discuss some ideas I have for dealing with whoever is harassing you.”
“You know how to make boeuf Bourguignon?”
“I’m actually a good cook. You don’t have to do anything. Just relax.”
This is what she needed. Not curling up under the covers and reminding herself that she needed to be strong, but someone to coddle and comfort her and remind her she wasn’t alone. She blinked back stinging tears. “That sounds amazing,” she said.
“I can meet you at your place in half an hour or so.”
“All right.” She swallowed past a knot of emotion. “That sounds good.”
She thought she would have time to change clothes and maybe straighten the house before Liam arrived, but Sky wanted to play and before she knew it, the doorbell was ringing.
She checked the peephole and found Liam on the doorstep, arms full of groceries, Angel beside him. “Here, take this,” he said, thrusting a bottle of wine at her as soon as she opened the door. “I don’t want to drop it.”
He followed her into the kitchen, the dogs trotting alongside them. He began laying out his purchases on her counter. “When did you have time to learn to cook?” she asked.
“I have a little down time between assignments, and I like to eat.” He looked up and concern deepened the lines at the corners of his eyes. “Has something else happened? You look upset.”
“I’m just tired,” she said. “I’ll feel better after a shower.”
“Go. I’ll bring you the wine when you’re ready.”
When she emerged from the steamy bathroom, dressed in her fluffiest fleece lounge set, Liam met her with a glass of wine and a kiss. “Feeling better?” he asked.
“Some.” She tried to force a smile, but couldn’t manage it.
“What is it?” he asked. “What’s bothering you?”
“Doug is still insisting I don’t have anything to worry about and that Nicholson is harmless.” She sipped the wine and closed her eyes, savoring the flavor. “This is just what I needed.”
“I turned in the video and still shots for the marketing campaign this afternoon,” he said.
“So your work here is done.” She had to force the words out. Did that mean he would be leaving?
“The photography assignment is complete, but I plan to stay around a while longer. If you don’t object.”
“Of course I don’t object.” She took another sip of wine. “Where will you stay?”
“I’ll find something. I want to help you figure out how to put an end to this harassment.”
“How are you going to do that?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, but I’m determined to think of something.”
She set the wine aside and wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t want to talk about any of that right now,” she said. “I just want to enjoy us being together.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea.”
Dinner was delicious, then they moved to the sofa to enjoy one of her favorite comedies.
They finished the bottle of wine, then headed to the bedroom to make love.
By the time they shut out the lights, Nina was feeling much more relaxed and optimistic.
Having Liam here with her again was wonderful—even better than she remembered it being before.
But she was afraid to revel in her happiness, knowing how easily it could be destroyed.
* * *
It snowed all night Friday, which meant an early callout for Nina Saturday morning.
She left while it was still dark, leaving Liam asleep, Angel curled beside him.
Last night they had agreed he would stay with her for the time being.
She felt safer with him near, and she genuinely enjoyed his company.
The serious work of launching explosives to clear avalanche paths took all her focus, and the rest of Saturday flew by, with one call for assistance after another.
First was a lost child whose parents had skied too far ahead of her.
She was quickly reunited with the frantic mom and dad.
A twisted knee, broken wrist and broken nose from falls on the ski runs followed, then a more serious head injury that required a helicopter transport from the resort to a Denver hospital.
Nina and Sky visited the ski school kids, then posed for pictures and gave out trading cards in the village plaza as guests trickled back to their cars or hotel rooms at the end of the day. Nicholson didn’t show himself, and no more pictures or notes appeared to taunt her.
Sunday she was off, and she and Liam stayed in, watching TV, reading, making love and eating too much junk food.
The day was blissful, one in which she didn’t have to think about the outside world, the past or the future.
She allowed herself to sink into the present moment with a man she had quickly fallen back in love with.
Monday was spent preparing for the Mardi Gras celebrations, planning out the parade route and discussing how to best distribute patrol members across the resort to provide the quickest response in case of emergencies.
And then it was Mardi Gras. “I’ve been really looking forward to today,” Nina said as she dressed Tuesday morning. Liam was up and getting ready also.
“Is Mardi Gras usually a big deal at the resort?” he asked.
“This is a first, though I think it could become an annual tradition.” She tossed him a handful of bright beaded necklaces. “Put these on so you’ll fit in,” she said.
“Aren’t you supposed to flash something to get these?” he asked.
“You’ve already seen plenty,” she said, and slipped a trio of necklaces over her head.
She called Sky and fastened her harness. In honor of the occasion, the dog also wore a purple bow tie. The four of them—Angel sporting a beaded collar—piled into Liam’s SUV and headed for the resort.
Even at this early hour, the place was humming.
Crews were festooning the plaza with purple, green and gold bunting, and erecting a temporary stage at the base of Lift Four for the zydeco band scheduled to perform starting at eleven.
Restaurants hoisted banners advertising jambalaya, étouffée, beignets and other Louisiana fare, and skiers, some in costume, already roamed the plaza and lined up at the coffee cart.
Nina joined her fellow patrollers in the office, which was gaudy with beads and bunting. Connor’s goldendoodle, Farley, sported a feathered mask until Connor took pity on him and removed it. “It’s cute, but probably not that safe, if he had to respond to an emergency,” Connor said.
Patrollers spent much of the morning spray-painting purple guidelines on the snow along the parade route, and cordoning off a staging area at the top of the run.
By 11:00 a.m. parade participants were assembling.
The theater troupe the resort had hired sported an impressive array of costumes, from a pair of jesters in velvet pantaloons and bells to elaborate beaded and feathered headdresses and papier-maché masks in the form of fanciful birds and monsters.
The brass band tuned their instruments and played snatches of song, while excited children ran through the crowd, laughing and shouting.
Nina worked her way through the crowd, stopping to answer questions and direct people to their proper places. “Hey, Nina!”
She looked up to see Derek moving toward her. Her gaze flickered to his helmet, but it was gray, not black. And no stickers. “Hi, Derek. Are you going to watch the parade?”
“Probably not,” he said. “I have to open the truck in a few minutes.” He stopped directly in front of her, his expression one of concern. “Are you okay?”
She couldn’t help but measure his height against that of the man who had confronted her at the terrain park. About the same, but there was nothing menacing about Derek. Was she being too trusting? “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“Your ‘friend,’ Liam, came by the truck the other day and was grilling me about our friendship. He practically accused me of stalking you.”
“Oh, Derek. I’m so sorry.” She knew Liam was serious about protecting her, but hassling her friends was going too far. “He had no business doing that.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much what I told him. But then I heard that you really do have a stalker. Security was showing around some photos of a guy dressed all in black. And a friend told me about the pictures of you posted at the ski patrol office yesterday morning.”
“Yes. Someone is hassling me—leaving notes and stuff.”
“Do you know who he is?”
“I think he’s the man who stalked me before, but I don’t know for sure.”
“I’ve been looking for the guy all in black. If I see him, I’ll tell him to get lost.”
His earnestness touched her. “If you see him, call security and don’t get involved. He could be dangerous.”
“I know I look pretty puny, but I can take care of myself,” he said.
She bit back a smile. Earnest as a puppy dog. He wouldn’t like it if he could read her thoughts. “Thank you, Derek,” she said. “And I’ll tell Liam to lay off.”
“Yeah, well, I guess he just wants to protect you. Anyone would.”
“I’d rather look after myself, too.”
Her radio crackled. “Nina, do you copy?” Connor asked.
“I have to go,” Nina said. “Enjoy the parade.”
“I could use you about halfway down the run, helping Raz and Lily with crowd control,” Connor said when she replied to his transmission. “People are in a good mood, but some of them may be a little overly enthusiastic.”
“Sure thing.”
She skied down the otherwise deserted run. People had gathered behind the spray-painted lines and were taking pictures and exchanging strings of beads.
“Over here!” Lily shouted and waved for Nina to join her.
A couple moved over to make room for Nina. “Everything okay?” Nina asked Lily.
“Everything’s going great.” Lily had gold fleurs-de-lis painted on each cheek. A tall blond man stood with her. “Hey, Scott,” Nina said, recognizing the former ski patrol captain and Lily’s fiancé. “How are things at C-RAD?” Scott had taken a job with Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment last year.
“They’re good,” he said. “We’ve doubled the number of training courses we’re able to offer this year, and we signed up a lot of new volunteers.”
“That’s terrific.”
The blast of horns announced the beginning of the parade.
A trio of preteen girls squeezed in front of Nina, and other people crowded closer.
She looked up the slope and saw the first of the colorfully clad skiers almost dancing down.
The performers wove intricate patterns on the snow, weaving back and forth, in and out and around.
The crowd cheered and threw confetti. As the first wave of performers passed, they were followed by a dozen jesters and clowns who tossed candy to the crowd, to the delight of all.
Then came the brass band, with an enthusiastic—and very loud—rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Nina grinned and wished she had thought to have Liam meet her so they could watch the parade together.
He was somewhere in this crowd, she was sure, but she had no way of finding him.
She could scarcely move, hemmed in by a crush of people on all sides.
Someone bumped into her, pushing her forward, but she caught herself and looked around.
Her heart raced as she recognized a dark-clad figure moving away from her.
He shoved people aside, sending one woman falling.
Then he disappeared into the crowd. “Stop him!” Nina shouted, but few people heard her over the blare of the band and the cheering from the spectators.
“Nina!” Scott grabbed her shoulder. “You’re bleeding.”
She looked down at the blood running down her side. Pain lanced through her, sharp and frightening in its intensity. She stared up into Scott’s concerned face, then swayed and felt herself sinking.