16. Beau
Beau
B eau downed the last bit of coffee in his mug and glanced toward the bathroom. He should have known it would take Anna an hour to get ready to go snowboarding. The woman could do literally nothing and still look good. All the time she spent getting ready to go out was unnecessary.
His phone on the table beside his Bible lit up, flashing his sister’s name on the screen along with a smiling photo of her cuddling a fluffy brown chicken to her face.
He answered the call and sat on the couch that doubled as his bed. “What?”
“Good morning. How are you?” Olivia said in an oddly stern and professional tone.
Beau pulled the phone away from his ear. Yep. That was definitely his sister on the other end of the line. “I’m fine.”
“Do you have to sound like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast when you say it?” she asked.
“What do you want?” Olivia wasn’t calling to check on him. She had an ulterior motive, and he didn’t like beating around the bush.
“I want to make sure you’re being good to Anna. How is she?”
“Fine.”
Happy.
Fun.
Annoyingly attractive.
Olivia paused before softening her tone. “She said you’ve been good to her.”
“Did you think I’d leave her at a truck stop or something? I wouldn’t be mean to her.”
“I know. I’m just… surprised.”
Shoot. Maybe he was a little on the rough side, but surely Liv didn’t think he’d be mean to Anna on this trip. His sister and everyone else he spent time with on a regular basis understood he just wasn’t the frills and bows kind.
Some called it abrasive. Some called it assertive. Some called him a grump or a jerk or other words that weren’t polite to use in mixed company, but he’d never cared what anyone else thought of him.
Until now. Until Olivia thought he might hurt Anna after she’d just found out her stupid fiancé was cheating on her on the morning of her wedding.
“Why did you send me on this trip?” he asked. “Why’d you push for me to go?”
“Because I trust you, and despite what people say about you, you have a good heart.”
Beau pushed a hand through his hair, but his movements were restricted by the layers he was wearing. “Please don’t get sappy on me. I promised to protect her, and I’ll do that.”
“I know you will. But she could also use a friend.”
“I’m not a shoulder to cry on, Liv.”
“Just… be your usual, honest self. Okay? But be nice.”
“I am being nice.”
“What do you think about her?” Olivia asked.
Nope. Not going there. “I don’t think about her.”
Olivia hummed. “I think you’re lying.”
Whatever. He didn’t care if she knew he was lying. This conversation wasn’t happening. “I have to go.”
“Please be good to her. I mean it.”
“Yeah. You said that.”
Anna stepped out of the bathroom wearing her cold-weather gear, and something kicked in his chest. How could she look so good even when she was covered from head to toe in puffy layers?
“Call me later,” Olivia said before ending the call.
He shoved his phone and any thoughts about the conversation with his sister into his pocket. “You ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. I don’t know why this is on my bucket list. Actually, I do remember. I watched a documentary about a pro snowboarder when I was in high school, and he made it look easy.”
“Fair warning, it’s not easy,” Beau said as he stood and grabbed the key card from the table.
Anna was quiet as they stepped into the elevator. The silence pricked at his skin as they descended to the main level.
“You okay?” he finally asked.
“Yeah. Just a little nervous.”
She was more than a little nervous. If she didn’t stop fidgeting, she was going to scrub the skin off her hands.
Beau reached for her clasped hands, and she stilled before glancing up at him.
“We don’t have to do this,” he reminded her. Stepping out of your comfort zone was all good and well, but watching Anna squirm like this had his own stomach winding into knots.
She cleared her throat, but his center of gravity had shifted to another place. She flipped one of her hands and threaded her fingers between his.
And he was done. Anna Harris stole his breath, his heart, and everything else he thought he owned. How did it even happen? She’d sneaked into his life like a ninja and destroyed him in just a few days.
He should let her go. He should pull his hand and his heart back and reclaim some small part of himself. She was going to go home, say she had a great time on this trip, and forget about him. Would he be able to do the same?
Then she smiled up at him and pinned him to the wall with an invisible dart. “Thanks. I would probably be backing out if you weren’t here, but I think I’m okay.”
Beau nodded once and swallowed his wayward emotions. “Say the word, and we’re done. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened, revealing the lobby of the Freedom Ridge Lodge.
Garland hung over every door, awning, and hearth, twinkling with white lights.
An enormous tree stood imposingly by the huge staircase, and guests were scattered all over the large room.
Tall windows framed the snowy scene outside.
He released her hand and gestured for her to lead the way. They were set to meet their instructor at the equipment rental shop in fifteen minutes. He had a quarter of an hour to get his head on straight.
A man wearing a blue outfit with the Freedom logo stood talking with another guy at their meeting point. When he spotted Beau and Anna walking his way, he lifted his chin and flashed a smile.
“Hey. Beau and Anna?”
“That’s us,” Anna said, extending a hand to the guy. “You must be Aiden.”
“You bet. It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for booking the private lesson.”
“Well, I’ve never done this before, so I’m sure I’ll need lots of help.”
Aiden introduced himself to Beau, and they shook hands. “Is this your first time too?” Aiden asked.
“It’s been a few years, but I’ve been snowboarding before.”
“Sounds good. I can help both of you at different levels.”
Beau raised his hand. “No need. Today is about her, so I’ll stay at her pace.” As fun as a free day on the slopes sounded, he couldn’t miss the chance to watch Anna learn something new.
Aiden would probably understand if he was married or had a girlfriend. Beau had officially turned into one of those guys, and he and Anna weren’t even together.
His chances of surviving this trip unscathed were looking grim.
Aiden nodded, grinning just a little bit. “Cool. That makes things easier.”
Anna was smiling now, all traces of nervousness forgotten. Her smile lit something inside him he hadn’t known existed. He quickly looked away, unwilling to be pulled into her siren trap.
Aiden walked them through basics, dos, and don’ts as they made their way to the lift. Anna started squirming again as they approached the line, and she didn’t say much until it was their turn to get on.
As soon as they took their places in front of the next seat, Anna grabbed onto his arm with both hands.
Beau rested a hand over hers. “You okay?”
“Just a little scared of heights,” she said, glancing back at the seat slowly approaching.
“Are you going to be okay? Now is the time to back out if we’re not doing it.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, I can do it.”
When the seat reached them, she tightened her hold on him as the seat swung back and forth.
“Get comfortable before we’re up in the air. Then you can close your eyes until we get to the top.”
Anna shifted closer to him before improving her latch on his arm. “Just tell me when it’s over.”
“You don’t like heights?”
“Sometimes I’m okay, and sometimes I’m not. I can be high up inside a building, and I’m okay until about the tenth floor. I don’t do airplanes or high bridges, but if there’s ground right below my feet, it’s not so bad. ”
Beau reached the arm she held across her and grabbed onto the outside of her thigh. Maybe she’d feel better with a human seatbelt. “Just keep your eyes closed.”
And she did. She didn’t panic. She didn’t complain. She just sat still with her eyes closed, holding onto him like he was the rope anchoring her to safety. Halfway up, she rested her head on his shoulder and relaxed.
Sitting this close to Anna should have felt weird, but it wasn’t at all. It was exhilarating. He could jump from the lift right now, and he wouldn’t get half the rush as he did with Anna snuggled up to his arm.
He was in trouble. So much trouble.
Once they were on the homestretch to the drop-off, he tapped her hand. “You can open your eyes now.
The air was thinner at twelve thousand feet, and his lungs were getting a workout. The freezing wind bit at any bit of exposed skin, and Anna remained quiet until it was their turn to exit.
Anna stumbled as soon as they stepped off the ski lift, and Beau grabbed for her arm.
“Whoa. You okay?”
Anna huffed as she stood, brushing the snow off her suit. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Get your balance. ”
She propped her hands on her hips and sucked in deep breaths. “I’m fine.”
She wasn’t fine, but Beau didn’t want to push her too much. She had to let him know if the altitude was getting to her.
They’d barely made it off the platform when her knees buckled. He grabbed onto her arm before she collapsed, but that was all he needed to make an executive decision.
Aiden jogged over and tucked his chin, studying her as Beau held her up. “Is it the altitude?”
“I’m not sure, but I think we need to skip the lesson. I need to get her back down the mountain.”
Aiden waved them over to the line to get back onto the lift. He spoke to another guy helping people on and off before gesturing for Beau and Anna to join him at the front of the line.
“When you get back to the lodge, ask for Joanna at the front desk. She’s my wife, and she’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
Beau offered Aiden a quick handshake before they hopped back on the lift. “I appreciate it.”
“Take care of her,” Aiden said as they rode away.
Wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close to his side, Beau whispered, “Just close your eyes.”
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
Great. They were hanging up in the air, and there wasn’t anything he could do to help her. Helplessness truly sucked.
Anna made it to the bottom of the slope without losing her breakfast, but she pointed toward the first sign for a restroom. “There.”
Beau held onto her until they reached the door. “Hang on. I’ll go get Joanna and she can help you.”
“Nope. Can’t wait.” She leaned her shoulder against the door, using all of her strength to push it open.
There went the helplessness again. She could barely stand, but he wasn’t welcome in the women's bathroom.
Beau paced outside the door, praying whatever was going on would ease now that they were back down the mountain. He pulled out his phone to call Travis when a loud thump came from inside the bathroom.