Chapter Two

Zoey

Zoey’s cheeks steamed in the cold, more from embarrassment than the chill. Lovebirds? What was that guy thinking, calling them lovebirds? Sure, Parker was cute and sweet and pretty much everything she’d want in a guy, but he was her best friend.

Lovebirds. Pshaw.

Why wouldn’t her cheeks cool down? Parker had her back, utterly, completely, no doubt. He was the constant in her life. Her fixed point, her conspirator, her North Star. She couldn’t imagine being as open, as brutally honest, as she’d been with him with anyone else. You don’t risk a friendship like that, not ever.

Luke, though… She’d like to get closer to him—assuming she managed to catch his attention long enough for him to see how she felt about him. She’d probably have to take a freaking number, what with all the snow bunnies following him around Snowmass.

Zoey sighed, heart aching a little. While she was always glad to see Parker, she needed this trip to figure out if Luke could maybe feel something for a girl he’d watched grow up. She wasn’t a kid anymore, not a tagalong or too young to do all the things he wanted to do. She was his equal—strong-willed and able to take on anything he could dish out.

But would he notice?

Luke would be at the bottom waiting for them…for her. And she’d made sure she was ready—though she hadn’t counted on having to ride down the mountain before he saw her. Most of her hard work would disappear once they hit the run. Was mascara wind-resistant? Her hair certainly wasn’t.

Ugh. This was so not the first impression she’d hoped to make this winter. When they’d left Aspen last summer, Luke had made a point to squeeze her arm and look right at her with his striking hazel eyes—green and brown and gold—and say, “I can’t wait to see you again.”

And people wondered why she didn’t bother with dating guys at Alderwood. If they met Luke, they’d know.

“You coming?” she called back to Parker from the edge of the run.

“You waiting for an audience?” He skated toward her, then bent to fasten his back binding.

“No, I’m waiting for backup in case I have a total yard sale down there.”

He smiled and joined her at the edge. He had a great smile, one she loved to see. The kind that told her she was important to him. “You aren’t that rusty. I’m sure you’ll keep your gloves and hat when you fall.”

“As if.” She sniffed. “I won’t fall.”

He slid back and forth. “Then what are we waiting for, Miller?”

He barely got the words out before she flung herself over the side. Chuckling, he launched after her, passing her, then taking languid cuts that put him behind her. It never failed to amaze her just how spectacular the Madison boys were on the snow. All the locals knew who they were. A fixture on Snowmass—handsome, athletic, talented. The guys every girl wanted, and every snowboarder watched.

Zoey wasn’t a total slouch herself, despite the lack of practice time. The snow crunched in a satisfying way as she streaked down the hill. She’d been worried about her leg-strength—she’d taken it easy on the jogging after spraining an ankle last month—but it was like she’d never left Aspen. Her balance was spot on, and she took nice, clean turns as she made her way down Creekside trail. Something unwound inside her chest, a loosening of tension that always unspooled when her feet touched ground in Colorado.

It was a good feeling, but it nagged her nonetheless. Why didn’t she feel this comfortable in her own skin at home? At home, her armor was flat-ironed hair and perfect makeup, great clothes and new shoes. She loved to dress up, but doing it every day, day in and day out, was wearing her down. Why was showing—even being—herself so hard?

She rolled her eyes. Because her place in the pecking order had been sealed in eighth grade when her bra filled out and her legs grew long. After that transformation, changing her look would’ve sent a wave of gossip from one end of Alderwood to the other. People would assume she was depressed if she showed up in leggings, a baggy shirt, and no makeup.

What would any of those poseurs think if they saw her now, streaking down the mountain like some kind of skater-culture fangirl? Or if they saw her pretend to talk in an Aussie accent for an entire day, just to confuse people when they asked where she lived? “Texas, mate!” tended to make people give her the eye, and Parker laughed every single time.

She neared the bottom, which was more thickly populated with skiers and boarders, so she pulled her head out of the clouds and searched for tall, dark, and handsome in a red ski jacket.

She slid to a stop and took off her board. Luke had to be around there somewhere. Surely he hadn’t taken off again, not when he hadn’t even stuck around to say hi in the first place. Being with Parker had relieved that sting, but now she was impatient. She got up on her tiptoes to look over the heads of the crowd, but not even the fact she was fairly tall helped. It was like Aspen shipped in six-foot-plus tall men in special for scenery.

“Find him yet?” Parker asked, coming to a stop next to her. His slightly shaggy hair was windblown under his helmet and his cheeks were red, but he looked so alive. She wanted to feel as alive as he looked. When was her confidence going to kick in? She’d done her hair—and even worn makeup, which she never did up here—to impress Luke, knowing he liked put-together girls. She thought having her armor in place would help her nerves, but her stomach swooped at the thought of him checking her out.

She clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling. “No. Think he ditched us?”

Snow skidded in a trail behind her, a little bit nipping at her cheek. She whipped around, and there Luke was in all his dashing glory. Grinning, he said, “I didn’t ditch you. I saw you on the lift, talked my way toward the front of the line, and came down after you, but you had a head start.” Luke’s smile made all kinds of promises and Zoey’s chest prickled with heat. “So how’s my best girl?”

She stepped into his arms gratefully for a hug, hoping she wasn’t hanging on too long. Parker laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d heard. “Best girl. For how long? Today?”

Luke let her go and slid down to Parker, giving him a “shut up, little bro” look. Standing together, there was no doubt they were brothers: same dark brown hair, same hazel eyes, same nose, but that’s where the similarities ended. Luke was six feet tall and compact, with the well-defined muscle, sharp jaw, and predatory gaze of a lady-killer. Everything he did was with economy of motion. Zoey defined it as “cat-like poetry” in her head, knowing full well Paige would fall over laughing at the very idea.

Parker, on the other hand, was taller than his brother, and long and lean, with slightly softer features and an open, friendly face. Quiet, sensitive, but no pushover, mothers around the world would sell the family silver for a chance at nabbing him for their daughters. Both Madison boys were smart, but one was direct and hardheaded, and the other was good-humored and artistic. Park would make a girl really happy someday.

Maybe as happy as she and Luke could—would—be.

“Guys, please don’t argue.” She gave them both an exasperated look. “It’s my vacation, and I want to be happy. Everyone behaves when I’m around, remember?”

Both of them deflated a little. “Okay,” they said in unison, then cracked up.

“Only Zoey,” Luke said, “could say that to us with a straight face and expect us to listen.”

Parker nodded. “Only Zoey.”

Now everything was right with her world, having one Madison on her right, and the other on her left. “Who’s taking me to Two Creeks for coffee?”

“After only one run?” Luke’s tone was slightly teasing, but something a little more dangerous lurked underneath. “Surely you’re up for something more exciting?”

She shivered inside her ski gear, doubting it was due to cold. “Maybe.”

Parker was looking back and forth between them, a tiny line creased between his eyebrows. “Not a black diamond on day one. It’s too much.”

Luke shrugged. “I’m up for it.”

“And you grew up on this mountain, asshat.” Parker scowled at Luke. “She just got here. Let her take it easy today, and tomorrow we’ll head up to the Headwall for a real run.”

“Stop being so overprotective,” Luke drawled. “She’s not made of porcelain.”

Zoey rolled her eyes and stepped between them. “She is right here, and capable of making her own decisions, thank you very much.” She turned to Luke and smiled. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but maybe a black is too ambitious for today.” As much as she wanted to rise to the occasion, her ankle had started to hurt, and she worried the boys would have to carry her back down if it gave out on her. “You two can show off tomorrow.”

“Show off, huh?” Luke gave her a lazy smile. “What are you hoping to see?”

She widened her eyes in pretend innocence, hiding how much that smile undid her. “How your new board handles.”

It was a gamble, she knew it, but Luke loved showing off his skills. Parker was a better boarder than he let on, and maybe this would soothe his ego some, too. The Madison boys loved nothing more than trying to one-up each other. Didn’t matter what: boarding, basketball in the driveway, darts, SAT scores, who could hit the trash can with a wadded up napkin from the farthest away—everything was a contest between them. She didn’t like encouraging it, but sometimes setting up rules made them back off a little bit.

“Deal.” Luke punched Parker in the arm. “How about it?”

“Yeah, okay.” Parker didn’t sound too happy about it, but at least he agreed to come. “Let’s hit some more blues, then coffee’s on me.”

“Have I told you I love you today?” Zoey said, leading them to the lifts. “Because Parker, I truly, madly, deeply do.”

“Uh, yeah, you did tell me.” Parker sounded suspicious. “You aren’t going to order one of those crazy-expensive lattes, are you?”

“Mayyyybe.” She grinned at him over her shoulder, making sure to catch Luke in the crossfire.

He winked back at her. “You have him wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?”

“It’s mutual, and you know it. Peanut Butter and Jelly, as you like to say.” She linked arms with Parker. “Let’s go have some fun.”

And if she could manage to “accidentally” brush into Luke at some point, all the better. Because, as of right now, her plan to land Luke was progressing nicely.

She just needed to make sure she succeeded before he went back to Arizona.