West wasn’t too sure about this new skiing arrangement, but before they parted ways after lunch, he exchanged phone numbers with Emma. “In case you need me,” he quietly told her. “Or if you want another lesson.”
“Thanks.” Her dark eyes twinkled as she punched his number into her phone. “It’s nice of you to help Grant like this. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”
“Don’t forget what I taught you,” he said. “Staying relaxed helps. But don’t lose control. The intermediate slopes are a lot steeper than what you’ve been on. You should probably traverse.”
“What’s that?”
“Cut swaths across the hill by going back and forth.” He used his hand to demonstrate. “That helps you to go down more slowly, with more control.”
She nodded with a look that said she was taking his advice seriously. “Did you use to teach skiing or something?” She put her goggles on.
“Just to friends and family. And most of them weren’t as easy to teach as you.” He remembered the first time he’d tried to teach McKenzie to ski—it had been painful. His nephews caught on much faster.
“Come on, Emma,” Harris called out. “Let’s see what you got.”
West watched as Emma went over to join him. Instead of waiting for her to catch up, Harris shot over to the chairlift, with Emma slowly trailing him. Hopefully, Harris didn’t expect too much from her. The guy had seemed a little full of himself, almost as if he had something to prove. Or maybe he just wanted to show off for Emma.
“You worried about Emma?” Grant asked as he caught up with West.
“Maybe a little. She did surprisingly well this morning, but she’s still a beginner. I hope Harris won’t push her too hard.”
“You mean like he pushed me—like he wanted me to go right over a cliff.” Grant rubbed his elbow as they got in line for the beginner lift. “I’m going to need the hot tub tonight.”
“Or ice packs.” West studied him. “Is this your first time skiing?”
“No, but I’ve only been a few times before, and I never got the hang of it then. Maybe skiing isn’t for me.”
West shrugged. “Or maybe you just need a good teacher.”
“Or a good physical therapist.” Grant looked nervous as they moved up the lift line.
“My theory is that you need to relax to ski well. Have you heard that before?”
“Not really. Harris just shouts directions at me, so it’s been hard to take it all in, let alone relax.”
Once they reached the top of the slope, West began to give Grant the exact same instructions he’d given Emma. Okay, it wasn’t nearly as much fun, but he actually felt a little sorry for this guy. Grant was obviously not as athletic as Emma, and Harris had probably made him feel even less so. But Grant was good-natured, and with each tumble, he’d crack a joke and crawl back to an upright position.
“That wasn’t too painful.” Grant brushed snow off his chin. “Maybe that whole relaxation bit helps.”
Their second run was better, and Grant only fell once. By the third run, Grant was much improved but not nearly as good as Emma. As he finished the run, West wondered how she was doing. Was Harris being too hard on her? As he waited for Grant to make his way down, West checked his phone to see that Emma had texted him. She wanted to meet up.
“Emma wants to meet us for a break.” West held up his phone. “In about fifteen minutes. But we probably have time for another quick run.”
“Nah, I’m due for a break—before I break a bone.” Grant turned to him with a smile then suddenly lost his balance and tumbled backward onto the hard-packed snow. “Guess I spoke too soon.”
West chuckled as he held out a pole to help tug Grant to his feet. “You just lost your focus for a moment.”
“Yeah, along with my self-respect.” Grant nodded to where a cluster of teenage girls were laughing at him.
As they skied toward the lodge, Grant pointed out a blonde in a fur-trimmed blue parka. “Guess we should go say hey to my sister—the resident snow bunny.”
West suddenly remembered his unpleasant encounter with the Ice Princess yesterday. He wanted to think of some excuse to avoid a confrontation now but knew it was too late. She was waving them over. They removed their skis then Grant politely introduced him to Gillian. She smiled prettily until he took off his goggles. Then she tipped up her sunglasses, and her pale blue eyes stared at him with a perplexed look. “Aren’t you the caretaker?” she finally said.
“No, he’s a ski instructor,” Grant told her. “And he’s good.”
“I’m also, uh, the caretaker of the house you’re staying in,” West told Grant.
“No kidding?” Grant peered curiously at him as he peeled off his gloves.
“Yep. It’s my job to keep that house running in tip-top condition.” Really, wasn’t that the truth? West worked to pay the bills and hire maintenance people. In a way, he was the actual caretaker. Just not in the way they were imagining.
“Well, you’re still a good ski instructor.” Grant sat down. “He could teach you a thing or two, Gillian.”
“No, thank you.” She dipped a finger into the whipped cream on top of her hot drink. “I am just here to enjoy the view. By the way, where’s Emma?”
“Harris insisted on taking her on the intermediate slope,” Grant explained. “Where he tried to kill me. Hopefully Emma will survive.”
“But this is Emma’s first day,” Gillian said. “Is she ready for that?”
“Ask West. He was her instructor this morning.” Grant picked up the drink menu.
Gillian turned to West. “Is she ready for that?”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” He nodded to where Harris and Emma were quickly approaching. Harris did a fast stop, shooting snow up as he did. Emma slowed down by snowplowing. But as she got out of her skis and removed her goggles, West could tell she wasn’t happy.
“How did it go?” He went over to help her park her skis and poles.
“Horribly,” she said quietly. “I fell down about ten times on the first run.”
“And after that?” They walked over to the table where Harris was already seated.
“A little better.” She made a face at Harris. “I think you wanted to kill me up there.”
Grant laughed. “Now you know how I felt, Emma.”
“I never should’ve traded ski partners with you,” Emma told him.
“I’m glad you did. West is a great teacher.”
“And did you know he is the caretaker for the house we’re staying in?” Gillian said in a tone that sounded a bit catty. “A man of many talents.”
“No kidding? That’s your real job—taking care of a house?” Harris looked unimpressed.
“Well, if West needed another job, he’d do well as a ski instructor.” Emma sounded defensive, which West thought was sweet. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough lessons to keep up with Mr. Hotdog Harris.” She frowned at Harris. “And I’ve got the bumps and bruises to prove it.”
“Sorry ’bout that.” Harris held up his hands with a sheepish grin. “I guess I got carried away up there. But it’s only because I wanted to do some real skiing today. The snow is awesome, and it’s hard maintaining a slow pace all the time. I’m overdue for a real good run. But you beginners seem to need—”
“Hey, why not ski with me?” West suggested. “I’m ready to go after it.”
“Sure about that? Can you handle a good tough run?”
West smiled. “No problem. But I’m not sure what you consider a good tough run. I mean, some consider Lulu a challenge, but I prefer Needle’s Eye because you really have to work for it. But if you’re super experienced and like to billy-goat down, we could take on Nine Lives. It just depends on how good you are. Totally your call. I wouldn’t want to push you past your comfort zone.”
Harris laughed as he stood. “Man, I wish someone would push me. You’re on, Mr. Caretaker Dude. Let’s go grab a drink then do this.”
West slowly stood. “We’ll probably be gone awhile. So I guess I’ll see you guys later.” He directed this mostly to Emma. That was his one regret, not getting to spend more time with her. But Harris needed a ski buddy—and he was about to get one!
West hoped Harris was as good as he claimed. Otherwise a tough run would be too much for him. In a way, West could relate to Harris’s impatience. He was ready for a good hard run himself. He just wished he’d had a chance to see Harris’s skiing skills first. He didn’t like the idea of seeing anyone—not even someone as arrogant as Harris—coming down on a stretcher.