can I,” he said in a low voice. Once again he placed his arm around her shoulders and headed toward the lodge.
Only then did Ashley seem to realize that she was allowing him to touch her. She stiffened, and Nick figured she would pull away from him. Instead, she relaxed against him. She shook her head as though to clear it, then lifted her gaze to meet his.
“I bet you’re furious with me,” she said, sounding weary.
“Oh, yeah. Big-time furious.” He kept his voice low, almost gentle. “You scared the hell out of me, I don’t mind admitting to you. I went back up looking for you. I don’t know which is worse, really. I sure as hell didn’t want to find you lying somewhere hurt, but not spotting you anywhere didn’t mean you hadn’t been injured…or worse.”
She sighed. “I know. I certainly didn’t do this on purpose.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
The double doors into the recreation area of the lodge swung open in front of them and several skiers came out chatting with each other and heading for their vehicles. Nick stepped back and motioned her through the doors, then followed her inside.
He nodded toward the conversation pit, which was built around one of the massive fireplaces radiating an enormous amount of heat.
“Wait over there while I get you some coffee. Or would you prefer hot chocolate?”
“Coffee’s fine,” she replied. He watched her sink wearily into the comfort of a padded chair. She held out her hands toward the boisterous fire.
Nick turned away, grateful that she would soon be able to shrug off this morning’s scare.
Ron met him at the bar. “I hear you misplaced our gal this morning.” He glanced over to where Ashley sat. “She looks okay now. How are you doing?”
Nick leaned his elbow on the bar and rubbed his forehead. “It was definitely not one of my finer moments. I’m just glad she wasn’t hurt.”
“What happened?”
“Damned if I know. She was skiing down the mountain in front of me, then I lost sight of her during a flurry of snow, and when I looked back to where she’d been, she was nowhere in sight.”
“Did you think someone had grabbed her?”
“That thought never entered my mind. Which I guess is a good thing. No, I figured she was enjoying one of her stupid games, playing hide-and-seek or something.”
“Was she?”
“If so, she had the fear of God instilled in her by the time she showed up. If she wasn’t so good on skis, this could have turned ugly.”
“So why don’t you let me take over for a while? I think you need a break.”
Nick rubbed his hand down over his face. “Good idea. Thanks.”
The bartender set a cup of coffee on the bar and Nick paid for it, then nodded to the cup, saying, “She’s all yours, Ron. I’d just as soon not have to deal with her for the next few hours.”
Ron nodded. “Fair enough. Looks as though I won’t have to convince her to stay off the slopes for the rest of the day.”
They both turned and saw the snow blowing almost horizontally past the wide windows overlooking the ski runs.
A babble of voices caused them to look back at the conversation pit, where Ashley now was surrounded by her friends, all trying to talk at once. Nick watched Craig pull her into his arms and hold her. Then he kissed her.
Nick idly noted she wasn’t pushing him away. He shook his head and walked away. He definitely could use a break.
Ashley glanced up when Nick returned with the coffee only to discover that it wasn’t Nick at all. “Hi, Ron. I thought you were Nick.” She took the cup and eagerly wrapped her fingers around its warm surface.
Craig continued to sit on the side of her chair, his arm around her. “Then we need to have your eyes checked, honey. Your guardians have their own distinctive appearance and are not easily confused for the other.”
The other four chuckled nervously. Erin spoke up. “That was really scary, Ashley. Everyone was very worried about you.”
Nothing like adding to her guilt, Ashley thought. She needed to apologize to Nick, but she couldn’t see him anywhere. She glanced over at Ron, who had found a seat nearby. “What happened to Nick?”
“He had somethings he needed to do. How are you feeling?”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, now. But I sure don’t want that to happen again anytime soon.” She glanced around at her friends. “So. What are we going to do with the rest of the day? It’s almost time for lunch. Any ideas how we should spend the afternoon?”
There was an immediate discussion of all the possibilities. Ashley didn’t really care. She sat back and watched the others. Right now she didn’t have the energy to move out of the chair she was sitting in. But maybe after a good lunch, she would feel better.
She kept remembering how relieved she’d been when she recognized Nick waiting for her. He’d looked safe and solid, standing there waiting for her. She hadn’t cared what sort of lecture he delivered. Even though she hadn’t deliberately set out to get lost, she probably deserved anything he had to say.
She kept remembering how she’d felt when he’d held her close against his side for that walk between the chalet and the lodge. She’d felt his heart beating at a rapid pace, almost racing. He hadn’t immediately started lecturing her, although he had made his thoughts quite clear on the subject of her disappearance. However, he’d continued to hold her. And he hadn’t raised his voice.
Nick’s concern had been very real. Of course, it was his job to look after her. There was no reason to read anything into his behavior. What surprised her was how safe and protected she’d felt. All of her animosity toward him was gone.
“What about you, Ashley?” Joe asked. “What do you want to do?”
She grinned and jumped up from her chair. “That’s easy. I want to eat. I’m starved!”
They all laughed at her and made a general exodus into the dining area, where once again an appetizing array of food had been spread to tempt the guests and visitors at the lodge.
By the time lunch was over, Ron had volunteered to drive them to town, where the women intended to look at all the shops, and the men planned to find a movie theater.
They headed back to the chalet to change clothes. Ashley felt better once she’d gotten some food inside of her. She wondered if Nick had eaten, then couldn’t believe she was actually worrying about him.
Once they reached the chalet, everyone was in a hurry to get ready for an afternoon adventure in town. Ashley decided she might go to a movie, instead of shopping. She was fairly certain that Ron would appreciate her choice!
Nick headed for the chalet as soon as he left the lodge. Thank God Ron had decided to
