Vicki Thompson - Cowboys & Angels

Samantha spoke up from behind the counter. “Could one of you fill me in? Sounds like there’s a story here.”

Elle turned to her. “This gentleman flipped his Jeep into a snowbank last April, and I took him to the hospital.”

“Then you disappeared,” Trey added. “I’ve been searching for you ever since. Where did you go?”

“Argentina.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You live there?”

“Six months out of the year, starting in April. Then I’m here for six months. I’m a ski instructor.”

He nodded slowly, as if fitting the pieces together. “That explains why I didn’t run into you around town. But I wish you’d left your name and contact information. You saved my life. I wanted to show my appreciation for that.”

“Wow, Elle.” Samantha gazed at her. “You’re just like the Lone Ranger!”

“My thoughts exactly.” Trey seemed to have recovered his poise. He walked forward and held out his hand. “But now that you’re unmasked, allow me to introduce myself.”

She knew his name, but didn’t want him to know that she knew, so she kept quiet.

“I’m Trey Wheeler, horse trainer out at the Last Chance, and I’m exceedingly grateful for what you did.”

She grasped his large hand. His grip was firm, warm, and...sexy. Tingles of awareness shot through her. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I happened along.”

She tried to extract her hand, but he held it captive as he smiled down at her. “Not so fast. I still don’t know your name.”

“Elle Masterson.” The continued physical contact jacked up her heart rate.

“Nice to meet you at last, Elle. Buying you dinner doesn’t seem like much of a payback, but it’s a beginning. Are you busy tonight?”

She scrambled to get her bearings. Trey Wheeler was a fast mover. She should have anticipated such an invitation, but she hadn’t. “Sorry, but I make it a policy not to date resort guests.” She smiled to take the sting out of the rejection.

“I get that, but this isn’t a date. It’s a thank-you dinner for saving my life. That’s significantly more important than a date.”

“So you’ll take me to dinner and consider your obligation to me fully satisfied?”

He grinned. “I didn’t say that.”

Her heartbeat ratcheted up another notch. He had a killer smile going on, and he was employing it to maximum effect. He seemed determined to charm her, and he was accomplishing his goal.

But she followed her personal rule about not dating guests for many reasons. All sorts of complications could arise, including getting fired for unprofessional conduct. Every resort she’d worked for had agreed it was a good policy, although some were more relaxed about the issue than others.

And even if she didn’t have a strict policy against dating guests, she’d be wary of dating this one. Catching a guy on the rebound wasn’t her idea of fun. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Trey, but dinner isn’t a good idea. I understand that you want to thank me in some way, but anyone would have done the same under similar circumstances. Your gratitude is very sweet, but you don’t owe me for doing the right thing.”

“I think I do, but if dinner won’t work, I’ll come up with something else.”

“No, really. That’s unnecessary. Knowing that you’re all recovered is enough of a reward for me.”

His brown gaze was warm as it swept over her. “I admire your modesty, but this is important to me, and I’m not the kind of man to just let it go. You’ll be hearing from me. See you later, Elle.” He touched the brim of his hat and walked out of the shop.

She stared after him, her pulse hopping around like a Mexican jumping bean.

“You should have accepted his invitation to dinner,” Samantha said.

Elle turned. “You know I don’t believe in getting cozy with a guest.”

“Yeah, but he has a point about the special circumstances. Besides, not many guests look like him. He’s one hot cowboy. I say he’s worthy of a little rule-bending.”

“Let’s think about this for a minute, Sam. He’s not simply a guest. He works at a ranch in the area, which means he won’t be completely gone come Tuesday afternoon.”

“Even better! Then he’ll stop being the kind of conflict of interest that bothers you so much.”

“No, but...” Elle felt ridiculous putting her reservations about Trey into words. She’d sound paranoid, or at least presumptuous. She didn’t know him at all, so she couldn’t predict how he’d behave in a relationship.

Yet she’d heard his heartbroken plea to Cassie, obviously his former lover. Cassie might be old news by now, but Trey didn’t strike her as the type who’d be fine with dating a woman who spent half the year in Argentina. He seemed too intense for a casual affair.

Casual affairs were all she allowed herself because she had such a great life following the snow. She didn’t want to tie herself down to one place or one man. Not yet, anyway.

Maybe in a few years she’d grow tired of the traveling. At that point, someone like Trey would be a possibility. But he wasn’t right for her now, no matter how fast her heart beat when he was near.

Samantha frowned in obvious disapproval. “I know what it means when you tighten your jaw. You’re going to reject this yummy man’s advances, aren’t you?”

Elle consciously relaxed her jaw and smiled at Sam. “Yep. But you’re welcome to him, if he appeals to you that much.”

“Oh, he does, but I don’t stand a chance. He only has eyes for you.”

“That’s silly.”

“No, it’s incredibly romantic. Did you hear what he said? He recognized your voice. That means he carried the sound of your voice around in his head for months while he searched for you. The memory of you haunted him. How great is that?”

Elle rolled her eyes. “You really should ask him out. You’re obviously into his brand of drama.”

“You should be, too. A Prince Charming like him doesn’t come along every day of the week. You may look back on this later and realize you screwed up a golden opportunity.”

“Maybe I will, Sam, but the timing is way off.” She gazed at her friend. “He may be a prince, but I’m not ready for a fairy-tale ending.”

2

TREY ENJOYED A rowdy dinner with everyone from the Last Chance, including the prospective bride and groom. Once Trey understood the layout of the resort, he realized that his spur-of-the-moment invitation to Elle might have been impractical. The formal dining room had been appropriated for Last Chance people, which left the coffee shop and the bar for private meals. Neither of those places suited Trey’s image of treating Elle to a special dining experience.

During dinner, the hotel manager passed around sign-up sheets for resort activities. Trey had never skied a day in his life, but he signed up for lessons when he saw that Elle was listed as one of the instructors.

For eight months she’d been a mystery woman he couldn’t forget, but other than her voice, her eyes and that halo of blond hair, he’d known nothing about her. She could have been a teenager or a senior citizen, short or tall, plump or skinny, plain or pretty.

And now he knew. She took his breath away. How amazing to think that Pam and Emmett’s wedding had brought him face-to-face with Elle Masterson, his angel. Hearing her voice had been a jolt. Seeing her standing there in all her glory had made him feel as if Christmas had come early this year.

Oh, yeah, he wanted to get to know her better. He thought she might want the same thing. Her blue eyes had sparkled with interest when she’d looked at him, so even though she’d thrown up roadblocks, he would persevere. That flash of sexual attraction had been decidedly mutual.