Sarah Morgan - Snow Crystal Trilogy - Sleigh Bells in the Snow / Suddenly Last Summer / Maybe This Christmas

How on earth was she was going to recover this situation?

Jackson had told her he was having trouble getting them to support his ideas. They were already suspicious of her as an outsider. Even more so since she’d acted like one.

Her head started to pound, and she rummaged through the box and found a pair of black ski pants. They fitted perfectly, as did the fleece zip sweater and ski jacket. Socks in her hand, she walked back into the living room.

“This is all great, thanks.”

“Wow.” Brenna whistled. “Ski pants make most people look fat. Not you. I might have to hate you.”

Join the rest of the O’Neils .

“Don’t bother. People will know I’m a fraud the moment I step onto the snow. Horizontal and soaking wet isn’t a good look.”

Brenna studied her over the rim of her coffee mug. “You don’t ski?”

“No. In fact I suspect I don’t do anything that is going to endear me to the O’Neil family.”

“They’re a sporty family but they’re not employing you for your ability to ski a double-diamond-black trail.”

Kayla felt a rush of despair. “I don’t even know what that is.”

“It’s a difficult one that makes you want to throw up your breakfast. Hey—cheer up.” Brenna grinned. “We’re all expert at different things. I don’t know anything about public relations or whatever it is you do.”

Right at that moment Kayla didn’t feel as if she knew much about anything. Her confidence was at rock bottom. She sank down onto the sofa. “But you know Snow Crystal.”

“Grew up here. Went to school with the O’Neil boys, although they were a few years ahead of me. I skied with them. Followed them wherever they went.”

“Even down those—what did you call them?—diamond-black trails?”

“Those, too. Gave my mother panic attacks. Whatever they did, I had to do it, too, and they never once slowed down for me.” She grinned. “Bastards.”

Kayla remembered what she’d read about the O’Neil brothers. “And you run the ski program?”

“Yes. Although now Tyler’s back I guess that could change.” Brenna finished her coffee, strolled to the kitchen and rinsed her mug.

“What do you mean, now he’s back? Has he only just come back?”

“Tyler’s never been one to hang around Snow Crystal for long. Too wild.” Brenna bent to straighten her socks. “Came back for the funeral and then flew off again. He and Walter drive each other crazy. The more Walter tries to control him, the more Tyler rebels. It was the same when he was a kid. If Walter says white, Tyler says black. In many ways they’re alike but neither of them can see it.”

“So what made him come back?”

“Jess—that’s his daughter—announced she was coming to live with him.”

“Oh.” She remembered the brief glimpse she’d had of the girl before the puppy had trampled her shoes.

“She has spent Christmas here for the past twelve years, but now she’s here for good. Her Mom just had a baby.” Brenna’s voice changed. Hardened. “I don’t know the truth, but I’m guessing she and that guy she picked instead of Tyler don’t want poor Jess around. I can’t even imagine how bad she feels.”

Kayla sat still, staring straight ahead.

She didn’t have to imagine it.

She knew .

“It’s a mess,” Brenna said, “but she won’t really talk about it. And Tyler isn’t really helping. For some reason he’s being really strict with her, and it’s driving her crazy.”

“But he’s here.” Somehow Kayla formed the words. “He didn’t send her away.”

“I guess not.” Brenna looked thoughtful. Then she smiled. “I brought you some snow boots. They should be fine for walking around the resort. When you’re ready to ski, we’ll kit you out. I’d offer to give you a lesson, but I’m guessing Jackson wants to be the one to do that. You’ll be okay with him. Unlike Tyler, he slows down for beginners.”

Kayla was relieved by the change of subject. “Tell me a bit about Jackson. He handed over the running of his business to someone else and came home. That must have been hard.”

“Jackson has always been the responsible one. More controlled. Tyler is impulsive, but Jackson—” Brenna frowned. “He’s different. He weighs up all the options and then picks the best way, and once he’s picked it, he won’t deviate. He has total faith in himself. I saw it when he was younger. When we were skiing backcountry, Jackson would pause at the top of a slope and take a minute to pick his route. It was as if his brain was computing all the dangers. Tyler would just hurl himself off and trust his ability to get himself out of trouble.”

“And did that work?”

“Most of the time. He’s very gifted. Has strong instincts.” Brenna stooped to pick up her boots, her dark hair swinging forward and obscuring her features. “Trouble has always followed Tyler, and he’s never been one to run from it. Now Jackson—” straightening, she pushed her feet into fleece and warmth “—he treats trouble like a puzzle to be solved. When they were young, he was the one who refereed the fights between Sean and Tyler.”

Kayla thought about the way he’d handled the different personalities in the meeting. “He’s good with people.”

Brenna pulled a hat down over her ears. “He must be or I wouldn’t have come back here. I was perfectly happy in Switzerland, and at least there I didn’t have to—” She broke off and gave a distracted smile. “I should get going. I’m teaching a class in twenty minutes. Perhaps we can grab a drink sometime. Thanks for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome.” Kayla wondered what it was Brenna hadn’t had to do in Switzerland. “Thanks for the clothing.”

“Glad it fits. Hope you can fill this place with people.”

“Brenna?” She stood up and followed her to the door. “What do you love about Snow Crystal?”

“What do I love?” Brenna tilted her head back and stared at the tops of the trees and the mountains beyond them as if she was surprised Kayla couldn’t see it for herself. “All of it. I love the crunching sound of snow under my boots and the way the cold air feels on my cheeks. I love the summer here and the fall foliage of course, but winter is special. You’ll understand that as soon as we put you on skis. There is no better feeling than being alone on the mountain skiing the last run of the day when the only sound is the soft rush of your skis over fresh snow.”

“If I find myself alone on a mountain it will be because I’m lost.”

Laughing, Brenna opened the door, letting in a stream of cold air. “The snow patrol are last off the mountain. You’re going to be fine. Here’s Jackson now. I’ll see you later.” She walked across the deck and down the steps, sure-footed and confident.

Kayla stood watching her for a moment, feeling better.

The feeling lasted right up until the moment Brenna reached up and gave Jackson a kiss.

Jackson glanced toward the cabin. “You found something to fit?”

“Of course.” Brenna zipped her jacket. “But I don’t think she was pleased to see me. It’s frostier in the cabin than out. That girl is stiffer than a fir tree after an ice storm. If that’s what working in Manhattan does for you, I’m glad to be at Snow Crystal. You need to get her to relax, Jackson.”

“I’m working on that.” He could see her through the windows of the cabin, head bent over her laptop. Black ski pants showed off her long slim legs and that sleek curtain of blond hair was twisted neatly into a clip at the back of her head. She looked businesslike, but there was a vulnerability about her that hadn’t been visible in New York. Or maybe he hadn’t been looking.