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

“I have a feeling that getting that girl to relax will be one of your more challenging projects so I’ll leave you to it.” Brenna flashed him a smile, and Jackson caught her arm as she turned away.

“About Tyler—”

Her smile didn’t slip as she extracted herself gently. “What about Tyler?”

“Is it all right, working with him?”

“Fine. As long as he doesn’t decide to take my kindergarten class down a diamond black, we’ll be good. See you later, Jackson.”

He knew she wasn’t telling the truth, but he decided that as long as she wasn’t resigning, that was all he needed to know for now. He’d handle the problems one at a time, and the next problem on his list was currently pacing the cabin in front of him.

She met him at the door.

Their eyes held for a fraction of a second and then she was smiling, brisk and efficient.

He remembered what Brenna had said about her being frozen and wondered why his friend couldn’t see what he could. If there was ice, then it was on the surface. Underneath, Kayla Green was a simmering cauldron of suppressed emotions.

“Good morning.” She was formal and distant, and he wondered how the hell he was going to break down those barriers and get her to relax enough to enjoy Snow Crystal. Somehow he had to teach a woman who lived her life indoors, to enjoy the outdoors. Have some fun. And the first thing he needed to do was make sure she was suitably dressed because nothing killed “fun” faster than cold.

“Brenna found you some gear. Did she wake you?”

“I’m an early riser.”

“Yeah, I remember now. The five o’clock start. And late to bed.” He knew, because he’d seen the light from her cabin glowing long after the clock by his bed had told him it was the next day.

He wondered what it was that kept her awake when others slept. An overactive mind? Or something else…

She stood aside to let him in, but Jackson shook his head and handed her a bag.

“Let’s make a start. I want to show you Snow Crystal. We’ll grab breakfast while we’re out.” He put the boots he was carrying down in front of her. “You need to wear these. I’m taking you on a tour.”

“On skis?”

“Not yet. I’m still searching for that ‘flat slope’ you requested. When I find it, I’ll let you know. In the meantime we’ll try something else.”

“Something else?” Her expression was comical. “When is your brother coming back for Christmas? I have a feeling I might need the services of an orthopedic surgeon. And I already have boots courtesy of Brenna.”

“What she gave you will be fine for walking around the resort, but you need these for what we’re doing today.” He watched as she slid her feet into them. Felt a flash of satisfaction that he’d guessed the right size. “Cinderella, I presume.”

“Her footwear was a little more delicate, and you are definitely not Prince Charming.”

“You don’t think I’m Prince Charming? You sure about that?” He straightened and found himself closer to her than he’d intended. She made him think of summer. Her hair smelled of flowers and her eyes were the same washed green as the trees emerging from a cobweb of early-morning mist.

Chemistry punched him hard in the gut, and the shock in her eyes told him she’d felt it, too.

“I stopped believing in Prince Charming around the time I stopped believing in Santa and the tooth fairy.” Dressed in ski gear she looked younger than she did in her businesslike skirt and stilettos. Softer.

Jackson felt an urge to power her back into the cabin and put some color into those pale cheeks. Instead he forced himself to step back and give her space.

“Santa’s not real? No one ever told me that. You just ruined my day.” He kept it light and saw her relax slightly.

“If you dump me in the snow, you’ll ruin mine.” She zipped the jacket to the neck and pulled on the gloves he handed her. “I hardly dare ask why I’m dressed like this. I’m not sure I’m going to like the answer. Does it involve bear or moose?” She turned to lock the cabin door.

“It might do. And you don’t need to worry about locking up. My mother hasn’t locked her door since she arrived here thirty-five years ago.”

“I live in a city. Force of habit.” Dropping the keys into her pocket, she stepped gingerly onto the deck, testing the surface. “These feel more stable than my other boots.”

“Anything would feel more stable than your other boots. Those should be fine on most surfaces, except for sheet ice. Here—” He handed her a helmet and she looked at it in alarm.

“I need a helmet?”

“For protection.”

“Protection from what?” Their feet crunched on snow as they walked down the path and she turned the helmet in her hands, looking at it from all angles. “I should have worn one of these last night when I met Walter. And maybe a bulletproof vest.”

He was impressed that she could treat it with humor despite feeling bruised. “Put the helmet on. We’re going to explore some of the Snow Crystal trails and backcountry.”

“How? I saw that picture of you jumping off a cliff, and frankly I don’t think I could—Oh—” She stopped at the gate and saw what was parked there. “What’s that?”

“That, Cinderella, is your carriage.”

She eyed the snowmobile. “We’ve been reading different fairy tales.”

“Cinderella would have loved a snowmobile. You’ve never been on one?”

“Er—no. There’s not a lot of call for them in London or New York.”

“They’re the most flexible mode of transport around here. They can cope with the forest tracks and the frozen lake. Guests love them. We have forty miles of groomed trails through the forest and the mountains.”

“The guests use these?”

“Tyler and a couple of the other instructors take small groups on snowmobile rides through the forest. We’re careful to stick to a defined route so we’re less likely to disturb wildlife, but it’s something most people enjoy around here. You need to put that helmet on and to do that you need to remove this…” He removed the clip from the back of her head and her hair slithered down in a sheet of tempting honey-gold. One strand curled across her cheek and brushed the corner of her full mouth.

Lust slammed into him.

Deciding he was in more trouble than he’d thought, Jackson took the helmet from her and pushed it onto her head. He secured it, noticing that she was avoiding eye contact. He might have thought nothing of it had it not been for the streak of color across her cheekbones and the fact she was barely breathing.

He knew the feeling .

“Are you ready?”

“Ready?” Her voice was a startled croak.

“For our trip.” Damn, he wasn’t doing any better than she was. All he wanted to do was pull off that helmet and kiss that mouth. “Through the forest.”

“You want me to drive that thing?”

“Not this time. This time I’ll drive ‘that thing.’” And the sooner the better, for both their sakes. “You’re the passenger.”

“Mmm—” Her eyes were fixed on the snowmobile now. “I’m not a good passenger. I prefer to be the one in the driving seat.”

He had no trouble believing that. From what he’d seen so far, Kayla Green was big on control, most especially when it came to her own emotions. “But you’ve never driven one before, so if we both want to live it would probably be better if I drove this time.” He pushed his own helmet onto his head. “I’ll teach you. But not today.”

She opened her mouth to argue and then closed it again. “Does it go fast?”

“Only if I make it go fast.”

“Tell me you’re not a speed fiend like your brother.”