Chapter 9
Melanie and Bryce stopped once for a quick lunch before heading back to the slopes. She was tired, but in a good way. They were on the chairlift again, and this time she slid closer to him. “For the record, I liked your poem.”
“It wasn’t original, but I could write you one if you like,” Bryce said, nudging his helmet to hers.
“Okay,” she murmured. “I like.”
“Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Really?” She leaned back in order to see his face, or at least the part that wasn’t covered by his helmet. She saw nothing but honesty reflecting back at her.
“Yes. Really. Because that means you’ll have dinner with me tonight even though you’re probably going to be too tired. I’ll need some more inspiration.”
Melanie shook her head. “Okay—you left me at the last hill. I’m not getting something here.”
“The more time I spend with you, the more inspiration I’ll have for the poem I’m going to write.”
“I see,” Melanie said. “I thought you were a history professor.”
“I am, but I’m also a lover of words.”
Just then, they reached the top of the mountain, preventing her from responding. Again, they flew down the trails, this time side by side, as though they’d practiced it a dozen times.
This time, when they reached the bottom of the mountain, Bryce removed his helmet and goggles, kicked his skis aside, and wrapped his arms around her bulky jacket. Without giving her a chance to remove her helmet, Bryce dipped his head forward, slightly tilting it to the side, and touched his lips to hers. She leaned back and closed her eyes, savoring the warmth from his mouth.
It was the best kiss she’d ever had.
They stood silently for a few minutes, kissing one another. Little nips, light smacks, nibbles. Suddenly sensing a presence, Melanie gently pushed him away. “We have an audience.” She gestured to a little girl no more than five or six years old, staring at her. The child couldn’t seem to take her eyes off them. Melanie removed her helmet and shook out the long braid she’d wound up on top of her head. She lowered herself to the child’s level. Before she could ask a question, the little girl screamed, “You’re not my mommy!”
Melanie turned when she heard a shrill cry coming from behind.
“Penelope! There you are! I told you to meet me in the lunchroom with your instructor. Where is your instructor?” the woman asked, cupping a hand across her forehead in search of the missing instructor.
The woman, who was obviously Penelope’s mother, wore ski attire identical to Melanie’s. Red-and-black Spyder jacket and black pants with red stripes running down the leg. No wonder the little girl had mistaken Melanie for her mother.
Melanie stood up as Penelope slid into her harried mother, attaching herself to her mother’s legs. “I had to pee, and that man said I had to wait till it was time to eat. I hate skiing, Mommy. I want to go home now!” The little girl started to wail, her cries attracting the attention of the other skiers at the base of the mountain.
“Don’t ever leave your instructor, do you understand?” the mother admonished. “We discussed this before.”
Melanie wanted to intervene on poor little Penelope’s behalf, but it really wasn’t her place. She stood next to Bryce while the little girl pitched a fit that could have earned her an Oscar nomination.
When the mother realized they were being watched by a large crowd, she grabbed the child by the hand. “She doesn’t like to ski,” she said to those gathered around. Without another word, she pulled Penelope alongside her and headed for the main lodge. The little girl continued to cry.
“Poor kid,” Bryce said. “If she doesn’t like to ski, she shouldn’t be forced. That can be dangerous. Grace never cared that much for skiing as a kid, and Mom and Dad never forced it on either of us.”
Surprised that Bryce would even comment on the child, let alone have an opinion about the mother’s treatment, Melanie gave a mental high five. This guy was turning out to be much more than she’d hoped for. He was not just another pretty face.
“It’s part of the Colorado heritage,” Bryce said. “If you live here and don’t like to ski, you’re not right in the head. Speaking of which, I have had enough skiing for one day. I’m pooped.”
Bryce fastened the binders of his skis together and tucked them under one arm along with his poles. Melanie followed suit, suddenly glad she wasn’t parked in the spillover lot.
They walked to the parking lot in silence, the crunching of their heavy boots on clumps of brown snow on the asphalt the only sound.
“So, are we still on for dinner? Grace and Max say that new Italian restaurant downtown is to die for.”
Melanie wanted to appear as if she were considering his question even though they both knew the answer. “Odie and Clovis are with Stephanie, so I have to go to The Snow Zone before I go home.”
“Okayyy,” Bryce said. “I’m assuming they’re your pets,” he stated flatly.
Maybe strike one. “You don’t like animals?” Melanie said. They reached her Navigator, and she removed her keys from her pocket, opened the hatch, and put her ski gear inside. She sighed with relief when she removed her heavy ski boots. Stepping into her Uggs, she smiled as Bryce watched her. “So, you didn’t answer my question. Do you like animals or not?”
“I have three dogs, so I guess you could call that a yes.”
Scratch strike one. Another mental high five.
“Really? You never mentioned them.” Melanie felt so comfortable with Bryce, more so than she had with any guy she’d known for such a short length of time. After the water incident, she’d relaxed, letting down her defenses. Whatever will be, will be. She closed the hatch and twirled her keys around, smiling. “So, what breed?”
Bryce chuckled. “Mutts, all of ’em. I volunteer at an animal shelter in Boulder every Saturday. When we can’t find a home for any of the strays, I take them in. So for now, I just have the three. In the future, who knows?”
She couldn’t believe someone hadn’t snatched this guy already. He was just about perfect. Figuring she was on a roll, she asked, “What about children?”
He switched his skis to his other shoulder. “What about them?”
She laughed, shaking her head from side to side. “Do you like children?” There!
“Of course I like children. Ella is the best niece in the world, as I’m sure you’ve heard. Grace and Max are lucky. I hope to have a houseful of my own someday.”
Standing in the parking lot, Melanie started to feel the cold. At least that’s what she thought she was feeling. The more Bryce talked, the more she wanted him. And not just as a date.
“What about you, do you want children?” Bryce asked, all traces of his earlier humor gone. He leaned his skis against her Navigator, careful not to scratch the paint.
They were having a serious talk. In the parking lot at Maximum Glide.
Okay, I can handle this.
Should she tell him about Miss Krause, and her desire to adopt a child? Would he want to take her to that little Italian restaurant if she had a child? She knew about Stephanie and Patrick’s beginnings, and Patrick’s fear of loss where kids were concerned because of his niece. Patrick hadn’t been too keen on kids at first because of this fear. But Bryce wasn’t Patrick, and she wasn’t Stephanie.
Melanie took a deep breath, the icy air burning her lungs. “Yes, I do, I’ve always wanted children. Being an only child, I always swore I would have at least four, but I’d settle for one or two. You know, being practical. I don’t want to be another Octo-Mom. Fourteen might be tough to handle.” She laughed. “Look, I would love to continue this discussion, but I’m freezing. My toes are numb.”
“Why didn’t you say something? Here.” Bryce took her keys from her hand, unlocked the driver’s side door, and hauled himself into the driver’s seat. He adjusted the heater controls on the dash, then led Melanie to the passenger side, where he opened the door for her, just like in her fantasy.
“Let’s go get Odie and Clovis, then you can drop me off at my car. We can finish this discussion at dinner.”
Chapter 10
Max and Grace were right. Giorgio’s served the best chicken marsala she’d ever tasted. Bryce had chosen the linguine and clam sauce. Both ordered caesar salads with their meal. The waiter brought a basket of homemade garlic bread that smelled divine. For a solid hour they did nothing but eat. When Bryce asked the waiter for a second bottle of wine, Melanie knew it was time to call it a night.
“I’m afraid I’m already a little bit tipsy,” she said. “Any more, and I won’t be able to drive safely. I can’t remember the last time I ate so much.”
He nodded his acquiescence. “How about dessert? Are you sure you don’t want any tiramisu?” Bryce asked. “Grace said it was the best she’d ever had.”
Melanie doubted she could take so much as a sip of water without exploding. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
She had picked Odie and Clovis up from The Snow Zone and driven home happier than she could ever remember. After she’d taken care of the animals’ needs, she’d soaked her aching muscles in the hot tub, washed and dried her hair, and even attempted to apply her makeup with a professional hand. She had agreed to meet Bryce at the restaurant because it was easier for both of them.
Now that the temperatures were dropping quickly, Melanie knew from experience that the back roads would ice over in a matter of hours. Back roads were always the last to be cleared. She didn’t want Bryce driving off the side of the mountain. If one didn’t know the road by the back of one’s hand, it could happen,
had happened.
More than once.
Ever the gentleman, Bryce took care of the check even though Melanie offered to pay her share. “Real men don’t accept money from their dates. Or at least this is what my father taught me before he passed away. And I always listened to my father; his advice hasn’t failed me yet.”
Melanie didn’t say it out loud, but she gave Bryce another mental high five. One to his father, too. The man just kept getting better and better. Surely there was something wrong with this guy, something she’d find out when she got to know him better. But then again, maybe not. Nice guys still existed, they were just extremely hard to find these days. Not that she’d spent much time looking.
After Bryce settled up with the waiter, he walked her outside to her Navigator. “I don’t want the evening to end,” he said. “It’s been ... let’s just say it’s been one of the best days I’ve had in awhile. A very long while.”
Melanie wanted to dissect his words, take them apart one by one, searching for a hidden meaning, but now wasn’t the time. She’d leave those thoughts for later. She wanted to be one hundred percent in the moment when she was with Bryce. She was falling in love with him. She’d never felt so alive, so excited to be with a man. That was love, or at least the beginning of the falling part. In spite of the chilling temperatures, she felt a warm glow flowing through her, like a brilliant ray of sunshine. Yep, this was love, had to be.
“I feel the same way, but as you know, I’ve got a couple of guys waiting for me at home, so I’d better head back.”
Without the bulky ski coats between them, Bryce captured her small waist, then pulled her as close to him as their winter dress would allow. He kissed the sensitive part of her ear, then trailed light butterfly kisses down the side of her neck, along her jawline, before touching her mouth with his. No longer on public display, Bryce covered her mouth hungrily. Melanie accepted his kiss and allowed herself to feel the passion. His tongue teased hers, and she teased back. He tasted of red wine and mint. He pulled away for a nanosecond, then his lips recaptured hers, but this time they were more demanding.
If they weren’t in the middle of the parking lot, Melanie knew this would lead to something much more intimate. And she wanted that, but not yet. She stepped out of his arms, a hand touching her lips. She smiled, suddenly feeling shy like a schoolgirl.
“Hmm, that was nice,” she said with a grin.
“That’s it, just nice?” He wrapped his arms around her neck and touched his cold nose to hers. “How about that? It’s the way Eskimos kiss.”
“I’m not going to feed your ego, Mr. Landry. I think you enjoyed that kiss as much as I did, and that’s all I’m going to say.”
“Okay, I admit it. I was fishing.”
Sighing contentedly, Melanie said, “You know what they say about men who fish?”
He cradled her head against his chest. “No, but I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
“I just made that up. I have no clue what they say about men who fish.”
He gave a hearty laugh. “You don’t play fair. What if I said, ‘men who fish are excellent lovers,’ would you agree with that?”
Oh boy,
she thought. “I’ve never slept with a fisherman, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Fair enough.” A streetlamp provided just enough light for him to see her clearly. “What about a college professor?” He looked at her, and the double meaning of his words was very obvious.
She fought the urge to rip his clothes off, right there in the middle of the parking lot, but the cold and the fear of getting arrested prevented her from taking action. This certainly wasn’t the time or the place.
Taking a deep breath, and letting it out as slowly as humanly possible, Melanie spoke, her voice soft, seductive. “I’ll put that on my bucket list.” And without another word between them, Melanie unlocked the door and got inside the Navigator. She cranked the engine over and was about to turn the heater on when she saw Bryce tapping on her window. She hit the POWER button to roll the window down halfway. “What? It’s cold out there!” she said, even though she didn’t care how cold it was. Bryce didn’t want to leave her any more than she wanted to leave him.
He looked down at his ice-covered boots, then back at her. “This might sound ... well, never mind how it sounds. I’m asking anyway. I planned on taking a trip to Las Vegas next weekend. Believe it or not, I’ve never been there. Would you like to come along? I’ve got two tickets to see Cher.”
That was the last thing she had expected to hear from him. Vegas, of all places. And why did he have two tickets? Had some other woman canceled at the last minute? Was she just a convenient stand-in?
Before she could stop herself, the words flew out of her mouth. Sort of like the water incident.
He threw back his head and let out a great peal of laughter. “Actually, Mom was going to go with me but had to cancel at the last minute.”
His mother? This guy was good. Really good.
“I planned to decorate my Christmas tree this weekend.” She did, but also, what if the adoption agency called and she was out of town.
She’d given Miss Krause her cell number.
“Okay,” he said. “I can see where decorating your Christmas tree would take precedence over a trip to Vegas.” He turned away from the window, heading toward his Jeep.
Melanie rolled the driver’s side window down as far as it would go. “Bryce,” she called out to him, and he turned around. He appeared to be amused, not angry as she’d thought. “Do you want to come over and help me decorate my tree tomorrow? I need to do this before the weekend. I’m going to Vegas with a friend.”
He stared at her, then burst out laughing. “I knew you would see things my way.”
“Careful, a girl can change her mind in a split second. How’s noon sound? It’s about an hour’s walk from the condo. I have all the equipment.” She watched him and tried to suppress a giggle.
“You cut down your own tree?” he asked, apparently amused by this.
“Every year as far back as I can remember. You game or not?” She put her foot on the brake, shifted into reverse slowly, and eased the SUV out of her parking space. Bryce walked slowly along the side of her vehicle.
“Rest assured, I am game. I’ll see you at noon.”
Melanie smiled and punched the accelerator a bit too hard, fishtailed, and caught herself just in the nick of time, before pulling out of Giorgio’s parking lot. She looked in her rearview mirror. Bryce stood in the middle of the asphalt lot smiling from ear to ear.
Merry Christmas to me,
she thought as she drove home to her condo.