Chapter 6

Morning couldn’t come early enough for Derek. The instant that sun began to stream through the window into Timothy’s living room, he got up. Exhaustion clung to him and the restless thoughts that had haunted him all night long refused to be silenced.

He quickly folded up the blankets he had used and stashed them back in the closet. Then he hastily crammed his feet into his boots, grabbed his coat, and slipped out the front door.

How had he let himself go that far last night? He had sworn to himself that Timothy was just a friend. He hadn’t gone there last night looking for anything other than someone to talk to. Why then had things gotten so out of hand so quickly? In the back of his mind, he knew it was because he still desired the omega that had refused him for so long. No matter how much time had passed, the torch that Derek had carried for Timothy refused to die out.

Derek grumbled to himself as he sat on the front porch and finished tying his shoes.

The ground was covered with a thin layer of frost. The entire landscape glittered as specks of frozen dew reflected the early morning sunlight. It was beautiful to be sure, but Derek was beginning to doubt whether or not he truly belonged here. It seemed like everything he did was just a disaster waiting to happen. Even this job that he’d somehow managed to stumble into was sure to end in some sort of catastrophe.

He rose from the porch and started walking back towards the main lodge.

Derek knew that, compared to some, his life had been easy until now. He had been able to take each moment as it came to him and made decisions based on his current mood or fancy. Now he didn’t have that luxury. Whether or not he belonged at Snowed Inn was irrelevant. He didn’t have anywhere else to go. This was his home for now and he was going to have to make it work.

The job with Tony was just the start. If he talked with Peter there were probably other places he could pick up work. Maybe eventually they’d be able to move him into the staff bunkhouse. A lot of the guys on Tony’s crew stayed there because their job required them to be out and about so early every day. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him to get a bed there too.

He had the start of something good here. Something that could result in turning his life around.

Yet, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that all of that would disappear in an instant if he broke Timothy’s heart. Derek had never really been long-term boyfriend material. He was a player, a conqueror. The type of alpha that loved omegas and couldn’t picture himself ever settling down with just one of them. He told himself that Timothy was different. No other omega had captivated his attention for this long. Then again, none of them had denied him for this long either.

What if his desire for Timothy was born simply out of the thrill of the chase? What if, once Timothy gave in, he lost interest? It was a chance that he simply couldn’t take.

The walk to the lodge was long and cold. He passed a few people, mostly couples, out walking or jogging. Their presence only amplified the sting in his heart.

“There you are!” Tony shouted just as Derek reached the lodge. The third youngest Snow was jogging towards him across the lawn from the direction of Luke’s house. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” His cheeks were flushed red with the cold and he panted for breath.

“It’s barely seven. Why were you looking for me?” Derek frowned and tried to think of anything he could have forgotten.

Tony’s shoulders slumped slightly and he rolled his eyes. “The first shuttle needs to be at the pick-up location by nine.”

“Wait, I’m starting now!?” Derek’s eyes widened in disbelief. He took a step back and tried to collect himself. “What happened to training and stuff like that?”

“What better time to learn than on the job?” Tony grinned. “Look, since it hasn’t snowed yet my morning routine is pretty clear. I’m going to ride shotgun with you today. We’ll go over what you need to do and I’ll point out the problem spots you’ve got to look for when there’s snow and ice. It’ll be a cakewalk.”

Derek relaxed a little. What Tony said made sense, but still he hadn’t expected to be put to work so quickly. Then again, this was probably the first real job he’d ever held so he didn’t really know what to expect.

“But, really, we need to get going. Your first trip to town is supposed to happen at seven. People who want a ride back down the mountain are going to be queuing up by the front door of the lodge. Some of them have tight schedules which means you absolutely cannot be late.” Tony walked over and yanked open the door to the lodge. “One of the first things you’ve got to learn is that we’re all about the guests here. You’ve got to guarantee they’re happy no matter what. Luckily for you that just means picking them up on time and getting them safely to their destination.”

Derek fell into step behind Tony and they quickly made their way through the lodge and out onto the parking lot.

“Don’t I need a special driver’s license or something?” asked Derek as the approached the large shuttle van located near the staff parking.

“You would if you were driving that thing,” said Tony as he walked past the shuttle. “This guy is only used during the busy season and peak load times. I’ve got a guy with a CDL that handles it just fine.” On the other side of the shuttle was a large fifteen passenger van. “This is your baby.” Tony patted the van and grinned at Derek.

“This time of year, the van should be more than enough to handle the volume of passengers we’re going to get. Once the snow hits we’ll be running both the van and the shuttle so that we minimize the overall amount of time people are waiting,” Tony explained as Derek circled around the driver’s side and tried the door. “You’re going to need these.” Tony tossed him a set of keys. “Okay, big guy, let’s see what you’ve got.”

The rest of the morning passed much more quickly than Derek had expected. He’d never driven anything as big as the van before and getting used to the sheer bulk, as well as the turning radius and stopping distance were all things he hadn’t been prepared for. According to Tony, however, he did well for his first time out. The entire trip from the lodge, to town, and back again took roughly four hours. By the time they returned, it was already nearly eleven.

“Okay, so we’ll break for now. You can get some lunch, or do whatever. The next shuttle leaves at one. I’ll meet you by the van at five minutes till,” said Tony as he hopped out of the van and started off across the parking lot.

Their four-hour drive together had been illuminating in that Derek learned Tony didn’t care for talking much. He pointed out things that were wrong, gave instruction and praise, but he didn’t seem interested in small talk. Each of the Snows was so decidedly different from the rest that it practically drove Derek bonkers trying to keep up with them all.

Peter was a bit of a martyr with a strong sense of duty. Eli was polite, to the point, and calm as a matter-of-fact. Emily said what was on her mind and didn’t really care what people thought of her. Andrew was disorganized, opinionated, and particular. Then came Tony who was apparently a bit reclusive, but also straightforward. After that was Timothy; sweet, gorgeous, honest, attentive, with long eyelashes, kissable lips and a voice that made Derek’s heart throb. The final Snow sibling was Morgan, who had just turned eighteen over the summer. Derek didn’t know much about him, but he kept to himself mostly.

Of course, that was just the seven siblings. It didn’t even get into their parents, Julia and Robert. There was also the cousin, Teddy, that Derek had briefly seen last night with Peter. If Peter’s stories were to be believed, there were even more great aunts and uncles, as well as cousins and other Snow family members scattered across the country. Luke had been to a Snow family picnic over the summer and claimed that the number of Snows measured in the hundreds.

Derek exhaled forcefully and looked up at his surroundings. He’d been walking for a while now and somehow found himself out near the ice rink. It was open now, with a sheet of pristine, carefully maintained ice spread out like a mirror. He had never really liked ice skating. For one he was terrible at it. For two…he shook the thought aside and turned away from the rink. He didn’t have time to feel sorry for himself.

He glanced at the clock on his cell phone. He’d been wandering for about thirty minutes. Which meant he had about an hour and a half to get his hands on some lunch. He quickly texted Luke.

“Is it safe?” he typed, followed by a winky face emoji.

A moment later, Luke replied. “Yes, lol. Come on back. I’m just making lunch.”

Good thing Luke was in a good humor about the whole thing. Derek wasn’t certain his mood would be as good if someone walked in on him and Timothy.

Why was that the first place his mind went? He rubbed the back of his head in frustration as he turned and started towards his cousin’s house. After the chastising he’d been giving himself all morning he had thought he was over this. Pursuing Timothy, in any way, was a bad idea. Bad for him, bad for his living situation, bad for Timothy, just bad.

The sooner he got that through his thick skull, the better life would be for everyone.