“Okay, what’s eating you?” Claire glanced over at Ellie, her hands on the steering wheel of her Subaru Outback as they made their way up the mountain toward the ski resort. “You might fool Mom and Dad, but you can’t fool me.”

Ellie looked out the passenger side window at the snowy landscape. “I hurt his feelings.”

“Whose feelings?”

“Jesse’s.” Ellie told Claire about the meeting and the conversation in the parking lot. “I thought he was trying to start something, but he was just being friendly. I know I hurt his feelings. I feel so bad about that, so embarrassed.”

“Oh, Ellie, honey. You really are hopeless at this stuff, aren’t you? He was totally asking you out. The guy is into you. Why you didn’t just say ‘yes’ is beyond me. Could it hurt to have lunch with him?”

Ellie’s head snapped around. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, he’s hot. You’ve said so yourself. And if—”

“No, I mean why do you say he’s into me? He said—”

“I know what he said, but he was just protecting his ego.”

“How can you know that for certain?”

“Oh, come on! Isn’t it obvious?”

Ellie looked out the window again. “I just hope we don’t run into him today.”

“I was kind of hoping we would. I want to check him out for myself.”

Ellie could only imagine how that conversation would go. “If I see him, I’m going to ski away as fast as I can.”

Claire changed the subject. “It looks like we’re going to have perfect weather.”

It was only a thirty-minute drive to the ski area. Claire parked. They got their lift tickets, then put on their boots and skis and skied to the lift line. The line wasn’t as long as it typically was on the weekends, though a busload of middle school kids from Boulder were ahead of them, probably here for ski lessons as part of a PE class.

Ellie glanced over at the Ski Patrol chalet, her pulse taking off when the door opened, and a man in a red parka stepped out.

It wasn’t him.

She wasn’t sure whether she felt relieved or disappointed.

Stop doing this to yourself.

She couldn’t let her confused feelings about Jesse ruin this day. She was here to spend one-on-one time with her sister, not to waste energy worrying about what he thought of her now. She’d been honest with him.

But had he been honest with her?

She set that thought aside, looked up at the cloudless blue expanse of the sky, inhaled the scent of pine and snow, and willed herself to relax. They’d almost reached the front of the lift line, so she shifted both poles into her right hand.

Claire turned to the lift operator. “You’ve got a great job.”

He grinned, dimples in his tanned cheeks. “Fresh air, sunshine, lots of skiing. There’s no better job in the universe.”

It was Ellie and Claire’s turn now. They skied into place.

“Do you know Jesse Moretti?” Claire asked the lift operator.

Ellie gaped at her sister. “What—?”

“Moretti?” The lift operator nodded. “Sure. You a friend?”

Ellie answered. “No, just a neigh—”

Claire cut her off. “Tell him Ellie Meeks is here.”

“Will do.”

Ellie didn’t have a chance to respond or protest because in that instant the chair scooped her and her sister up and carried them up the hillside.

“Why did you do that? You know I don’t want to see him! Now he’s going to think I wanted him to find me.”

Claire surveyed the scenery, a satisfied smile on her face. “Lighten up. You have physical and emotional needs. You need adult companionship. What would it hurt if you got together with this Jesse guy for a while? You don’t have to marry him. If he’s into you, then why not go for it?”

“You don’t understand.”

It wasn’t as simple as Claire made it sound.

Since Dan died, nothing had been simple.

* * *

“Ellie Meeks wanted me to tell you she’s here,” Kenny said over the radio. “She was headed up the Little Bear lift with another woman.”

“Copy that. Thanks.” Jesse started back down the slope, patrolling Silver Bullet, one of the resort’s double-blacks.

He would never understand women, even if he lived to be a hundred. Yesterday, Ellie had made it clear that they were nothing but neighbors. Today, she’d had one of the lift operators flag him as if she wanted to see him. It made no sense.

What made even less sense was the fact that Jesse was happy about this.

No, he wasn’t going to ask her out again. He’d gotten the message. He wanted to see her because he needed to apologize.

When she’d turned him down and then suggested that he’d volunteered for the first-aid tent just to get closer to her, he’d let himself get butthurt. He’d acted like she’d read him wrong, let her believe she was out of line.

Way to be an asshole, buddy.

He was a better man than that. He could take “no” for an answer.

Okay, so maybe she hadn’t been entirely right. He’d had to choose between the kids’ snowman contest and the first-aid tent. That had been a no-brainer. But he had been looking forward to spending time with her.

Of course, there was no chance of him running into Ellie. They were on different mountains on opposite sides of the resort.

He was wondering whether he might be able to find her on his lunch break when a skier in a lime-green jacket and red hat flew past him, bombing his way down the run, almost colliding with other skiers and breaking a half dozen safety rules as he went.

There was no way Jesse could catch him, not without putting other skiers on the slope at risk. He reached for his mic. “Forty-two to dispatch.”

Matt replied. “Forty-two, go ahead.”

“I need a couple of patrollers at the base of Silver Bullet. We’ve got an out-of-control skier. He’s wearing a lime-green jacket and a red hat.”

“Copy, forty-two.”

Jesse skied to the bottom of the run, expecting to find the kid in the green jacket spending some quality time with a few patrollers. Instead, he found Amanda and Steve standing empty-handed.

“Sorry, Jesse,” said Amanda. “I guess we missed him.”

“Shit.”

Jesse went on a few more patrol runs, stopping to aid a skier who was having an asthma attack. When the skier had been evacuated via snowmobile, he headed down to the lodge for lunch. He’d just taken a seat when Kenny walked by, headed for the grill.

Kenny saw him, waved. “Sorry about your friend, man.”

Jesse had no idea what Kenny meant. “My friend?”

“Yeah, you know. The woman who wanted to see you. They brought her down in a toboggan about ten minutes ago—knee injury or something.”

“Jesus.” Jesse had heard that call, but he’d had no idea it involved Ellie.

He shoved his lunch back into the bag and got to his feet, then headed over to the First Aid Center. A knee injury was the last damned thing Ellie needed. How was she going to keep up with the twins? How would she work? If it was a break or a torn ligament, she might even need surgery.

Damn it.

He stepped inside.

Ellie stood in the middle of the room, talking on her cell phone and walking back and forth, still in her ski boots. She wasn’t limping. She didn’t look injured at all.

She ended the call and walked over to him. “Hey.”

“I heard you’d been hurt.”

“Oh, that was my sister.” She pointed to a dark-haired version of herself that was lying in one of the beds, her leg elevated and splinted. “Jesse, meet Claire.”

* * *

Ellie pushed Claire’s wheelchair out to the parking lot. “I called the ER and checked her in. We shouldn’t have to wait too long.”

Jesse walked beside them, carrying their skis and boots. “Smart.”

Ellie couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. It wasn’t just that he looked like every Colorado girl’s vision of heaven in that Ski Patrol parka. It was the fact that he cared about her. She’d seen the worry on his face when he’d burst through the door at the First Aid Center. He’d thought she was hurt, and once again he’d come to help her.

“I don’t need to go to the ER,” Claire protested.

“Stop being stubborn. I’m the registered nurse, so I get to make these decisions. Besides, Cedar is meeting us there.”

Claire looked up at Jesse. “Do you see how she bullies me?”

Jesse didn’t seem to know that Claire was joking. He kept his silence, the wariness on his face telling Ellie that he felt it unwise to wade into an argument between sisters.

“We both rebelled against my father. I became a nurse instead of a doctor, and Claire went into woo-woo and became a massage therapist.”

“Massage is not woo-woo.”

Jesse glanced over at Ellie, caught the smile on her face, and the confusion on his faded. “Do you always tease each other like this?”

“Yes,” they answered in unison.

“What’s the point of having a much older sister if you can’t tease her once in a while?” Claire asked.

“What?” Ellie feigned outrage. “I’m only eighteen months older.”

They reached Claire’s SUV.

“Now what?” Ellie unlocked the doors with the fob.

Jesse opened the rear passenger side door. “Claire, it would be better if you rode in the back instead of up front. That way, you can keep your leg elevated.”

Ellie nodded in agreement. “Good idea.”

“Oookay.” Claire looked confused.

“Why don’t you stand on your left leg? I’ll climb in from the other side, lift you onto the seat, and help you scoot backward. You can use the other door as a backrest. Ellie, can you support her injured leg?”

“Absolutely.”

With Ellie to steady her, Claire got to her feet—or her foot. “Now what?”

“Stand with your back to the seat.” Ellie helped her get turned around.

Meanwhile, Jesse climbed in from the other side and crawled across the bench seat toward them. “You ready?”

“What am I doing?”

“You’re not doing anything. I’m going to lift you into the vehicle.” Jesse caught her just beneath her breasts and lifted her backward onto the seat.

The look on Claire’s face as he picked her up almost made Ellie laugh. And for a moment Ellie wished she were the one with the injured knee.

“Got her leg, Ellie?”

“Yep.”

Jesse helped Claire scoot backward across the seat, then climbed out and shut the rear driver’s side door, giving Claire something to lean against.

“Are you comfortable?” Ellie asked her sister.

Claire mouthed, “Oh, my God! He’s got muscles!” Then she spoke aloud. “Yes.”

Ellie turned to find herself looking into Jesse’s blue eyes, warmth skittering through her. “Well, that worked.”

Damn, he was distracting.

His lips quirked in a lopsided grin. “Sad to say, but I have a lot of experience putting injured people into vehicles.”

Ellie was certain that was true. “Thanks so much for your help. You seem to be in the habit of rescuing my family members and me.”

“Hey, don’t mention it. Can we, um, talk for a minute?”

Ellie opened her mouth to answer, but Claire beat her to it.

“Yes! Sure. Fine with me. The two of you need to talk.”

Ellie glared at her sister and slammed the back car door shut. “Sure. What is it?”

His brow furrowed, his expression going serious. “I was telling the truth when I said that I didn’t sign up for the first-aid tent to get closer to you. It was pretty much my only option, and Megs would have kicked my ass if I hadn’t signed up for something.”

So he wanted to make her feel like an idiot again?

She started to push past him.

He caught her shoulders. “Would you let me finish?”

She stepped back, arms crossed over her chest. “We need to get to the ER.”

He drew a breath, then went on. “I asked you to lunch because I want to get to know you better. And, yes, when I saw that you were running the first-aid tent, I felt a hell of a lot better about signing on. I’m attracted to you, Ellie, and I think you’re attracted to me, too. Look at me and tell me that’s not true.”

She stared up at him, stunned. “I … I …”

When nothing else came out of her mouth, he lowered his head—and kissed her. It was just a fleeting kiss, the slightest brush of his lips over hers, but it robbed her lungs of breath and left her lips tingling.

He stepped back, his pupils dark. “Call me.”

Ellie watched him walk away, then climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Well, well,” said Claire. “I’m almost glad I fell.”

* * *

Jesse walked back to his locker, sat, and removed his ski boots, sure he’d lost his fucking mind.

He had kissed Ellie.

He hadn’t planned it. She’d stood there, looking up at him through panicked green eyes, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself. As kisses go, it had been tame—no tongue, no fingers in the hair, no breasts pressed against his chest. But damn …

He’d kissed his share of women, but that little peck had rocked his world.

In that moment, he’d forgotten the long list of reasons why he didn’t want to get involved with her—the twins, the fact that he’d known her husband, the baggage he’d brought back from the war.

Okay, so that was only three reasons. But they were three very good reasons. He ought to write them down and memorize them because right now they didn’t seem nearly as important as kissing her again.

Jesus! That right there proved it. He was losing his mind.

And yet even as he yelled at himself, he couldn’t get truly angry. For the first time in what seemed a very long time, he was looking forward to something that wasn’t climbing or skiing. Of course, there was always the chance that she wouldn’t call.

He shoved his boots in his locker, took off his parka, and hung it on its hook.

Matt walked up behind him, a piece of paper in his hand. “Hey, Jesse, I made a few calls. Nate West, son of the owner of the Cimarron Ranch, says he’d be happy to team up for the skijoring event. He and his dad breed quarter horses. Here’s his number.”

“I’ve heard of the Cimarron.” Jesse had been invited there for a trail ride once but hadn’t been able to make it. He took the number, tucked it in his pocket. “Thanks.”

Ben sat down across from him. “I saw you kiss that hot little number in the parking lot. Who was she?”

“Hot little number?” Jesse didn’t like hearing any man call Ellie that, but he didn’t get the chance to say so.

Matt glared at him. “Hey, we’ve got rules about getting it on with guests.”

“Wear protection!” shouted several patrollers in unison.

“Damned straight.” Matt walked back to the dispatch desk, chuckling.

“Who was she?” Ben wasn’t giving up.

Jesse was torn between irritation and laughing at the kid’s persistence. Had he been this annoying in his early twenties? “That was my neighbor. Her sister fell and injured her knee. I was helping out.”

“Interesting ‘helping’ technique.”

Jesse shut his locker, slapped Ben on the shoulder. “Watch and learn, grasshopper. Watch and learn.”

* * *

As it turned out, Claire had torn her anterior cruciate ligament and her meniscus. Based on the MRI results, Dr. Southcott recommended surgery. He discharged her from the ER with crutches, pain killers, and instructions to elevate and ice her knee until she could see a surgeon.

Cedar drove Claire home in his vehicle, while Ellie drove Claire’s Outback down the canyon to their home in Boulder. When Claire was inside, Cedar left Ellie to watch over her while he took off to get some Thai takeout.

Ellie did her best to get Claire comfortable, helping her take a shower and put on her PJs, giving her a dose of pain meds, and settling her on the sofa in front of the TV with an ice bag and a cup of tea.

“I’m so sorry, sis.” Ellie could see behind Claire’s cheery façade and knew she was in pain. “The codeine ought to kick in soon.”

“I’ll be okay. My big sister’s a nurse. She’ll make sure of it.”

“You bet I will.” Ellie sat in the armchair beside the sofa. “Do you want to watch something on TV? I could put in a DVD or—”

“He kissed you.”

A thrill shivered through her. “I’m trying not to think about that.”

In truth, Ellie was finding it hard to think about anything but that kiss. Remembering it brought the sensation back—the softness of his lips, their heat, the nearness of his body.

What would it be like to be kissed for real by him?

“I could feel his muscles when he lifted me into my car. Good grief, girl! I can only imagine what he looks like naked. But then you got a glimpse.”

“Yes! Yes, I did. And he was ripped, okay? He was gorgeous. Part of me wanted to run my hands over his chest just to enjoy the feel of him.”

“So call him. You’ve got his number, right?”

“I’m not sure I can.”

“You’re not sure you can call him? Did you forget how to use a phone?”

“No! I’m not sure I can sleep with him. What if we’re in bed together and all I can think about is Dan?”

“Did you think about Dan when he kissed you?”

The answer to that question hit her squarely in the forehead. “No.”

“Call him, Ellie. Give him a chance. How many more years are you planning to live this sexless existence? You deserve happiness. Dan didn’t want you to be lonely. He wanted you to have a full life. You know that.”

Dan had told her more than once that she was to live her life to the fullest should anything happen to him. She’d promised to do just that. But she’d never imagined how hard it would be to live with that promise.

Ellie nodded, her throat tight.

“So you’ll call him?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Ellie was still thinking about it when her father came to pick her up and to check on his younger daughter. She thought about it all the way up the canyon. She thought about it when she gave the kids their bath, read them stories, and put them to bed.

She walked into the kitchen to pour herself some wine. But rather than getting a glass out of the cupboard, she walked to the rear window and looked across her backyard and up the mountainside toward his cabin. There, among the trees, she caught a glimpse of golden light spilling from his kitchen window.

She picked up Jesse’s business card, which still sat on the kitchen counter, then reached for the phone.