Chapter 5
Angelica checked the bright blue numbers on the dashboard and saw it was 11:36. She’d accomplished her goal by arriving at her cabin before midnight. The snow hadn’t been as heavy as predicted, and she’d only stopped once for gas and coffee. She’d listened to Christmas music, singing along to several songs she’d known since childhood and focusing her attention on arriving safely. Once she was ensconced in her cabin, then she would contemplate the real reason behind her sudden trip.
She found the registration building without too much trouble. Not only was the area well lit, but there were hundreds of colorful Christmas lights strung throughout the small ski village. Tall pines were decked out in sparkling white lights from top to bottom. Freshly fallen snow resting on the tree branches reminded her of a scene directly out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
A piercing night wind sent up flurries of snow throughout the parking area. Shivering, Angelica carefully made her way across the icy asphalt. The last thing she needed was to fall. She’d been there, done that, in the city more than once. With that in mind, she practically tiptoed to the office.
An engraved wooden sign indicated she should ring the doorbell when arriving after hours. Sure that midnight qualified as after hours, she placed a gloved finger on the bell and pushed. Hearing a dim buzzing from inside, Angelica hoped she hadn’t gotten anyone out of a warm bed, but if she did, she assumed this was part of their job requirements, and they were used to waking at odd hours. When no one answered her buzz, she pushed the lighted dial again. In seconds, she heard heavy footsteps leading toward the door. “I’m coming, I’m coming.... Keep your britches on,” said a male voice from inside.
Britches? Angelica couldn’t help but smile. She could hear little beeps coming from inside. Probably deactivating an alarm. After hearing of several burglaries in her area, she had had one of her own installed in her apartment just last year and recognized the familiar beeps.
A bearded older man opened the door. “Come on in, you’re letting the cold inside. You must be that actress from New York. Max told me you’d be coming today. He didn’t mention it’d be this late.”
Stepping inside the warm office, she spoke. “I’m sorry. I flew in from Denver. It was a much longer drive than I remembered. I hate to get you out of bed.”
The old man, probably in his mid to late seventies, brushed a bearlike hand in the air. “Who says I was in bed? I was checkin’ my Facebook page and got to talkin’ to an old pal from high school.”
Angelica couldn’t help but grin. Seniors were certainly keeping up to date with technology these days. “I hear a lot of people say they’ve found old friends through the social media. I’m afraid I’m behind the rest of the world as I don’t even own a computer. Just a cell phone.” And an extremely old one, too, but she didn’t say that.
He gazed at her, then turned, motioning for her to follow him. She’d bet anything that this old guy, when he was not behind the counter pecking away at the keyboard, dressed up as Santa. He had the requisite white hair and matching beard. Crystal-clear blue eyes sparkled behind rimless, round glasses. The belly was perfect, too. Not that she would mention that. She grinned as she imagined him all decked out in red.
Behind the counter, he clicked a few keys, then, without looking up, said, “I know, I know, I hear it all the time. And just so you know, I only dress up because Amanda and Ashley expect me to.”
A mind reader, too? She had no clue who Amanda and Ashley were, but figured if he wanted her to know, he’d tell her.
“I would’ve never guessed,” she added. “But you do look the part. The Santa at Macy’s in New York City doesn’t look quite as realistic.”
“So they say. Now”—he stared at the monitor—“Ms. Shepard, it says here you’ve reserved the Gracie’s Way cabin. You’ll love the view.”
“Uh, yes.” She didn’t realize the cabin had a name. “I want to spend the days skiing and the nights relaxing.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place. Gracie’s Way is smack-dab in the center of the mountain. Has its own lift, too, but I assume you already knew that.” He turned his back to her.
No, I didn’t, she thought, but he doesn’t need to know just how unprepared I am. If she’d been thinking straight, she would have booked her flight directly into Telluride, but she’d had other things on her mind.
“Of course, it’s just what I wanted,” she said, winging it and filling the silence while the old guy removed several sheets from the printer behind him.
While he busied himself with the paperwork, Angelica took the time to view her surroundings. On the wall to her right was a giant rock fireplace. A log chose that moment to fall from the top of a large stack. Red, yellow, and orange sparks shot out like a miniature shower of fireworks. She took a deep breath, loving the heady scent of wood smoke.
A roomy dark brown sofa was placed directly across from the massive structure. A table made out of logs was covered with magazines and a few paperback novels, inviting one to sit and relax. Angelica imagined that during business hours, guests took advantage of the charming arrangement while they enjoyed the warmth from the fire. Floor-to-ceiling windows flanked the fireplace. She guessed that, during the day, the view of the mountains was out of this world. But she wasn’t here to stay in the registration area and knew her view would certainly rival this one, or so the travel agent said when she’d made the booking.
The old man fanned the white sheets of paper across the counter, reminding Angelica of the snow angels she used to make in the snow when she was a kid. The memory made her grin.
“If you’ll just sign here, here, and here,” he said, adding, “and we’ll need a credit card and your driver’s license.”
He turned the papers around for her signature. She scribbled her name, removed a credit card and her license from her wallet. He took them, then turned away from her. She observed him as he made copies of her identification. Soft tan khakis and a black and gold flannel shirt looked to be well worn, comfortable. On his feet were a pair of snakeskin cowboy boots. Well, I am out West, she thought.
He placed a single-page map in front of her. “Okay, young lady, it looks like you’re all set. If you’ll just follow this road”—he traced a single black line with a bright yellow highlighter pen—“all the way to this intersection, then turn right. You can’t miss the cabin. The lights are on, and there’s coffee fixins, but no food. You’ll want to get down to the market first thing in the morning if you want eggs and milk and the like. Food sells out fast, just so you know.” He nodded at the exit, his way of dismissing her.
So focused on arriving safely, she hadn’t given the first thought to food. She should have bought a few basic necessities when she’d stopped for gas, but again shoulda, coulda, woulda didn’t cut it.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said before stepping out into the bracing night air. She gave a half wave to the old man, then trekked back across the parking lot.
Tiny snowflakes swirled beneath the amber glow from the lights. An old beat-up pickup truck pulled into the lot, blocking further viewing of the snowflakes’ late-night performance. Probably works here, she thought as she walked carefully across the lot. No one in his right mind would be out in this kind of weather unless he absolutely had to.
A loud meowlike sound startled her. As she turned around to see where the noise was coming from, she lost her footing. Flailing about as she searched for something to hold on to in order to break her fall, she suddenly found two large hands wrapped around her waist. Stunned at the speed of her rescuer, she turned around to look and see who’d saved her from total humiliation—sort of.
Describing her rescuer as tall, dark, and handsome in no way did justice to the stranger who gently helped her to regain her footing. Stunned by the sudden turn of events, Angelica took a moment to gather herself, to recover from whatever it was she needed to recover from. Never one to be at a loss for words, she couldn’t come up with a single syllable as she stared at . . . this . . . classic Greek god who was still holding onto her arm.
“Miss, are you all right?”
All she could manage was a slight nod as she stood there, blank, amazed, and very shaken. Finally she found her voice. “Uh, yes, I’m okay, just . . . well, I’m fine,” she said, her tone almost defiant. Why does this strange man make me feel defenseless, and totally aware that I’m a woman? It was entirely out of character for her, but she was out of character. She was completely out of her element there in that . . . ice palace. I should have stayed in the city.
“If you’re sure?” the man said, his voice sounding impatient.
Who is this guy? And why the attitude? Angelica wondered. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she turned to face her rescuer. What she saw momentarily threw her off guard again. She’d spent plenty of time around some of the sexiest men alive—she was an actress, after all, and it was part of the job. But this . . . this guy defied the rules. He didn’t own a sports car if that rusted old truck was his. His clothing didn’t appear to be custom made, and Angelica couldn’t forget the fact that he was there so late. More than likely, he worked at the resort and had been on his way inside the registration building when he’d rescued her.
Lucky for me.
Forcing herself to step away from him, Angelica tossed her hair over her shoulder, something she’d learned from improv, then she put her hands on her hips. If that didn’t reek of confidence, she didn’t know what would.
“Actually, I am more than all right. I am on vacation, and I plan to enjoy every single minute of it. It’s gotten off to a bad start, but I’m sure it can only go uphill from here.”
She was about to walk to her SUV when the man placed a strong hand on her forearm. She shivered, and it wasn’t from the outside temperature. “You’re sure you can drive? You look a bit rough.”
Had she heard him right? Did he say she looked rough? Taking a minute to absorb his words, her first response was to tell him to kiss off and mind his own business. Her second response was to tell him to take a flying leap, but gazing at the giant mountains that surrounded her, that might not be such a good idea. Especially if the guy had issues.
Knowing she couldn’t continue to stand there and stare, she found her voice. “I’m quite capable of driving, thank you very much. I was simply startled by that noise. I’m sure I heard a wild cat or something. Did you hear anything?” she asked, and gazed at his hand, which still lingered on her forearm. Apparently, he realized he was still touching her and quickly removed his hand, stuffing it in his pocket. He appears to be uncomfortable, Angelica thought. Good. Let him stew for a bit. He would probably look a bit rough himself if he had just driven for almost seven hours in not so perfect conditions.
He nodded. “It was Leon. My cat. He hates riding in the truck. Sorry he scared you. Watch your step, this ice can be treacherous,” he added before proceeding to walk toward the registration building.
What does he think I am, she wondered as she watched him walk away. A kid?
No, she was definitely not a kid. A kid would not be looking at a man’s rear view with such blatant lust.