The Best Of The Year - Medical Romance. Carol Marinelli
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of the property, since I wasn’t exactly concentrating during our sleigh ride.”
She smiled. “I think I can remedy that.”
“Another sleigh ride?” One brow hiked up. He didn’t see how their ride would fare any better this time than it did last time.
“How about a ride without the sleigh?”
No way was he touching that one.
“If you’re talking about on horseback, I don’t know how to ride.”
“Wow. You don’t? You don’t know how to ski. You don’t know how to ride. Were you born in a monastery or something?” She stepped up close and tilted her head back. “Don’t worry. While I do have some horses in mind, they don’t have four legs.”
“Really? Then what do they have?”
She smiled. “I have some things I need to get done today, and I want to check with my father on something, but if you’re up for it I’ll show you exactly what I mean first thing tomorrow morning.
* * *
Mira revved up the snowmobile. Owned by her dad, she’d often used it to get away from the crowds and go off by herself. There were a series of private trails that only she and the other employees knew about.
She and Robert had ridden around a couple of times, but he’d always been in the driver’s seat when they’d been together. But this time she was the one in front. Jack didn’t know how to ride one of these either. He was a warm-climate boy through and through.
“Put your helmet on and climb aboard!”
Looking the slightest bit dubious, Jack slid the helmet onto his head and fastened the strap before swinging a leg over the back of the vehicle. “You’re sure you know how to drive this.”
“I’ve done it my whole life.”
He chuckled. “You are just full of surprises.”
“Am I? You have no idea.” She let go of the steering-wheel to fasten her own strap. “Ready? You’re going to want to hang on tight.”
His hands went to her waist as she eased them away from the equipment barn, skirting the ski-lift area. His grip reminded her of the way he’d lifted her onto that bar. She had to fight to banish the image from her mind and concentrate.
The two ski-lift attendants waved at her as she went by. Mira waved back. Maneuvering down a slight incline, she rode onto a section of the property that was partially wooded but which had a path carved out of it.
“Where are we going?” he asked, above the roar of the motor.
“I know a little place.” She’d let her father know she’d be gone for the day—possibly until tomorrow, depending on how things went. And in the back of the snowmobile she’d packed a lunch, along with wine and a thick blanket. There was firewood at their destination, but it could still get pretty chilly. “Okay, I’m going to crank it up a bit.”
Mira pressed the accelerator lever with her thumb and the track on the bottom of the vehicle picked up speed, grabbing onto the snow and propelling them forward. The destination she had in mind was about five miles away through some of the most gorgeous country known to man. Jack settled in closer, his body molding to hers from behind, legs pressed tight to hers. Was he doing that on purpose?
“This is similar to a Jet Ski,” he yelled in her ear. “Except we push water through the engine to propel us forward.”
“Never ridden on one.”
“You’d like it.”
Yeah, she probably would. Too bad he’d never teach her how to ride one. Or a surfboard, for that matter.
That’s not in the cards, Mira. Just enjoy today.
Silence reigned between them for a few moments as they ate up some more terrain. She slowed to go around a tree and then accelerated once again, the tracks kicking up a blast of snow.
When she’d begun her yearlong journey to become footloose and fancy-free, she never dreamed she’d wind up riding on her dad’s snowmobile with one of her dates. Or making out on a sleigh ride. Or working side by side to rescue avalanche victims.
Or helping a girl with emotional wounds much deeper than her own.
She and Jack worked well together. Which was probably why it was harder just to mosey on past him. During their confrontation yesterday he’d seemed offended that he was just a number on a list in her head, and he was right. She knew there might be a blip or two but hadn’t expected to crash and burn quite so soon.
And that was the problem. She had no idea whether she should keep on trying to do something that seemed to be against her nature. Or if she should just forfeit her bet and agree with Ellory that this had been a royally bad idea.
She could pay up and be done.
With Jack’s arms wrapped around her waist, it was easy to imagine just snuggling down in the here and now and enjoy their remaining time together.
His helmet bumped against hers once as she made another turn, re-emphasizing just how close he was. Maybe she should bypass the cabin and just keep driving around for the rest of the afternoon. She was enjoying have him next to her just a little too much.
But all too soon the small log building came into view.
Her parents’ original home, and the place she’d been born.
Her dad had kept it to remind himself of where he’d come from. She could probably live out here, rather than at the hotel, but she preferred to visit the cabin periodically as a treat. She knew all too well how mundane the things in life could become if you weren’t careful.
Like her and Robert’s relationship? So it would seem. At least on his part.
Looking back, though, she wondered if that spark had really been there to begin with, or if she’d assumed that since they’d had so much in common their similarities would see them through.
Pulling up to the front door, she used the handbrake to stop. Jack hesitated and then let go of her and climbed off. She started to follow, swinging one leg over the front, then sat sideways on the seat instead, looking up at him while she tried to re-gather her composure.
“So how was your first snowmobile ride? Did you like it?”
He gave her sideways smile. “It was interesting.”
She’d expected a little more enthusiasm than that. Then again, Jack seemed to have cornered the market on measured reactions. That’s why his behavior in his hotel room had shocked her so much. Who would have known he had a bit of caveman wandering around inside him.
And on that note she’d better shut down this line of thought before it got her into trouble.
“Okay.” She laughed. “We’ll go with interesting.” She stood up and opened a storage compartment in the back of the snowmobile and pulled out a small chest containing their lunch. Jack took it from her with a raised brow.
“I thought you might be hungry.” She tugged the blanket from the compartment as well, draping it over her arm.
“I might.” He nodded toward the cabin. “I didn’t know this was out here. Is it yours?”
“No. It belongs to the fam...to my dad.”
“He doesn’t rent it out?”
She paused. “He likes to come out here to stay every once in a while.”
“He and your mother are divorced.”
She headed for the cabin, peeling off her gloves and checking her pocket for the key to the front door. “They are.” She and her dad had made their peace last week, but there were still some tender spots when it came to the reasons for her parents’ divorce.
“Sorry.”