LITMIR.BIZ

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far she’d racked up three losers. Three men who couldn’t resist the thrill of the chase, even when that chase involved someone other than their fiancée.

      No more bad boys for her.

      Surely after a year of empty dates she’d be able to tell the difference between a player and a guy who was capable of monogamy. Until then, she had to stick to the plan.

      But, man, oh, man, as Jack sidled the last twenty feet, making short work of each step in those heavy boots, he was making her little heart go pitter-patter.

      Reaching down to undo her skis when she realized she’d been watching him instead of attending to her own business, she stepped out of them and hefted them upright. “Ready?” she asked, when he reached her.

      “Yes.” His voice was a little tighter than it had been up the hill, although she didn’t see how that could be, since he hadn’t been jumping for joy at the thought of spending some time with her. She’d had the opposite problem with man number three. He hadn’t exactly been happy when she’d closed the door to her room with him on the wrong side of it.

      Well, from Jack’s guarded expression, getting rid of him should be a snap.

      They turned in their skis and poles at the equipment center next to the ski lodge and then Mira led the way into the foyer of the main building. The familiar honeyed tones of wood-covered floors and walls welcomed her like a snug, warm cocoon, especially when compared to the vast snow-covered surfaces outside its doors. The crackle of the fire in the huge stone fireplace in the middle of the room only added to that sense of welcome.

      Moving over to the long hallway lined with pegs and cubbies, she shimmied out of her jacket and hung it up along with her hat. As she ran her fingers through her hair to fluff it up a bit, she was far too aware of the man next to her shuffling out of his own coat and snow pants. She smiled at the snug black jeans he had on beneath his clothes. And, man, she was so right about those glutes.

      Damn!

      He swung back around, catching her in the act. One brow lifted, and his lips tightened just a touch. So he didn’t like her looking. Well, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t checked her out on the slope. She’d seen those dark eyes skim over her in quick appraisal. Right after her ex had zoomed past, like the jerk he was.

      Forget about Robert. He was not on her current shopping list. Jack was.

      She refreshed her memory about the goals of this particular encounter: have a quick cup of cocoa and then she was free to move on.

      To man number six.

       CHAPTER TWO

      JACK’S SKI INSTRUCTOR was currently staring at his rescuer. And not a subtle kind of stare, either. This was a full-on, you-will-look-at-me kind of unwavering attention.

      And yet as Miranda set their drinks down, she was chatting away as if she had no idea.

      He gave himself a mental palm to the head. Of course. She had to be a ski instructor as well. No wonder she’d helped him up and made sure he got down the hill. It also explained why the other guy had told her to clear him off the slope.

      What it didn’t explain was why the man was now staring at them.

      Best to settle this right here and now, in case this was a pity drink. Surely he didn’t look that badly off. He’d have to work on his cheerful see-ya-later grin. “You don’t have to sit with me. I’m fine, really.”

      She frowned. “Never thought you weren’t. I’m sitting here because I’m cold and tired and wanted some hot chocolate.”

      “I didn’t see you up at the top when I was having my lesson.”

      “That’s because I wasn’t there. I was skiing one of the harder slopes. I decided to finish up on the bunny. As a cool down.”

      Cool down. No wonder she was in such great shape. And she was. He might deny it until he was blue in the face, but he’d glanced at her a time or two. Enough to know that her slender legs were strong. So were her arms. If he’d met her anywhere else, he might think she was a distance runner. But she wasn’t. She was a skier.

      “I bet you have to rescue lots of guys like me.” The second the words were out of his mouth he wished he could retract them. He hadn’t needed rescuing. Not on the slopes, and certainly not anywhere else, despite what his coach might think.

      He could have handled things himself, given a little more time.

      Yeah? Like he’d handled those dreams? Popping sleeping pills like they were candy was not the best prescription—as he’d soon discovered. The good thing was he’d almost weaned himself from them. The nightmares were back, but maybe they were just something he’d have to live with. Like his guilt.

      “Not too many rescues. Just the occasional stray.”

      She picked up her chocolate and took a long sip. “Ah. Just what I needed. Something to keep me warm and happy.” Before he could dwell too long on those words, she continued. “So where are you from?”

      Four years ago that would have been an easy question to answer. He would have asked whether she meant originally or at the moment. As it was, he wasn’t sure of his actual location. Halfway between anger and grief, if he had to guess, a place he’d been stuck at for far too long. “California, originally, but I live in Texas now. And you?”

      “Silver Pass. Born and raised right here on the mountain.” She raised her mug and took another drink.

      So why didn’t she seem thrilled to live in a gorgeous place like this? He took a gulp of his own hot chocolate and then sputtered when an unexpected burn slid down his throat.

      “Hot?” She gave him a grin that could only be described as mischievous.

      “No. Spiked.” His brows drew together. “How do you know I’m not an alcoholic?”

      “Are you?”

      He could have been, but a couple of years ago he’d realized drinking was not only not helping him but it could get someone hurt. His team relied on him to make good decisions. One wrong move and a career could be finished forever. Much like his had almost been.

      It’s why he’d agreed with the coach about this vacation spot. The cold climate kind of fostered isolation. At least in his head it did. With all that gear on, it wasn’t very easy to talk to strangers. It wasn’t the same as lying on a beach or surfing. Because the waves always carried you back in to shore. With skiing, you could simply race away from strangers who were a little too anxious to start a conversation.

      Like this one?

      “No, I’m not an alcoholic,” he admitted, although the steamy brew slid down his throat in a way that was a little too comforting. He took one more long pull and then set it aside. He wasn’t going to switch one habit for another.

      Miranda studied him for a few seconds. She started to say something then the instructor who’d been watching her from across the room appeared beside the table. “You headed back for the slopes, Mira? If so, I’ll ride up the lift with you.”

      The guy pointedly ignored Jack, which was fine. He had no intention of stepping in between these two.

      “I think I’ll go back to my room and read instead. And I can catch up on some reports, while I’m there.” The chill in her voice was unmistakable.

      “Mira—”

      She held up her hand. “I’d rather not do this right now.”

      The man’s lips thinned. “You can’t avoid me forever, you know. We both live here. Eventually, we’re going to have to sit down and talk.”

      Jack’s glance went to where her left hand gripped her mug. No ring. But there was a definite indentation there.

      That’s

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