LITMIR.BIZ

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was that very trait that she found so offensive. She was trying to be nice, for heaven’s sake. His response was to be sarcastic.

      She decided to retreat into silence.

      Even that wasn’t good enough.

      “Yeah, that’s much better,” he drawled, matching his steps to hers. “I’m familiar with your silent sulks.”

      She would not dignify his sniping with a reply. Not even one.

      They gathered their equipment and returned to the ski area.

      There were eager skiers everywhere this morning. Clouds were beginning to form just above the mountains to the northwest of them. From the looks of things, it could be snowing by noon. If there was a storm coming, she wanted to be off the slopes before it hit.

      “Hey, guys, wait up.”

      Derek and Craig hurried toward them, carrying their equipment. “What’s the hurry, Ashley?” Craig asked. “Couldn’t you have waited another few minutes for the rest of us? I thought this was a group experience.”

      She could feel her face heating up. “I’m sorry, Craig. I guess I wasn’t thinking.” She glanced toward the darkening sky. “I didn’t want to miss out on skiing today, and those clouds are certainly beginning to look threatening.”

      Nick nudged her. “Here comes our ride,” he said, suddenly lifting her onto the seat and swinging around to sit on the other side of the bar. Ashley was so startled that she almost lost her poles. She looked back and saw Derek and Craig putting on their skis.

      “That was rude,” she muttered. “We could have waited for them.”

      “Yes, we could have. However, if you’re serious about getting some ski time in today, we needed to get moving. This may be our only chance before the storm hits.”

      She frowned. “Not necessarily. I’ve skied when it was snowing. There’s no reason to—”

      “Do you enjoy arguing, or is it just with me? You find fault with everything I say.”

      “I just find you unnecessarily rude, that’s all. This is supposed to be a fun trip, but you’ve certainly managed to take all the fun out of it…for all of us!”

      A burst of swirling snow blew past them, and she ducked her head to get away from the stinging spray.

      “I had no idea I had enough power to ruin six people’s vacation time. Damn, but I’m good.”

      When she looked at him he was staring ahead of them, watching their progress up the mountain. “Is that supposed to be funny?”

      He still didn’t look at her. “I should hope not. I’m the guy with no sense of humor.”

      Ashley had never felt so much animosity toward another person in all her life. If she’d thought she could do it, she would have shoved him off the lift right then and there.

      They reached the top of the lift. She got herself ready and eased off, moving through the snow. Only then did she realize that the gusts of snow-laden air blowing around her were not recirculating snow that had already fallen. This was new stuff coming down, growing thicker by the moment.

      “Let’s go,” Nick said brusquely.

      “I’m waiting for Derek and Craig. They’ll be here shortly.”

      “Ashley—”

      She looked away from him. “If you’re nervous about the weather, go ahead. I’ll meet you at the lodge.” When he didn’t say anything, she casually turned her head and looked at him. She was a little alarmed by how fast the snow was falling. He was covered by snow and she was already having a little trouble seeing him. His expression was blurred. She adjusted her goggles and looked around.

      There they were! Craig and Derek joined them. “Joe had the right idea. He said he was going to wait to see what this weather was going to do. I don’t like this at all,” Derek said with more than a hint of uneasiness.

      Craig shoved forward. “Last one down the hill pays for lunch,” he hollered over his shoulder.

      Derek was quick to follow.

      “Ready anytime you are, Ms. Sullivan,” Nick said quietly.

      She pushed away, determined to leave him. The problem with that was the fact that he was darned near a pro on skis. She took the most direct route down, swerving suddenly to miss a slower skier, and in advertently left the trail she’d been following. With a groan of frustration, she forced herself to slow down while she tried to figure out a way to get back on their chosen run.

      She finally came to a complete halt and looked around. None of the men were in sight.

      Not even her shadow.

      “Nick?” she called, looking around.

      She could see others skiing, but no one that looked like the three she had been with. She decided to continue down, hoping to cross another path soon.

      Nick would probably think she’d done this just to annoy him. She was now in a wooded area where she moved very carefully. She didn’t like being lost. The ski trail had been clearly marked; here there was nothing she could use as a guide down the mountain. Ashley shivered.

      The snow continued to come down in thick flurries.

      This was close to a whiteout, she thought a few minutes later. She couldn’t see anything in front of her. It was much too dangerous to continue to move with any speed in this kind of weather.

      She didn’t know how far she’d gone when she finally spotted one of the large midmountain restaurants that were scattered through out the area for weary skiers. She managed to reach the side of the building, sighing with relief to be out of the heavily falling snow.

      It was scarcely ten o’clock in the morning. There was no reason to panic. She’d just wait here for a brief time to get her breath back, maybe get something hot to drink and warm up a little before she continued downhill.

      Chapter 5

      By the time Nick reached the end of the run, he was ready to wring Ashley’s neck. He was really tired of her attitude and her silly games. Did she think she was going to win some points by disappearing on him? He looked around, the thick flakes obscuring his vision, hoping to see Ashley’s red parka somewhere nearby. Once he found her, he intended to give her a lecture she wouldn’t forget.

      Perhaps she wasn’t aware of it, but he—and Ron—had the authority to end this little vacation of hers if, in their opinion, they were unable to adequately protect her.

      He spotted Derek removing his skis, but there was no sign of Ashley.

      He made his way over to him. “Where’s Ashley?”

      Derek stopped unfastening his skis and looked up at Nick in surprise. “I haven’t seen her. I thought she was with you.”

      Nick scanned the area. There were several red parkas, but none of them belonged to Ashley. He began to feel uneasy. At the rate the snow was falling, it was hard to tell the color of anything.

      He muttered an unprintable word and turned away.

      “Where are you going?” Derek called.

      “To find Ashley.”

      “Don’t worry about her. She was born on a pair of skis. She probably got off course a little. It’s coming down like a son of a—”

      “I don’t need a weather report,” Nick growled to himself, moving toward the lifts again.

      What really alarmed him was how she had managed to get away from him. One minute she was there just ahead of him, the next minute there’d been no sign of her. Was it intentional? Was she in danger? He didn’t know why he bothered to question her disappearance. Of course it was intentional.

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