Gareth and Reagan were going to assist kids on the magic carpet and with transporting sleds up the hill, while Freddie helped with unloading.
Hannah saw Janie’s Suburban pulling in. Janie’s husband, Aidan, had purchased it the day after they’d found out she was pregnant with her fifth child. The baby girl she was carrying would be Aidan’s first, but Janie had already had four boys with her late husband when she and Aidan had met. Gareth and Reagan were the oldest of these.
Hannah waved. The boys whizzed down the hill past her on their tubes.
“It’s awesome,” Gareth called out to her.
Hannah loved kids and regularly volunteered to arrange special seasonal events like nature hikes, fishing trips, bicycling or rock climbing. Today’s snow tubing would last two to three hours and they’d have hot chocolate, juice boxes and snacks served in the lodge afterward. “Hey, Gareth, I’m going to sled down to make sure Mindy has everything ready for later. I should be back by the time the crowd of ruffians arrives.”
He gave her a gloved thumbs-up.
She nodded and carried her tube to the slope that led toward the lodge and prepared to take off in that direction. Freddie had just groomed this hill, and as she stared at the vast expanse of bare white snow, she couldn’t resist the opportunity beckoning to her.
* * *
TATE HAD BEEN all over the mountain on a snow machine, but wanted to get a feel for the slopes firsthand. So that morning he’d loaded his board and rode as far up the mountain as he could. He’d arranged for one of the employees to bring him back up later to fetch the snow machine.
He hadn’t been on his board in weeks and it felt great. Snowboarding was the one activity where he could really lose himself. It was second nature, especially since he’d quit competing and could now ride solely for fun. He thought about Hannah’s adrenaline-junkie comment as he flew down the hill and wondered if his riding would change now that he didn’t have to worry about getting injured.
Although now he had Lucas to think about; he immediately slowed and then stopped. From there he decided to switch his course and head toward the lodge in order to view the area where he thought the first half-pipe should be constructed.
After halting again about halfway down, he bent over to fiddle with the binding on his boot. He was trying out a new design and didn’t have it adjusted quite right. Removing one boot from the board with the intention of making a further adjustment, he turned to assess the uphill landscape, and that’s when he saw someone flying toward him on a tube—backwards.
* * *
HANNAH FELT THE impact before she saw what she’d hit.
Her tube flipped and she somersaulted through the air, eventually landing hard on one shoulder before flopping onto her left side. A pain shot through her leg and she was immediately grateful she hadn’t landed on it with all of the force her shoulder had taken.
“What the...? Hannah? Is that you?”
Hannah couldn’t contain a groan as she rolled onto her back. Tate?
He muttered something unintelligible and then asked, “Are you hurt?”
She winced up at him. “Are you?”
“No.”
She bent her right leg at the knee and then slowly mimicked the motion with the left. A wave of relief followed.
“My shoulder is going to be sore, but I think my leg is fine. What are you doing here?”
“What is it with you and this reckless behavior?” He shot out the question in that stern, lecture-y tone she remembered from their initial encounter.
Why did she find it kind of funny? Her lips curved up into a grin. “Reckless? I’m tubing. What’s reckless about tubing?”
“Backwards? You weren’t watching where you were going.”
“I was spinning. My sisters and brothers and cousins—we used to do this thing when we were kids where we’d spin our tubes while swerving across the hill.”
Now he was scowling down at her so she quit explaining and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“It’s no wonder you look so young.”
Hannah looked up at him in confusion. “What?”
“Obviously there’s still a child dwelling behind that pretty face. Can you get up?” He extended a hand.
She felt her face grow warm at the weird compliment-insult. “Of course I can get up.” Except that she realized she sort of couldn’t, not without embarrassing herself.
He waited. She smiled up at him, wishing he would leave.
“Do you want me to help you up?”
“Nope,” she said, pushing herself up to rest on her elbows. “I got it. I’m good.”
“Okay.” Placing his hands on his hips, he continued watching her, waiting obviously.
“Hannah?”
“Hmm?”
“Why aren’t you getting up?”
“Well, Tate, it’s complicated.”
“Complicated? Are you hurt?” His voice went up several decibels and she realized he was worried about her.
Kind of sweet, she thought and added a smile before confessing. “My pants must have caught on your board because they are ripped on my south side.”
A gloved hand went up to cover his grin, which Hannah thought was pointless because of the laughter now accompanying it. “Seriously?”
“Do you think I’m lying here in the snow because it’s fun?”
He tipped his head as if considering the question. “I don’t know. I’ve seen you do it before.”
She opened her mouth, and then snapped it shut. She let out a laugh before asking, “Did you just make a joke?”
“Yes,” he said, still grinning. “I guess I did.”
“It was funny. You should do it more often.” Keeping her tone nonchalant she asked, “Maybe you could go fetch my tube?” Which she’d noticed was now flat. She was probably lucky she wasn’t hurt. Other than the jolt of pain in her leg, but it seemed fine now. Well, as fine as it had been lately.
“I can carry it behind me strategically.”
She couldn’t make out the words he muttered as he stepped toward her, bent and scooped her up—one arm beneath her shoulders one under the knees, and carried her toward the lodge.
She tried to look dignified, but she could tell Tate was trying not to laugh because she could feel the rumble of a chuckle deep in his chest. She gave up, buried her face in his jacket, and let her own laughter roll.
Mindy looked a bit startled when they came through the door both still grinning.
“Hannah?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
“Hey, Mindy. Yes, I’m fine.” She added a wave, still cradled in Tate’s arms. “Have you met Tate Addison yet? Tate, this is Mindy Reese. She works at Little Cubs Preschool and is in charge of the after-sledding snacks for the troops today. Mindy, this is Tate. He’s working here as a consultant for Snowy Sky.”
“Nice to meet you,” Mindy said. If she thought it strange that Tate was holding her, she refrained from mentioning it. Hannah appreciated that.
He said, “You, too, Mindy.”
Hannah pointed across the large expanse of mostly empty room. “You can take me down there. I have a room I use as an office.”
He headed there where he finally lowered her