Snowbound (2 page)

“Hey, that’s not true. Why are
you
so grumpy anyway? I’m the one whose contacts and eyes just about froze together because of the cheap goggles you bought me,” Cassidy complained. “Well you should have brought your own. Let’s go, I want to change and get dry. Later, Dan.” Rick stomped toward the stairs that led up to the hotel rooms.

“It’s Daniel,” Daniel stated calmly.

“I thought you wanted to ski all day since it was paid for. That’s why we went up again, remember?” Cassidy spoke to Rick’s backside. Turning to Daniel, she said, “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. Thank you again. I really appreciate it. Hopefully we’ll see you around.” She hurried after Rick.

* * *

Daniel Robertson watched as Cassidy followed Rick. He could see they were having a debate about something. In the short time he’d been with her she seemed like a sweet person, but obviously she and her boyfriend had some issues.
Too bad she has a boyfriend.

She had curves in all the right places, of which he was keenly aware since she’d knocked him over and landed on him—they definitely felt right as they were pressed against him—even through her ski suit. That may have been because the suit wasn’t exactly made for skiing in these conditions—it was pretty thin. Once they’d arrived back at the ski lodge, he’d been able to take a better look at her and noticed the mop of curly brown hair framing dark grey eyes, creamy skin and lush lips. Most of her head had been covered in little melting snowflakes, so she appeared slightly magical. Or maybe he’d been working too hard. Looking over to where he’d last seen the couple, he couldn’t help but think that it was a shame a girl like Cassidy was wasted on a jerk such as Rick. Oh, he knew Rick’s type all right. He could see it the minute Rick walked up to them all disgruntled about where Cassidy had been and acting like a king who’s tired of waiting for the gold to arrive. Rick was obviously the kind of man who liked to be in charge, who wanted his woman to do what he wanted her to do when he wanted it done, regardless of whether he did a single thing for her.

Daniel never did understand why women liked that whole arrogance routine from men. Maybe most women thought it was manly, or that it indicated the guy would protect them or something. All he ever noticed was that it made the men meaner and the only thing they protected was themselves. Daniel shook his head. He’d met Cassidy for all of a half hour, forty-five minutes at the most.
Why am I standing here analyzing her relationship?
It shouldn’t matter to him at all. He should be inside getting warmed up and having a bite of Debbie Wright’s famous cinnamon buns. Instead, he was standing out in the foyer daydreaming about a woman who had literally knocked him off his feet.

Walking into the café, he saw his Aunt Sandra at the counter talking to Debbie. Debbie managed Peaks Café. Sandra Johnson wasn’t his real aunt by blood relation, but rather a close family friend. She and her family owned the resort which Daniel, now twenty-seven, had been coming to ever since his mid-teens. He knew most of Sandra’s family and those employees that had worked every season for years. Sandra was in her sixties and ran the resort with her husband, Chris, and their son, Mark. Mark and his wife had two children who could frequently be seen zipping about the resort. Smiling at the two ladies, he took off his gloves and clipped them on to his jacket.

Sandra waved him over. “How did it go? I see you found someone.” Since he was familiar with the resort and often helped out, Sandra had sent him along with the rescue team to ensure that everyone was safely down the slopes. They were closing the lifts due to the inclement weather.

“Oh, yeah, I guess that was her boyfriend in here. Apparently he just took off and left her up on the run. She could barely see, and the goggles
he
bought her were cracked. She ran right into me.” Daniel shook his head as he remembered the incident.

“Oh, dear. I assume you are both all right,” said Sandra, her brow furrowed in concern.

“She wasn’t going very fast, so we’re fine. It’s just a good thing that she hit me instead of a tree, or worse. I don’t think she could see a foot in front of her, and she was calling out for Rick the whole time. He had to have known she’d wonder where he was. You should never leave someone alone in these conditions.”

“Man, what a jerk,” said Debbie. “I thought he was on his own. He didn’t seem concerned about much. He sat here sipping his hot chocolate and playing with his cell phone.”

Sandra went behind the counter, grabbed a cinnamon bun and slathered it with frosting. She put it on a tray, along with a cup of coffee that Debbie had poured and carried it to a table.

“Here you go, Daniel. You just sit down and warm up.” Sandra gazed at him affectionately and sat down beside him. “You know, I saw those two check in, and that poor girl didn’t seem very happy. From what I could see it doesn’t appear that Rick treats her very well... to be honest, I had seen them going up the lift. He came down on his own so I was worried. That’s why I sent you. I knew if anyone could help her you could.”

“Now, Sandra—”Debbie said, her eyes narrowed slightly. Debbie was another close family friend, as well as a long time employee at the resort, so her tone of familiarity with Sandra was no surprise to Daniel.

“Hush, Debbie.”

He ate his cinnamon bun in about three bites, the ooey-gooey warmth comforting him. Sandra and Debbie bantered back and forth while he drank his coffee. He loved the family feel and coziness of this resort. Closing his eyes, he realized this was just what he needed after losing his fiancé. The eighteen months since Natasha’s accident had been long, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever forget, but at least now it didn’t weigh on him like a big anchor on his chest. When he thought of Natasha now it was with sadness for a life ended so young and tragically. And for their future left undone. Gone was the rage and anger at the world. He’d closed himself off to all but his family members and those who knew him well. As far as he was concerned he was good with the friends and the life he had now, there was no room for love. He’d been there, done that, and wasn’t willing to take the chance again. In his opinion, one should only be allowed so much hurt in a lifetime, and he had gone way beyond that point.

“...isn’t that right, Daniel?” asked Sandra.

What?
Startled out of his thoughts Daniel wasn’t sure what he was agreeing to. He opened his eyes and stared at her blankly.

Sandra looked at him for a moment, patted his hand and said, “That’s ok, dear. We’re going to take care of you. I know it’s been a long haul, but you are young. Yes, indeed, we’ll take good care of you.”

Daniel smiled fondly at her and nodded, with an uncharacteristic lump in his throat. Most days he tried to shove any of his feelings away where they didn’t see the light of day.
I’m a man for God’s sake.
However, Sandra knew him and had known Natasha. Coming to Snowpeaks Mountain Resort had been a good idea.

Chapter
Two

Cassidy noticed Rick’s jaw work in his cheek as he waited until they were in their room before starting in at her. She’d watched the muscle twitch in his face all the way up the stairs to the lobby. Then again in the elevator and down the hall. He had a bad habit of grinding his teeth, especially when he was angry. With a heavy sigh she took off her ski jacket and hung it over a chair. Having left her ski boots downstairs in the ski lockup, she was wearing slip on runners that she now kicked off her feet. Cassidy knew she was only delaying the inevitable, so she finally turned around and faced Rick.

“Tell me again why we’re here?” Rick asked in a nasty voice, but didn’t wait for her to answer. “Oh, yes, because you wanted a real vacation away from home. Somewhere romantic, you said. Then why are you hanging all over some other guy?”

“What!” Cassidy replied. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on. I saw you flirting with that Dan guy. You were practically drooling all over him and giggling. Man. Why didn’t you come on your own if that’s what you were looking for?” Rick threw his jacket on the bed.

“First of all, you were the one who left me up on that last run to come down here and be all warm and cozy. If it hadn’t been for Daniel I might still be up there. You didn’t seem too concerned about where I was until you saw me talking with him. I wonder if you would even have come to find me if I didn’t come back down?”

“Oh, here we go. Poor Cassidy. Can’t handle a little ski hill. You should have kept up with me. It was bloody cold—I was moving fast to keep warm.”

She couldn’t believe how he always twisted things when he was mad. Sometimes she got so upset and confused she wondered if he was actually right. “I’m not saying I can’t handle a ski hill. All I wanted to do was ski with you. Common courtesy would have had you waiting for me, your supposed girlfriend, and not running off on your own in the middle of a blizzard!” Her voice caught on the last few words.

His smile was chilly. “Oh, you gonna cry now? Come on Cass. You don’t always have to be a drama queen. It wasn’t a blizzard.” He moved around the room and grabbed a suitcase and put it on the bed.

“It
was
a blizzard! The conditions were horrible and you know it.
You
were the one who said we had to ski all day in that and then you bailed on me...” She noticed he was throwing his clothes into the suitcase. “What are you doing?” she asked, trying to hold back her tears. He hated it when she got emotional.
Suck it up, otherwise it’ll only be worse.

“Packing. Obviously.” He zipped the case shut.

“I can see that. I don’t want to leave.”

He faced her, putting the suitcase on the floor. “You don’t have to.
I
am. I didn’t want to come here in the first place. I have other things I should be doing so I’m leaving.”

Stunned, she asked, “So you’re leaving me here? How am I supposed to get home? We came together. I don’t understand...”

“Yes, and that’s the problem. You never do. I can’t do this anymore, I’m done. The room is paid for so stay, or don’t stay—that’s up to you, but I’m outta here.” He picked up his jacket, grabbed the suitcase and walked toward the door. Cassidy grabbed his arm to stop him, full-out crying now. “Rick, this isn’t funny, you can’t just leave me here. I’ll pack and go with you, I guess. Just give me a minute.” Easily pulling from her grasp, he looked at her with scorn. “I don’t want you to come with me. I don’t want you with me at all. I’m not just leaving you here, I’m leaving you period.” With that he opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind him.

* * *

Cassidy stood looking at the door for a long time, tears streaming down her face. She felt sick inside, and for a moment, thought she would actually vomit. She finally sat on the bed, but still stared at the door.
Rick will come back
. She knew he would. He was always bursting out in anger and then regretting it later. It was his thing, and she accepted it. She didn’t like it, but she accepted that it came with loving him. She’d loved him forever, it seemed, but it was so on-again, off-again with him. Sometimes she thought she deserved better. She was a good girlfriend and did everything he wanted to do. This ski trip was the first time she’d gotten her own way. She truly thought this time things were turning around for them. She remembered how excited she had been to come here. The brochure painted the Snowpeaks Mountain Ski Resort as the perfect place for couples or families. It was small and deluxe. It even had a four-star restaurant on site. It was forty minutes to the nearest town, and even then the town was so small you could drive through it in about five minutes. The remoteness of the resort in the Rockies was what Cassidy had loved. She thought it would be good for her and Rick to get away, maybe decide on their future together. For the most part they had been together for six years. The first two years had been great, but the last four the relationship had been on and off according to Rick’s whims. She had been in college and it was just as easy to have no boyfriend as to have one, so she hadn’t really bothered to make a big deal about it at the time. However, at twenty-five and having finished college, she was getting tired of playing these games. So she’d cooked up this trip.

She hadn’t bargained on his moodiness happening the minute they arrived.
The room wasn’t big enough, the weather was horrible, this was some remote area
... and on it went. While travelling he’d spent a large amount of time on his cell phone, until it stopped working in the last town they had gone through.
Come to think of it that was when his mood had changed.
Cassidy thought about that.
His cell had lost reception, that's when he got all funny.
Other than his parents, she had no idea who he was talking to since he tended to stop the car and walk while he talked, presumably to get better reception. Rick’s parents owned several French/Italian restaurants in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia and, as the oldest son, he was in line to one day take over all of them. To start he was just managing one of them, which was a stretch since he seemed to be gone more than he was there. He spent a lot of time at classic car shows or just doing whatever he pleased. Rick didn’t answer to anyone, especially to her it seemed.
Lately
, she thought,
he had disappeared more often than usual.

Realizing that it had been some time since Rick had left, she went in to the bathroom where she washed the dried tear stains from her face. Cold from sitting in her damp ski pants and sweatshirt, she ran a warm bath, added her favorite bath bomb that combined cocoa butter and lavender, and sank gratefully in to the water. Baths were always her place to escape and this was no different. Cassidy soaked in the water reflecting on the day.
We haven’t even been here one full day and Rick bails. Unbelievable.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Honestly, what was that about? It couldn’t really have been about me talking to Daniel
. On the other hand, thinking about Daniel helped her to relax.
What a nice guy.
Looks-wise Daniel couldn’t be more opposite of Rick if he tried. Rick was shorter and stockier, with dark brown curly hair and brown eyes. Cassidy remembered Daniel’s eyes the most. They were such a brilliant blue, cornflower blue. He had a nice smile too.