Page 5 of Mountain Trial

“I’ve got this,” he said. “I’m just going to need you to hold the ski in place so it doesn’t slide around.”

Luc lifted his legs, putting his boots together to help him. With his right hand, he grabbed onto the side of the sit ski frame. He made a fist with his left hand, readying himself. Then, trusting her to keep the sit ski stable―and knowing he’d end up flat on his face if she didn’t―he pressed his fist hard against the ground, using it to propel himself upwards. In one swift move, he pulled himself straight up and onto the bucket seat.

“That’s pretty impressive,” she said.

Despite Luc’s upper body strength, this move only worked because he was six-two, but he didn’t bother explaining that to her.

It’d taken him a fair amount of work to get his upper body strong enough to make up for what his lower body couldn’t do anymore but now, six years after the accident, there wasn’t much he couldn’t do. He was glad his doctors at the rehabilitation center had pushed him. Without them, it might not have occurred to Luc that he could transfer from his wheelchair to a sit ski, a snowmobile, a snowcat, or any other kind of vehicle―that just because he was paraplegic didn’t mean he had to sit still.

He took a minute to rearrange his legs and tie himself into the seat before pulling the outrigger straps through his wrists.

“There. I’m ready,” he confirmed, signaling that she could let go.

She didn’t look at him as she stepped back into her skis.

“I’ll follow you down,” she said in a carefully neutral voice.

Luc didn’t bother hiding his smile this time around.

“Are you worried I won’t be able to get down?” he asked.

“I’m sure you’re a good skier. I just want to make sure you’re okay,” she said.

It was touching, actually. And a part of him welcomed the chance to show off a bit.

Snow was Luc’s friend. Anywhere the ground was white, he could go, and he could go fast. He took off without waiting for her to finish getting ready. He’d already seen her ski, and knew she’d have no trouble catching up.

His ski ate up the whiteness in front of him. That was one of the things he loved about the sport: skiing was the great equalizer. It didn’t matter if the ski was under him or under someone who could walk, it would turn exactly the same way.

Luc was grateful his injury hadn’t affected his ability to control his abdominal and lumbar extensor muscles, as this had allowed him to develop a more aggressive and effective skiing strategy than might otherwise have been possible.

He leaned deeply into the turn, edging his ski into the soft powder. If there was one thing Luc knew, was how to turn a steep gradient to his advantage.

Not that different from snowboarding.

The thought made him smile. Before his accident, Luc had been one of those snowboarders who looked down their nose at skiers. Now, he just felt lucky he could ski at all.

He didn’t stop until he’d reached the bottom of the Les Grands Montets cable car. Then he turned, unsurprised to find Kat right behind him.

“Damn,” she said, stopping far enough from him to avoid spraying him with snow. “I’m embarrassed now. You should have stayed behind to make sure I was okay.”

Luc laughed. Skiing was what he did best in life. That and snow grooming, which he’d been doing for the last five years in a Swiss ski resort, before coming over to Chamonix. But snow grooming was a job. Skiing was … his life.

She took off her helmet, and Luc went breathless. She was even more beautiful than he’d figured.

While he struggled to regain speech, Kat reached over and picked something off his hair. The gesture, innocent as it was, made Luc shiver. He’d become much more sensitive to people touching him since the accident―perhaps because it didn’t happen as often anymore.

Electricity crackled between them. He watched her pale throat move up and down several times―she’d felt it as well.

“Would you … would you like to grab a cup of coffee together? Least I could do, since I ran you over.”

Six years earlier, he would have jumped at that offer. Now, not so much.

Not that any of this was her fault.

Luc frowned. “I’m not going to sue you or the town, you know? You don’t owe me anything.”

She moved back as if he’d slapped her. “No. That’s not what I …”