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Without asking if she minded, I sat down across from her and shared, “I’ve got a shovel in the camper, if you need me to dig you out. I mean, I took a look at the access road before I came in here, and it’s completely shut down. Nobody’s coming in, and nobody’s going out. That said, if you need to get into your car, I’m happy to help you.”
“The road is still shut down?” she asked, returning her attention to me.
“Yeah. And with as much snow as we’re getting with this storm and another one on the way, I get the feeling it’s going to be a while before it opens again,” I told her.
“Another one on the way?” she gasped. “We’re getting more snow?”
I would have let out a laugh at how animated she became, but I had a feeling this news was incredibly distressing to her. So, I offered a sympathetic look and confirmed, “Yes, there’s another storm coming. I don’t think there’s supposed to be as much snow, if that makes you feel any better, but it’s still supposed to be substantial. Substantial enough that it’s going to make the situation at that access road just a bit more challenging to clear.”
Indy let out another sigh, sat back, and picked her feet up onto the cushioned bench. “This is the worst.”
“Are you in the same situation as I am?” I asked her.
“That’s doubtful. What situation are you in?” she countered.
Like she had done only moments before, I waved my hand in the direction of the window and said, “Some of my buddies were supposed to be coming up to snowboard with me over the course of the next week, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen now. I’m assuming you were going to be meeting your friends here, too.”
Indy shook her head and let out a laugh, but it wasn’t a laugh that indicated she was happy. “No. Nobody was coming here to meet me.”
“You like riding alone?” I questioned her.
“I came here yesterday for a job interview,” she revealed. “Not only did I not come here to ski or snowboard, but now that I’m stuck here, I’m sad to say I don’t even know how.”
I didn’t know why, but the thought never crossed my mind that Indy was here for any reason other than to get out and enjoy the winter weather. “How did your interview go?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I think it went okay, but it wasn’t like I got hired on the spot or anything. They told me I’d hear something in a few days.”
“And now you’re stuck here waiting for news instead of doing it at home,” I said.
Indy was beyond downtrodden when she sighed for a third time, looked out the window once more, and replied, “Yep.”
While I gave her a moment to sit with whatever was going through her mind, I took the time to ask myself a few questions of my own.
I’d come here to Blue Spruce Ski Resort for a very specific reason, and instead of doing what I intended to do today, I was sitting inside the lodge talking to a woman I’d met not even twenty-four hours ago.
Why was I giving up precious riding time for her? Why didn’t I seem to care that I might miss getting the first tracks on fresh powder?
It couldn’t have been just her beauty that was holding me captive here. Though, it had to be said, she was utterly gorgeous. She had thick, shiny black hair that fell in layers around her face and flowed just shy of the middle of her back. Her eyes were dark brown, but they were big and round. Though she wasn’t particularly happy at the moment, her eyes certainly held the power to tell a story. Then there were her lips. God, her mouth was gorgeous. Indy had plump, full lips that were perfectly shaped and kissable.
Fuck.
Kissable?
There had to be something else.
I couldn’t be sitting here with her just because of her physical appearance. Then again, perhaps it was what I’d seen when I looked at her that had me rooted to the spot. It wasn’t the physical beauty I was noticing, either. Rather, it was the sad and distant look in her eyes, which made it impossible for me to walk away from her.
I just didn’t think she was okay, and I couldn’t bring myself to simply go ahead with all the plans I had for the day without making sure there wasn’t anything I could do for her.
“Do you want to learn?” I asked.
“What?”
“To snowboard,” I clarified. “I brought a couple of boards with me, since I like trying out different ones based on the conditions, so I’m happy to lend you one. I wouldn’t mind teaching you how to snowboard, if you’d like to learn. At least you could turn this situation around and have something fun to do, since you’re stuck here anyway.”
Something washed over her expression. Caution littered her features, and for a moment, I thought she was going to get up and run. She looked a bit terrified, to be honest.
Eventually, she shook her head. “No. No, I appreciate your offer, but no. I’m not that crazy.”
