“I don’t need a man to be happy.” Amber slid her feet into her regular boots enjoying the ability to wiggle her toes. “Geez, Trish, you’re lucky my mother wasn’t here to hear that comment. You’d have a night of lectures ahead of you. She practices them, constantly, just in case I forget that I’m complete and wonderful all on my own.”

  Trish wrapped her arm around Amber’s shoulder. “Darling,” she said in her best Pamela impression. “You’ve been programmed into not needing a man so well, that you didn’t stop to consider that you might want one.”

  The concept was so new, Amber blurted, “Is that allowed?”

  Trish kept up her Pamela voice. “Allowed and encouraged.”

  Amber swallowed, her throat dry and her hands moist. “And what would one do if they did want a man?”

  “A man, or a certain man?” asked Trish, all joking set aside as her eyes widened in understanding.

  “I’m not saying I do.” Amber shifted her weight. “But if I did, would it ruin my career?”

  Trish folded her arms. “It would make it awfully hard to marry someone else.”

  Amber nodded. “You’re right. Love’s not an option in this line of work.”

  “Love? Who said anything about love?”

  “You did!” Amber insisted.

  Trish grinned. “I don’t think I ever said the word love, I believe I said happiness. You’re the one who said …” She leaned closer and cupped her hand around her mouth as she whispered, “Love.”

  “Let’s forget either of us said anything and go to dinner.”

  Trish paused just long enough to let Amber know she was allowing the change of topic but was not going to forget it.

  Amber was fine with that. She needed some time to think through this afternoon on her own. To remember what it felt like to have Rym kiss her, be it ever so quickly, and hold her close. She’d been held by other men before, but never had her being yearned to be near a man as it did for Rym. What would it be like to be truly and deeply kissed by him? The thought made her tingle all over.

  She sent him a text telling him Trish was in town and they would be going to dinner. His reply was short, and Amber was reminded that even though they’d awakened something between them that couldn’t be ignored forever, they’d also argued over firing Robyn. It seemed like for every step forward, they took two back. If this kept up, they’d eventually be on opposite sides of the mountain.

  She and Trish headed toward the parking lot. The locker room door flew open and Amber scooted out of the way just in time.

  “I’m so sorry,” said Robyn. “It just flies open like that.”

  “I know,” Amber smiled reassuringly. “Hey, you’re the instructor I saw on the hill today. How’s the little girl?”

  Robyn pulled at her purse strap. “She seemed okay. The parents weren’t happy when I told them.”

  “I wouldn’t suppose so.”

  They all walked toward the exit, Amber’s stomach twisting. They’d just finished the lawsuit with the lady with the broken wrist. They’d settled out of court for a small sum, but the work involved was nuts.

  “Can I ask you two how you got your jobs?” asked Robyn.

  Amber tripped over the threshold. She threw a look at Trish that said, “She wouldn’t believe me if I told her.”

  “Why do you ask?” asked Trish. She and Amber stopped to wait for the shuttle with Robyn to be polite.

  “I love teaching, but this is only temporary. I’d like to move up in the company, but I don’t have a degree.”

  “What about night school?” offered Amber.

  “It’s too expensive. I have two kids and we’re struggling as it is.”

  “What kind of work would you like to do?” asked Amber.

  “This is going to sound so lame, but I’ve always wanted to be a paralegal. I even started into it after high school, but I quit when I had Spencer.”

  Iron Mountain could use a paralegal to do all the stuff Amber had done for Mr. McGraw during the lawsuit. An idea began to form. “Robyn, could you go to school if you had a scholarship?”

  “I think we could make it work. I mean, it would be easier in the spring and summer.”

  “Right, in the off season. And isn’t summer semester usually shorter?”

  “I think so.” Robyn leaned away, weary. The shuttle climbed the hill and came to a lumbering stop. Robyn moved to get on. “Thanks for everything. You and your husband saved my bacon today.” Robyn waved as the shuttle pulled away.

  Amber whipped out her phone and scrolled through her contacts list.

  “Whatcha doing?” asked Trish.

  “I need to talk to Harrison.” Just then, Tina answered at BMB headquarters. “Hi, Tina, it’s Amber.”

  “Amber! How are you?”

  “I’m doing well. Thanks for asking. Is Harrison in?”

  “Sure, I’ll put you through.”

  After a small beep and a questioning look from Trish, Harrison was on the line. “What can I do for you, Amber?”

  “I need information on setting up a scholarship fund for employees. Since you’re the master at digging through piles of regulations, I thought I’d see what you knew or if you could send me in the right direction.”

  “Is this a BMB project?”

  Amber bit her nail. “Sort of.”

  Harrison didn’t miss a beat. “Can you give me a couple of days?”

  “Sure.”

  “And Amber, I’ll be calling for more details.”

  Amber yanked her hand down. “Of course. Trish is here with me. I’ll fill her in over dinner tonight and you can call anytime.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Amber knew Harrison wasn’t one to bend the rules. In fact, his basic job was to make sure brides and grooms followed the code of conduct. So he was all about the rules. She hoped mentioning Trish had given her odd request the right amount of credence, and it had. Now she just needed to explain to Trish that Robyn was most likely going to be fired and see if she’d be willing to help the woman become a paralegal.

  Chapter 19

  To Rym’s disappointment, Amber buried herself in some BMB project with Trish and he wasn’t able to get her alone. She was constantly on the phone with Harrison, and Trish was at every meal.

  The second day of Trish’s visit, the three of them were in Rym’s kitchen going over a new household budget while Amber chopped veggies and cooked rice. Rym had already set out his can of soup. It was a routine they’d gotten used to over the last month and a half. She’d cook her food, he’d cook his soup or warm up a frozen burrito, and they’d sit down to eat together.

  Except for the last couple of nights, they hadn’t really talked like they used to. Part of it was that Trish was playing a wonderful third wheel. Rym really liked her—she threw some zingers out there that had him laughing hard and she said it like it was—but he wanted alone time with Amber. They had so much to talk about. He desperately wanted to apologize for taking his frustrations over the firing policy out on her. She wasn’t the one who made up the rules. Even though she’d defended them, he should have been kinder.

  Amber got another phone call from headquarters, as Rym liked to call the BMB office, and excused herself to step out.

  Trish pointed to Rym’s belly and said, “Your shirts are shrinking.”

  Rym dropped his arms. “I’m pretty sure the new maid has no idea how to run the washer.” He pulled at the hem of the orange sweater he’d worn the day he married Amber, trying to stretch it out again.

  Trish made a disbelieving noise. “You really don’t see it?”

  “See what?”

  “You’ve broadened in the chest and shoulders. You need bigger clothes.”

  Rym’s face flushed, and he was grateful Amber had excused herself to answer a call from headquarters. “It can’t be that. I stopped growing my junior year of high school.”

  Trish twisted her rings so they set properly. “Have you gotten on a scale?”

  “No. Everything still fits around the waist.”

  “Of course it does. You’re in shape.” Her face lit up. “Let’s go shopping. Amber said you knew a great place for winter clothing. I’d love to make a dent in their stockroom.”

  Rym groaned. “Why don’t you go—take Amber. I’ll wear whatever you buy as long as it fits.” He could sense a difference in his coats, too. They were tight when he moved his hands forward. He hadn’t paid much attention to it. He supposed it was because of all the dinners he and Amber had eaten at the lodge the last couple of weeks. When he thought of all the wonderful steaks and turkey dishes he’d consumed, his can of soup didn’t sound appetizing.

  Trish clapped her hands.

  “Uh-oh,” said Amber as she walked back in. “I’ve seen that look before—who agreed to a makeover?”

  “No one,” Rym said forcefully. “I just told Trish to go shopping for me.”

  Amber threw her hands in the air. “You have no idea what you’ve just done.”

  Trish rushed over to Amber. “Are you coming?”

  “Sorry. I’ve got too much to do here.” She waved her phone.

  Rym caught her eye, and she gave him her polite smile. He silently cursed. There had to be a way to apologize without making a fool of himself in front of Trish.

  “I’ll go right after dinner. When do we eat?”

  Amber hustled behind the counter and took the rice off the burner. “Now.”

  Rym popped out of his seat. “I’ll get the plates.”

  “Thanks.”

  Amber was busy transferring the chicken and stir-fry veggies to a serving dish. Rym set three plates on the table and went back for flatware. When Amber set the food on the table, she caught sight of the plate in front of Rym.

  “It smells delicious,” he said. “I can’t wait to try it.”

  Amber stared as he loaded his plate. They said a quick prayer over the food and Rym took a huge bite. “It’s really good. You should taste it,” he told Amber, because she continued to stare at him.

  Blinking into a smile, Amber’s cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “I’m glad you like it.”

  Rym returned her smile. Reaching under the table, he gave her knee a squeeze. Their gaze held, and Rym was transported back to the moment when he brushed his thumb across her lip. The same desire to kiss her filled his every cell. Her lips parted slightly and Rym fought to keep his eyes open, fought the desire building inside.

  Trish cleared her throat and dropped her fork loudly on the table, reminding Rym they had company.

  Slowly he released Amber’s knee, using his finger to trace a small circle before withdrawing entirely. Amber shivered.

  Trish stood. “Well, I think I’ll be off. I have shopping to do.”

  Amber bolted to her feet as well. “I’ve got a document coming through my email. I should be checking it.”

  Both women hurried out, and Rym was left with a plate of warm food and no desire to eat. He didn’t dare toss it. Nope. If eating her food would get him that kind of reaction from Amber, he’d eat burnt toast as long as she was the one who made it.

  ***

  The next morning, Rym found a note on the counter that said Amber had left early for a ski lesson. He’d wanted to take her up again, but it was too difficult to get them both time off, so he’d set her up with a private lesson with one of his buddies. He hoped she had a good lesson and would gain confidence.

  With a quick bowl of cereal and a prayer, Rym was out the door. The irony of wanting to try Amber’s blueberry pancakes and not having her in the house to cook them wasn’t lost on him. He tossed his keys up and snatched them from the air. He still had time with Amber and he intended to make the most of it.

  Chapter 2 0 1

  Amber made a wedge with her skis and came to a slow stop.

  “Nice job.” Pat, her personal ski instructor for the day, pulled up alongside her. They’d done the smaller hill several times and Pat wanted to take her up the big lift and do one of the easy green runs.

  Amber wasn’t so sure that was a good idea; especially when a five-year-old zoomed past her, laughing. He probably wasn’t laughing at her; children that age didn’t do that sort of thing did they? But still, she wondered if she was the only person who worked at the ski resort who didn’t ski out of the wedge.

  “Are you sure about this?” Amber watched the other skiers easily board the lift. She felt anything but steady on her feet. Although, she had to admit that her fear of falling was a lot less since Rym had shoved her into the snow bank.

  “You’re ready. A couple times down this run and you’ll be skiing parallel.” Pat skated over to the line.

  “You’re the expert,” Amber said under her breath. She shuffled past other skiers until she was up with Pat.

  The line moved quickly, and Amber was grateful she’d been able to board without embarrassing herself. Pat held her arm as they got off, and even though she wobbled, she didn’t fall, which would have caused them to stop the lift while she got off the ground.

  “That is a long way down.” Holding her poles in a death grip, Amber looked back at the lift line. No one was getting back on to go down the hill and she wondered if it was against the rules.

  Inching forward, Amber slowly crossed the hill while Pat skied backwards in a wedge, giving her encouragement like Rym did. Amber missed him. The last couple of days were lonely, being so close to Rym and yet not close enough.

  After their third turn Amber settled in a little and relaxed. This hill was a lot longer than the smaller practice run outside the lodge, but if she took it one turn at a time, it wasn’t overwhelming.

  Pat must have picked up on her confidence, because she encouraged her to pull the backs of her skis closer together on the straightaways. “You can always go back into the wedge, but if you get your legs under you, you’ll use less muscle, and your legs will last longer.”

  “Okay.” Amber noticed the slight increase in speed and immediately pushed back out.

  “You’ll learn to trust yourself. Try again.”

  They worked on it all the way down the run, and Amber felt like she’d made real progress. It was kind of fun when she felt steady. Those moments when she slipped and almost fell weren’t so much fun, but so far she’d managed to keep on her feet.

  “We have time for one more if you’d like to try again.”

  “Yeah. I feel like I’m getting it.”

  Pat grinned. “That’s because you are.”

  By the time they made it down the hill the second time, Amber’s legs were shaking. “I don’t think I could do that again. My muscles are shot.”

  “No worries.” They took off their skis and made their way into the lodge, where Pat escorted Amber to the rental shop.

  “Thanks. I can take it from here.”

  Amber gave Pat a generous tip and sat down to pull off her boots. Her thoughts went from her day with Pat to her efforts to set up a scholarship fund for Robyn. Things weren’t going as smoothly as she’d hoped. There was a lot of red tape and tiny details that needed to be ironed out. She wasn’t sure what had happened to Robyn in the past few days. Assuming she’d been fired had helped fuel Amber’s desire to get things going before the next semester started. She’d need to look in on the progress before the end of day.

  Once she’d returned her skis and boots, she called Rym.

  “How was it?” he asked.

  “Scary at first, then it was a lot of fun.”

  “Who was your instructor?”

  “Pat. She was fantastic. Really encouraging, but she didn’t get on my nerves.”

  He laughed, and Amber’s stomach fluttered. “It’s a fine line.”

  She placed her hand on her hip. “What? Encouraging me or not getting on my nerves?”

  “Not just you, any adult client.”

  “Uh-huh.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Do you need me up there?”

  They’d driven separately just in case one of them got done before the other. It was the first time they’d spent the day completely apart, and it felt strange, like the world was tilted. However, Amber’s legs were so tired they were light. It reminded her of a game she used to play with her friends where one person would hold another person’s arms down at their side while they strained to lift them. Once they let go, the person struggling would relax and their arms would float up in the air on their own.

  “It’s already three-thirty. Why don’t I just meet you at home?” offered Rym.

  “That would be wonderful.” Amber couldn’t wait to shower.

  They said goodbye, and she managed to climb into her car and set out for the house. At the first stoplight she stifled a yawn. At the second one she let it out, but covered her mouth. At the stop sign a mile from home, her eyes started to droop. By the time she walked through the door, she was so tired she barely made it to the couch, where she dropped her heavy coat on the floor and curled up under the furry throw for a quick nap.

  Chapter 2 1 2

  Rym drove as fast as he dared on the slick streets. The February sun had melted a bit of snow, and once the sun went down temperatures dropped quickly, creating a layer of black ice. Amber hadn’t answered his text that he’d be late and her phone went right to voicemail. He kept telling himself that she was fine, but he worried. They had a state-of-the-art security system that would have alerted him if someone broke in, and he’d checked his phone several times during the drive to make sure he didn’t miss an alert.

  He’d never worried about someone like this before. Having money was as much a burden as it was a blessing. There were awful people out there who would look for an opportunity—like getting Amber alone—to demand cash. Mr. McGraw had given them several scenarios to watch out for, and Amber was always on guard.

  Running the stop sign wasn’t his best idea, but there weren’t any cars in the area and he needed to see that Amber was safe.

  The front door was locked and there weren’t any lights on in the house. He fumbled with the keypad in the dark and slammed his shoulder against the door when he mistyped the code. He got it right the second time and shoved the door shut behind him. Running through the hallway, he wondered if he should have called the cops first, and then didn’t care if he was running into a trap as long as he got to Amber.

 

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