Silver Mountain Page 2

  Stephen looked up at his new home; he had had it build as soon as spring had arrived that year. In front of him stood a two-story log cabin that was approximately thirty-five hundred square feet. Since he was standing at the back of the house he could look inside through the floor to ceiling windows that were a part of the spacious living room. He had had the cabin custom built and had even helped with some of the design plans. Unlocking the back door, Stephen let himself into a small room that acted as an entrance from the backyard and housed the washer and dryer. Hanging up his coat and kicking his boots off he went through another door that led him into a spacious kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee and put it in the microwave to reheat it. While he waited for his coffee he went to check his answering machine. There were no new messages since he had left earlier that morning, just some old messages that he deleted. After getting his coffee Stephen went into the living room and sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs that faced the large windows. It was only eleven thirty, so he had just over two hours until he would head back to the lodge. Staring out outside he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with visions of being lost in a tangle of silken brown hair. His coffee sat on the table next to him forgotten.

  Chapter Two

  At one thirty Liz came downstairs and headed towards the restaurant, intending to have a small lunch before her ski lessons. After her soak in the Jacuzzi she had gone down to the ski shop to sign up for lessons. She had never skied before in her life and she was determined to learn how to in the two weeks she was going to be staying at the resort. Liz had thought it would be fun and exciting to learn how to ski and that’s why she had chosen to come here instead of an Alaskan Cruise. She would take the cruise another time when her pocket book would allow it. As it was she had limited money left because she had spent everything she had for this trip except for money she had put aside to cover rent she paid to her sister every month. The trip had cost a lot but to her it was going to be worth every penny that she spent, she’d make sure of it.

  Reaching the restaurant, a waiter showed her to a table and handed her the lunch menu. She ordered herself a mineral water and the waiter left her alone to her thoughts. Her sister Jenny had thought she was crazy to come here by herself and had offered to come here with her, but Liz had turned down the offer. She knew that if Jenny had come then her husband Stan would have come as well. As much as she loved them both she didn’t want to be around such a loving and passionate couple all the time. It was hard enough living with them and seeing how fond of each other they were. She was happy for them but after Bruce it was hard to see what she had missed out on. If Jenny could have come by herself then Liz would’ve accepted the offer, but she knew Stan would have felt left out, but not in the way Bruce would have. The two men were nothing alike.

  Shaking her head slightly at the thought, she picked up her lunch menu and decided on a house salad with balsamic dressing. When the waiter returned she placed her order and then watched the bustle of activity outside. Looking around she started to think that maybe she had made a mistake in not letting Jenny and Stan come with her. Everywhere she looked outside there were families, groups of friends and there were couples of all different ages in love. They showed the passion they felt for each other openly amongst all these people without caring who saw them. Having had Jenny and Stan here wouldn’t have made much of a difference. It was then that Liz decided she would call her sister after lunch and ask them to join her. They both ran a small legal practice from their home in Calgary and she was sure they would come because they had said that their case load had just eased down some, so they could take some time off if they wanted to. Liz was happy with her decision and went back to watching all the various groups of people outside. She was so intent on watching what was going on outside that she didn’t even notice when the waiter arrived with her salad. The sound of him clearing his voice brought her back to her present surroundings.

  “Excuse me miss, but that young lady over there was would like to know if you would like some company for lunch, as she is by herself as well,” the waited asked. Liz looked to where the waiter had gestured and saw a small blonde sitting at a nearby table watching her with pleading eyes. How could she say no to the desperation she saw there? Liz motioned for the girl to join her and was surprised at how quickly such a little thing could move. The blonde girl was over at her table and sitting in a chair before she could blink an eye.

  “Thank you so much for letting me join you, my name’s Maggie Winters,” she said extended her hand out to Liz. Liz gave her a warm handshake and the girl continued. “You don’t know how grateful I am to you. My friend that was supposed to meet me here had to go home early so I’m on my own and I do so hate to eat alone. I guess I probably could have ordered room service, but I wanted to come to the restaurant. When I sat down I saw you sitting here by yourself, so I thought to myself, why don’t the two of us sit together instead of the both of us eating alone. Don’t you think that’s a good idea?”

  Liz couldn’t help but laugh at the burst of energy that Maggie showed. She hadn’t even paused for a single breath during that whole spiel. Smiling Liz replied. “Yes, I agree with you, eating alone can be lonely but I guess neither one of us has to experience that now. By the way, my name is Liz O’Riley,”

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” Maggie replied. The waiter clearing his voice once again interrupted the two women. Since Maggie had sat down the two of them had forgotten about him.

  “Yes,” they both replied at the same time.

  “I was wondering if the lady would like to order something?” he asked looking at Maggie.

  Maggie blushed a deep shade of pink and then replied. “I’ll have a house salad as well with a vinaigrette dressing thank you.”

  “And to drink?” he asked.

  “A club soda with a slice of lime please,” Maggie answered. The waiter nodded his head and then went off to see to a couple that had just sat down at a nearby table. “So, how long are you here for?” Maggie asked Liz.

  “Two weeks,” Liz replied. “I just arrived this morning.”

  “We got here two days ago but this morning my friend Rachel had to go home because her youngest son had an accident. I just hope the boy is going to be okay. But knowing Jason he will be because he’s the toughest little kid I’ve ever met. Anyways, now that Rachel’s gone I’m not sure if I’m going to stay or not. I don’t think it’ll be as much fun without her. The thing is that I’ve already paid for a ski lesson for two thirty today, so I have to at least stay for that. There’s no point in wasting that money already spent on the lesson but at least I will get a substantial refund for my room if I decide leave. I guess I’ll have to decide what to do after my lesson.” Maggie looked out the window and Liz could clearly see that the girl wanted to stay. Thinking to herself, Liz thought that Maggie seemed to be a nice enough person and that it was a shame that she would leave just because her friend had left. Then something Maggie had said piped her curiosity.

  “Did you say that you had a two thirty ski lesson?” Liz asked.

  “Yes I did, why’s that?” Maggie asked.

  “Well, I also have a ski lesson at two thirty today. Would you like to go to the lesson together?”

  “Oh yes I would,” Maggie replied practically bouncing out of her chair. “It would be so nice to go with you and not have to be there alone. Oh Liz, you’re a life safer. I’m so glad I asked to sit with you. For the first time today I feel happy. How can I ever thank you?”

  “You don’t need to thank me. I just thought it would be nice for the two of us to go together. I am alone too, so I’m sure that we probably would have been skiing together anyway.” Liz replied.

  “That’s probably true,” Maggie said, “but I would still like to thank you for offering to go together and for being so nice to me. I know, after our lesson we’ll come back here and I’ll treat you to dinner and I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Well if you put it
that way how can I refuse,” Liz exclaimed with a burst of laughter. The sound of her laughter felt good to Liz’s ears, as it had been so long since she had heard it. Given the chance she thought that she could really get to like this Maggie character and she hoped that Maggie would decide to stay.

  The waiter returned with Maggie’s salad and club soda and the two women dived into their food. Liz had not had a chance to touch her food yet but now she attacked it with hunger. She had not eaten since she had left home early that morning. The two of them ate their lunch while Maggie filled Liz in on what there was to do at the resort and then went on to describe the good-looking males she had seen around.

  At quarter past two Stephen stepped into the main lodge to find Mike. Mike was the resorts manager and booked the daily ski lessons. He also decided who would be assigned to which ski instructor. Finding Mike he asked to have the roster of names of the people he would be instructing today at two thirty. Stephen had felt that he needed to do more than be the proprietor of the resort, so he had decided that he would also act as a ski instructor. He had taken a course last winter and received his instructor certificate. He enjoyed teaching people how to ski and to watch them as they fell in love with it. He had wished he had decided to do this earlier in life, but back then things had been different. No point in dwelling on what he should have done. Looking over the list of names while he went back outside, Stephen nearly stumbled when he saw the last name on the list. It the woman who had filled his dreams this afternoon. It was none other than a Miss Liz O’Riley. With his heart racing, Stephen silently thanked Mike for putting her on his list and made a mental note to do something nice for him. By putting her on his list, Mike had just solved how Stephen was going to meet the woman. Now all she would think was that he was a ski instructor that worked for the lodge and she would have no way of knowing that he was also the owner. In ten minutes he was going to see her again.

  While Stephen was going over the ski list, Liz and Maggie came out of the ski shop loaded with new ski equipment for Liz. Maggie’s things were sitting in the ski rack just outside the shop. Liz felt a little self-conscious of herself at the moment because she hadn’t mastered how to walk in her ski boots yet. Every few steps it felt as if she was going to fall flat on her face. The things felt as if they weighed a ton each and she felt like she was learning to walk all over again. I must look like an idiot walking in these things, she thought to herself. As if reading her mind Maggie spoke up.

  “Don’t worry about a thing Liz. You’ll get the hang of those things in a minute. Everyone feels a little awkward in ski boots the first time they put them on. I know I did and that was only two days ago. Just take small steps until you get used to them.”

  “Thanks,” Liz said attempting to walk around in her new boots. Her boots were black and white as were her skis. She had chosen white to match her new white body suit she was wearing with an emerald green ski jacket. On a warmer day she would not need the ski jacket, as the bodysuit she was wearing was really quite warm on its own. She had received the outfit a week earlier from her sister as an early Christmas present. Liz may not be like her sister, but she had to admit that Jenny had good taste. The bodysuit fit like a glove and showed off every detail of her body. A fact that she had found a little embarrassing when she had first come out of her room and men had started looking at her or whistling. But it did not bother her now because she liked the attention she was getting. It had been so long since she had felt beautiful and she planned to enjoy it. When she had been with Bruce he had decided what she should wear, and his tastes leaned towards the more conservative side, a taste that Liz had not preferred. When she had moved out one of the first things she had done was give all her clothes to a local charity and bought herself a new wardrobe. It felt good to be dressed the way she liked again.

  Maggie had gone to put her ski’s on while Liz was working in her boots and now she had returned. Nudging Liz, Maggie nodded towards the ski lodge and said, “here comes our ski instructor.”

  “How do you know that?” Liz started to ask but stopped short when she saw whom Maggie had indicated was their instructor. “You’re kidding right?” Liz whispered to Maggie.

  “I would never kid about someone as gorgeous as that,” Maggie replied. “Besides I was in his class yesterday, so I just assumed that I would be again today and you’re in the same class as I am. His name is Stephen and yesterday all the girls in our class were tripping all over themselves to get his attention. But he didn’t seem to fall for all the flirtation that fell his way so to speak, so I’m guessing that he’s married.”

  Somehow Liz didn’t think that he was married but she wasn’t about to tell Maggie that. She had seen the way he had been watching her as she checked in this morning and for some reason she knew that he wasn’t married. As Liz watched him walk over towards them, other people were gathering around them who she assumed were taking lessons as well. By the time he had reached them Liz had been surrounded so she didn’t think that he had seen her. If he was her instructor Liz didn’t think that she was going to be able to do a thing with a man that attractive around. Look at what had happened to her this morning she could barely move a muscle when he had spoken to her so how was she ever going to be able to get herself moving on her skis.

  “Liz are you okay? You’re looking a little pale right now.” Maggie asked with what sounded like genuine concern.

  “I’m fine,” Liz replied. “I guess I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never been on skis let alone a ski hill before. I’ll be okay in a minute.”

  “Okay but you let me know if you need anything. Now let’s listen for our names to be called. Stephen’s telling people which instructor they’re to go with.” The two of them listen for their names and sure enough the two of them were standing with eight other skiers that made up Stephen class. Maggie stood off to the side and waited to see what would happen next. That’s when Stephen spoke to everyone.

  “Hi everyone, I’m glad that you could all make it out today. My name is Stephen and I’ll be your instructor for the next two hours. First, we’ll be doing some warm up exercises and then I’ll so you how to move around on your ski’s. After that we’ll try out a short easy run that has been designed for beginners. If you’re all a quick study we may get to try out one of the main runs. Don’t be scared, when I say one of the main runs I mean an easy one. I don’t want anyone going out onto one of the harder runs until I feel that you’re ready for it. By the time I’m done with you at the end of the week you’ll be skiing like the pros,” Stephen stated to everyone with a smile and a wink to the small boy standing in front of him. “Now if you have any questions please feel free to ask me while we’re doing our warm ups.” With that said, Stephen proceeded to lead them though stretching exercises as well as various other forms of exercises. By the time they were done fifteen minutes later, everyone was eager to start learning how to ski. For the next half hour Stephen showed everyone how to move from point A to point B, how to stop, and how to turn around on skis. That was something that Liz did not have the knack for. Liz groaned as she watched Maggie execute the move almost perfectly while she fell flat on her bottom trying the move. No sooner had her bottom hit the ground then she saw a large hand in front of her offering to help her up. Looking up at the owner of the hand she found herself staring into those wondrous brown eyes again for the second time that day. Putting her hand into his, Stephen pulled her up flush with his body. Once her body made contact with his Stephen didn’t want to let go of her. Her body fit perfectly into his as if they had been made for each other. He could feel her heat and could smell the fragrance of apples in her hair. Having her body this close to him immediately awakened his body and brought him back to his senses.

  “Are you all right miss?” Stephen asked Liz while dropping her hand and moving back a few feet.

  “I’m fine, thank you,” Liz replied in a somewhat shaken voice. The near closeness had left her breathless and she craved to have him clo
se again. Get a grip on yourself, Liz told herself; you don’t need a man close to you right now. But as Liz’s mind was telling her that, her body was saying the exact opposite. It was then that Liz realized that she had been wrong in telling herself she didn’t need a man in her life. If anything, she needed to feel the closeness of a male companion once more. That was something that had been lacking in her life for the last few months of life with Bruce. Sure, they had slept together but only because he had wanted to. The closeness she had once felt while being with a man had diminished long ago. But although she had just realized that she needed to feel that again, what made her think that it should be with this man Stephen, whom she didn’t even know. Besides, what’s to say that he would even want to sleep with her?

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” she heard Stephen say to her again. “You look like you’re a thousand miles away.”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Liz replied, “I was just thinking of something that’s all.”

  “Glad to hear you’re okay then. Now if you’re ready I think I’ll take you all for your first lesson on the ski hill.” In saying that he turned and told everyone to start heading towards the small ski lift that could be seen about fifty feet away. Maggie joined Liz and the two of them slowly started to move towards the ski lift together. Stephen followed behind them and was treated to a nice sight of Liz’s perfectly shaped bottom. This is going to be one interesting ski lesson, Stephen thought to himself.