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Every nerve in Kyle’s being went as taut as a tightrope. If he didn’t get it together, he’d be the clown in the circus. With relief, he felt his muscles contract and release as he moved downhill. It was coming back. For him skiing again was like the old saying about it being like riding a bike.
He followed the snow pixie ahead of him with the slightest unsteady movement before he felt control returning to his body. Making a maneuver with confidence he didn’t entirely feel, he slid up beside her in the lift line.
“Got your ski legs, I see. You’ll need them. The beginner slope may be our easiest slope but it’s also our busiest.”
Had she noticed his reluctance? He couldn’t—no, wouldn’t—let that happen. Something about her made him believe that she didn’t tolerate weakness in others, or in herself. He had no intention of letting his show. There could be no reason for questions. He looked her straight in the eyes.
“I’m aware of the type of skiers on the beginner slope. I can handle my assignment.”
“It’s my job to see that the resort visitors have a good time and are safe while doing it. I take it seriously, and you should too.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said in a placatory tone that indicated he had no plan to yield to her position.
They slid into place to wait on their lift seat then took a chair when it came around.
Despite their difference in size, Baylie’s leg brushed his, from hip to knee. A zip of awareness ran along his thigh. Even through the thickness of their ski gear he was conscious of her feminine curves pressed against him. Her personality might be prickly, but there was nothing uncomfortable about her softness.
Baylie shifted as if trying to put space between them but the limited seating area brought her leg back against his. For that brief moment when she’d pulled away, coolness had filled the gap and was replaced by heat when her leg met his again.
She inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly. “You’ll be expected to patrol this area and help anyone who needs it. Please pay special attention to the adults. The kids seem to get how to ride a lift right off but the adults can take out a group of skiers waiting in line faster than an avalanche.”
Kyle couldn’t help but chuckle at that turn of phrase. He’d seen it happen. They grinned at each other. For once that serious look had left her face. Where she’d been noticeably wholesome looking before, with a smile she became strikingly attractive.
Their skis touched snow again. After one unsure wobble, he skied off beside her. Success. Baylie seemed quite deft on her skis, making him all the more conscious of his lack of confidence.
“You have your radio. If you need anything, call in and someone with be here to help.”
With those final words Kyle watched as she skied off down the gentle slope in the direction from which they’d come and proceeded without a pause over the side of the mountain. She seemed very confident both on the snow and in her job. At one time he had been about the latter, but not now. Taking a deep breath, he marshaled his determination to get along with the patrol leader and get through the next two days, before putting his skis up forever.
Baylie wasn’t certain about the new guy.
He’d looked unsure for a moment when they’d been putting on their skis but that expression had disappeared quickly as they’d skied to the lift. If his confident attitude meant anything then he thought he could do anything well. It was one thing to be independent, another to be reckless. That she knew firsthand, and wasn’t impressed by it. She’d make a point of checking on him regularly during the day. It was important for the courtesy-patrol volunteers to display self-assurance on the slopes, not superiority.
Around midday Baylie skied off the lift that stopped at the top of the mountain. She’d made her rounds a number of times and had once found the new guy helping a girl up and later stopping an experienced skier to instruct him not to ski so fast through the learner area.
This visit Baylie skied up beside him. “You seem to be catching on pretty quick.”
“Most of it is just common sense,” he said with a smile.
It was a nice smile that was bracketed by half-moon lines on each side of his mouth. She couldn’t see if it reached his eyes because of his sunglasses but she hoped it did.
“Is the entire patrol made up of volunteers?”
“Yes. Most of them just enjoy having a free day of skiing in exchange for their help. They are snow junkies glad to be on skis.”
“You are the only paid staff member?”
“I am. The management feels it makes for a friendlier resort for families to have the patrol staffed by volunteers. If the patrol consisted of all paid personnel they might think they were in authority over the skiers. The management sees us as a partner in fun. It is a subtle difference but a significant one.”
He grinned. “Interesting way to think of things. I can certainly see the marketing value.”
Anyway, this was more like it. She was glad to see that he seemed at ease. His smile alone was one that the resort patrons would like—especially the women.
“Enjoying yourself?” she asked.
“It hasn’t been bad. I’ve been plenty busy.”
“I told you so.” She grinned at him. “Someone will be along to relieve you so you can have lunch. Do you know where to go to find some?”
“No, but I brought mine with me, anyway.”
Had he made his own lunch, or did he have a significant other at home? For years her mother had packed her father’s lunchbox before he’d left for the mine. It didn’t matter. That information wasn’t her business.
“Okay, I’ll see you later.” She shifted her weight and started downhill.
“You know, I don’t need anyone checking up on me.”
With a swift shift of her hips she pulled up on the edge of her skis, stopping. “It’s my job to see how my volunteers are doing.”
“Is it your job to do so every hour on the hour?”
“It’s my job to do it as often as I deem necessary.”
“I thought you might just like watching me.”
Why, the egotistical man!
His grin said he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. She wasn’t used to anyone joking with her. More than one person, especially here lately, had told her that she was far too serious.
Before she could respond, the bang from a gun being fired in the distance made her jump. She shifted precariously, ski poles searching for ground to steady herself. It had been almost a year since the blast, and she still didn’t have control over her emotions when she heard a loud noise. Falling apart in front of her volunteers—and particularly this one—wasn’t something she wanted to do. Kyle gave her the impression he didn’t miss many details. She had to learn to handle her fear.
Before she recovered, a large hand wrapped around her upper arm and held her steady. The strength of the fingers was evident even through her bulky jacket.
“You okay?” Kyle’s voice held concern.
She had the feeling that from behind his dark glasses he was watching her closely. “Yeah.” She pulled her arm out of his grasp. “I’m fine.” Heat filled her face, in spite of the weather. “I was just caught off guard.”
“You’re sure?”
Controlling the shaking of her hands, Baylie poked her ski pole firmly in the snow and pushed away. “Yes, I’m sure.” But the words were caught in the wind. She reached the entrance to the intermediate slope, stopped and looked back at him. Even from a distance she could tell his brow was raised in confusion.
Hours later the radio clipped to Baylie’s waist squawked, “Child down on the beginner slope.” It wasn’t the voice of the new guy. For some reason, his she would’ve recognized.
She brought the radio to her mouth. “ETA five.”
Skiing fast, she made her way to the nearest lift and broke through the line. Riding up, she radioed instructions to the patrolman who had given her the report. There was a pause then the man said, “The new guy took her to the clinic.”
What?
“He said he was a doctor and he’d take care of her.”
He was a doctor? She’d figured since he hadn’t introduced himself with the title of MD that he must be the clinic manager or a physical therapist. That didn’t matter. It didn’t mean he knew how to handle the kind of injuries that occurred on the mountain.
Heat filled her from head to toe. Her jaw tightened. She couldn’t respond as she wanted to over the radio. She’d straighten out protocol when she was done with the patient. Working to keep her voice even, Baylie replied, “Thanks. I’ll meet him there. Please patrol the beginner slope while we’re at the clinic.”
“Ten-four.”
Baylie was going to see to it that this guy knew his place. She made the decisions on this mountain. The care of the skiers was her responsibility. It could be a liability issue if someone was further injured by one of the patrol.
She’d hardly been deposited off the lift before she was releasing her bindings and stalking into the clinic. All the way up she reminded herself that the patient came first. The last time she’d been this irate had been when she’d woken up in a hospital bed and they wouldn’t tell her what had happened to the rest of the men.
Taking a calming breath, she walked through the tiny lobby of the patrol office. A deep voice and the shy giggle of a small child came from the direction of the exam room. As Baylie went through the door she found Kyle leaning over a little girl of about six years old with a cherubic face and flaxen curls. He was checking her eyes with a small penlight and at the head of the bed stood another longtime patrol member. Baylie fixed him with a piercing look. His lips went into a thin line and he shrugged before he said, “He insisted.”
“I did,” came the deep voice of the man examining the girl.
She spoke to the patrolman. “Please find her parents.”
The man didn’t dither when he left.
“Tell me what happened.”
Kyle glanced at her before turning his attention back to rubbing the child’s head with the tips of his fingers. Despite her anger, she had to admit he did have a gentle way about him. But he wasn’t the qualified medical staff here. She was. He’d had no business removing the child from the slope without her permission.
“Cassie was a little late getting off the lift and it caught her in the back of the head.” He continued examining the girl, looking down at her and smiling. The girl gave him a shy grin.
The man could charm a snake out of a basket. Baylie was afraid she’d have a hard time not responding to that smile if he ever turned it on her.
“The lift seat knocked her down. Mostly scared her,” Kyle finished, still not looking at Baylie.
She stepped to the table. “You can go back to the slope now. I’ll handle it from here,” she stated in her best no-nonsense voice.
Kyle’s mouth tightened and he moved away, but she sensed his presence not far behind her. He wasn’t leaving. Having no intention of having an ugly discussion in front of a patient, especially a frightened child, she said no more. There would be time later to clarify the rules on this mountain.
“Hi, I’m Baylie,” she said to the child, smiling reassuringly. “Cassie, can you tell me where it hurts?”
The girl put her hand to the back of her head.
“I found a goose egg in the back on the left side,” Kyle said from behind her.
Moving her fingers along the girl’s scalp, Baylie located a knot. “It’ll be sore for a few days,” Baylie told the girl. “Do you mind if I listen to your heart and check a few more things?”
“I’ve already done that, and she checks out fine,” Kyle said, moving to the other side of the bed.
He wasn’t going to leave this alone.
“Do you mind if I do it again?” she asked the girl.
The girl nodded her head in agreement.
“Good. Your mother and father should be here soon.”
“Father. My mother doesn’t live with us anymore.” Sadness filled the girl’s eyes.
“Well, how about we get you all fixed up before your father gets here?” Baylie smiled at her and pulled out her stethoscope. She began to examine the girl and was just finishing when a man’s fearful voice called, “Cassie?”
With quick steps Kyle moved out into the lobby area.
“You must be Cassie’s father.” Kyle’s rusty-timbred voice carried into where Baylie and Cassie waited. “She’s fine. Just a little bump on the head. Come this way.”
The men continued to talk. The man’s voice lowered. Kyle had effectively calmed the father, she grudgingly admitted. Seconds later the men entered the room.
The father rushed to the girl’s side. “Honey, are you all right?”
“Uh-huh. But I hit my head.”
“Hi, I’m Baylie Walker, the courtesy-patrol leader on the mountain.”
The man glanced at her before returning his attention to his daughter.
“Cassie’s going to be just fine. You’ll want to keep some ice on the bump until the swelling goes down,” Baylie continued as she squeezed the girl’s hand.
“That was just what Dr. Campbell was telling me.”
The father had effectively dismissed Baylie. She pursed her lips and looked at Kyle. He raised a shoulder and let it fall.
“I’ve given Cassie a thorough exam. Other than the knock on her head she seems fine. You’re welcome to take her with you but I suggest you watch her closely. You’re also welcome to the disposable ice pack. If you need anything, just let me know.” She stepped over to the counter, retrieved a card and handed it to the father. “You can reach me twenty-four hours a day.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that,” the father said, giving Cassie a hug.
“I bet a cup of hot chocolate would make that head feel better,” Kyle said with a grin that did something to her insides she wasn’t entirely comfortable with. His mouth could be a weapon against her if he chose to use it.
“Uh-huh.” Cassie looked at her father. “Can I have a hot chocolate, Daddy?”
Her father picked her up in his arms. “Sure, honey.”
Okay, Kyle officially had a great bedside manner. He might have some other grating personality issues but he’d dealt well with Cassie and her scared father. Baylie had seen none do better. Still, he had no business being so high-handed about making decisions that should have been hers.
“The best on the mountain is over at Snow Mountain Café,” Baylie suggested. “You know where that is?”
“Sure do. Thank you again.” The father smiled at her and offered his hand to Kyle. “Thanks, Dr. Campbell, for taking care of my little girl.”
“You’re welcome.” Kyle ruffled Cassie’s hair. “See you on the slope.”
She grinned.
When the outside door to the clinic closed behind them, Baylie turned to Kyle. “You didn’t tell me you were a doctor.”
“Does it matter?”
