Chance Encounter(19)

Through the set up, Ally remained on site, standing there in the rain. Chance ignored her. He went through the different possible scenarios with the staff, then spent some time demonstrating what to do in each of those instances.

And still Ally stayed.

And still he ignored her.

They were all drenched by the time the majority of them got onto the lifts for the first “rescue,” including his new, and temporary, boss. Water ran off her rain gear in little rivulets. Her eyes were wide and clear and bright. Excited. She smiled at him, her long, long lashes spiked with rain, and something deep inside him tightened. Ached.

It pissed him off. She was too damn…bright. Happy. Vulnerable. And it made him feel vulnerable, too. He hated that. “What are you still doing here?” he asked in his most intimidating, go-away voice.

She smiled sweetly. “Same thing you are.”

“No.”

“No?” She tipped her head as if she didn’t understand the word.

“Look…” He put his hands on his hips and gave her his scariest go-away look to match the voice. “Do you even know how to ski?”

“Well…no.” She sent him that little smile again.

He kept his gaze on hers so he wouldn’t think about kissing that little smile right off of her mouth. “So there’s little chance you’ll ever actually be on ski patrol.”

“I want to learn this.”

He sighed and remembered the phone call he’d gotten from Lucy just the night before. Are you making her have fun? She’s not had enough of that, Chance.

Obviously Lucy didn’t know what a pain in the—

“Please?” Ally asked, her eyes warm and hopeful, her mouth so full and kissable he ached.

“Oh, get on the damn lift.”

She shot him a megawatt smile. “Thanks.”

“You can thank me if you live.”

Tim, one of their lift operators, slowed the lift down to a crawl. Ally moved toward it, her smile looking a bit brittle now as she stared at the moving chair.

“Get on.”

“Okay.” But she didn’t move, only licked her lips and fisted her hands at her side.

“What the hell is the matter now?”

“Um…nothing.”

Uh-huh. And he was the Tooth Fairy. She was petrified, anyone could see that. He could have told her she didn’t have to do this, but she’d pushed the issue and now she’d damn well train with the rest of them, even though not all managers, and certainly few actual resort owners, spent time in training anymore.

Finally she stepped in front of the chair, water running down the new parka that hid her every curve. Didn’t seem to matter, since Chance could still picture them perfectly.

Ally craned her neck and looked upward at the moving chairs. Then she spent a moment getting ready, facing away from the approaching lift, yet looking at it over her shoulder. The correct position, except for the trepidation in her gaze.

“Uh-oh,” Jo murmured to Chance, echoing his thoughts exactly.

When the chair hit the back of Ally’s knees, she let out a little squeal that clearly translated her terror.

“Looks like this rescue might become a real one,” Brian said, watching Ally clutch at the steel support on the chair and nearly miss.

Dammit. “What are you doing?” he yelled up to her. “Scoot back!” He cupped his hands around his mouth so his voice would carry through the rain. “Scoot back now!”

Ally gripped the chair with both hands, but didn’t scoot back. As she was swept into the air, she hung on, half on the chair, half off, and let out another alarmed squeak.

Chance swore and leaped forward, following the chair. She wasn’t that high, yet, but there was no cushy snow to break her fall if she let go. “Dammit, Ally, listen to me! Scoot back!”

She just clung to the edge, looking down at him from an increasing height. When she caught sight of the ground vanishing beneath her, all the color drained from her face.

“Stop the chair!” he yelled over to Tim, who did so at that exact moment.

The lift ground to an immediate halt, and from fifteen feet above his head, Ally let out a loud gasp as the thing swung back and forth from the abrupt stop. She finally scrambled all the way into the chair, and then a second later her pale face appeared over the side, though she carefully refrained from looking down. “I’m okay.”

His heart had all but stopped. “You might have mentioned you’re afraid of heights.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“And I suppose you weren’t lost the other day either.”

She looked straight ahead. “I’ve got it under control now.”

So she did. Never mind that he’d gone weak at the knees, his heart still kicking in triple time.

She leaned back, still looking pale as a ghost, but calm as he pleased. “I’m completely fine.”

“Well maybe we ought to start with your rescue, what do you think?”

“Oh no, not on my account.” Her white knuckles were visible on the edge.

Next to him, Jo’s radio crackled, and through the airwaves, Michelle, their receptionist, spoke up. “I’ve got an important call for Ally.”

Jo lifted the radio to her mouth. “Ally’s on the lift at the moment.”