Vivian Arend - Rocky Mountain Desire

They slid their inner tube under the rope tow and crawled on board. Matt found himself cradling her between his legs, and suddenly the cold temperature around them wasn’t going to be nearly enough to keep his body from reacting to the surprisingly intimate position. He’d never thought of sledding as potentially erotic.

“Ready?” She turned toward him, and the limited lights of the hill shone through the darkness and highlighted the flush on her cheeks.

He reached up and grabbed the rope. The tube slipped upward smoothly. Hope wiggled sideways until her chest faced him, clutching him tighter. There might be icy-cold air slipping into his lungs, but with the grip she had on him and the way her long legs slid against his, he was plenty warm.

“When was the last time you went sledding?” she asked.

“Boxing Day. Family tradition.”

“That’s right. I knew that.”

Matt stiffened involuntarily. Hope looked out at the lighted sections of the ski hill, and Matt bit back his frustration. Yeah, she knew that from him taking Helen out year after year with the family. Or at least asking Helen to come, when she did deem it possible.

There was no way to get around it. He and Hope knew way more about each other than the average couple at the start of their dating career.

The comfortable banter they’d enjoyed earlier in the evening vanished, and with every passing second he wished he could turn back the clock. Change his response. He could ignore the awkward moment, but that wasn’t going to make the truth go away. “We will have to deal with this at some point.”

Hope adjusted position again, which brought her hips into contact, her crotch nudging his hip. “Deal with what?”

The erection he was carrying? The one going from a semi to a full faster than he wanted, considering they were going to hurl themselves down the hill in a few minutes. “We can’t pretend that Helen doesn’t exist.”

Hope snorted. “Well, hell, can’t we?”

“You know what I mean.”

They were at the top of the hill, and she rolled, pressing her hands against his chest and pushing her way over him. The move teased as her body weight rested fully on him for a second before she slid off. He let loose the rope and scrambled upright.

They reached for the tube at the same time. Hope deferred to him and grabbed his hand instead.

“Yeah, you’re right. She does exist, but you know, if we’re going to do this…dating thing, then you’ve got to not tense up every time someone mentions her name or you have to talk about something you’ve done with her.” Hope squeezed his fingers. “I’m just saying that the longer we’re around each other, the more likely it is that someone will say something. Or, you know, remind you of her. It’s time to move on. Ether that or we stay at my place and hide out, or we forget about seeing each other altogether—”

“That’s not what I want.” Matt stopped them on the top ridge of the slope, securing the inner tube with a foot as he brought their bodies close together, tucking a loose hair farther under her crazy toque. “I’m not hiding, and yeah, you’re right. People will talk, but I’m a grown man, so I can just get the hell over myself. You have permission to smack me whenever I get stupid. I’m trying.”

Hope grinned, her head tilted to the side as she looked him over. “Smack you? Hmm, sounds fun. You mean like this?”

She leapt forward, and he jerked to attention, catching her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Only with one foot up on the inner tube, his balance was far enough off-center that the force of her momentum tipped them both and she landed on him, squarely on the inner tube.

Their combined weight set them barreling forward, and Hope buried her face in his neck as they bounced down the hill at an increasingly breakneck speed.

“Hoy shit.” He scrambled for the handholds on the tube, spreading his legs to counter-balance their bodies. Hope lifted her head and shrieked with enthusiasm. Snow flew up on either side of them, a fine icy spray that coated everything before instantly melting to run in rivulets down his face and under his collar.

He laughed, the sound escaping in staccato bursts as they rocketed over a series of small bumps. “We’re all going to dieeee…”

It seemed forever before they spun in a slow circle, coming to a stop. They were both still laughing uncontrollably. Matt relaxed his hips, and they sank into the hollow in the middle of the tube, Hope collapsing with him. They were cradled together, but it was the bright smile on her face and the enthusiasm in her eyes that beaconed louder than the sexual chemistry between them.

Hope kissed his cheek then scrambled out of reach, slapping snow off her shoulders and knees. “That was awesome!”

“Next time I get to use you as a landing pad.”

She grinned. “You told me to smack you.”

“I did.” Matt grabbed the tube with one hand and reached for her with the other. “May I suggest we go for the spinning demon my brothers invented?”

“Sounds scary.”

“Only if you’ve had too many eggnogs first.”

They took the tow again and again, laughing and sliding until they were exhausted.

Not even the thought she was going to drive home in the devil’s junk heap could darken his good mood.

“Four more companies have signed up already, so you guys need to look at the calendar and make some decisions about when you want to start your preparations.” Hope taped the last corner of the poster in the shop’s front window, advertising that Thompson and Sons were official participants in the spring Quilt Raffle contest.

Clay wiped his hands on a cloth and spun the desk calendar around, pushing it to the front of the counter. “Take a peek. Any time that’s empty we can book for the first session.”

Hope leaned over and checked the weeknights hopefully. She wanted to keep her weekends as free as possible to spend time with Matt when the shop wasn’t open. “I can’t believe your dad got on board so fast with doing the challenge.”

Clay laughed. “We forgot to take into consideration that him and Captain Fraser at the fire hall have had a long-term feud going for years. All Len and me had to do was mention the captain was taking part, and Dad folded like a bad card hand.”

She tapped the upcoming Wednesday evening. “I’m free here. What do you think?”

Suddenly, there were two rock-like bands of muscle on either side of her, Clay’s big body a heated cage at her back as he stepped behind her and leaned in. “I think we can do that.”

He reached forward for the pencil, his entire front pressing against her and Hope froze with uncertainty. Was it deliberate? “Clay…?”

“Hmm?” He wrote lazily, circling and adding her name to the seven o’clock time slot.

He didn’t change position and she sighed. Damn. No action for the longest time and now she had two guys interested in her? Life was totally unfair.

“Back off, Clay. I told you I was seeing someone else.” She wiggled free, snatching up the rest of the posters into her arms like a shield. “I’m not going to date you both at the same time.”

“Matt. Yeah, I remember you said that.” He looked her over, taking his time and not holding back from showing his interest. “I think you should reconsider. I’m a much better choice than him.”

He turned that killer smile on, and Hope had to respond with a grin of her own. “And oh-so-modest?”

“As always.” Clay eased away and shrugged. “Seems I’ve been waiting for you to be available for long enough to show I’m serious. But if you think he’s going to make you happy, it’s your life.”

“Damn right, it is.”

He stopped her, his hand gentle on her upper arm. “But if you change your mind and decide he’s too much like baggage, let me know. I’ll be watching.”

Great. She didn’t want another guardian. Hope pulled away from his grasp. “I think you guys should both get over yourselves. I’m not a needy puppy or something.”

He returned to his spot on the other side of the counter. Those tight muscles may have walked him away, taking his bulk farther into a safety zone, but his too-perceptive gaze stayed put, staring right through her. “You’re needy. You just won’t admit it.”

Hope batted her lashes and flashed him the finger at the same time. She joined him in laughing as she pushed the front door open and headed back onto the street. How she had gotten stuck in the middle of a male ego-fest, she wasn’t sure. That sort of battle was fought over other women, not her. Sure she’d dated, but never had more than one guy hanging around at a time.

The temperature was well below freezing, but she enjoyed the short walk back to her shop. Even though it was Monday and the store was closed, she had a few things planned to keep her busy. From all the stats she’d learned during her college classes and her days of working part-time, she expected a lull in sales for most of the month. January was perfect for other moneymaking tasks.

She was in the middle of cutting out a jacket to sell on consignment when the phone rang.

“You’re not hanging out at the shop on your day off, are you?” Jaxi Coleman scolded her over the line and Hope snickered.

“No. Of course not. I’ve been waiting anxiously for you to call. Because just like the past couple times you phoned, I have absolutely nothing on my agenda until you tell me what I’m going to do for the next four hours of my life.”

In the background, little girls giggled and talked baby talk, and Hope smiled in spite of knowing the Jaxi-steamroller was about to flatten her.

“Am I really that bossy?” Jaxi asked.

Hope laughed. “You know you are, but that’s fine. What’s up?”

“I want adult company. The guys are all working and it’s too cold to haul the babes outside, and I’ve already baked enough cookies my hips won’t fit through the door if I eat them by myself.”

“So you need me to come and finish them? Won’t make a spot of difference on me, you know.”

“Oh, pshaw. You’re gorgeous. Don’t go begging for compliments or I’ll be all over you, even though I’m exhausted from keeping up with Blake.”

Hope paused, images of trying to keep up with Matt racing through her brain faster than she could process and enjoy.

“Hope? You still there, honey?”

She shook herself. “Sorry, distracted.”

Jaxi snorted. “Once you get undistracted, can you come and play? Stay for supper, help me wipe baby bottoms. Bring over whatever you’re working on and I can help you.”

“Like you need more hobbies.”

“Seriously, I’m thinking about doing some more sewing. These cold days it would be a nice task to keep me busy.”

Hope hauled her things together, tossing in a prepackaged baby quilt kit she had done up as a sample. If Jaxi was serious about wanting to try something—and knowing Jaxi and her endless energy, she probably was—it would be a great chance to discover if her kit would help newbies to quilting.

The drive to the ranch was no warmer than in the days of using Herbie, but the massive truck’s tires gripped the road better, and she certainly sat high enough to have plenty of warning as she approached intersections.

She pulled into the yard at Jaxi and Blake’s, the second of the original Coleman homesteads. The older buildings of the ranch were well maintained, barns on the nearby section tidy and everything in their place. Hope appreciated the work the family put in even as she ached a little.

There was so much pride and love visible among the Colemans—with her own messed-up family and the lack of trust, it hurt to acknowledge what she’d never had.

Now, stepping more fully into their midst? Where she’d longed to be when her own family had exploded into chaos? She’d have given anything back then for the Coleman clan’s protection when the screaming and throwing and accusations had begun.

A horrible thought hit, and Hope actually stopped in the parking space and clutched the wheel hard. Was she with Matt to be with the Colemans? To experience the whole warmth of family because she’d missed it in her past?

Then his smile flashed to mind, the sexy lift of his eyes as he met her gaze, and she relaxed. There might be a part inside that wanted things associated with the man, but she was pretty sure the man himself was the first and most attractive draw.

Jaxi held the door open for her, a baby balanced on her hip. “I wondered if you’d gone to sleep out there.”