Page 10 of Always Be Mine

“Hopefully you won’t need any of this much longer.” The woman rang through her purchases and, at Lucy’s request, cut off the tags.

She’d be wearing everything immediately.

“I think the forecast is calling for one more big dump of snow.”

“Really?” Maybe she’d chosen the wrong town after all.

The woman didn’t bother to hide her laughter as she handed Lucy the jacket first. “There’s a reason the ski hill doesn’t shut down until the very end of April. Most of the time, the spring skiing conditions are excellent right up to the day of the Spring Splash. And often into May.”

Lucy shook her head as she slipped the coat on. Instantly, she was warmer. “You just said a lot of things that don’t make any sense. Spring skiing? I thought it was a winter thing. And what exactly is a Spring Splash?”

“Are you sure you’re only from Vancouver?” The woman winked. “I thought all Canadians knew about skiing.” She was teasing, and Lucy couldn’t help but smile.

“Not this one.” She shrugged. “I’m a city girl, born and raised. And to be totally honest, I’ve never been to a ski hill. At least not for skiing.” Many years ago, her mom took her to Whistler on a summer vacation. They’d ridden a chair lift to the top, where they hiked around and took in the views. Her mom had been a lot more impressed than she had been at twelve years old. Especially considering Lucy would much rather have been at the mall with her friends.

“Well, if you have a chance you should check it out. Spring skiing is really the most fun.”

Lucy gave her the side eye.

“It is.” She laughed. “My name is Krysta Nelson, by the way. If you mention my name at the ski school, they’ll hook you up with Kane. He’s my twin brother, and the best instructor there is on the hill. Besides myself,” she added with another chuckle.

The woman’s good humor started to infect Lucy, and her bad mood from earlier began to slip away.

“Thank you, Krysta. I don’t know if I’ll give skiing a try yet. But I will be around for a bit.”

“Really? How long?”

She handed the cap across the counter, and Lucy tugged it down onto her head in a way she hoped made her look as cute as some of the women she’d seen walking around earlier.

“Honestly? I don’t really know. I have my short-term rental for a few weeks, but I might start looking for something more permanent. I don’t really feel like going back to Vancouver right away.”

“You needed a change.” Krysta nodded as if she knew exactly what Lucy was thinking, which it seemed as if she did. “I totally get it. Kane and I were the same way. We moved here from out East to teach ski school when we were nineteen and never left. Trickle Creek can be a bit magical.”

“Magical.” Lucy nodded as if that made any sense to her, but she hadn’t even been in town for twenty-four hours yet. As far as she was concerned, it was going to take a magical town to make her forget about the mess she’d left behind on the coast.

“You’ll see.” Krysta took her credit card with a wink. “If you give it a little bit of time, you’re never going to want to leave.”

Lucy couldn’t think of a thing to say in response. Instead, she took her credit card back, along with the receipt, and tucked them both into her wallet. “It was really nice meeting you, Krysta.” She grabbed her mittens and turned to leave. “I hope to see you again.”

Krysta laughed again. “You know where to find me. And if you do decide to try skiing, don’t forget?—”

“Ask for Kane.”

“You bet.”

Lucy walked out of Summit Style in a remarkably better mood than when she’d gone in and continued her travels through the plaza until she got to the grocery store located at the far end, just off the main plaza area.

Twenty minutes later, loaded down with two large paper bags, Lucy made her way back through the plaza toward her apartment. She wasn’t sure whether it was the fresh air, or the dozens of friendly people she’d run into since stepping foot outside, but she felt much better about her decision—no matter how rash and not thought-out—to be in Trickle Creek. She had a good feeling about the small town, and she had hardly even begun to explore it. Maybe she would take Krysta up on her suggestion to have a ski lesson. It wasn’t something she’d normally do, and wasn’t that the point? And she never had actually found out what the Spring Splash was?—

Before she could finish her thought, Lucy’s foot slipped on a patch of ice, and before she knew what was happening, or could even think to try to break her fall, her groceries flew from her arms and she landed on her back. Hard.

ChapterFour

By the timeCraig saw the woman slip, it was too late. He’d been so lost in his own thoughts, and his latest of far too many stresses, he hadn’t even noticed until he heard her let out a holler.

Using caution over the slippery ice, he ran over to where the woman had fallen. He dropped to his knees and something in his gut twisted as he realized it was the same pretty brunette from earlier. “Are you okay?”

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled off his jacket, balled it up, and gently placed it under her head. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn’t moving. He took a moment to assess her. Earlier, she’d only been wearing a sweater. Now she was practically swallowed up by a ridiculous puffy purple coat, and a knit cap covered her dark hair.

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