Page 58 of Love on the Run

“Please be good to her. I mean it.”

“Yeah. You said that.”

Anna stepped out of the bathroom wearing her cold-weather gear, and something kicked in his chest. How could she look so good even when she was covered from head to toe in puffy layers?

“Call me later,” Olivia said before ending the call.

He shoved his phone and any thoughts aboutthe conversation with his sister into his pocket. “You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. I don’t know why this is on my bucket list. Actually, I do remember. I watched a documentary about a pro snowboarder when I was in high school, and he made it look easy.”

“Fair warning, it’s not easy,” Beau said as he stood and grabbed the key card from the table.

Anna was quiet as they stepped into the elevator. The silence pricked at his skin as they descended to the main level.

“You okay?” he finally asked.

“Yeah. Just a little nervous.”

She was more than a little nervous. If she didn’t stop fidgeting, she was going to scrub the skin off her hands.

Beau reached for her clasped hands, and she stilled before glancing up at him.

“We don’t have to do this,” he reminded her. Stepping out of your comfort zone was all good and well, but watching Anna squirm like this had his own stomach winding into knots.

She cleared her throat, but his center of gravity had shifted to another place. She flipped one of her hands and threaded her fingers between his.

And he was done. Anna Harris stole his breath, his heart, and everything else he thought he owned. How did it even happen? She’d sneakedinto his life like a ninja and destroyed him in just a few days.

He should let her go. He should pull his hand and his heart back and reclaim some small part of himself. She was going to go home, say she had a great time on this trip, and forget about him. Would he be able to do the same?

Then she smiled up at him and pinned him to the wall with an invisible dart. “Thanks. I would probably be backing out if you weren’t here, but I think I’m okay.”

Beau nodded once and swallowed his wayward emotions. “Say the word, and we’re done. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, revealing the lobby of the Freedom Ridge Lodge. Garland hung over every door, awning, and hearth, twinkling with white lights. An enormous tree stood imposingly by the huge staircase, and guests were scattered all over the large room. Tall windows framed the snowy scene outside.

He released her hand and gestured for her to lead the way. They were set to meet their instructor at the equipment rental shop in fifteen minutes. He had a quarter of an hour to get his head on straight.

A man wearing a blue outfit with the Freedom logo stood talking with another guy at their meeting point. When he spotted Beau and Anna walking his way, he lifted his chin and flasheda smile.

“Hey. Beau and Anna?”

“That’s us,” Anna said, extending a hand to the guy. “You must be Aiden.”

“You bet. It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for booking the private lesson.”

“Well, I’ve never done this before, so I’m sure I’ll need lots of help.”

Aiden introduced himself to Beau, and they shook hands. “Is this your first time too?” Aiden asked.

“It’s been a few years, but I’ve been snowboarding before.”

“Sounds good. I can help both of you at different levels.”

Beau raised his hand. “No need. Today is about her, so I’ll stay at her pace.” As fun as a free day on the slopes sounded, he couldn’t miss the chance to watch Anna learn something new.

Aiden would probably understand if he was married or had a girlfriend. Beau had officially turned into one of those guys, and he and Anna weren’t even together.

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