Page 2 of Snowbound Lovers
With a flourish, Jas sweeps her hand around, directing my gaze to the view from the side window—always the real estate professional that she is—and I turn, laughing. “Jas, I’m not a potential purchaser. I could never afford to buy this place, even though I think it’s totally beautiful.”
Throwing her head back, she laughs unashamedly. “Sorry. Sometimes it’s hard to switch off from work mode.” Moving toward the door, she continues, “I’ll leave you, then, before I start spouting off about the transportation links and facilities in the area. I guess, more importantly, in your bathroom, there are towels and toiletries, but if you need anything else, just give me or the staff a shout. Our housekeeper comes in daily to service all the rooms.”
“Thanks again, Jasmine, for inviting me. This Christmas is going to be the best.”
I’ve known Jas for a number of years. Ever since she and Cassie were roommates at college. She lives in Manhattan and heads up the residential sales division of her father’s property development company. She met her Australian fiancé, Scott, at Cassie and Luke’s wedding just over a year ago. He was one of Luke’s best men, and their vacation fling happily turned out to be more than a one-time thing. Those two are so well suited because they love nothing better than going on thrill-seeking adventures that even by my standards are crazy.
She walks back over to me, wrapping me in one of her special hugs. Jasmine has always been big on hugs. “I’m really glad you came, and you’re right; this is going to be a fun vacation. Now, I’ll see you later, after you’ve settled in. I think Klaus, our chef, said dinner will be at seven. I guess we’ll do some drinks probably around six thirty.” She leaves, closing the door softly behind her.
Still standing in the middle of the room, I turn slowly in a full circle, taking in everything. From the inviting queen-size bed covered in crisp white linens with a fluffy pastel blue blanket across the foot, a flat screen TV on the wall opposite, then around to the comfortable armchair and footrest in navy-blue suede positioned by the large side window. What a nice spot to read my latest romance novel, which I packed for a holiday treat to myself. The view from the window is like the one from the hall, all late afternoon golden skies, casting a shimmer across the snow. But the dominant feature of the room is the set of glass doors leading out to the deck, which runs the full length of the front of the chalet.
I walk over to the doors and open them, stepping cautiously out onto the snow-covered wood and taking in the panoramic view beyond. From the stark white cloaked slopes down to the tree line and farther down to the lights beginning to twinkle in the town below.
A shiver runs up my arms; the temperature is dropping with the sun sinking behind the mountains, and the cold is penetrating through my sweater. I turn and walk back into the cozy warmth of my room. Drawing the curtains to keep the heat in; I then continue into the adjoining bathroom. Dark charcoal stone tiles cover all four walls, making the room feel cave-like as the last of the daylight streaks in through a high, narrow window along one wall. There’s no tub, but the shower area is huge, probably the same size as my whole bathroom at home, and after traveling all day, it is too tempting.
Not wasting a moment more, I strip off my clothes and drop them on the wooden bench beside the glass shower door. I step into the area, turn the shower to steamy hot, and let the jets of warm water wash away the residual travel grit. I may never want to leave this little slice of heaven.
Chapter 2
Jarrod
Christmas.Bahhumbug!Ihate this time of year; to me, it’s not the season to be jolly, ’tis the season to be grumpy. Being forced to lock down the office for the week and walk away from the pile of papers on my desk is inconvenient. Why can’t my family just let me work through to catch up on the backlog?
Jasmine, my little sister, was the worst this year, insisting I join her and her friends here in Aspen at our family’s vacation home. Maybe others would call it a ski chalet or even a mansion, but to us, it’s just always been our family’s winter vacation home.
Stepping out of my rental SUV, I have to admit it’s good to breathe in the fresh mountain air rather than the city smog. Snow begins to fall in soft fluffy wet flakes, and I’m happy to be here, but I’ll never tell Jasmine that.
We’ve been coming to Aspen since we were kids. Jasmine, my older brother, Rory, and I have always loved the hours we’ve spent together skiing, and more recently, snowboarding, these famous slopes. Maybe a few days of boarding on fresh powder will be good for me. I reach into the back seat to pull out my bags and stride up the steps to the double front door.
Using my electronic code, I unlock it and follow the sound of voices through to the great room. My sister, Scott, and Luke are kicking back in front of the fireplace.
Jas jumps up when she catches sight of me, rushing toward me and excitedly shouting, “Jarrod, you came.”Huh? Like she gave me a choice.
I have seconds to react and just manage to drop my bags before she is throwing her arms around me in an enthusiastic hug. I’m used to this kind of welcome from Jas, even though I only saw her a couple of days ago in the office.
She pulls back, looking up at me. “I wasn’t sure you were going to come.”
She had been bugging me for the last week to join her group for the holidays, and in the end, it was easier to come than deal with the grief she would give me for not turning up.
With what I suspect is a cynical smile, I reply, “I didn’t think that was an option. You were threatening me with physical harm if I didn’t show … And you can be fearsome with those arm burns.” Above her head, I catch the eye of Scott, her fiancé, and his lips are squeezed shut, desperately trying not to release the laugh caught behind them. Now there is a dude who knows what I mean.
Jas slaps me on the arm. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m glad you’re here, though, whatever the reasons behind you coming.”
I do love my baby sister, and I know she worries about me working too hard, like the rest of my immediate family. I’m head of the legal department in our family company, NY State Real Estate, and it’s fair to say I’m a workaholic. I spend long days in my office poring over documents, but not because I’m addicted to work. Put simply, I just love the law, so it’s easy for me to get so engrossed in the details of a contract that I lose track of time. The family is always at me about having a life outside the office, but my lifestyle suits me just fine.
Jasmine releases her hold on me and wanders back to the sofa, plonking herself half on the cushions and half on Scott. I follow her over to the others, shaking first Luke’s hand, then reaching around Jasmine to shake Scott’s.
I can’t resist ribbing him. “Hey, Scott, I see my sister hasn’t scared you off yet.”
He lets his laugh out this time as he throws an arm around Jasmine’s shoulders. “She’s certainly a handful, but I’m up to the challenge,” he replies in his Australian drawl, and I don’t miss the wink he directs at her.
“You’re a brave dude, and the rest of mankind thanks you,” I respond, looking down at the two of them. A smile almost breaks through when I see Jasmine roll her eyes.
“Hey, you know I’m right here, boys … and if you’re both so scared of me, then maybe you should be careful of what you say.” She rubs her hands together, then holds up her palms to me before continuing, “These hands are warmed up and ready to inflict some serious pain.” We both grin at her threat, but I still take a few steps back, putting distance between us. Scott can take one for the boys’ team.
Jas and Scott have been dating for about six months now and recently returned from a visit to his family in Australia, engaged. Honestly, I never thought Jas would want to marry, but I guess Scott was the one for her, and she’s taking the leap. I’m happy for them because he’s a good guy and fits perfectly into our family.
Rory and I have always been protective of Jasmine. We’re a close unit, with only two years separating each of us in age. As kids, we hung out together a lot. Mostly because Jas was always up for a challenge, even some that our other friends balked at. There’s a fierceness inside of her that scares most men, but not her brothers, and apparently not Scott either. Good luck to him there. All that matters to us is that he makes our little sister happy.
