Sleigh Bells in the Snow(96)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN



SEAN ZIPPED HIS jacket against the shearing winds, stared down the steep pitch of the chute and wondered why he’d agreed to ski with his brother. “So what’s going on with Jackson and Miss New York?”

“She’s not Miss New York. She’s Miss Great Britain. Or Miss—” Tyler paused at the top of the gully, testing the snow. “Frankly I have no idea what she is. She’s certainly not Miss Downhill Skier and she’s not close to Miss Slalom, either, whatever she may think. But I like her.”

Sean thought about the sharp intelligence in those eyes and the way she’d come back at Tyler. He also liked the way she’d laughed at herself when she’d fallen. “I like her, too.”

“You’re going to have to like her from a distance because your twin has eyes on her. I suspect he’s also had hands on her, but you might not want to mention that part just yet. You may have shared a uterus, but last time I looked the two of you didn’t share women.”

“Didn’t say I wanted to share her. Said I liked her. Not the same thing.” He digested the news that his brother was involved with a woman.

“You should get to know Élise. You both appreciate good food and wine. The two of you should have a lot in common.”

Sean stared straight ahead. Neither of his brothers had any idea just how well he knew Élise, which was probably a good thing. He was the first to admit his track record with relationships was less than impressive, and he had no doubt Jackson would see him as a potential threat to the well-being of his chef. And what was the point in mentioning it? What they’d shared had been fleeting. One hot summer night where chemistry had gotten the better of both of them. It wasn’t going to happen again. This was the first time he’d seen her since that night. They’d had no contact.

Sean studied the narrow chute in front of them.

“Are you seriously expecting me to ski down that? You always were right on the edge of crazy.” But he knew it wasn’t true. Tyler’s judgment when it came to the mountain was close to flawless. He had an almost-preternatural ability to separate the skiable from the unskiable. It was a skill that had put him right up among the elite.

“You skied down it your whole life until you left home. Working in a city has turned you soft.”

“I value my limbs. I can’t fix other people’s broken bones if my own are smashed, and I don’t trust anyone else to fix mine.” But Sean felt the familiar rush of adrenaline. The pull of temptation that was hard to resist. Normally he forced himself to deny it. It was the reason he’d sold the Ducati even though he’d almost cried doing it. His compromise had been to buy the Porsche. All the speed without the direct exposure to the limb-destroying effects of a motorcycle crash on a hard road surface. “Oh, hell, one run. But you’re going first.”

“Because you’re a coward.”

“Because if you trigger an avalanche I’d rather be above you than below you. But I promise to dig you out.”

“If you men could just step to one side—” Brenna shot past them both with Jess close behind her.

“Hey, just wait—” Tyler’s words were swallowed by the frozen air as the two girls negotiated the gut-swooping drop that led to the top of Scream gully. Neither hesitated. Neither screamed. But they did whoop. A holler of pure enjoyment as they shot through the air and then turned swiftly on the ridiculously steep slope.

“And there’s someone else who borders on the edge of crazy,” Sean murmured, watching as Brenna tackled the terrifying slope with effortless ease.

“Are you talking about my daughter?”

“I wasn’t, but I think she’s probably right there with you. On the other hand she’s got your DNA so it’s not entirely unexpected. Not that you’d understand. It’s science and that’s always been beyond you.”

“Which is the science that has sex in it?”

Sean sighed. “It’s isn’t that simple, but I’ll make it simple as it’s you. Biology.”

“I aced that one. You ready? Because I’m damned if I’m going to be outskied by a kid, even if she’s my kid.”

“You skied Scream at her age. Or maybe you were a year older.”

“Your memory sucks. You should talk to a doctor about that. I was seven when I skied Scream, and you know it since you were the one that pushed me off the top.”

“It was my duty as big brother to toughen you up.”

Tyler grinned. “And you think I’m the one on the edge of crazy?”