Amy tried to dig her skis in to turn, but instead, she felt the skis cross. A second later, she was face first in the snow. She lay there for a moment as she tried to figure out what had happened. She could feel the dull ache from crashing into the snow. Soon Ethan had climbed back up the hill to her side. He popped out of his skis and bent down at her side. “What happened?” Ethan asked.
Amy rolled over and looked up at him. “You said to trust you!” she replied.
“I said trust me. I didn’t say to trust yourself quite so much.”
“I knew I had done something wrong.” Amy lay there for another minute. “What now?”
“Well, we’re not going anywhere if you don’t get up,” Ethan said. He held out his hand and pulled Amy back up. “Let’s try it again, and this time I want you to actually follow my lead.” As Amy regained her balance, Ethan clicked back into his skis and spun around. “Come on, I’ll make sure nothing happens. This time, I won’t let you too far out of reach.”#p#分页标题#e#
Amy took a deep breath and pushed herself forward. Ethan was almost close enough to touch, and she was afraid she was going to run her skis over his and fall all over again. She kept her skis in the plow as she followed him through a first turn and then a second. Soon they were back at the bottom of the hill. “Now was that so bad?” Ethan asked.
“I suppose not,” Amy replied. She wanted to show Ethan that she could handle this, that she didn’t need him five feet away babysitting her as she went down the slope. Within a few runs, they were going down the hill fast enough that Amy could feel the wind in her hair again. Ethan stayed in front of her the whole time, skiing back and forth across the slope backwards, keeping his focus on her as they wound down the slope.
Amy fell several more times, but each time, she got up a little bit quicker, insisting on getting up without Ethan’s help. She was going to get this right, she thought. After Amy made it clear she didn’t want Ethan to help her up, he stopped offering a hand, but each time he came to her side and waited. Aside from a joke or two designed to get her spirits up, he didn’t make fun of her, and Amy was surprised by the amount of patience he showed with her.
Over run after run, Amy started to gain more confidence. Little by little, she grew more comfortable making turns, and she felt like she could straighten out her skis and give it a go. Finally, she waved Ethan off and said she wanted to speed up. She straightened her skis and felt herself gaining even more speed. Within a few moments, she was losing control again, and she knew it. As she sped up, Ethan maintained his speed and opened his arms to catch her. She barreled toward him, but he kept his eyes locked on her, as if to say everything was going to be ok. He wrapped his arms around her as they collided. “See, I’ve got you.”
Amy let out a little sigh. If you only knew, she thought. “That’s enough skiing for one day,” she said. It was late afternoon, and the sun was low in the sky. Most of the ski slope was already in shadow, and Amy didn’t want to push her luck any further. Besides, who knew what she’d do if Ethan had to catch her again.
***
When Amy and Ethan made it back to the house, Hank was waiting for them in the kitchen. “There they are,” Hank said as they walked in through the door. “How did you two like my ski slope?”
Amy flashed a confident smile. “It was great. I think I really got the hang of it. By the end, I was going up and down on my own. I felt like a kid again.”
“That’s why we call it the nursery,” Hank replied.
“The nursery?” Amy asked. She gave Ethan a look. “I thought it was called the Matterhorn.”
Ethan and Hank both burst into laughter. After Hank caught his breath, he said, “Amy, that’s the baby slope. I’ll have to bring you two out to one of the real mountains later this week. But for now, who’s ready for an early dinner?”
“I suppose the nursery is a fitting title,” Amy replied. She elbowed Ethan in the ribs and added, “After all, my husband can be a child sometimes.”
Chapter 13
After they ate dinner and relaxed for a while, Amy decided it was time for a nice long shower. She was sore from all of her falls, and she knew a little time alone would be nice. She excused herself and headed up to the bedroom. She wondered if Ethan would come up soon after her. As she stripped off her clothes so she could jump in the shower, she let herself fantasize about him walking in on her as she stood nearly naked in front of the mirror. She wondered what he would think or do, and she imagined him walking across the room and running his hands over her bare skin. Maybe it should be a cold shower, she thought.