Christmas Magic on the Mountain Read online

  The way she spoke made Sean smile. He knew his mom’s interrogation skills all too well, but Zoe was holding her own when she could get a word in. He was curious to see how she handled everyone at the dinner tonight.

  “Yes, holidays are hard alone,” she said. “I appreciate it… I understand. I just didn’t want Sean to spring an extra guest on you at the last minute…. Yes, he is…. Thanks again…. I look forward to meeting you, too…. Yes. Yes, I’ll tell him.”

  Zoe handed the phone back to him. “Here you go.”

  He was about to say goodbye, but the line was already disconnected. His mother had hung up. That was…odd.

  He tucked the phone in his pocket, both relieved and puzzled. “What are you suppose to tell me?”

  Zoe drew her eyebrows together. “Your mother wants me to remind you about your grandmother’s present. It’s in the safe-deposit box. She said she could pick it up from the bank for you on Monday morning.”

  His grandmother’s present. His grandmother’s…

  “Oh, hell,” Sean said.

  “What is it?” Zoe asked.

  His grandmother’s engagement ring, intended for Sean’s future bride. And now his mother thought… His mother planned…

  “Damn. She thinks it’s serious.”

  “Your grandmother? Is she ill?”

  “She’s dead,” he explained. “No, it’s my mother. She thinks we’re serious. You and me. That I invited you to dinner because we’re in a relationship.”

  Lines creased Zoe’s forehead. “Why would she think that?”

  Because his mother was a hopeless romantic who wanted her son to get married so she could have grandchildren. “Because I’m bringing you to Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “My family never makes much sense.”

  “Haven’t you ever brought anyone to Thanksgiving dinner before?” Zoe asked.

  “Not in a long time.” Sean tried to keep his personal life as private as he could. Not easy living in a nosy, small town full of close friends and a large, demanding family. “That must be how she got the wrong idea.”

  “You have to admit it’s kind of sweet.”

  “Imagine if it was your mother.”

  Zoe winced. “Okay, not sweet at all.”

  “My mom’s probably calling my aunts who will call my cousins…”

  “It’s not a problem, Sean. It’s just a little misunderstanding.” Zoe smiled. “We can tell everyone the truth when we arrive and have a good laugh about it.”

  He stared at the snow on the side of the road. “Right.”

  “You’re not laughing,” she said gently.

  “Nope.”

  “I don’t have to go,” Zoe offered.

  “You’re not spending Thanksgiving alone.” Sean wasn’t going to let her get away that easily. He blew out a puff of air. “My mom’s expecting you now. It would disappoint her if you didn’t show up. She looks forward to the holidays all year. I don’t want to ruin her day.”

  “She’s going to be disappointed anyway when we tell her the truth.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Unless…” Zoe’s voice trailed off.

  “What?”

  “We could pretend to be dating,” she suggested. “Just for today.”

  That would solve his problem. Problems, actually. His mom’s Thanksgiving would be salvaged, his opinionated family would be off his back about settling down and he would get to spend time with Zoe. A win-win situation for everyone.

  “Bad idea?” Zoe asked.

  Probably.

  “No.” He liked that she was both helpful and a little daring. He also liked the idea of what might happen while she was playing his girlfriend. “But it’s a lot for me to ask. Are you up for it?”

  “I know what it’s like to disappoint your family.”

  The sincerity in Zoe’s voice covered him like a soft, warm quilt. He wasn’t used to a woman making him feel like that. It made him…uncomfortable.

  Still, she was willing. Why not? “I owe you.”

  “You gave me a lift up here, and I get a free Thanksgiving dinner out of the deal.” Zoe smiled. “I’d say we’re even.”

  Not even close once she met his crazy family, but he’d make sure she had a good time. At dinner and afterward. He grinned. “Okay, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Funny, but Sean was looking forward to Thanksgiving for the first time in years.

  They arrived at Timberline. The lot was almost empty. He parked the truck close to the WyEast day lodge and turned off the engine.

  “Would you mind if I leave my pack in the cab?” Zoe asked. “It would save me paying the locker fee.”

  “Not a problem.” That was the least he could do for her. “Denali and I are going to head up the mountain a ways so I can try out some new bindings. You want to come?

  “Thanks, but resort runs are more my speed.”

  He was unexpectedly disappointed she wasn’t up for it. He liked being with her. “I can hang with you down here.”

  “I’ll just slow you down,” she said. “Have fun riding the freshiez up top. I’ll see you later.”

  Sean wanted to see how his new design performed, and he didn’t want to push her too much. He would have plenty of time to charm her later at the Thanksgiving dinner. “Okay.”

  She reached for the door handle. “When should we meet back here?”

  “Two o’clock,” he answered. “That will give us plenty of time to get to my parents’ house.”

  “Sounds good, but this is my first day out this season.” Zoe looked up at the summit. He followed her line of sight. The snowcapped peak contrasted sharply against the blue sky. “I might be finished before then.”

  “Do you want my cell phone number?” he asked.

  “I don’t have a phone with me.”

  “I’ll leave the keys on the top of the rear left tire so you can get into the cab whenever you want.”

  “Thanks.” She studied him. “It’s not often you meet someone who is so trusting of strangers.”

  “I could say the same about you.”

  “Yes.”

  “But don’t forget you’re not a stranger,” he said playfully. “You’re my Thanksgiving-day girlfriend.”

  She grinned. “Mustn’t forget that.”

  Sean sure wouldn’t. He was really looking forward to tonight. “Besides you don’t look like the type who would steal her boyfriend’s truck.”

  “What type do I look like?” she asked.

  Sean gave her the once-over.

  She dressed the part of a snow bunny, but with her cap pulled down over her hair and little to no makeup on her face, she had the fresh-faced-girl-next-door look down. Sean didn’t normally go for that type, but something about Zoe intrigued him. Still he didn’t want to appear too interested. He was imposing on her enough already.

  He smiled. “You look like the type of girlfriend a guy brings home to meet the family.”

  Around a quarter to two, Zoe Flynn Carrington made her way past the WyEast day lodge toward the parking lot. Her muscles ached from all the snowboarding. Even though she’d had fun on the slopes, she kind of regretted not taking Sean up on his offer to go up the mountain with him.

  Thinking about his thoughtful hazel-green eyes, easy smile and the brown strands of hair poking out from under his ski hat warmed her cold insides right up.

  A mountain rescuer to the rescue. Zoe grinned.

  She couldn’t wait to see him again.

  The guy was gorgeous—a yummy piece of eye candy who would fit into one of the trendy new hotspots in L.A. as well as he did here on the mountain. He probably had women throwing themselves at him. Yet she got to be his girlfriend for the rest of the day.

  Anticipation rippled through her.

  He seemed as interested in flirting with her as she was with him on the drive up. Tonight could get interesting.

  She felt an unfamil
iar prick of caution.

  Not interesting, Zoe corrected.

  Her suggestion to be his pretend girlfriend had been nothing but impulsive, something she’d vowed not to be anymore. But the idea of having a home-cooked family Thanksgiving dinner tugged at her lonely heart, and the thought of spending more time with handsome Sean filled her tummy with tingles. She’d spoken without thinking. She hadn’t been able to help herself even though she had no room in her life for romance at the moment.

  Zoe located his truck in the now-full lot and made her way toward it.

  She would have to be more careful, more vigilant. She couldn’t afford not to be. Not that she was in any position to afford anything right now.

  As she waited for an SUV to drive by so she could cross the road, her boots sank in the slush of melted snow.

  With the end of the month approaching and her allowance almost gone, she’d only had enough money to do one of two things: buy a lift ticket or eat Thanksgiving dinner. Obviously she’d made the right choice because now she would get both.

  Thanks to Sean Hughes.

  With a smile pulling at her lips, she crossed the road.

  Maybe her luck was finally changing.

  What type do I look like?

  You look like the type of girlfriend a guy brings home to meet the family.

  She’d wanted to hug Sean for saying that, even if he might be the only person in the world who thought so. Maybe what she felt for him wasn’t really attraction, but gratitude. Being with Sean made her feel different, better than she’d felt in a long time. A good thing since the past few months had been so bad, so hard on her.

  Wild Child. Party Animal. Homewrecker.

  She cringed at the memory of the tabloid headlines written about her. Headlines that everyone believed even though they were lies. Headlines that had ripped everyone she held dear from her. Headlines that had ruined her life.

  You are an embarrassment to me, to your brothers and to the Carrington name. You need to learn responsibility. And I can think of only one way for that to happen.

  Zoe sighed.

  No matter. The past was behind her. She was on the other side of the country from her family. All she had to do was remain out of sight, stay away from the media spotlight and keep out of trouble until after the special election for the vacant U.S. Senate seat her mother, Governor Vanessa Carrington, wanted more than anything in the world.

  If Zoe failed to do any of those three things, her mother, the executor of her father’s will, would tie up Zoe’s access to her trust fund until she was forty. Sixteen years from now. The same length of time her mother had been governor. Her mother was serving her fourth term and couldn’t seek reelection, which explained her fixation on winning the Senate seat.

  A dog barked.

  Denali ran around the side of the truck and nearly knocked Zoe over with excitement.

  “Hi, pretty girl.” Zoe hugged the dog. “I missed you, too.”

  Denali panted. The dog’s hot breath hanging in the air like little puffs of clouds.

  Zoe placed her board in the back of Sean’s truck. Funny, but she didn’t see his board. That seemed weird. Especially since Denali had her leash on. Had Sean tied her to the truck? “Where’s—?”

  “You must be Zoe.”

  She cringed. With her helmet and goggles, no one should be able to recognize her. “I am.”

  A tall man wearing a black-and-red jacket with the initials OMSAR written in white on the front and Rescue on the sleeves held on to the end of Denali’s leash. “Jake Porter. I’m a friend of Sean’s.”

  She raised her goggles onto the front of her helmet.

  Intense blue eyes stared down at her. Like Sean, he wore a ski hat, and that emphasized his ruggedly handsome features. He wasn’t as gorgeous as Sean, but he was still good-looking. Were all mountain rescuers hotties?

  Speaking of which… She glanced around the parking lot. “Where is he?”

  “There’s been an accident.”

  “Oh, no.” She touched Denali’s head. “I saw a helicopter earlier and wondered if someone had been injured. Is Sean helping out?”

  “Sean’s been hurt.”

  “Sean?” Zoe’s stomach clenched. Her hand dropped to her side. “How?”

  “He fell.”

  Accidents can happen to the best of climbers.

  A chill inched its way down her spine. “Is he okay?”

  Jake looked at Denali. “He was unconscious when he was found, but was conscious when we placed him in a vacuum splint to immobilize his spine.”

  She trembled. “His spine?”

  “We do that as a precaution. With his head injury we couldn’t clear his cervical spine of injury.”

  A head injury sounded really serious. Really bad. “Did he hurt anything else?”

  Jake hesitated.

  “Please,” she urged.

  “His left leg is broken. We couldn’t tell if his right ankle is or not,” Jake explained. “Fortunately, he was lower on the mountain so easier to reach. The rescue happened a lot quicker than normal. He should be at the hospital in Portland by now.”

  Sean had seemed so vibrant, so strong this morning. Zoe couldn’t imagine him lying helpless on the snow unconscious. She shivered. “I can’t believe he was the one in the helicopter. Have you called his parents?”

  Jake nodded. “Hank and Connie are on their way to the hospital. She wants me to drive you there.”

  Connie. His mom. Who thought Zoe was Sean’s serious girlfriend. And now Sean was seriously injured.

  Zoe felt light-headed.

  Jake touched her arm. “You’re pale.”

  “I’m…” She wasn’t fine, that was for certain. She only prayed Sean would be okay.

  “This has to be a shock,” Jake said compassionately.

  No kidding. She took a deep breath.

  “We should head out,” he added.

  She didn’t know what to say. Going to the hospital seemed like a really bad idea. She was supposed to stay out of trouble, not dive headfirst into it. But what else could she do?

  Zoe reached under his truck, removed the keys from the top of the left rear tire and handed them to Jake.

  She wanted to know how Sean was doing. No way could she leave him in the lurch after he’d come to her rescue at the side of the road this morning. She remembered his not wanting to disappoint his mother and upset her plans for Thanksgiving.

  Now he was in the hospital, and Zoe felt as if she had to take care of this for him. She would have to explain to his worried mother their supposed relationship was all a big joke.

  Oh, dear.

  Zoe’s heart lodged in her throat.

  Talk about a ruined Thanksgiving…

  CHAPTER TWO

  MOUNT HOOD lay far behind Zoe. Each passing mile brought her closer to the hospital, closer to Sean. He’d been on her mind for the past hour and twenty minutes. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

  “We’re almost there,” Jake said from behind the wheel of Sean’s truck.

  Seeing the hospital’s emergency department sign, she scrunched her mittens in her hand. Her concern over Sean doubled, but she was also a little worried about what she’d gotten herself into. How was she going to explain to his family that she didn’t belong here with them? With Sean?

  “This hospital has one of the best trauma centers in the Pacific Northwest,” Jake said over Denali, who sat between them.

  Zoe swallowed around the lump of fear in her throat. At least Sean was in good hands. “Thanks for driving me down here.”

  “Anything for Sean.” Jake parked, cracked the windows and turned off the ignition. “I’ll put your board in here.”

  As he opened the door, she looked down at the dog that stared back at her with big, reproachful eyes. Zoe bit her lip. “Um…what about Denali?”

  “She’ll be fine in the truck. It’s cool enough for her. I’ll bring her some water.”

&nb
sp; Zoe didn’t know a lot about dogs, but that sounded good to her. The dog seemed to mean a lot to Sean. She patted Denali’s head.

  Jake placed her snowboard in the cab and shut the door.

  “Everything’s going to be fine,” Zoe said to the dog. She hoped. She would just get an update on Sean and tell his family…tell his family…

  Denali nudged her arm.

  “Stay,” Zoe said firmly, remembering the way Sean had spoken to the dog on the drive up to Timberline.

  The dog stayed.

  Zoe glimpsed her board and backpack behind the front seat. She could grab both and be out of here in minutes. Seconds, really. She didn’t have any real responsibility for Sean. Flirting aside, they were only tied by a crazy ruse they’d cooked up to satisfy his need for a holiday date to appease his mother and Zoe’s need for a holiday family dinner to appease her heart.

  Should she stay? Or go?

  Zoe stared at the double-glass-door entrance to the emergency department. Apprehension shuddered through her. The last time she’d been to a hospital had been for her father. He’d gone in and never come out.

  She remembered Sean’s smile. The way laughter had lit his eyes.

  Zoe had to stay. At least long enough to assure herself he would be all right. She forced herself out of the truck and closed the door.

  Denali’s sad stare followed Zoe accusingly as she backed away from the truck. Her breath hitched.

  “Hang in there,” Jake encouraged when he met her around the back of the pickup. “Sean’s tough. Nothing will keep him down for long.”

  She knew nothing about Sean Hughes except he didn’t seem to like his family’s holiday get-togethers all that much. Still, she found herself nodding, hoping.

  Zoe wanted Sean to be okay. He seemed like a good guy, one who cared enough about his mother’s feelings that he hadn’t wanted to ruin her Thanksgiving.

  “There could be a lot of Sean’s family and friends here,” Jake warned. “More will show up once the word gets out.”

  A close-knit group, she imagined. One of them would know she wasn’t Sean’s girlfriend, and if that person said something…anything to Sean’s family before Zoe got the chance that would make matters worse.

  Not that they weren’t bad already.