Page 12 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas (Holiday Shifters of Frost Mountain)

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Time was an interesting concept on Frost Mountain, Rachel thought, especially considering there was no way to accurately tell what time it was. She’d lost count of how many days had passed since Flight 18 crashed on the mountain. But that didn’t seem to matter to the people of Melinor. With everyone convinced that Christmas Eve was only a few days away, it was safe to say that time here was nothing more than a collective agreement.

That idea was hard to argue with, considering all the snow.

She couldn’t help wondering what was going on back on Earth. It had been weeks since the plane crashed. Were people still wondering what had happened? Were attempts still being made to find the plane? When Michael disappeared, it had taken some time before the police gave up on trying to find him. This was different. An entire plane had mysteriously vanished mid-flight. The entire United States must be in chaos right now.

Rachel had to admit that she missed her old life. She missed wondering about her next modeling gig, trying on new clothes before her mirror, and arguing with Sam about what to have for dinner.

Sam, oh, Sam .

She must be torn even now, wondering what in the world had happened to her best friend. Rachel had felt that way about Michael for months.

Maybe someday, just as she had, Sam would find her way onto Frost Mountain and—

No.

She dismissed the thought as suddenly as it arrived. No matter how badly she missed Sam, Frost Mountain wasn’t a fate she would wish on anyone. Sure, Melinor was great, and Rachel considered herself lucky to have ended up in this village instead of at the bottom of some lake, but this was her misfortune, not anyone else’s. She and Sam would never see each other again, and they’d both have to make their peace with that.

Christmas Eve arrived, and Rachel found herself hanging around Reba again, keeping the village chief company as she attended to some business around the village. The woman had grown somewhat fond of her, Rachel realized, although she wasn’t about to ask why. She’d already explored all of Melinor, but that didn’t stop Reba from offering to show her around from time to time.

Not that Rachel minded one bit. As long as they avoided bumping into Elena—who, for some reason, looked rather upset about something these days—she was fine. Rachel couldn’t count the number of times she’d caught the chief’s daughter staring at her from the side of a building. If looks could kill, she’d be a freezing corpse buried six feet under the snow by now. Rachel suspected Reba knew what was going on, although the woman had said nothing to indicate such, which was just as well.

The sun was hiding behind grey clouds when Rachel and Reba left the cabin of one of Reba’s friends that afternoon. The village looked pretty much the same these days, only jollier. There were no strings of blinking lights or holly decorations. No caroling or Christmas trees either. Apart from the snow and Michael’s Santa Claus act the other day, there wasn’t much that reminded her of Christmas. Rachel wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. After Michael disappeared, she’d pretty much turned into the Grinch, except she didn’t try to ruin Christmas for anyone else—she’d simply endured the season for the last couple of years.

Reba suggested that they head for the village entrance. It wasn’t until they’d reached the low fence that Rachel realized why: Some of the villagers were speeding down the hill on skis while others watched, cheering them on. And among the onlookers was none other than—

“Rachel?” Michael’s handsome face split into a grin as he drew nearer, leaping over the fence with the agility of a teenager. He had on a large, puffy jacket that made him look a little like the Michelin man. “It’s good to see you here again. Hello, Reba.”

“Michael.” Reba’s lips twitched. “I…suppose I should get going. I have some other business to attend to.”

And she left without another word. Rachel stared after the woman until she was out of sight.

“I’m starting to think she does that on purpose.”

She jumped as his warm breath caressed her ear. “Me, too.”

His grin broadened, awakening her insides. “Why don’t you join us? I could teach you a thing or two about skiing. You look like you’ve never touched a ski before.”

She glanced past him at the villagers cheering the skiers on and shook her head. “I have, actually. Just not in a long time…”

He lifted an eyebrow. “What changed?”

“You disappeared.” Rachel wondered momentarily whether she should offer more information but refrained from doing so. The memory of her conversation with Elena resurfaced in her mind, and she felt herself stiffen. Perhaps she should ask him whether there was something between the two of them…

Michael’s lips rounded into an O . An awkward silence filled the air between them for the next few seconds.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said quietly. “Would you like to try again?”

“Try…again?” Her breathing nearly stopped at his words.

He gestured toward the skiers past the fence, and it dawned on her what he meant.

“Oh,” she said. “Uh…I don’t think so. Not right now.” God, why did this feel so awkward? “Maybe I should get going…”

She turned but had barely taken a step away from him when his hand closed around her wrist.

“Wait,” he said.

Between the melting timbre of his voice and the warm tingles racing up her arm, Rachel thought she might turn into a puddle in the snow. She sucked in a breath, gazing up into those grey eyes of his, ignoring the pounding of her heart in her ears. “Yes?”

His lips parted, and she wished he would kiss her right there on the spot. Instead, he spoke.

“Why don’t we talk later this evening?” he offered. “I’m not working today. You and I could spend the rest of Christmas Eve together. My cabin.”

She must have looked a little startled because he immediately added, “You don’t have to if you don’t feel like it.”

It sounded so absurd that she almost burst out laughing. Michael, her long-lost boyfriend, was asking her out like it was his first time with her as if they hadn’t gone on so many dates before, as if they hadn’t shared so many kisses in the past, as if they hadn’t made love like the world was about to end…

Then again, it was his first time because as much as she wanted to believe that this was her Michael, it wasn’t. Her Michael would remember her.

“Sure,” she said. “Let’s hang out this evening. Maybe we can talk some more.”

When he let go of her, she felt a pang of disappointment. She could feel his gaze on her as she walked away.

She hadn’t imagined that loving a man who couldn’t remember her would leave her feeling so confused, but here she was.

***

The evening arrived a little too soon, and Rachel found herself seated in one of the armchairs by Michael’s fireplace. The cabin was quite small, designed for a single occupant. To her surprise, there wasn’t much furniture. Two chairs and a table, and she suspected a bed in the other room. A couple of skis rested in the corner. The scent of cedar lingered in the air. Michael lived a simple life here on Frost Mountain.

Speaking of Michael…where was he?

He’d welcomed her into the cabin several minutes ago and disappeared into the bedroom. Rachel doubted her Michael would object to her following him inside, but this version of Michael didn’t remember enough to maintain that doubt, so she sat waiting impatiently for him.

She heard the sound of footsteps, and he appeared.

“Ho, ho, ho!” Michael said.

He was decked out in his Santa costume—sans the beard, thank goodness. Even still, the sight of him was somewhat jarring. He spread his arms wide, grinning from ear to ear, but the jolly expression quickly faded.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her, drawing closer.

She blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“You look sad.” Michael came over, plunking down on the seat next to her. “Well, sort of. I was hoping to make you smile or laugh, but…well…”

He wordlessly gestured toward her. Rachel hadn’t even realized that she had a downcast expression on her face. She tried for a smile. It didn’t work.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, taking her hand in his. Again, that warm tingle shot up her arm like an electric current.

She sucked in a breath. “You were wearing that suit the day you disappeared.”

“Oh.” A sheepish, somewhat apologetic look crossed his face.

Rachel nodded. “It was just supposed to be a silly stunt, nothing more. You told me you wanted to ski down Lee Canyon in a Santa suit. We were there together, laughing a lot. There were people everywhere, watching.” She paused as the memories flooded her mind, no less painful than the actual event.

“Whoa,” Michael breathed.

“You went downhill,” she went on, “and that was the last time I ever saw you. You were just… gone as if you’d never even been there. Everyone was looking for you that day, but they found nothing. It was like you’d just vanished into thin air.”

His brow furrowed. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you.”

Was that guilt in his eyes? No, no, she didn’t need him to feel guilty about disappearing. He’d had nothing to do with it. Still, his disappearance had broken her, and he could see the pain in her eyes.

“When I woke up on this mountain, I had no idea where I was or how I’d gotten here.” He sighed, his jaw relaxing. “Wearing this Santa costume didn’t help matters. I was lost, confused, and in pain. I could barely remember a thing since I’d hit my head on that rock by the lake.”

He shifted in his seat so that he was facing her. In the firelight, his eyes gleamed softly. “I still don’t remember the times we shared or the day I disappeared—none of that. But I’m sorry about it all. It must have been difficult for you, dealing with everything.” He cracked a tiny smile. “No wonder you slapped me the day you found me.”

Even Rachel couldn’t resist a grin. “To be fair, you had it coming for three years. I couldn’t help myself.”

They both chuckled at that, Michael’s laugh sending vibrations through her body.

“I’m just happy I found you,” Rachel told him. It occurred to her then that she’d placed a hand on his at some point. She made no effort to remove it. “It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is Christmas, you know. Barely feels like it. Back in Vegas, there’d be holiday lights everywhere. But at least I get to spend this Christmas with you.”

The last words came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Michael bit his lip, which she found rather sexy. “Aren’t you worried I might never recover my memories?”

Of course, she was. That possibility had taken up permanent residence in her mind, bothering her nearly every second of every day. She’d found him, but if he couldn’t remember who she was, then what was the point?

“I’d rather not focus on that right now,” she told him, giving his hand a slight squeeze. “It’s Christmas Eve. We should be doing something else. Something…fun.”

His voice was thick with suggestion as he said, “Something like…what?

“Something like…like…” Rachel was having difficulty getting the words out. Her mind seemed to have ceased functioning as she fixated only on how much more handsome he looked up close and how inviting his lips were and—

“Like this?”

His voice was so low now that she fleetingly wondered if he’d spoken at all. Before she could figure it out, he closed the little gap between them and kissed her on the lips, and all she could hear was the pounding of her pulse in her ears.