Tags:
Fiction,
General,
Romance,
Police,
Montana,
Man-Woman Relationships,
Love Stories,
Christian fiction,
Religious,
Christian,
Teenagers,
Businesswomen,
Single Fathers,
Shoplifting
deaths,â Marin said, ever helpful. âHayden Munroe came to our worship and ski program. Sheâs taking her first lesson with the instructor this very moment.â
âThatâs great.â Katherineâs initial thought was for the girl who was heading down a very troubled path. âI know youâll have her feeling better about herself and her life in no time.â
Her second thought was, unfortunately, about Jack Munroe. Had he brought Hayden to the lodge? And if so, had he stayed?
Donât think about that, Katherine. Youâre not interested in him, remember?
âThat father of hers is sure something.â Marin turned to the other member of their trio squished onto the narrow bench. âHolly, youâve got to see this guy. It almost makes you believe in Mr. Right.â
Holly gasped. âBut you donât believe in Mr. Right.â
âTrue. Iâve done enough marital counseling in my career to know that heâs a myth. Katherine, weâre almost at the top. You might want to open your eyes now. Iâm absolutely sure that there is no Mr. Right anywhere in existence on this earth. Just Mr. Almost -Right.â
âAnd those are few and far between.â With a scoot off the bench chair, Katherine landed, skis parallel and knees bent. When she turned to look over her shoulder, Holly and Marin swished to a stop behind her. âTrust me, Jack Munroe isnât anywhere close to being Mr. Almost-Right.â
âWow, did you hear that, Holly?â
âI heard it, Marin. Katherineâs in her denial stage.â
âWhat is it with everyone? The twins said the same thing. Iâm not in denial. Really.â
âOf course youâre not,â Holly said in a comfortingway, although Katherine wasnât fooled. Not one bit. âSo, tell me, is this guyâwhoa, buddy!â
âOutta the way! Cominâ through!â A man shouted, in sheer panic.
Was it her imagination, or did that sound sort of like Jack Munroe? Katherine hopped out of the way just in time to see a blur speed by. The blur was a black-parka-wearing, wide-shouldered man crouched very low over his skis, his poles held straight in front of him as if he were roasting hot dogs over a campfire.
âThat looks like doom on two sticks,â Marin commented. âIâd better pray for that man.â
âHeâs going to need it. Oh, he went right through the first turn.â Holly cocked her head to listen. âHe missed the trees. I didnât hear a crash.â
What if that was Jack? Katherine kicked off and followed Marin down the trail. She couldnât see anything of the fallen skier. That wasnât a good sign. What if he was hurt?
Lord, please donât let him be hurt.
âHey, Katherine,â Marin called as she led the way. âDo you know who that man reminded me of?â
Yeah, she knew. And she was going to stay in denial about that, too. âA beginning skier who missed the rope tow for the bunny run?â
When they reached the first turn, all they could see was a hole in the snowbank and a single ski sliding crookedly along the trail.
Marin reached the edge first. âMister, are you alive?â
Katherine knew it was him, even before his gruff baritone rang out from the trees.
âYep. And better yet, nothingâs broken.â
Katherineâs heart skipped five beats as she joined Marin at the edge of the bank. Sure enough, she recognized the man below. Although he was in profile, looking down as he tried to free one of his poles from the branches of an evergreen tree, she already knew that particular manâs profile by heart. There was no mistaking the hard-planed, granite face. Or the dark shock of hair tumbling from beneath the black ski cap.
It was him. Her stomach clenched tight before it fell downward, tingling, all the way to her knees. Just the way it felt on the uppermost crest of a roller-coaster