Snowbound Summer by Veronica Tower Read Free Book Online

business, isn't it?” Howard said.
    Hanna was in no mood to be sassed. “I don't want you—”
    “Hey, night's wasting kids!” Ron interrupted, standing. “Let's say we cut out all this chatter and hit the slopes.”
    “I was talking, Ron!” his mother said.
    “No, you're fighting!” Ron told her. He kissed his mother on the top of the head and then offered Kara his hand to help her stand.
    The kids immediately followed them, not putting away their game systems, of course. They started toward the front of the restaurant with their eyes still locked on the little computer screens and their thumbs manipulating the controls. It was a wonder they put the consoles down when they actually hit the slopes.
    Kara leaned close to Ron as they followed the children. “I thought you were the one who wanted to do everything your mother wanted this weekend,” she whispered.
    Ron's face screwed up in disgust. “I don't know what's wrong with her. It seems to me she's a lot worse than usual.”
    “Think she'll be asleep when we get done?” she asked.
    “She will if we stay out long enough,” Ron told her as they stepped out of the lodge and into the cold night air.
    * * * *
    [Back to Table of Contents]
----

    Chapter Five
    “My thighs burn so bad!” Kara whispered to Ron as they held open the door of the cabin and ushered the kids inside. She'd been counting the children all night—not that easy a task in the dark with all four certain that they didn't need an adult chaperone. But how was she supposed to go back to Anne and Kitten and say, Oops, sorry, I lost one ?
    “Perhaps I should massage them for you,” Ron whispered back.
    Kara smiled to herself at the thought even as she gave Ron a stern warning glare. They were not fooling around in a cabin packed with the Miller family. He could just leave that thought at the door with the snow on his boots.
    Ron touched her back, encouraging her to precede him into the cabin. Kara did so, stamping her feet a couple of times to clean them before stepping inside. She stopped when she saw Hanna and Howard sitting on different pieces of furniture in the main room. Howard snored fitfully, but Hanna was wide awake, waiting for them all to return.
    Ron's mother made a point of looking at her watch. “Do you realize how late it is?”
    Kara turned back to glance unhappily at Ron.
    Ron closed the door and stepped past Kara. “Yeah, it's almost one o'clock in the morning,” he said. “What's the problem?”
    “You've kept the children out so late they'll probably sleep until noon,” Hanna complained.
    Ron dramatically covered his mouth. “Oh, no!” he exclaimed. “That might keep them from skiing some more.” He stopped goofing off. “Mom! What is the problem?”
    Hanna huffed, got to her feet, and stormed off toward her bedroom without answering.
    Ron turned to Kara and shrugged.
    * * * *

    * * * *
    “Now where were those muscles that were hurting?” Ron whispered as he slid beneath the sheets in the bed beside Kara. The door was closed, the lights were off, and so—Kara suddenly realized—were all of Ron's clothes.
    This was not happening tonight—or any other time this weekend!
    She placed her hand on Ron's muscular chest and pushed him back toward the edge of the bed. “Be good!” she whispered fiercely.
    “I thought you said I'm always good,” Ron teased back. His hand slid beneath the covers to touch her stomach over the top of her light summer nightgown.
    She grabbed his hand and tried to push it away, but he resisted her. “Put some pajamas on,” she whispered.
    “I didn't bring any,” Ron told her. “Now what about those sore muscles? Does it hurt up here?” Ron slid his hand up her body and cupped one of Kara's large breasts.
    Kara grabbed the hand again and this time successfully pulled it away from her body. “That isn't a muscle,” she told him.
    Ron slid closer so that the long length of his firm naked body pressed against the more slender lines