mission statement.”
The radio on the dash suddenly beeped, followed by static. “Hey, out there, especially anyone near the hotel,” a female voice said over the speaker. “Keep an eye out for a woman guest and her dog. They left the hotel half an hour ago, and according to the roommate, the woman wasn’t dressed for outside. Um . . . the dog was, though.”
Jessie buried her face in her hands with a groan, and Ian picked up the mike. “I’ve got her, Rachel. I found Miss Pringle trying to get a jump start on the season on the beginners’ slope, and I’m bringing her in now. Tell Merissa that she can meet Jessie in the lobby in five minutes.”
“No!” Jessie yelped, grabbing his arm. “Not the lobby. Just drop me off at one of the side doors. I have my key card,” she said, reaching in her pocket, only to reach in the other pocket and come up empty-handed. She grabbed his arm again. “Then at least take me to the employee entrance and let me in that door.”
Ian clipped the mike back on the dash. “Sorry, city girl,” he said with a shake of his head, “but the best way I know for someone not to repeat a foolish mistake is to live with the consequences. And this morning that means going through the lobby in your pajamas.” Ignoring her glare, he idled through the parking lot, stopped under the portico, and shut off the snowcat, then grinned at her. “Now, Jessie, you know I’m only doing this for your own good.”
She started groping at the door looking for the handle, and Ian reached down and snatched her slippers off her feet.
“Hey!” she yelped, trying to grab them back as he straightened and quickly climbed out of his side.
He strode around the front of the snowcat and opened her door. “What, you want to get me fired for negligence if you slip and fall? You can have your slippers back once I get you inside,” he offered, shoving them in the bib of his ski pants.
“I’m too heavy, remember?” she snapped, swatting at him as she leaned away, which actually made it easier to slide his hands behind her back and under her knees.
“I’ve gotten my second wind and feel much stronger now,” he said, picking her up. “But thank you for caring.” And then he suffered through her wiggling and squirming all over again as she tried to keep her decidedly full right breast from bumping his chest while holding her bathrobe closed at her neck. “Come on, Toby,” he said over his shoulder. “You need to face the consequences, too, as you’re likely the reason Jessie got into this mess in the first place,” he continued when Toby jumped out and trotted to catch up. “You don’t run into the woods to hide just because you think someone might see you in a silly sweater.”
“Now you’re scolding my dog ?”
“Jessie!” Merissa cried, pushing through the outside set of lobby doors. “What happened? Are you hurt? Why aren’t you walking? Is she hurt?” she asked Ian, grabbing his arm to stop him as her eyes roamed over Jessie.
“She’s okay, Merissa,” Ian said, stepping past her to go inside.
Merissa shot around him to open the inner door and grabbed his arm to stop him again. “Then put her down,” she said, darting a quick glance around the empty lobby.
“I intend to, in her room.”
“No. You will put her down right here, right now ,” Merissa said with such lethal authority that Ian stopped in midstep. “Now,” she quietly repeated.
He took two strides and set Jessie down in one of the lobby chairs, then turned and silently walked toward the front desk.
“Is there a reason Toby didn’t rip out his throat?” he heard Merissa say in a heated whisper. “Or better yet, why you didn’t?”
“Apparently Toby only reacts to my fear, not my anger. And . . . and I must have been too numb with cold to freak out this time.”
Watching the mirror on the wall beside the front desk, Ian saw Merissa smooth down Jessie’s hair. “He didn’t know better, Jess, and was
The radio on the dash suddenly beeped, followed by static. “Hey, out there, especially anyone near the hotel,” a female voice said over the speaker. “Keep an eye out for a woman guest and her dog. They left the hotel half an hour ago, and according to the roommate, the woman wasn’t dressed for outside. Um . . . the dog was, though.”
Jessie buried her face in her hands with a groan, and Ian picked up the mike. “I’ve got her, Rachel. I found Miss Pringle trying to get a jump start on the season on the beginners’ slope, and I’m bringing her in now. Tell Merissa that she can meet Jessie in the lobby in five minutes.”
“No!” Jessie yelped, grabbing his arm. “Not the lobby. Just drop me off at one of the side doors. I have my key card,” she said, reaching in her pocket, only to reach in the other pocket and come up empty-handed. She grabbed his arm again. “Then at least take me to the employee entrance and let me in that door.”
Ian clipped the mike back on the dash. “Sorry, city girl,” he said with a shake of his head, “but the best way I know for someone not to repeat a foolish mistake is to live with the consequences. And this morning that means going through the lobby in your pajamas.” Ignoring her glare, he idled through the parking lot, stopped under the portico, and shut off the snowcat, then grinned at her. “Now, Jessie, you know I’m only doing this for your own good.”
She started groping at the door looking for the handle, and Ian reached down and snatched her slippers off her feet.
“Hey!” she yelped, trying to grab them back as he straightened and quickly climbed out of his side.
He strode around the front of the snowcat and opened her door. “What, you want to get me fired for negligence if you slip and fall? You can have your slippers back once I get you inside,” he offered, shoving them in the bib of his ski pants.
“I’m too heavy, remember?” she snapped, swatting at him as she leaned away, which actually made it easier to slide his hands behind her back and under her knees.
“I’ve gotten my second wind and feel much stronger now,” he said, picking her up. “But thank you for caring.” And then he suffered through her wiggling and squirming all over again as she tried to keep her decidedly full right breast from bumping his chest while holding her bathrobe closed at her neck. “Come on, Toby,” he said over his shoulder. “You need to face the consequences, too, as you’re likely the reason Jessie got into this mess in the first place,” he continued when Toby jumped out and trotted to catch up. “You don’t run into the woods to hide just because you think someone might see you in a silly sweater.”
“Now you’re scolding my dog ?”
“Jessie!” Merissa cried, pushing through the outside set of lobby doors. “What happened? Are you hurt? Why aren’t you walking? Is she hurt?” she asked Ian, grabbing his arm to stop him as her eyes roamed over Jessie.
“She’s okay, Merissa,” Ian said, stepping past her to go inside.
Merissa shot around him to open the inner door and grabbed his arm to stop him again. “Then put her down,” she said, darting a quick glance around the empty lobby.
“I intend to, in her room.”
“No. You will put her down right here, right now ,” Merissa said with such lethal authority that Ian stopped in midstep. “Now,” she quietly repeated.
He took two strides and set Jessie down in one of the lobby chairs, then turned and silently walked toward the front desk.
“Is there a reason Toby didn’t rip out his throat?” he heard Merissa say in a heated whisper. “Or better yet, why you didn’t?”
“Apparently Toby only reacts to my fear, not my anger. And . . . and I must have been too numb with cold to freak out this time.”
Watching the mirror on the wall beside the front desk, Ian saw Merissa smooth down Jessie’s hair. “He didn’t know better, Jess, and was
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