Haley's Hangdog Holiday Page 2

  Haley groaned.

  Gavin Holiday!

  “WE PICKED A GREAT DAY to come here,” Liam commented as they sat in the snow at the top of the lift.

  “It’s totally rad,” Jonah agreed. “Maybe a little bit icy, but the slopes are practically empty.”

  Gavin nodded in tacit agreement. Vail was well worth the fifty-minute drive from Denver, and the trip had gone by fast, catching up with his two old high school buddies. They always tried to board together at least two or three days during Christmas break, especially since all three were attending different colleges.

  Although Gavin was enrolled in a challenging five-year iMPA program at UT, he had started college with enough hours to graduate in four and a half. Thus, he was already taking senior level-classes in his third year, and this semester had been especially tough. He was more than ready for a break.

  Liam stood up on his board, hopping on his board to gain the momentum to slide across the trail to the top of the black diamond slope. Gavin followed behind with Jonah. Dropping over the lip, Liam set a fast pace, and Gavin soon forgot all about school, reveling in the adrenaline rush as he carved his way down the slope. He was startled when a girl on skis zipped by so fast they might as well have been standing still, a long braid of red hair flying out behind her.

  “I consider that a personal challenge,” Gavin called to Jonah, gesturing toward the girl. “I have to catch her at the lift and make her race me so I can salvage my male pride.”

  Jonah chuckled. “I wish you luck—she was going so fast she’ll be long gone before we get to the bottom.”

  Admiring her aggressive stance as she skied just off the edge of the groomed trail, Gavin kept his eyes on her.

  And then... she fell.

  Gavin’s heart pounded inside his chest as the accident unfolded before his eyes. One second, the girl was flying downhill in perfect form. In the next instant, she was hurtling end over end, flinging her ski poles into the air. When she finally landed, her momentum sent her skidding down the steep slope toward the trees at breakneck speed.

  “Yowsers!” Jonah slid to a stop. “That looked bad!”

  Liam was already down below, retrieving the first ski pole. “You guys go on,” he yelled. “See if she’s hurt. I’ll pick up the stuff.”

  “I’m on it.” Gavin aimed his board for the spot where he’d seen the girl leave the trail, whispering a fervent prayer as he raced down, with Jonah right on his tail. When Gavin reached the place where she disappeared, he skidded to a stop, sitting back on his bottom and peering down. From the edge of the ski trail, the terrain dropped steeply for about fifteen feet before reaching a thick forested area. He pushed his goggles up on his helmet, trying to see into the shadows below.

  “Do you see her?” Jonah asked, spraying Gavin with snow as he shuddered to a stop beside him. “She was flying so fast when she disappeared. She might be unconscious.”

  “Or dead,” Gavin mumbled to himself, before calling out toward the trees at the bottom of the incline. A sense of dread formed like a heavy stone in his gut. “Hello? Are you there? Hello?”

  “Here.”

  As he followed the muted sound with his eyes, he saw a spot of blue under the low branches of a tree. The voice was weak and shaky, but at least she was conscious.

  “I think I see her. She’s down in a spruce trap.”

  “Is she injured?” Jonah asked, pulling out his cell phone. “Should I call for the ski patrol?”

  “Are you hurt?” yelled Gavin, thinking it was a miracle she hadn’t broken her neck.

  “I’m okay. I don’t think anything’s broken, but I’m stuck.”

  Gavin popped his boots free from his board.

  His first step sank thigh deep, but he sat back, compacting the snow and inching forward. He called out to her, explaining his painstakingly slow progress.

  When he finally reached her and peered over the edge of the tree well, the eyes that met his were beautiful, like pieces of blue had been plucked from the sky. Freckles dotted a pert nose and rosy cheeks, on creamy, flawless skin Snow clung to auburn brows, morphing from perfect arches into deep furrows while he watched. Plush, kissable lips pushed down at the corners as the jaw clenched.

  “It’s you.”

  Only after her accusatory words did he recognize the face that had haunted his dreams every night since late August, the first day he’d spotted her in his accounting class.

  Haley Martin.

  “HI, HALEY. WHAT’S A nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”

  Haley wanted to smack that smug smile away. She fumed as he rolled his lips between his teeth like he was stifling a laugh.

  “Shut up!” she spat back, trying not to notice how cute he looked when his dimples winked into view.

  Egotistical jerk!

  Still grinning, he called out over his shoulder. “Hey Jonah, you gotta see this...”

  “Just go away,” she hissed.

  “Yes, ma’am. If that’s what you want, I’m happy to leave you here—cuts my competition way back. I’m bound to get a fifth-year fellowship if you’re not around.”

  He disappeared. She heard the crunches in the snow growing softer, as she struggled to lift her head.

  I can’t see out of this tree well. Is he really abandoning me?

  “Wait, Gavin! Where are you going?”

  “Away.” His voice was more distant.

  “You can’t leave me stuck here.”

  “No, I think you’re wrong. I can certainly leave you there. After all, you told me to go away. And to be honest, you didn’t seem very appreciative of my help.”

  Another male voice called out, “What’s going on, Gavin?”

  “I’m coming out alone,” Gavin yelled back.

  “What happened? Is she injured? Do we need to call ski patrol after all?”

  “No, she doesn’t want my help.”

  “Ughh! Fine!” Haley made a vain try at swallowing her pride. “I would very much appreciate your help getting unstuck.”

  “Say please,” his voice floated back.

  With her teeth gritted tight, she ground out, “Please.”

  “That’s better.”

  The sound of his footsteps in the snow grew louder.

  “But you have to promise to be nice,” she added.

  He didn’t respond until his face appeared above the snow again. “I’ll be nice if you’re nice.”

  “Look. Just get me unstuck, and you can go. I’d appreciate if you’d never mention this happened.”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “No can do. You see that fall was not just a great wipeout...it was stunning. On a scale of one to ten, that had to be a thirteen.”

  “Oh come on...”

  “No, I’m serious. Liam and Jonah are my best buddies. I can’t deny them the prime opportunity to congratulate you in person after that incredible show. That’s against the bro-code.”

  Haley swallowed a chuckle threatening to erupt, reminding herself she was mad at Gavin, though she wanted to fall inside his bottomless chocolate brown eyes.

  “Are you going to get me unstuck or not?”

  “Hmm... that depends. What are you going to do when I get you out?”

  “I’m going to ski away from here so fast your head will spin, and I promise not to bother you the rest of the day.”

  “Then the answer is no, I’m not going to get you unstuck.”

  “Arghh! Just tell me what you want.”

  “Ski with me the rest of the day... with us.”

  “No way!”

  “Come on. You don’t really want that wipeout to be my only memory of watching you ski, do you?”

  No, dang it. She was itching to show him what a great skier she was. She didn’t want to have him taunting her about his superior abilities for the duration of their time at UT.

  “What’s going on, Gavin?” The guy’s voice was close. He must’ve followed Gavin off the slope. “Do you need some help rescuing the dam
sel in distress?”

  “How do you even know it’s a damsel?” asked another male voice. “All I can see is the tip of a ski. Could be a dude.”

  “If you thought that was a dude skiing, you need some new contacts, Liam,” said the first guy, chuckling.

  As Gavin looked over his shoulder, he started laughing, and Haley grasped for anger that had dissolved into thin air.

  “Hey fellas?” Her voice shook as her jaw shivered. “If you’re through joking around, I’m starting to get kind of cold here.”

  “You’re going to ski with us?” Gavin’s brows arched up in question, but Haley knew it was an ultimatum.

  “I was planning to hit the terrain park, but I wouldn’t want to show you guys up,” Haley dared, salvaging what little pride she had left.

  “Ha! That’s big talk from a girl who just left a yard sale on the slope.” Liam indicated the array of ski equipment left behind in her skiing wipeout. He chortled with laughter, dashing any slim hope in Haley’s mind that the other two guys wouldn’t tease her about the fall.

  “Challenge accepted!” Gavin’s grin didn’t gall her quite as much this time, perhaps because she planned to wipe every last vestige of it off his face as soon as they got to the halfpipe. “Come on, guys. Let’s dig her out.”

  Chapter Three

  Gavin snapped a midair picture on his cell phone as Haley executed a seven-twenty amid whoops and hollers from Jonah and Liam.

  Haley sprayed Gavin with a rooster-tail of snow as she skidded into a hockey stop and answered their cheers with a fist pump.

  “You nailed it!” cried Jonah.

  “Pretty impressive, Haley.” Gavin dusted the snow from his eyes, having pushed his goggles up on his helmet.

  “Thank you, Gavin,” she replied, holding out her gloved hand. “I believe you owe me twenty dollars.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t have any cash on me.”

  Gavin’s statement wasn’t strictly true, but making the wager had been a strategic play, cementing her attention in the face of competition—his two friends. Every time she smiled at Liam or laughed at one of Jonah’s comments, Gavin wished he hadn’t invited his buddies to come skiing that day.

  My one chance to be with Haley, and my best friends are horning in on the action.

  “You can pay later,” she said, “but I’ll charge compounding interest.”

  “I must say, I rather like the sound of compounding interest. It’s way better than getting the brush-off.”

  Hidden by ski goggles, her unreadable expression frustrated Gavin. Were all his efforts wasted?

  “Brush-off?” The surprise was in her voice, if not visible on her face.

  “Yeah, I was beginning to get a real complex, the way you ignored me all semester.”

  A snowball smacked on Gavin’s helmet and Jonah laughed. “Don’t listen to him, Haley. He’s just mad because there’s one girl in the entire world who doesn’t swoon when he walks by.”

  “Shut up!” With a little more force than necessary, Gavin threw a return chunk of icy snow that connected with Jonah’s back as he twisted away.

  “It’s true,” Liam announced in a dramatic voice. “Even back in high school, when we went anywhere together, all the girls flirted with Gavin and didn’t even talk to Jonah and me. It was like we were invisible.”

  “Awww, that’s terrible.” Haley’s lips twitched into a crooked smile.

  Gavin put one hand over his heart, stretching the other one toward Liam and Jonah as he broke out into song. “It must have been cold there in my shad-ow...”

  Two more snowballs flew his direction, but he easily ducked out of the way, since he wasn’t clipped onto his board.

  Haley laughed. “I know what you mean, Liam. I’ve seen him go through about fifty different girlfriends since September.”

  “Totally untrue,” Gavin protested. “I’ve only dated forty-five different girls since September—the other five were the girls I took on second dates.”

  “I stand corrected—forty-five,” said Haley, sending a soft ball of snow to splat on his face.

  “Don’t start something you can’t finish,” Gavin teased, brushing the snow out of his collar, and bending over to scoop a handful of snow, which he compacted in his hands. “You’re totally wrong about me, you know. The truth is I’ve only had one bona fide date all year, and that one was a dud. She really wasn’t my type.”

  Ask me what my type is. Come on... ask me! I prefer intelligent, attractive redheads who can beat the snot out of me on the slopes.

  “She wasn’t your type, huh?” Haley’s impudent grin should have been a warning for what came next. “Isn’t that what guys always say about girls who give ‘em the shaft?”

  Gavin took a step up the hill toward Haley, the snowball tucked in hand behind his back. “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Yeah,” Jonah agreed. “How would Gavin know? No girl has ever given him the shaft.”

  “Haley wouldn’t even give me the time of day,” said Gavin, edging his way closer to his unsuspecting prey.

  Haley pointed an accusing finger at Gavin. “I think you’re just trying to distract me from the bet you made. I’m not letting you off the hook for that twenty dollars. I earned it fair and square.”

  “And you stomped that landing,” Liam agreed. “It was gnarly! Don’t be a tightwad, Gavin. Give her the twenty bucks.”

  “I already said I don’t have any cash, but I’m sure we can find some form of payment she’ll accept.” Gavin used a gravelly suggestive tone, grinning to assure her he was only jesting.

  Her cute blush was worth twenty bucks all on its own.

  “I tell you what, Haley...” Gavin climbed up until he was only a foot or two below her on the slope. “I’m going to give you what you deserve.”

  He tensed, ready to tackle her and send his snowball right down the back of her sweater. Just as he made his move, she lifted her downhill ski and kicked out, striking him in the chest. He barely had time to see her fall gently to her side on the slope as he went tumbling backwards down the hill, peals of laughter following after him.

  “Awesome form on that double cork, Gavin!” Jonah called out. “But your landing was pitiful!”

  “Way to go, Haley,” said Liam. “We’ve been waiting for the day when some girl would finally knock him on his butt, where he belongs.”

  Lying on his back in the snow, Gavin looked up the hill where Haley stood with her hand over her mouth, as if he wouldn’t be able to tell she was snickering at him. Gavin loved seeing her laugh—loved knowing he was responsible for it, even if it was at his expense. She looked so cute when her nose made that little crinkle.

  I think I’m making progress with her. I just need to ditch Jonah and Liam.

  He climbed to his feet, brushing the snow off his coat. Now he’d have to tramp his way back up the slope to the spot where he’d stowed his board.

  “Haley! Liam!” Jonah flipped to heel-side. “If we hurry, we have just enough time to catch the last lift.” He set off at breakneck speed.

  “See ya, Gavin. We’re going to make one more run.” Liam shouted, taking off after him.

  Haley watched the other two ride away, her lips pursed with frustration.

  She wants to go, but she feels like she has to wait for me. Even if I hurry, the lift will probably be closed when I get there.

  “Go on, Haley. I’m fine. I’ll catch you at the lift, if I can. If not, have a great last run.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  No, I mind a lot. I want you to stay with me.

  “Yes. Go! Hurry, or you’ll miss it!”

  “Thanks!” She smiled, pointed her skis downhill and raced away.

  Gavin watched her go. He couldn’t help wondering if this might be a sign from God that they weren’t supposed to be together. But then he remembered his father’s advice when he considered quitting the swim team after a dismal performance at his first high school meet. “If every difficulty wer
e a sign from God that you should give up, nothing would ever be accomplished. As long as you’re yielding to His will, you should consider a road block as something to circumvent, rather than God telling you to take a different path. Obstacles are there so God can teach you something. Ask yourself what God wants you to learn, and keep working. Never give up!”

  Hmmm... Maybe, if I hurry and the lift operator is cool, I’ll make one of the last chairs.

  He bounded up the hill to his waiting board.

  AS HALEY WAITED WITH Jonah and Liam in the lift line, she scanned the slope, hoping to see Gavin coming to join them. Guilt pushed at the edges of her conscience.

  Okay, I might have been wrong about him. He doesn’t act as arrogant as I thought he was.

  “Don’t worry about Gavin. He’ll be fine,” said Jonah, taking his helmet and goggles off to make some internal adjustment on the fit.

  Until then, Haley hadn’t really noticed Jonah’s good looks—his thick sandy hair and crystal blue eyes. But his jaw, she decided, wasn’t as strong as Gavin’s. Turning appraising eyes toward Liam, she realized he was also handsome, but his face seemed smoother, less masculine than Gavin’s.

  Good grief! When did I start using Gavin Holiday as tool to measure other men?

  “It’s my fault he couldn’t make the run with us,” she said, feeling worse for the admission.

  “That’s okay,” Liam explained. “It’s in the bro-code. Last run is too sacred to miss on account of a little tumble. Now, if his leg were broken, we would’ve called ski patrol before we took off.”

  “You’d leave him with a broken leg?”

  “Only after contacting ski patrol,” he clarified.

  Jonah jabbed an elbow into Liam’s side. “He’s joking with you, Haley. We wouldn’t leave him with a broken leg.”

  “Thank goodness!”

  “But your expression was priceless.” Liam laughed, slapping his thigh. “You could’ve caught flies with your mouth hanging open like that.”