Stormy Passion Read online

  Brenna swung around in time to see Taylor holding Carol's hand as she sat down. A lump of emotion lodged in Brenna's throat. Before she could stop her sister from being so rude, she was gone. Brenna looked back to David, a little red-faced. “Sorry. You know how kids can be.”

  “I don't mind.” He smiled as he twisted the brim of his red ball cap in his hand. “Now I have some time alone with you. How would you like to go out next Saturday?” He placed the cap on his head and reached over and took Brenna's hand. “It's been a long time, too long for me.”

  “I guess it has been a while,” Brenna hesitated, “But I really haven't felt like going anywhere. We’ve been busy which is a good thing.”

  “No problem. I'll just come by and see you then.”

  Brenna smiled. She tried to find some way out, but could think of none. Anyway, by that time Taylor would be gone, and she'd probably be glad for the company because she sure wasn't going to sit around and mope about Taylor this time. Perhaps it was time for her to start thinking of other men.

  Taylor waved at Lisa just about the same time he saw that man reach for Brenna's hand. Just who in the hell did he think he was? Taylor had a good mind to get up and punch the SOB in the nose. And then he shook himself with a strong dose of reality ... Brenna didn't belong to him anymore.

  “Look, here comes your little friend.” The sound of Carol's voice brought his sanity back.

  “Hi, Lisa.” Taylor nodded to her. “What are you up to?”

  “Can I sit down?” Lisa asked. Taylor reached over and pulled the chair out for her. “I'm trying to get away from that boring man we're having lunch with.” She made a childish face, crossing her eyes and sucking in her cheeks. “I don't understand what Brenna sees in him.”

  “Is that her boyfriend?” Carol asked.

  “Gross! He's so boring.” Lisa frowned. “Brenna has gone out with him a few times, but she's never commented about the dates.”

  Taylor needed to get his mind on something else. He had already spent most of the morning convincing himself he didn't care why Brenna had left him. He decided he would make a new start with Carol. “What are you doing this afternoon, muffin?”

  “After lunch, Brenna said we're going skiing. This is my first year, so I'm not very good yet.”

  “If you're anything like your sister, you will be,” Taylor said before he thought.

  “Have you been skiing with Brenna?” Carol asked.

  “A few times,” he said. “When we were in school there were several ski clubs. Brenna and I belonged to the same club.”

  “I see,” Carol said and then looked back at Lisa. “I'm not very good either, so I know how you feel. My skis want to go every way except straight.” She laughed.

  Lisa giggled, too. “Maybe you can ski the bunny slopes with me.”

  “I'd love to.” Carol wiped her mouth and put the napkin on the table. “Listen, since we're all going skiing this afternoon, why don't we ride together?”

  Taylor opened his mouth to say it wasn't a good idea, but before he could, Lisa all but shouted. “That's a good idea!” She hopped up from the table. “We'll take the jeep. I'll go tell Brenna.”

  Lisa ran back to the other table, thankful that David had finally left them. “Guess what?”

  Brenna arched an eyebrow at her kid sister. “Jumping up like that was very rude, young lady. You could have at least excused yourself and told David goodbye.”

  “I don't like him--he's boring.”

  “It was still rude.”

  “All right, All right, I'm sorry, but guess what?”

  “What?” Brenna looked down and picked up her purse.

  “Carol is going to ski with me on the bunny slopes. You won't have to stay and keep an eye on me.”

  “That's nice of her.” Brenna said, being careful not to reveal her worries that Lisa might injure her hip again. Brenna had only let Lisa ski the bunny slopes the last two years, making sure Lisa was in good condition before tacking the more advanced slopes. Brenna tried hard not to baby her sister, but she wanted to be careful.

  “I thought so. So I invited them to ride with us.”

  “You did what?” Brenna asked between gritted teeth. Her chest tightened. She took several deep breaths. How could she have a normal conversation with Taylor after last night? She'd fallen so willingly into his arms and she hated herself for her lack of self-control. And he knew it. The only bright spot she could see in this mess was that this was the last day she would see Taylor. She had tried to keep her distance. But it seemed her dear little sister had just ruined all Brenna's good intentions.

  “Well, it's stupid to take two cars,” Lisa defended. “Besides Taylor is family.” She reached over and tugged on her sister's jacket. “They're waiting for us, so let's go.”

  “Yes, but they are on vacation and might like to be alone.”

  Lisa shrugged. “Carol was the one who suggested it.”

  “Great.” Brenna slowly stood up and gathered her packages. At this moment, she was considering putting her sister up for adoption. Taylor was not family ... Taylor was trouble.

  This was going to be one long afternoon. She just knew it.

  When they were back to the house, Brenna carried her skis over to the car. Taylor had already put his and Carol's skis in the carrier on top of the car.

  “I'll put those in the racks for you.” Taylor took them from her.

  “Thank you.” Brenna kept her gaze anywhere but on Taylor. “I'll get Lisa's skis, and then we can go.”

  She turned to leave, but Taylor grabbed her arm. “Look.” He waited a minute until she glanced up at him. “Last night was a mistake. Let's just forget the whole thing happened and enjoy a day on the slopes. Maybe it can be like old times.”

  “All right,” Brenna agreed, but somehow she wasn't relieved when she went to the garage. “Old times, my foot,” she mumbled. Last night was like old times, but she got the distinct impression he regretted almost kissing her, she thought miserably. And he should.

  Well, she regretted her part, too. He'd just caught her at a weak moment, that's all. After leaving her, he had probably gone upstairs and made love to Carol, vanquishing all thoughts of herself out of his mind. Brenna shook her head. No. She didn't want to think about that. After tomorrow they would be gone, and somehow she would have to find a way to return her life to normal.

  The foursome was on their way to the slopes. Lisa chattered away as they passed the pretty pastel, Victorian buildings lining the streets.

  “Isn't this fun.” Lisa turned around so she could talk to Taylor and Carol in the back seat. “Have you learned to snowplow yet?”

  “I was getting the hang of it yesterday,” Carol admitted. “But I moved my heels apart too quickly and lost my balance. The next time my skis bumped into each other, and I hit the ground again. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sore, so I'll probably do worse than yesterday.”

  “Maybe you should take it a little easier today. It takes some people longer than others to learn,” Taylor told her.

  Brenna turned the Jeep left into the parking lot just as Carol said. “You're quiet today, Brenna. Don't you feel well?”

  She glanced at Carol in the rearview mirror. Her pale pink ski jacket complimented her olive skin. She'd make the perfect wife for Taylor, Brenna grudgingly admitted before answering, “Just a slight headache. Hopefully, the cool air will help.”

  Once they were out of the Jeep, Taylor handed everyone a pair skis and they carried them to a bench where they put on heavy ski boots, then adjusted their bindings.

  Brenna slipped on a crimson headband to hold her hair back and keep her ears warm. Then she helped Lisa stand.

  Taylor had been over talking to the instructor and was now coming back. “They're getting ready to start a class in ten minutes, so you both are just in time. Are you sure you're up to this, Carol?”

  “Oh, I'll be okay.” Carol stood when Taylor extended his hand. “Thank you.” She smiled. “You
two experienced skiers run along. Lisa and I will be just fine.”

  “I don't know about being experienced,” Brenna said. “It's been a long time. I probably should take the class myself.” She wanted to add, so I won't have to be alone with Taylor.

  “Nonsense,” Carol protested. “You're just trying to be nice. You and Taylor run along and have fun. Come on, Lisa, I'll race you over to the cute ski instructor.”

  “That's not fair. You've got a head start,” Lisa shouted after her.

  “Wait.” Brenna grabbed Lisa’s arm. “Be careful.”

  “Oh, Brenna.” Lisa frowned then took off.

  “Lisa and Carol get along well.” Brenna turned to Taylor only to find he was staring at her. God, he was magnificent dressed in the black ski outfit with a scarlet red swirl across his chest. In fact, their outfits almost matched. She watched as he adjusted his goggles on top of his head. Despite everything, she found herself wanting him.

  “I guess it's just the two of us,” Taylor said, breaking the ice between them. Brenna acted like a scared rabbit caught in a snare, but what a gorgeous rabbit, dressed in blood-red with her flowing black hair. Or should he say scarlet red with a big A on her forehead? How could she look so innocent and be so guilty of hurting him?

  “If you want to go ahead to the advanced course, don't let me hold you up,” she said.

  “And just what are you going to be doing? I thought you wanted to ski.”

  “I think I'll do the intermediate course first. It's been a long time, and I need the practice so I won't break my leg.”

  “Yes, it has,” Taylor said in a husky voice. But skiing wasn't what he was thinking about. He checked his thoughts fast. “That's probably the smart thing to do and should be fun. I didn't ski that course yesterday, so I'll give it a try, too. Let's head to the lift.” He shoved off.

  Brenna followed slowly at first until she got her footing. Well, that didn't work, she thought. Did she not affect him the way he did her? She had given him a chance to get away--yet he'd chosen to stay with her. She couldn't help thinking he didn't act like a man engaged. Could he possibly be as confused as she was last night? A prickling of panic nagged at her because she didn't want to be this close to Taylor. She didn't want any of the thousand of questions that rumbled around in her head, especially when she couldn't provide any answers.

  Damn. Her head hurt worse.

  When they reached the lifts they only had to wait a few minutes for a chair. Soon they were swept way up into the crisp, mountain air. The murmur of excited voices drifted up while she looked down at the little children who looked much too small to walk, let alone ski.

  Taylor shifted in his seat trying to get comfortable before he finally draped his arm on the back of the chair. Brenna's discomfort increased. This is what she meant. He was too close. His thigh pressed against hers, and if she leaned to her right, she would be cradled in his arms. She must stamp all these lustful thoughts from her mind.

  “I'd forgotten how beautiful everything is from up here,” Brenna said.

  “If you don't sit back.” Taylor pulled her against him. “You might see more of the snow than you anticipated. I promise I will not bite.”

  “I guess you're right,” she admitted as she allowed herself to lean against Taylor. “How do you like our triple chair lift? They just built it last year.”

  “I'm impressed,” Taylor admitted. It's cut the waiting time in half. I can remember when we had to wait an hour for a chair.” Brenna felt Taylor's breath on the back of her head almost as if he were whispering into her hair. She shivered as he kept on talking.

  “I'm surprised it's been so long since you've skied. With a place like this at your fingertips, I'd think you would be out here every day.”

  Brenna shut her eyes, remembering his lips on hers. If she turned now, she knew she couldn't resist him. But he belonged to someone else and she wasn’t crossing the line again. She gave a funny, little laugh, knowing she must keep talking. “When I was younger, I would have been. But when we first moved here, Lisa was very sick, and there was a lot of physical therapy for me to help with. Then I had work to do.” Brenna turned slightly toward him. “It would have been cruel to leave a child who could hardly walk while I gallivanted off to the slopes. Besides, I don't like to ski by myself.”

  Taylor's arm tightened around her. “You've been a good sister and mother to Lisa.”

  Brenna thought Taylor's voice sounded a little funny as if he were choked up. But she didn't dare look at him. It would be so easy to forget all the promises to keep her emotions under control. They grew quiet.

  Brenna breathed in the sweet, clean smell of spruce and Frasier fir. She felt as if all her senses were being seduced. Stop that. She silently scolded herself. Keep the conversation light. And most of all, get hold of yourself. “Carol told me this was the first time you'd been skiing in a while. What happened? I know it was a passion of yours.”

  “Things change. I'm not so sure I have a passion for anything these days.”

  Brenna could see the top of the hill where they would get off. And she needed to put some distance between them because his touch robbed her of her self-control. Over him? No, she wasn't over him by any means. Who was she trying to kid? If only she could turn back the clock and wipe away all the hurt, all the pain, all the lonely nights. “I'm sure Carol will fix that. I like her,” Brenna admitted.

  “I like her, too,” Taylor said. But again Brenna thought his voice sounded strange. Shouldn't he have said love?

  It was too late to ponder his strange remark. They had arrived at the top of the mountain and the chairs stopped long enough for a man to grab her by the arm and jerk her out of the way of the moving chairs.

  Suddenly, Brenna felt wonderfully alive surrounded by blue sky and white snow. Taylor skied over to her.

  “Are you ready to give it a try?” Taylor saw the sparkle in her eyes, and he smiled at the bewitching snow-bunny. Damn, she was beautiful.

  “Let's try the Widowmaker Run.” She pointed. “There doesn't seem to be a crowd.”

  “After you.” Taylor bowed. His mood suddenly brightened. “I'm right behind you.”

  At the beginning of the course, Brenna gave Taylor a sassy look as she dug her poles deep in the snow. “You'll never catch me,” she challenged just before she shoved off down the hill.

  Taylor chuckled. He watched as her black hair streamed out behind her. She still had a good form in more ways than one.

  “Wait ... Stop!” A member of the ski patrol shouted as he came up behind Taylor. “That run is closed.”

  “What do you mean it's closed? There's no sign.”

  “That's because it's here in my hand.” He promptly produced a sign that read, Danger! Run closed, and hammered it into the snow.

  “It can't be closed.” Apprehension slowly crept over Taylor. “My girlfriend has just started down the slope.”

  “Damn!” The man muttered a curse. He immediately pulled out a walkie-talkie and put it to his mouth. “Send the sled up. We have a skier who could be in danger.”

  Taylor grabbed the man by the back of his jacket and spun him around. “You had better explain and fast.”

  “O--One of our snow making machines malfunctioned. We were supposed to cut it off last night, but someone missed it. Unfortunately, it threw water across the run producing a large patch of ice--dangerous ice. We've already had one mishap on the run today.”

  Taylor planted his poles in the snow. He had heard enough. Someone grabbed his arm.

  “I just told you, you can't go down there.”

  Taylor didn't have time to argue as he stared at the unwanted hand on his jacket. He shoved the man backward, watching him land on his backside in the snow. “Just try to stop me,” Taylor bit out as he pushed off down the slope.

  He had to get to Brenna before ....

  Chapter Six

  Brenna felt camaraderie with the frozen land. It was so isolated out here surrounded by nature's
playground. She felt like she was wrapped in a blanket of silver. There were no bills to pay, no menus to plan, and most of all, no decisions to be made. Exhilaration surged through her veins.

  She entered a sharp turn. The soft powder flew from beneath Brenna's skis. All her muscles stretched as she zigzagged down the mountain. She wondered why she didn't see any other skiers in front of her, and now that she thought of it, it was strange that there hadn't been any skiers or mountain personnel at the gate. Glancing over her shoulder, she wondered why Taylor hadn't caught up with her. He was so much heavier that his speed would be much faster than hers would. However, she wasn't doing too badly. Despite her well-controlled turns, she picked up speed on each one. And the faster she went the more aggressive she became.

  Her laughter rang in her ears as she crouched lower ready to take the next turn. Swinging wide she felt an ache in her thigh, but she ignored the pain as she entered a shady section of the course. Something shiny caught her eyes near the snow machine. What is that? The snow ahead sparkled like glitter or perhaps a mirror, or . . . My God . . . Ice!

  She had to stop before she hit the ice. Brenna tried to straighten to her full height, but it was too late. She was committed to the turn. One of her ski poles slipped from her hand. “Nooo!” The minute her skis hit the ice her feet flew out from under her, and she went down, sliding helplessly like a rag doll across the ice.

  Brenna's last conscious thought as she slammed into a tree was. Who is that screaming?

  Taylor crouched low making short turns to increase his speed. It was still too slow.

  Faster and faster, he ran through the tracks left by Brenna. She'd break her neck if she hit that ice at full speed. He had to catch her before--before it was too late.

  Why hadn't he gone first? His jaw stiffened. Why hadn't he realized something was wrong? He knew why. When Brenna was near he ceased to think logically. Taylor tightened his body, pulling his arms in closer to his sides on the flats. Where was she? Don't let her get hurt, he prayed. He couldn't lose Brenna after he'd just found her. He just couldn't.