Warm Winter Love Read Online Free

sell them?”
    “The parts, the components. I devise plans for companies.”
    “Where?”
    “All over.” He leaned back against his chair. “All over the world.”
    “You do a lot of traveling?” Katie’s voice was low.
    “Twenty-five days or more a month.” He looked out the window at the snow. “That’s why I need something like this every so often. I have to relax. This does it for me.” He looked at Katie. “Wherever I am, when I get that ‘everything is going haywire’ feeling, I just stop, find a place to ski or swim or lie on a beach or whatever, and just relax. Traveling can get to you after a while.”
    She thought of her father. “I know.” She pushed back her soup bowl. “And now, Sam Hubbard, I’m going back outside.” She held out her hand to him and inclined her head toward the window. “Thanks for sharing your view with me.”
    He half rose. “And thanks for having dinner with me. Maybe I’ll see you around… or up.” He pointed to the mountaintop. “Maybe later.” He took her hand and shook it, and she immediately liked the way he grasped it—strong, meaningful, as though he really meant what he said.
    “Yes, maybe. Thanks again.” She pushed back her chair. “Good-bye, Sam.”
    “For now, at least.”
    As he smiled at her once more, she knew that she would meet him again before her vacation was over. It was something she just knew.

 
    Chapter Three
    She was one of the first skiers on the slopes the next morning and it was exactly the way she liked it—calm winds, bright sunshine, brittle cold, the kind of weather that ski resorts hope for but rarely get. She loved it when it was like this. When there weren’t many people around and when she could feel that she belonged on the mountain. Belonged where no one could intrude on her thoughts or even talk to her. Sometimes when she overslept and got to the slopes there were long lines of eager, noisy people waiting for the lifts. But today had to be her lucky day—she had gotten to the top of the mountain without any waiting.
    She stood at the edge of the run, listening to the wind, letting the mini-snow showers swirl around her and she blew into the air so that she could see her breath vaporize in front of her. Yes, this was her kind of day. She slapped her hands together and then reached for her poles, ready to shove off.
    “Hey, snowbird!”
    She turned at the sound of the voice, recognizing the tone and the teasing. “You’re up early too!” she said.
    Sam was bent over, adjusting the straps on a boot. “Wait until you go down once. It’s nearly perfect.”
    “What time did you get here?” She looked up at the sun. “I thought I’d be one of the first.”
    “You were,” he said, and then laughed. “Only I was the first.” He moved closer to her. “You know, Katie, I once vowed that I would be number one in something. And this is it.” He gave a deep laugh that seemed to enfold her too. He was outrageous. She had never met anyone quite like him, anyone who could laugh and tease so easily. Was he ever serious?
    “Go on,” he said motioning her into position. “I’ll go down after you. I want to see how you take some of those curves.” He bent down and scooped up some soft snow. “It must have snowed a little last night—all fresh, hardly any tracks in it. Go on. I’ll see you at the bottom.”
    He was right. The topping of fresh snow gave the trail a better edge, and she kept her eyes straight in front of her, watching as she broke new lines on the surface. This was it, this was close to the feeling that she wanted to experience—a feeling she had waited for. She had always heard surfers talk about the quest for a perfect wave. Well, this was her almost-perfect snow wave. Someday she would find the perfect run, and then… And then what? Surely it couldn’t be any better than this. She glanced up quickly as she shot past a small pine tree, noticing how the branches swayed rhythmically toward, and then