His Little Christmas Miracle. Emily Forbes

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СКАЧАТЬ ‘You remember us?’ She was surprised and flattered. The boys would have seen hundreds of people already today.

      ‘Of course. Don’t tell me you don’t remember me?’ He put both hands over his heart and looked so dramatically wounded that Jess laughed. She’d have to watch out—he was cute and charming with more than a hint of mischief about him.

      And, of course, she remembered him. She doubted she’d ever forget him, but she knew his type and she wasn’t about to stroke his ego by telling him that his eyes were the perfect colour—unforgettable, just like him. She knew all the towies were cut from the same cloth, young men who would spend the winter working in the resort and then spend their time off skiing and drinking and chasing girls. They would flirt with dozens of girls in one day, trying their luck, until eventually their persistence would pay off and they’d have a date for the night and, no matter how cute he was, she didn’t want to be just another girl in the long line that would fall at his feet.

      ‘Well, just so you don’t forget us again, I’m Lucas and that’s Sam,’ he said, nodding towards his mate, who was sitting on the other side of Kristie.

      ‘I didn’t say I’d forgotten you,’ Jess admitted. ‘I remember your accent.’ But she wasn’t prepared to admit she remembered his dancing or had been unable to forget his cornflower-blue eyes. ‘You’re Australian?’

      ‘Yes, and, before you ask, I don’t have a pet kangaroo.’

      ‘I wasn’t going to ask that.’

      ‘Really?’

      ‘I might not have been to Australia but I know a bit about it. I’m not completely ignorant.’

      ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that,’ Lucas backtracked.

      ‘It’s okay.’ She’d stopped getting offended every time people treated her like a cheerleader but while she was one she was also a science major. ‘I know most of you don’t have pet kangaroos and I know you eat that horrible black spread on your toast and live alongside loads of poisonous snakes, spiders and man-eating sharks. Actually …’ she smiled ‘… I’m not surprised you left.’

      Lucas laughed. ‘I’m not here permanently. I’m only here for the winter. It’s summer back home. I’ll stay until the end of February when uni starts again.’

      ‘So where is the best place to party in the village?’ Kristie interrupted. ‘What’s popular this season?’

      Kristie knew the village as well as anyone—she didn’t need advice—but Jess knew it was just her cousin’s way of flirting. To Kristie that came as naturally as breathing.

      ‘How old are you?’ Sam replied.

      ‘Nineteen,’ she fibbed. She was only three months older than Jess and had only recently turned eighteen but nineteen was the legal drinking age.

      ‘The T-Bar is always good,’ Sam told them, mentioning one of the après-ski bars that had been around for ever but was always popular.

      ‘But tonight we’re having a few mates around,’ Lucas added. ‘We’re sharing digs with a couple of Kiwis and Friday nights are party nights. You’re welcome to join us.’

      ‘Thanks, that sounds like fun,’ Kristie replied, making it sound as though they’d be there when Jess knew they wouldn’t. Which was a pity. It did sound like it might be fun but there was no way they’d be allowed out with strangers, with boys who hadn’t been vetted and approved. Although Kristie’s parents weren’t as strict as hers, Jess’s aunt and uncle knew the rules Jess had to live by and she didn’t think they’d bend them that far.

      ‘We’re in the Moose River staff apartments. You know the ones? On Slalom Street. Apartment fifteen.’

      ‘We know where they are.’

      They were almost at the top of the ski run now and Jess felt a surge of disappointment that the ride was coming to an end. The boys were going snowboarding and Jess assumed they’d be heading to the half-pipe or the more rugged terrain on the other side of the resort. They wouldn’t be skiing the same part of the mountain as she and Kristie.

      She pretended to look out at the ski runs when she was actually looking at Lucas from behind the safety of her sunglasses. She wanted to commit his face to memory. He was cute and friendly but she doubted she’d ever see him again. He wasn’t her Prince Charming.

CHAPTER ONE

      JESS ZIPPED UP her ski jacket as she stood in the twilight. She was back.

      Back in the place where her life had changed for ever.

      Back in Moose River.

      She remembered standing not far from this exact spot while Kristie had told her that day marked the beginning of the rest of her life, but she hadn’t expected her cousin’s words to be quite so prophetic. That had been the day she’d met Lucas and her life had very definitely changed. All because of a boy.

      Jess shoved her hands into her pockets and stood still as she took in her surroundings. The mountain village was still very familiar but it was like an echo of a memory from a lifetime ago. A very different lifetime from the one she was living now. She took a deep breath as she tried to quell her nerves.

      When she had seen the advertisement for the position of clinic nurse at the Moose River Medical Centre it had seemed like a sign and she’d wondered why she hadn’t thought of it sooner. It had seemed like the perfect opportunity to start living the life she wanted but that didn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach.

      It’ll be fine, she told herself as she tried to get the butterflies to settle, once we adjust.

      In the dark of the evening the mountain resort looked exactly like it always had. Like a fairy-tale village. The streets had been cleared of the early season snow and it lay piled in small drifts by the footpaths. Light dotted the hillside, glowing yellow as it spilled from the windows of the hotels and lodges. She could smell wood smoke and pine needles. The fragrance of winter. Of Christmas. Of Lucas.

      She’d have to get over that. She couldn’t afford to remember him every few minutes now that she was back here. That wasn’t what this move was about.

      In a childhood marked by tragedy and, at times, fear and loneliness, Moose River had been one of the two places where she’d been truly happy, the only place in the end, and the only place where she’d been free. She had returned now, hoping to rediscover that feeling again. And while she couldn’t deny that Moose River was also full of bittersweet memories, she hoped it could still weave its magic for her.

      She could hear the bus wheezing and shuddering behind her, complaining as the warmth from its air-conditioning escaped into the cold mountain air. It was chilly but at least it wasn’t raining. She was so sick of rain. While Vancouver winters were generally milder than in other Canadian cities there was a trade-off and that was rain. While she was glad she didn’t have to shovel snow out of her driveway every morning, she was tired of the wet.

      Jess could hear laughter and music. The sound floated across to the car park from the buildings around her, filling the still night air. She could hear the drone of the snow-making machines on the mountain and she could СКАЧАТЬ