Her eyes went wide. “We’ve got to get the fuck out of here.”
I nodded in agreement. “One huge push. Ready?”
“Yes!”
The grunting that escaped us as we used all of our force probably rivaled the sounds going on inside the vehicle. It was mind over matter because that time, by some miracle, the car pushed free. I could only hope Abe would put his dick away long enough to get us the hell off the road.• • •“Wow. This is really beautiful.” Maddie stared out the gondola window at the fresh coat of snow. “I’ve never been on one of these before.”
“You mean at this resort?”
“No, I mean I’ve never been on a ski gondola before.”
“Really? How come?”
“Umm… Because I don’t ski.”
I turned to look at her. “What do you mean you don’t ski?”
She shrugged. “I’ve never tried it before.”
“But your honeymoon was in Vail? Who goes to the ski-resort capital of the United States when they don’t even ski?”
She frowned. “My ex loved to ski.”
“But you don’t.”
Maddie shoved her hands into her coat pockets. “I told you I started to lose myself.”
The way her face fell caused an unexpected ache in my chest. “So skiing wasn’t exactly your ideal honeymoon then?”
“I liked the idea of a nice fireplace with a big picture window looking out at the snow. Does that count?”
I scratched my chin. “What is your ideal honeymoon?”
She thought about it. Because of how long it took her to answer, it was clear her dumbass ex-fiancé had never even bothered to ask. The more I heard about her relationship, the more I started to think him calling the wedding off was a blessing in disguise.
“I’ve always wanted to go to the island of Mo’orea, in Tahiti—stay in one of those over-water bungalows.”
I smiled. I’d grown up in Vail, and skiing used to be as second nature to me as walking, but I’d opt for Maddie in a bikini over her bundled in a snowsuit any day of the week. Her fiancé wasn’t just a coward. He was a dope.
“When the right guy comes along, that’s where he’s going to take you on your honeymoon.”
Maddie smiled sadly. “Thanks.”
We rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain. I’d programmed it for a one-way trip, so when we reached the exit terminal, it slowed to a halt.
“Get your camera ready.”
I still hadn’t told her what I was bringing her up here to see, and she’d never asked. That proved she truly did have an adventurous streak. Maddie unzipped her camera bag and took out two lenses.
“Do I need long range or close up?”
“Definitely long range.”
She detached the regular lens from the camera and clicked a telephoto zoom into place, then cleaned the viewfinder and zipped her case closed. “I’m ready. Should I tuck my pants into my boots? How deep do you think the snow is up here?”
I chuckled. “Doesn’t matter. You’re not going out there.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Are you?”
“Just for a few minutes.” I leaned over and nudged open one of the gondola’s sliding windows so she’d have an unobstructed view. Then I bent to strap a pair of snowshoes on my feet. “You’re going to look right out there.” I pointed to a dark area of the woods off in the distance. “The gondola is about two feet from the ground because people are usually disembarking with long skis on. I’m going to jump down and go to that control station booth to turn on the lights up here. Then I’ll come back and join you.”
I could see the excitement in her face. “Okay!”
Halfway back to the gondola, I heard Maddie gasp.
I smiled and rushed into the warm, dry enclosure. Pulling the door shut behind me, I brushed the snow from my shoulders. “You see them? I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to or not with the snow. But it’s lightened up a lot since we left the hotel. I think we’re in the eye of the storm.”
The sound of a shutter clicking away responded before Maddie. “What kind of bears are they? They’re so adorable.”
“They’re black bears.”
“Are they dangerous?”
“I don’t think there’s such thing as a safe bear, except maybe Yogi. But the mountains at these ski resorts are filled with black bears. They pretty much learn to cohabitate with the humans. They’ll keep out of your way, if you keep out of theirs.”
Maddie adjusted her lens and shot more pictures. “I thought bears hibernated for the winter.”
“They do. But hibernation doesn’t mean going to sleep in November and waking up in June. They just sleep a lot to conserve energy in the months they can’t forage food. But they still get up every few days.”
“They’re awake now. Bears are nocturnal?”
“Not usually, but in ski resort areas like this, many of them adjust to avoid people.”
“That’s incredible. How did you know they were here?”