And if he was lucky, that was going to include lots of sex.
“And what about when you get back to New York?”
Ethan stood with the plate dripping in his hands.
He hadn’t thought that far.
HARRIET CONSIDERED HERSELF to be reasonably fit, but after a week of skiing her muscles ached in places they’d never ached before. And every moment of the day had been filled with activity.
Some meals they’d eaten with his family, some with the O’Neils, and once they’d eaten in the privacy of their own cabin and then spent the rest of the evening in the hot tub watching snow layer the trees in the surrounding forest.
Tomorrow was the wedding, which meant that today was the last day and Ethan had told her he had a surprise for her.
He’d disappeared after breakfast and told her to dress in warm gear and meet him at the end of the path.
As she eased her aching limbs into her ski gear, she hoped it wasn’t anything that required her to be too athletic.
She closed the door of the cabin—no one seemed to lock any doors here—and trudged through a fresh layer of snow to the gate where Ethan was waiting.
She reached the gate and stopped, staring beyond to the trail.
“You love dogs,” Ethan said, “so I thought you’d love this.”
“This” was a sled pulled by a dog team of eight huskies. They stamped the ground and howled and barked, impatient and excited.
Harriet felt a thrill of excitement too. “This is the best thing anyone could ever have done for me.”
And the thrill she felt wasn’t all a response to the dogs.
Ethan had arranged this for her. She knew there were endless activities on offer at Snow Crystal, but he’d chosen the one he knew she’d love.
Her heart gave an uneven thud.
This wasn’t just thoughtful, it was—
What was it?
He introduced her to Dana, the young woman who owned the dog team, and then Harriet climbed into the sled beside Ethan and the dogs, on Dana’s instructions, took off.
They weaved their way along the main trail and then Dana turned off onto a narrower trail that led directly into the stillness of the snow-covered forest. The trees stretched tall, white sentries lining the path. The overnight fall of snow had added a layer of soft powder to the groomed trail and the surface sparkled under the bright sun.
The only sounds were the rhythmic panting of the dogs and the rush of the sled as it moved through the snowy wilderness.
Cocooned in blankets, Harriet watched the dogs ahead of her and marveled at their energy and how happy they seemed. That and the raw beauty of the landscape took her breath away.
When Dana finally stopped and pulled off the trail it took Harriet a moment to catch her breath.
“This is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Ethan smiled and helped her out of the sled. “Time for a little refreshment.”
They were in a clearing and she noticed something that looked like a mountain hut.
“Where are we?”
“It’s called the Chocolate Shack. And they serve great food, but they’re famous for their whipped hot chocolate.”
“Hot chocolate?” Harriet tried not to think of her thighs, which was almost impossible since she’d spent the week putting pressure on them while learning to ski.