Listen to Your Heart (14 page)

“Okay.” She turned to face him. “The
distance travelled by the Peak 2 Peak is 4.4km, and the crossing time takes
eleven minutes. A gondola leaves every forty-nine seconds.”

He looked surprised, and she nodded.
“Quick, huh?” She pointed upward. “The cable we’re riding on, or should I say
the two cables, came from Switzerland on 50-ton spools. They had to be
offloaded down in Washington State because they were too large for any facility
in Vancouver Harbour.” She searched her memory for other tidbits. “Oh, and the
entire project was completed on time and on budget. I thought the businessman
in you would appreciate that.”

He gave her an amused smile. “I’m not a
businessman.”

“Bite your tongue. You’re very much a
businessman. You may not work nine to five in an office, but you’re very good
at what you do.”

He looked puzzled. “And what is that?”

“You’re an innkeeper. A hotelier. I’ve
watched you handle people since the first moment we met...including me by the
way...and you’re good at it. I’ll bet your father is proud of the way you
represent the family to the public.”

A shadow crossed his eyes and she
wondered what she’d said wrong. Maybe he didn’t get along with his father.

His gaze drifted outside, but she
suspected he wasn’t seeing the skiers and riders making their way down the
hill.

He blinked, and focused on Morgan. “Speaking
of my father, he’ll be here any day now.”

“Really? Any special reason, or is it a
routine visit?”

“I think he wants to look into the
restaurant lease.”

“I would have thought he’d have someone
to do that for him.”

Adrian nodded. “Yes, usually the Food
Services Manager would scout it out first, but Dad’s a hands-on owner.” He gave
her a lop-sided grin. “And I think he wants to check on me.”

“Are you looking forward to seeing him?”

He hesitated for a split second. “Yes, I
am. By the way, he flies in the company jet and we never know when he’s going
to show up. I had an e-mail from my mom last night, and she said he was in Banff
the last time she heard from him.” He looked up. “Oh look, we’re here already.”
He stood up as the gondola swooped into the terminal and the exit door opened.

Once clear of the terminal building they
were in brilliant sunshine. Adrian visibly relaxed and offered her his hand
again as they strolled to the Roundhouse.

“Know what I’d like to do?” he said.
“I’d like to get coffee and a snack and sit outside.”

The area looked completely different
than it had the other night when Tyler had set up his impromptu bar. Gray Jays
hopped from the perimeter railing to the tables, looking for food.

“I’d like that,” she said, following him
into the busy restaurant.

* * *

“This is nice,” Adrian said a few
minutes later. The outside area was busy, but riders and skiers were coming and
going constantly, and a table opened up as they came out with their drinks.
“One more trip to go,” he said, looking over at the Whistler gondola. “But I
think it isn’t going to be a problem.” He waited until Morgan was settled, and
then sat down.

“I didn’t realize how much I missed
this,” he said with a sad smile. “We skied a lot at home.”

Had Morgan heard right? “
We
?” Was
he referring to a girlfriend? Once again her thoughts returned to the other
night. She’d asked him about his “it’s complicated” comment and although her
head had been fuzzy at the time, she’d thought that he was about to tell her...

Adrian stared silently into his coffee.

“Bernie and I skied together since we
were kids.” He cradled his cup in both hands. “I’ve heard that here in Canada
people talk about being on skates before they can walk.” He smiled faintly. “At
home we’re that way with skis.”

She waited for him to continue.

“Bernie was my older brother. He
reminded me about that constantly, even though the age difference was only a
couple of years.” He looked into the distance. “He loved the hotel business.
Now there was your true hotelier. We both worked in the hotels from the time we
were old enough to behave, but it was Bernie who really loved them. Dad was
already grooming him to take over some day.”

Morgan had so many questions she didn’t
know where to start. Silence seemed to be her best choice.

“It happened last year; it was the week
after Valentine’s Day. I remember Bernie complaining about his girlfriend.
She’d been pressuring him to get engaged, and he was resisting. Anyway, we got
the day off to go skiing.” His gaze came back to her and rested on her face for
a long, heartbreaking moment. “It was a beautiful day and we were so happy to
get away together. We got along really well, and even though he was older than
me, he was constantly telling people that I was the serious one in the family.”
He nodded as though he could still hear his brother’s voice. “Anyway, we
decided to ski early in the morning. It was sunny up top at that time of day,
and the forecast was for a foot of fresh.”

A Gray Jay hopped onto their table but
neither paid any attention.

“We were a little over half way up the
mountain, going over a ravine, when something went wrong.” His eyes widened
with remembered panic. “We felt the gondola lurch as we passed a tower and
suddenly we were hanging on for our lives. The gondola swung and we were
knocked off our feet. Bernie slid across the floor and crashed into the door; it
opened and he fell out, but he managed to grab onto the door handle.” His voice
lowered; little more than a whisper now. “I reached for him, and for a moment I
thought I could pull him back into the gondola.” He lowered his head into his
hands. “I’ve relived that moment so many times. I could see it in his eyes when
he realized that he wasn’t going to make it. He didn’t panic, he didn’t say
anything; he just fell.”

He exhaled slowly and fingered the scar
on his cheek. “I haven’t spoken about that for well over a year.” He pulled the
wrapping off the Danish pastry he’d bought and crumbled some of it up for the
bird with trembling hands. Morgan’s heart broke for him. He watched the bird
for a few moments and then looked at her. “I haven’t skied since.”

Tears clogged her throat but she pushed
them down. “And that’s when you got the scar.”

He nodded, and reached for her hand.
They sat silently, each lost in thought.

Morgan spoke first. “I can see why you
would be terrified. It must have been difficult to get in that gondola today.”

He looked down at their joined hands. “I
had a good guide.”

It was her turn to nod. “You’re amazing,
you know that?”

He raised an eyebrow.

She unconsciously edged closer to him on
the bench. “I can’t pretend to understand what you’ve been through, but the way
you are now...” She searched for the right words. “Most people would be angry.
They’d be looking for someone to blame, they’d be lashing out at everyone
around them, or they’d drown themselves in booze and drugs.” She looked into
his amazing eyes. “You didn’t do any of those things, did you?”

“I might have if I’d thought it would
help.”

She shook her head. “No you wouldn’t.”

“No, I suppose not.” He shredded some
more pastry for the bird. “My grandmother wouldn’t have approved.”

The bird snatched at the crumbs and flew
away. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned your grandmother. You love, her,
huh?”

His eyes softened. “Yes. Both Bernie and
I did.” He blinked a few times. “See? I mentioned Bernie’s name. Another thing I
haven’t been able to do for a long time.”

Morgan took a sip of her tea. It was
cold, but she didn’t care. “So are you now serving penance?”

He looked up sharply. “What do you
mean?”

“Are you working in the hotels when
you’d really rather be doing something else?”

He relaxed. “No. I’ve always worked in
them in some capacity, but it wasn’t until after Bernie died that I realized I
really do like it.”

“That’s good.” Morgan nodded to herself.
“It would have been hard on your father if you’d turned away from the
business.” She opened the other Danish, pulled off a piece and ate it without
tasting. “How are your parents taking this? You hear a lot of stories about
couples breaking up after a child dies.”

“Not in our family. My mom and dad are
both amazing.” His voice was hoarse with emotion. “They seemed to understand
that we were all in this together. I was drowning in guilt as you can imagine,
but they seemed to know what to say from the first moment. They were unbelievably
supportive.”

“They sound amazing. I’d like to meet
them.” Too late she realized what she’d said. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out
right.”

He smiled at her discomfort, but it was
a tender smile. “I know what you meant, but I’d like you to meet them, too.
You’ll probably meet Dad in the next few days.”

She ripped off another piece of pastry.
“So was coming here your idea? Your grandmother must miss you.”

“Funny you should say that. Coming to
Canada was her idea, and as usual she was wise to suggest it.” He paused for a
moment. “She knows me well.”

“So you’re glad you came?”

He turned those amazing eyes on her.
“Very.”

Morgan’s heart started to beat a little
faster. “That’s good, then.” She held his gaze and something passed between
them. But she wasn’t under the influence of alcohol now. In the cold, clear
light of day she knew better than to fall for Adrian Zimmerman. Not when his
father owned the hotel she worked in.

She reached for the pastry again, and
then pushed it away. “That stuff is terrible, and I’m hungry. Let’s go for
brunch over at the Chateau.” She grinned. “My treat, since you paid for the
gondolas.”

He tore the Danish apart quickly and tossed
it to the birds. Several had gathered since they sat down, attracted by the
offerings. “Great idea. I’m hungry too.”

Morgan stood in the gondola going down,
facing the valley. Adrian didn’t hesitate; he came up behind her and wrapped
his arms around her.

She looked over her shoulder. “You’re
going to watch?” she asked.

“I’ll try.” He rested his chin on the
top of her head. “But I’m not making any promises.”

The gondola was full of boisterous
skiers and it wasn’t until they stepped off at the bottom that they had a
chance to speak again.

“That was fun,” she said shyly.
Something had changed between them on the ride down the mountain. She could
have moved away when he moved in to hold her, but the truth was, she’d been
right where she’d wanted to be. Adrian Zimmerman made her feel safe. Safe and
cherished. It was a sensation she could get used to, so why was she being
cautious about becoming involved with him? What would Dale say? She almost
laughed out loud and Adrian gave her a strange look. Dale would say that it
didn’t matter what other people thought, that she was responsible for her own
life.

“Are you okay?” Adrian led her past the
hotel and down the ramp to the parking garage.

“Yes.” She gave her head a quick shake.
“I was just thinking about Dale.”

“I haven’t seen her for a couple of days
now.” He pressed his remote entry and the lights flashed on the Range Rover.

“Me neither.”

He stopped by the passenger door and
looked down at her. Something in his expression made the breath catch in her
throat. “Why are we talking about your friend?” he asked softly.

“I don’t know.” She looked up at him.

“Morgan.” He lowered his head part way,
then stopped, searching her eyes.

She raised a tentative hand and touched
the scar on his cheek. “Adrian,” she murmured, as he lowered his head the rest
of the way.

His lips brushed hers, tempting, teasing,
and finally tasting. A low groan escaped from his throat and his arms tightened,
pulling her against his chest. Even through their winter clothing, she could
feel his heart pounding as his tongue slid between her lips and explored her
mouth. She moaned softly and leaned into him, reveling in the wild sensations
that were rocketing through her body.

He pulled back slowly and looked at her,
eyes heavy with desire. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first moment I saw
you.” He brushed his thumb across her bottom lip and her legs almost gave out.

“You have? I think I wanted the same
thing.” A small laugh burbled up from somewhere deep inside. “But I just
realized it.” She pulled him down for another kiss.

“Hey you guys. Get a room!” Adrian
shielded her and peered over the top of the SUV in time to spot Peter Glasser
climbing into his car. He gave a quick tap on his horn as he pulled out, and
they both dissolved in laughter.

“I think that’s our cue.” He dropped a
quick kiss on her lips and opened the passenger door.

“Aren’t you embarrassed at being caught
like that?” she asked.

Adrian hooted. “By Peter? Not a bit. He
and Bernie were in school at the same time and he spent a lot of time with us.
He’s like family.” He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.