She pushed those thoughts away, reinforcing her self-pledge to take each moment as it came and savor it while it lasted. All too soon, she’d be back home and in the thick of it, longing for a few hours of quiet time when she didn’t have to worry about anyone but herself.
Here, now, she could do what she wanted, when she wanted, without feeling like she was letting anyone down. Well, mostly. She knew she’d disappointed Henry by not going to Vail, but she also knew that she would have been absolutely miserable if she had.
She never would have met Finn, and that would have been a shame.
When it got close to noon, Lainey dressed in layers and went out to the lodge’s rental shed to find Finn waiting with two sleek-looking snowmobiles, gassed up and ready to go. They were gorgeous machines, black with accents of bright blue and lime green, equipped with a center track underneath and dual short skis up front.
“Are they as fast as they look?” she asked hopefully.
His grin was positively feral as he handed her a helmet. “Faster.”
“Then, what are we waiting for?”
He laughed. “I knew you were a kindred spirit. All right, daredevil, let’s see what you’ve got.”
SPENDING THE AFTERNOON snowmobiling with Finn turned out to be one of the best times she’d ever had.
He hadn’t been kidding about the snowmobiles being fast. They zipped over the freshly fallen snow beneath brilliant sunshine, exploring trails beyond the Aurora Falls town limits. The scenery was breathtaking. Raw and starkly beautiful.
Lainey knew from her early helicopter tour that the area included several diverse habitats. There was the ocean, of course. Boreal forests, consisting primarily of stunning pines and spruces. And tundra.
Finn was familiar with all of them. He once again proved to be an excellent guide, his knowledge of local plants and wildlife extensive. Because of the time of year, much of the flora and fauna unique to the area was dormant, but there was still plenty to see.
Like animals. Arctic hares and white foxes, packs of wolves and the occasional wandering moose. They stopped along the shoreline several times to watch seals dive in and out of the water.
And polar bears! True to his word, Finn took her out to areas where the creatures were known to gather. Most of the bears they encountered ignored their presence, but a few nosy ones did venture close.
“Ice bears are the gentlemen and ladies of the bear kingdom,” Finn told her as several boars approached their snowmobiles and appeared to be checking them out. “They’re not generally aggressive toward humans unless they’re really hungry—or they think you’re particularly tasty.”
That was when he pinned her with those gorgeous arctic-green eyes filled with heat and said, “On second thought, maybe it would be a good idea to put more distance between you and them.”
At that point, Lainey had been glad her cheeks were rosy from the cold air because she was pretty sure they were flaming.
Finn
AFTER RETURNING THE snowmobiles to the lodge, Finn once again found himself fighting the urge to follow Lainey back to her suite. The only reason he didn’t do so was because others were around and eyeing them with interest, probably because they’d never seen Finn take a guest out on a private tour before.
“Hey, Finn. Bill said he wanted to see you when you got back,” one of the guys called out. “He’s inside.”
Finn thanked him and made his way into the lodge. He found Bill in the small office generally reserved for Alliance business. Bill was sifting through some papers and looked up when Finn knocked on the doorframe.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, yes. Come on in and close the door.” When Finn did, Bill indicated that Finn should take a seat. “How’s Hildie?”
“Ornery, as usual,” Finn replied with a grin. “She and Steve are staying with the parents. Mom’s in seventh heaven.”
Bill chuckled. “Steve told me. It’s a shame about Doc Wilson, but I guess something like that was bound to happen eventually. The old guy’s got to be pushing eighty.”
Finn agreed, fully aware that the topical chitchat was just a polite segue to the real reason behind his summons. He didn’t have to wait long.
“How’s it going with Lainey Swann?”
And there it is.
Did Bill suspect that Finn had taken his request to entertain Lainey beyond acceptable boundaries? Had someone seen him going in or coming out of Lainey’s room?
“It’s going well,” Finn answered honestly, careful to keep his voice and tone casual. “We took snowmobiles out on some trails today. Did a walking tour around town yesterday. She seemed to enjoy both.”
“Good, good. I do appreciate the effort. Mo tells me she hasn’t been into the restaurant much, ordering in instead.”
Finn was beginning to feel irritated on Lainey’s behalf. He understood Bill’s desire to ensure that everyone enjoyed their stay, but it was Lainey’s vacation. She could spend it however she pleased.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“No,” Bill agreed. He leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard, his brows furrowed together. “But the personalized attention hasn’t gone completely unnoticed.”
Finn had a feeling he knew exactly who’d noticed. “Cougar Mae, I take it?”
Bill’s eyes widened at the nickname Finn had given the woman and then surrendered to the smile he couldn’t completely contain. “I’m afraid so. She wants to know what she needs to do to get that kind of special treatment.”
Nothing could make Finn voluntarily spend time with that woman, and he told Bill as much. “I’m sure Arthur’s up for it though.”
“No doubt, but she doesn’t want Arthur. She wants you.”
Finn shook his head. “Sorry, Bill, but no. I’m helping out with Lainey as a favor to you, but that’s where I draw the line.”
“I know. And as I’ve said, I do appreciate it.” Bill exhaled. “My intentions were good, but perhaps it’s best if we back off, eh? Consider my request where Dr. Swann is concerned fulfilled. Enjoy the holidays with your family, and keep us posted on Hildie and the little ones.”
Bill might consider the request fulfilled, but Finn wasn’t ready to walk away yet.
Chapter Thirteen
Lainey
Something had changed. After they’d returned the snowmobiles, Finn’s smiles had become more reserved, his overall behavior more polite and professional. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. Finn was trying to avoid any suggestion of impropriety. Exactly for whose benefit—his, hers, or the lodge’s—wasn’t clear.
If he was attempting to protect her out of some sense of gentlemanly chivalry, he needn’t have bothered. It was a sweet and thoughtful gesture, but she’d stopped worrying about what other people thought a long time ago. What she and Finn did behind closed doors wasn’t anyone’s business, except theirs. They were both mature, responsible, consenting adults, and people needed to respect that and mind their own beeswax.
But if his efforts were to protect the reputation of the lodge, that was a different story. Aurora Falls was a small, tight-knit community, and from what she could tell, tourism was the town’s primary business. Perhaps they frowned upon locals getting involved with guests. Hadn’t Finn referenced something along the lines of treading carefully around paying customers?