She slid to a stop beside him, spraying snow out from under her board. She grinned, cheeks red, and when she tore off her ski mask, he got the gift of seeing her eyes shine with happiness. “That was amazing.”

He tugged a lock of hair. You’re amazing. “Let’s get back to town and grab something to eat.”

Chapter Thirteen

“This smells so good,” Rosie said.

On their way home, they’d grabbed take-out from a local barbecue joint. The scent had filled the truck, making Brodie’s stomach practically crawl out of his body to get some of the succulent, spicy meat.

Now, they sat out on the back patio of the bunkhouse, twilight painting the mountains purple.

If she liked the smell so much, why was she just staring at the ribs on her plate? It was a messy meal, so maybe she needed more napkins. Snatching some off the pile on the table, he set them in front of her. “Dig in.”

Spread out before him, he had a glass of water, some slaw, a rib rack, and a pile of juicy chicken. Picking up a breast, he bit into it, and all that smoky flavor hit his taste buds.

After swallowing, he downed some water. “Man, when you sailed off the boulder, I nearly lost my shit.”

Picking up the plastic knife and fork, she tried to slice meat off a rib. “That’s because you still see me as a princess.”

“Yeah, but you ride like a pro.”

She watched him tear off another bite with his teeth, then looked back at her plate.

“Come on. You can dial in a fat three with a safety grab on a glacier, but you can’t eat ribs with your hands?”

“Well, I mean, is that an actual requirement?”

He loved the humor in her eyes. “Not at all. Have at it.” He stabbed his fork into the cole slaw. “Would it go down easier if I brought out the silver? Maybe, while you’re here, I should hire a butler?”

“I don’t need fancy flatware. I just need to figure out how to get the damn meat into my belly.” Plunging her fork in to stabilize it, she sawed away. The tines snapped off, and she grumbled, “Okay, you win.” Setting down the cutlery, she looked at the greasy meat. “This is so unnatural.”

“It’s the most natural way to eat, princess. Do it like this.”