Because she couldn’t bear to think of him alone, believing he wasn’t capable of making someone happy.
Her heart thudded in her chest. “Because you deserve to be with someone. You deserve to be happy.”
And with that she fumbled with the door and almost fell out of the car in her haste to escape before he asked her the question she didn’t even dare ask herself.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE SNOW BECAME their playground.
They wrapped up in layers of down and waterproof and explored the groomed trails through the forest, sometimes on Alec’s snowmobile and occasionally on cross-country skis.
Apart from a couple of hardy outdoorsmen who passed them, they had the place to themselves.
Which was just as well, she thought, as she fell on her back again trying to balance on her skis while taking a photo.
Fewer people to witness her humiliation.
It made it worse that Alec was so competent at everything that had a physical element. She was convinced he could have been dropped anywhere in the world with nothing more than a backpack and survived.
“I’m crap at this,” Sky said as she struggled with her skis. “I’m better at downhill.” But she had to admit it was fun and she was laughing as she levered herself up again. “And how come you ski? You’re British. You don’t even have mountains.”
“I was on the college ski team.”
“Of course you were.” She awkwardly rose to her feet, brushing off the snow. “Is there anything you’re not good at, Shipwreck Hunter?”
“Marriage.” He rescued her ski pole. “I was exceedingly bad at marriage.”
The forest was still and quiet, the only sound the occasional rush of snow falling from the trees onto more snow.
She took the pole from him. “So when you’re bad at something you give up on it? That’s crazy logic.”
“But it protects the innocent.”
From what she’d heard his ex-wife sounded more manipulative than innocent, but Sky decided not to voice that thought aloud. “Well, you know what they say about being bad at something—you need to practice more.” She wavered on her skis and he shot out a hand and steadied her, his expression amused.
“You need to get your skis into the tracks, then you won’t lose your balance.”
“Strangely enough I was trying to do that. You’re probably thinking it would help if I stopped taking pictures.”
“Why would you do that? For you, the pictures are the important part, not the skiing.” He kept his hand on her arm, holding her securely. “Have you taken anything you can use?”
She still hadn’t got used to the fact that he didn’t mind her stopping all the time to take photos. “Possibly. I took a few of the sunlight through the snowy trees. I should have brought the Nikon but I can’t ski with that round my neck.” She shuffled back into the tracks. “You’re very patient.”
“I’m not patient.”
“You are. You never complain when I stop to take photos.”
“Why would I complain?” His eyes seemed darker than ever against the untarnished white of the forest and she turned away and tried to focus on where she was putting her feet. She knew that if she kept looking at him, she’d fall over.”
“Because of me you do a lot of waiting around.”
“There’s no point in being outdoors if you don’t stop to breathe the air and enjoy the view.”
He was so different from Richard.
“I’m very dreamy and unfocused.”
“I think you have tremendous focus. Anyone who can turn a creative talent into a business has focus. You’ve achieved your dream. Tempest Designs.”