The Coltons of Roaring Springs. Lara Lacombe

Broad shoulders that tapered to a slim waist. Red hair. Light green eyes. A hint of stubble, softening the lean lines of his face. And even though he was dressed for warmth, she knew that underneath his sweater and jeans he was all hard muscle and warm skin.

      Heat suffused her limbs as her body responded to his presence. Finally! her libido seemed to say. But then her brain kicked into gear, asserting control over her raw physical reaction.

      Maxwell Hollick was back.

      And she was going to have to find a way to tell him she was carrying his child.

      * * *

      Damn. She looks good.

      Max stared at Molly, his heart pounding hard as he drank in the sight of her. Six months between visits was way too long, but a small crisis at work had kept him occupied. Now that things were resolved, he was ready to kick back and have a little fun.

      And Molly was just the woman he wanted to spend time with.

      She’d changed a bit since he’d last seen her. She still had a blond bob and bright blue eyes, and her skin was as smooth and clear as he’d remembered. But she had a luminous glow about her now, and her curvaceous body seemed even more voluptuous, the swell of her hips a bit more pronounced. It was a good look for her. His fingers itched to lift the hem of her sweater and trace a line across her belly, inching higher until he could fill his hand with the soft, warm weight of her breast.

      “Molly.” His voice came out as a rasp, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “It’s good to see you.”

      She blinked, her pleasant, impersonal smile slipping into a look of bewilderment as she stared at him. For a second, Max thought he saw fear flash in her eyes. But before he could wonder about it, she spoke.

      “Max.” Confusion and disbelief were clear in her tone, as if she didn’t quite believe he was real. “I...uh, I wasn’t expecting you,” she stammered.

      “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing.” He’d been itching to get back to The Lodge for months, to see her again. But his schedule hadn’t cooperated. So he’d simply decided to force the issue—he’d had his secretary clear his schedule for a week and he’d jumped on the first plane out here. He’d arrived without a reservation, but because he was a regular guest he hadn’t had any trouble scoring one of the private cabins dotting the mountaintop.

      Molly nodded, but the gesture was stiff. “Well...” She trailed off, clearly searching for something to say. “I’m glad you’re here.”

      Her expression didn’t match her words, and Max had the distinct impression she was less than thrilled by his sudden appearance.

      He frowned slightly, taken aback by her reaction. They hadn’t parted on bad terms at the end of his last visit. Heat danced along his skin as he recalled exactly how they’d said goodbye. He’d left her wearing a sleepy, satisfied smile and a promise to return. So why wasn’t she pleased to see him now?

      Maybe she was upset because he’d been gone so long. Normally, he made it a point to stay at The Lodge every three months. But thanks to an issue with work, he’d had to skip what should have been his last visit.

      “I know it’s been a while,” he said gruffly. “I’m sorry about that. Things got crazy at work—a big grant opportunity came up, so it was all hands on deck as we put together our application.”

      Max was the founder and managing director of K-9 Cadets, a charity organization that worked to provide service dogs for veterans suffering physical and psychological wounds. As a former Special Forces operative himself, Max knew all too well how the horrors of war changed a person. To make matters worse, not all casualties occurred on the battlefield—there was a depressingly large epidemic of suicide among veterans. He had decided his mission was to help his fellow veterans cope with their new normal, and in his opinion, the best way to do that was through dogs. They were the perfect companions—loyal, nonjudgmental, wonderful listeners. Not only did dogs assist with physical tasks, the emotional support they provided was sometimes the only thing standing between a veteran and the abyss.

      He loved his work. More importantly, he knew how vital it was. Matching the right dog with the right vet was life-changing for everyone—quite often, it was life-saving, as well. That simple fact was the reason why he frequently put his personal life on hold. Therefore, as much as he enjoyed spending time with Molly here at The Lodge, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to advocate for his charity and hopefully secure more funds to expand their work.

      Some of the tension left her shoulders. “Did you get the money?” Molly asked. She knew how important K-9 Cadets was to him—they’d talked about it often.

      Max shrugged. “I don’t know yet. It’ll be a few months before we find out.” He was trying not to obsess about it. He’d thought a change of scenery might help.

      And hopefully Molly could distract him, as well.

      He took a step forward, wanting to touch her. He’d missed her more than he cared to admit. If he had his way, he’d press her up against the one-way glass wall of the gondola so they could both enjoy the ride in a more...unorthodox way. But he didn’t think she’d appreciate the idea, and he wanted to spend more than fifteen minutes getting reacquainted.

      Molly didn’t resist when he drew her in for a hug, but she didn’t fully relax against his chest, either. She was soft and supple in his arms, but her stomach was surprisingly firm against him.

      He dropped his nose to her hair, inhaling deeply. Molly’s citrus and floral scent filled his lungs, triggering an avalanche of memories of their time together. It was the same movie reel he’d played in his head a thousand times over the last few months, but now it was even more vivid thanks to the woman in his arms.

      “I missed you,” he said softly.

      “I missed you, too.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, as if she was confessing something that troubled her.

      He stroked her back, his fingers grazing lightly along the valley of her spine. Gradually, she melted against him.

      “I know it’s been a while,” he said. “But have dinner with me tonight?”

      She tensed slightly. “No.”

      A wave of doubt washed over him. She’d never refused his invitation before. Was there someone else?

      Well, what did you expect? he thought bitterly. It’s been six months. It was only natural Molly had moved on. She was a beautiful woman, and he’d seen the way men looked at her.

      He was so caught up in his thoughts he almost missed her next words. “I can’t tonight.”

      “Tomorrow?” he asked, sounding a little desperate even to his own ears. Or the next night? Or the one after? He was only in town for a week, but if he had to wait until the end of his visit to connect with her again, he would do it without complaint.

      She hesitated, then nodded against his chest. “Tomorrow is fine. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

      “I should have called,” he said. “I meant to let you know I was going to miss my last visit. But I never got around to it.”

      “It’s—” Her words were cut off by a deep rumble Max felt in his bones. He glanced over, expecting to see thunderclouds hovering over the town of Roaring Springs. But the sky was a clear, bright blue.

      The rumble grew louder, turning into a loud roar. He shifted his gaze back to The Lodge, and the sight that greeted him turned his guts to water.

      A massive wall of snow was racing down the mountain, gaining speed as it moved. The tsunami of white rose up, seeming to dwarf the gondola as it hung precariously above the chaos below.

      “Oh, my God.” Molly gripped him so tightly her nails dug into his skin even through the fabric of his sweater.

      The slight stinging pain