In Deep

By Stacy Gold

Sophie Tremore is trying to build a career in the male-dominated world of Ski Patrol. Hard to do when her new boss is her smokin’ hot ex-lover. She hasn’t forgotten how he made her body tingle and her heart pound, although he’s making it a lot easier by treating her like she’s incompetent—when he’s not ignoring her existence altogether. Emerald Mountain Ski Patrol Director Max Demford has been doing his best to avoid working with his feisty former flame, given his judgment is clouded by those eight mind-blowing weeks two years ago. Ski patrol is dangerous enough, and no way could he handle another person he cares about getting hurt on the mountain. Forced to work together, their simmering attraction becomes difficult to ignore. When Sophie gets caught in a slide, an adrenaline-filled day could turn into a spectacular night they will never forget—one that could risk both their careers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Jan 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781509218226

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In Deep

by

Stacy Gold

Emerald Mountain, Book Two

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

In Deep

COPYRIGHT © 2018 by Stacy Gold

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Diana Carlile

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewilderroses.com

Publishing History

First Scarlet Rose Edition, 2018

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-1822-6

Emerald Mountain, Book Two

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

To my amazing critique partner, author Laurel Greer. You make my writing so much better. I wouldn’t be published if it weren’t for you!

PRAISE FOR AUTHOR

Stacy Gold

JUST FRIENDS

…electrifying chemistry, so much so that my fingers were singed. If you’re looking for a romantic quickie, pick up this book. Highly recommend!

~N.N. Light POTL blog

…plenty of heat and sizzle in the snow, and the heroine’s struggles with her self-esteem are really relatable.

~Laurel Greer, Author Second Time’s the Charm

…the writing was so good it caught my attention since the first page and the characters were so well depicted that I felt close to them right away.

~Fede Maby, Ita Pixie’s Book Corner

…strong characters and a lot of sizzling chemistry…Readers who enjoy a slow-build up to their romance should find this story very satisfying.

~Long and Short Reviews

Chapter One

The wooden door of the ski patrol shack slammed into the wall. A gust of cold air and snow, and a tiny, powerful tornado, swept into the room. The door slammed shut, but the tornado kept coming.

What is your deal, Max? Sophie’s ski boots thudded on the plywood floor as she crossed the sparsely furnished room. Voice hard. Eyes flashing. All the fury of a goddess scorned aimed straight at me.

Shit. I crossed my ankles like my family jewels needed protecting—not that anything could save me from Sophie’s well-justified wrath.

What do you mean, Soph? I kept my face and tone innocent. I hadn’t wanted this damn job. Knowing she would be working for me would’ve been the nail in that coffin. Too bad I didn’t find out until my first day.

You know good and damn well what I mean. She pushed her way into my personal space. So close I could see the darker lines in her light blue irises. So close it made it damn hard for me to think about anything other than the taste of her mouth. Except maybe how it felt to have her naked and in my personal space two years ago. Before we worked together. Before we lived two doors down from each other in employee housing.

Before I became her boss.

I really didn’t need the reminder of those eight, incredible weeks we’d spent together, or the stiffy responding to the images in my head. Not when I wanted to think clearly.

Anger radiated off her like the sun’s heat radiates off the snow—hot, and able to burn you in minutes. If I wasn’t leaning my hip against the battered wood table, I would’ve taken a step back. Instead, I worked not to cross my arms. Setting up physical defenses wouldn’t help me here.

Sam said he hired me because he wanted someone who was Mountain Travel and Rescue certified. She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. It’s been almost three months, and all I’m doing, every day, is sweeping easy groomers, working first aid, and repairing fences.

Standard procedure. You learn the mountain and the team before we send you out on serious rescues or avalanche mitigation work. I picked up a clipboard of paperwork I didn’t need to look at and stared at the top page.

I never expected my strategy to work over the long haul. Not after she left a sweet job patrolling at Blue Sky to work for Emerald Mountain. I just didn’t know what else to do, and I had to do something.

She crossed her arms over her chest. Bullshit. Troy started when I did, and he’s been throwing bombs and ski cutting with Ryan for six weeks. Her lips pursed. No wonder you don’t have any other woman on Patrol.

Not true. Brit’s on maternity leave right now, but she’s slated to come back next season.

"And do you let her do anything other than repair fences?" She raised her eyebrows and stared me down, shoulders back, arms crossed.

Of course. Brit does every job on the mountain. I put on my friendliest smile. All ’trollers do, after a few months on the job.

Memories of Anna in a full body brace made my chest tighten, but at least they also shrank my growing hard-on.

You know, Max, I never took you for a misogynist. Guess we all can be wrong sometimes.

Wow! Sophie Tremore admits to being wrong. Even if it’s at my expense, I’m impressed. I wracked my brain for the best way to handle this. Deflecting with humor would only work for, oh, about half a minute.

At least if she thought I was a misogynist, she wouldn’t figure out I still had feelings for her. That I’d been keeping my distance because I was afraid those feelings would cloud my judgment. And that I’d been keeping her on easy jobs because an irrational, selfish voice deep inside me screamed, Protect her. Keep her safe.

So stupid. Our jobs were inherently dangerous—something we all knew and accepted. When you work with explosives and avalanches and heavy sleds in tough terrain… Well, eventually someone is going to get hurt. Nature of the business.

Sophie had more training and experience than half the patrollers on staff. I trusted her with my life. I just didn’t trust myself with hers. I knew I couldn’t protect her any more than I could protect Anna. Still, I needed to try, for the