A New Dream

By C.J. Baty

This is a re-release of a previously published book. With updated material, re-edited and a new cover.

Walt Thompson had started training for the Olympics when he was just in grade school. Skiing was like second nature to him. It was all he had ever dreamed of. A great coach and a fabulous sponsor and he was on his way.

Until a freak accident on the slopes at the winter try outs, left him with a broken leg and a very dark future. On top of all that, the man he thought he was in love with walked out. Leaving him to deal with the pain of losing his dream and going on with his life. Years later, he found himself working as the ski instructor at his families lodge. This was not the dream he had wanted.

Then one day a handsome man literally knocked him off his feet. Curt Woodridge was an entertainer. He was singing in the lounge at Walt's families lodge. Could this be the beginning of a new dream for Walt or just another crashing blow to his already fractured spirit?

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.J. Baty
• Release date: Feb 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386558385

C.J. Baty

CJ Baty dreamed of writing her own stories from a very young age. Time and life got in the way, but with the encouragement of her two grownup children, she began to follow that dream. She loves a mystery and when you mix in romance and hot men, you can bet there’s going to be a happily ever after. She brings her love of nature and the mountains of the Southern states into her stores too. Too many years spent in an office crunching numbers, left her with the desire to explore new places and experiences. Whenever, possible you can find her in Tennessee enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery. Her muse lives there so she visits often. She believes deeply that love is love and love is what binds us all.

Book preview

A New Dream

Copyright © 2018 C.J. Baty

Second Edition February 15, 2018

First Edition February 12, 2013

Published in the United States

Cover Art by Select-O-Grafix, LLC

http://selectografix.com/

Editing by Robyn S. Byrd

http://takewingva.blogspot.com/

Cover content used for illustrative purposes only, and any person depicted is a model.

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

The following story is set in the USA and therefore has been written in US English. The spelling and usage reflect that.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Owner, except where permitted by law. To request permission and for all other inquiries, contact C.J. Baty by email [e-mail]

Acknowledgement

This was my very first published e-book. Without the encouragement and help of Bottom Drawer Publication and it’s staff, I would not be following my dream today.

It is a pleasure to be re-releasing an extended and revised copy of A New Dream to celebrate my five year anniversary of being a published author.

Thank you Bottom Drawer Publication.

Dedication

Everyone has a dream. Not all of us chose to acknowledge or follow the dream to become what we were meant to be. Life gets in the way. Challenges make things difficult. But to those of us, who do follow and seek after what some will tell us is unreachable, I dedicate this book. May all your dreams come true.

Chapter One

It was my favorite time of the day. It was just me, the snow, the sunshine, and no one around for miles. Some might say, it was lonely. I found it peaceful. A time free from memories of the past and my dreams.

Fresh powder from the overnight snowfall covered the grounds of the lodge, making the countryside look clean and new—pristine. The air was crisp and cold. The wind burned my skin it was so brisk. No one else was out on the slopes but me this early; the sun was only now cresting across the top of the Blue Ridge Mountain range. Shades of orange, pink and violet filled the horizon.

Moments later the sun burst across the mountain peaks. Its light bounced on the fresh snow and was blinding. I saw my breath floating out in front of me in little white puffs. The sky was a clear blue, no snow clouds hanging low today . . . a perfect day for skiing. Memories fought to take over my thoughts, as my mind threatened to drift into the past. I left all of it there on the mountain as I turned toward the lodge and walked slowly down the hill.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s was always packed with vacationing families and singles at Crystal Falls Lodge. All looking to spend an exciting week on the slopes and enjoy the atmosphere of the lodge. My family had owned Crystal Falls for two generations. I’d grown up here in Flat Rock, West Virginia; a quaint town nestled away in the pine trees on a mountain. My sister, Kate, and her husband, Luke Rogers, were the operating managers now that our folks had retired.

The sun was suddenly bright in my eyes, causing me to shift position; the movement triggering a sharp pain, bringing with it a nagging reminder that I never intended to be a ski instructor here at the lodge—I had much bigger dreams than that. I’d had my heart set on the Olympics. The memories won.

Walt had been waiting for this moment for five years. He was practically born on skis and his parents had encouraged him from the time he was in grade school. Making sure he’d had the best teachers and spending as much time on the slopes as was possible. Their own lodge was accessible for most of the winter and spring months. He worked out during the summer months keeping his muscles toned and in shape. In junior high school, he had competed and won two regional competitions which caught the eyes of Coach David Summers. He offered to work with Walt on a regular basis. From there things had only gotten better. A college scholarship and recognition of his skills led him to being one of the youngest skiers to try out for the national qualifying trials. They were only two months away and nothing was going to stop him from reaching his goal.

Those dreams had ended at my first Olympic meet. During a practice downhill race, a rock packed under the snow caught the toe of my right ski. I went down rolling and eventually crashed into a tree.

Competitive racing had been lost to me in a few moments of time—the first place medals I’d earned at local and national competitions were shoved in the back of a drawer somewhere in my room. Now, I was just the instructor with the bad knee who taught beginners how to ski. I helped them enjoy the sport and at the end of the day, their smiles and their words of thanks were the only things I had. Those were my medals now.

That was why I enjoyed it here at this time of day. No townsfolk who knew about my failure to look at me with pity. No visitors at the lodge to watch my awkward movements and wonder what had happened to me. It was here I came to remember the past and pray that one day it wouldn’t hurt so much.

Several hours later, I watched as a group of small children and older adults stood before me on the