Kelly Hunter Website

THE MAN SHE LOVES TO HATE

Stranded with the enemy

The last place Jolie Tanner wants to be is stuck in a ski gondola in a blizzard with Cole Rees and a large cardboard box containing proof of his late father's scorching affair with her mother.

Unfortunately, Jolie Tanner rarely gets what she wants.

Somewhere in the story...

'You ready to send that gondola downhill yet?' asked Jolie.

'Just waiting on another passenger.'

'Who?' The ski field had been closed since lunchtime on account of the unpredictable weather. Jolie figured that all the other employees and skiers on the mountain would have headed downhill hours ago. All except for Hare, who lived on the mountain in a cabin half a kilometre away from the main complex.

'Cole.'

'Cole who?' But Hare wasn't answering. Nor was he looking her in the eye. Jolie's stomach began to churn and churn hard. 'Cole Rees is here on the mountain?'

'Came up a couple of hours ago. He's up at the lookout.'

'Doing what?'

Hare shrugged.

'But... how can he be here?' She'd planned her foray to the cabin for a time no member of the Rees family would be anywhere near here. 'Why isn't he at his father's funeral?'

'Didn't ask. The man wasn't looking for conversation, Jolie. He was looking for space.'

And now he'd be sharing space with her all the way back down the mountain. Just Cole Rees and Jolie Tanner and a box full of evidence of her mother's twelve year affair with his father. 'Great,' she muttered. 'That's just great. Any chance of rolling another gondola around so that Cole can ride down on his own?' The ski lift consisted of several eight berth sky gondolas and was a twelve minute ride, top to bottom.

'None,' said Hare. 'Blizzard warning just came in. You're lucky I'm prepared to run this one.' Hare looked out the triple glazed window of the control hut and nodded once. 'Time to go, girlie. There's Cole.'

Jolie followed Hare's gaze, and there he was. Cole Rees, large as life. Striding down the lookout path towards the gondola, his raven hair windblown and his pretty face set against the worsening weather. A man so reckless, unpredictable and downright sexy he made Jolie's insides clench. And that was before she factored in his hatred of all things Tanner. 'Great,' she said grimly. 'That's just great.'

Jolie grabbed a ratty sheepskin hat with earflaps from the assortment of old lost-and-found attire hanging on the back wall of the tower and jammed it on top of her beanie. The hat wouldn't be missed, and besides, she'd give it back. She added a thick black scarf and lost-and-found ski goggles to the ensemble while Hare looked on, deadpan.

'I take it you're keeping my coat,' he said.

'I'll give it back tomorrow.' Not for the first time today, Jolie gave thanks that she'd worn her oldest ski gear. Unisex attire purchased years ago during a mercifully brief phase in which she'd attempted to downplay her looks and her femininity. Her ski boots were black, chunky, overworn, and all about getting the job done. Nothing feminine about them either.

'Hair,' offered Hare.

'Oh.' She took off the hat and goggles, twisted her auburn tresses round and round and then up beneath the beanie, and then jammed the hat back on her head. Her red hair was a legacy from her mother and truly distinctive. Men were fascinated by it. Hairdressers wanted to bottle it. Jolie had no complaints of it, truth be told, but right now she wanted it hidden. She pulled the hat's earflaps down. 'Better?'

'You look like ET's Alaskan cousin.'

'Perfect,' she said, snapping the goggles down over her eyes.

'Or you could be yourself,' murmured Hare.

'No, I really couldn't. Meet JT. J for Josh. He works for you.'