Free Snow Falls by Gerri Hill Page B

them. Even she had to admit that it was thrilling racing down the hill as they were. Whether it was from the ride or the woman nestled between her legs, she wasn’t sure. But all too soon, it leveled out, and she pulled up on the rope, slowing their speed. Jen leaned back against her, laughing delightfully.
    “Oh, man , that was fun,” Jen said. She looked back at her, her eyes bright. “Can we go again?”
    Yeah, it was great fun, Ryan admitted. She laughed too, feeling a bit like a child herself. “Sure, we can go again. As much as you like.”
    “You shouldn’t have said that,” Jen said as she got off the sled. She held a hand out to Ryan to help her up, then took the rope, pulling the sled behind her.
    The hill was steeper going back up than it appeared, and even she was a bit out of breath by the time they got back to the top. Jen leaned over to catch her breath, still smiling.
    “You were right. Going down is great, but you still have to climb back up.”
    “That’s why after two or three, you’ll be done.”
    Jen stood back up and took another couple deep breaths. “I feel great. Can I be in the back this time?”
    “You sure?”
    “Yeah. Are you afraid I’ll spill us?”
    Ryan shrugged. “A little tumble in the snow never hurt anyone,” she said. Although she wasn’t sure if that was her reason for hesitating or not. She glanced at Jen, who was already seated, her legs spread invitingly. Ryan looked away with a slight roll of her eyes. You’re a pig. She got down, feeling Jen pull her closer as she wrapped her hands around Ryan’s waist.
    “I’ll take care of the rope,” she said.
    “Good. Because I can barely reach around you,” Jen said, scooting up closer to her.
    Ryan bit down on her lip, loving—and hating—the feeling of Jen nestled up behind her. If she let her imagination run just a little, she could swear she felt Jen’s nipples against her back. “Try not to lean to either side,” Ryan cautioned.
    “Okay. You ready?”
    “Let’s go.”
    They both leaned forward as Jen used her feet to push them off, then she wrapped her legs around Ryan’s as they sped down the hill for the second time. Ryan barely had time to register Jen’s arms and legs around her before she felt them tipping. She tried to right the makeshift sled but to no avail. They were thrown off, both crashing into the snow as the sled continued down the hill without them.
    She spit snow out of her mouth and wiped her face, looking around for Jen. Jen was sitting up, a mixture of panic and joy on her face.
    “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I leaned.” Then she burst into laughter. “That was fun.”
    Ryan sat back, the dogs dancing around them, licking at their faces. “We’re okay,” she murmured, petting them both. “Well, like I said, a tumble in the snow never hurt anyone.”
    “Can we go again?”
    “Sure. Just as soon as you go down and fetch the sled.”
    Jen stuck her tongue out at her playfully, then grinned mischievously as she tossed a snowball at her. Ryan laughed as Jen sprinted away from her. She ruffled the dogs’ fur, then stood, watching Jen’s progress as she went after their sled. She realized she was still smiling and looked away. Yes, she admitted, she was attracted to Jen. A lot. Sure, Jen was cute and had those killer blue eyes, but she would attribute it more to them being stuck together than anything else. Straight women with fiancés in the picture never had done much to her libido before. As for Jen, their close contact on the sled didn’t seem to have affected her in the least. Which she supposed was a good thing. At least Jen wasn’t shying away from her.
    Jen’s breathing was labored as she approached, dragging the sled behind her. The snow was crunchy under her boots and was starting to cake on them.
    “Okay. I’m good for one more,” Jen said between breaths. “But you’re in the back.”
    “You got it.”
    Once back at the top of the hill, Ryan steadied the