“Why are we stopping?” Riley asked, confused.
Luke opened his door and pulled some snowshoes out of the back of the truck. “You wanted to get to town.” He held up the snowshoes.
Riley’s eyes grew huge. She looked at him like he was nuts. “You can’t be serious?”
“As serious as Santa’s sleigh,” he said before shutting his door.
“Why do people keep saying that?” Riley shook her head. “That’s not a real thing, you know.”
“Are you sure about that?” Luke asked with a twinkle in his eyes. He opened her door for her. “Coming?” He held up the pair of snowshoes.
“We don’t have time for this,” Riley insisted. “Don’t the Christmas Campers start showing up the day after tomorrow? We still have so much to do, don’t we?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?” Luke asked, laughing.
“I guess I’m asking,” Riley said.
“Well, then the answer is we have time,” Luke said. “Don’t worry. I have people coming in to help. We’ll make it work. You just have to have a little faith.”
“I’m trying,” Riley said and meant it.
“Okay, great,” Luke said. “Then let’s go.”
Riley didn’t budge. “I can’t,” she said stubbornly. “I don’t have snowshoes.”
Luke waved the snowshoes at her. “Yes, you do. Right here. They’re my mom’s, and they work great with those boots.”
Riley’s eyes shot down to her borrowed yeti boots. It was like they were mocking her.
When a cold blast of air blew into the truck, she shivered and pulled her leather jacket around her tighter. “And,” she said, almost cheerfully, “I’m not dressed to go snowshoeing. I didn’t wear the right coat, or gloves, or anything.”
Luke pulled a bag out of the back of the truck. “Then lucky for you, I brought all you need,” he said. “That’s why I went back into the lodge. You’d apparently forgotten a few things.” He gave her coat a pathetic look. “That might work great for high fashion, but it’s not going to work in this mile-high winter weather.”
Riley rolled her eyes. “Dare I ask what will?”
Luke whipped out one of his mom’s huge puffy coats from the bag and tossed it to Riley. It was made of red patches of down and had a white-fur collar and matching white fur around the sleeves.”
Riley could only shake her head in disbelief. “Why is someone bound and determined that I dress up like Santa Claus?”
“Well, you are in the Santa room,” Luke offered with a grin.
“Seriously?” Riley shot back.
When Luke laughed again, it looked like he was enjoying this way too much.
Another gust of icy wind had her entire body shivering.
“So what’s it going to be?” Luke asked.
Riley locked eyes with him. She knew this was a test. She just didn’t know if she was going to pass it, but one thing she did know was that she was going to freeze if she didn’t put on some warmer clothes.
“Did you put some ski pants in there?” she asked, already knowing he had because he apparently thought of everything. “Because I can’t go out there in these pants.”
“That’s what I tried to tell you,” Luke said. “And yes, there are some ski pants, along with some good gloves, a hat, and a better scarf—everything you need.”
Riley grabbed the door handle and shut the door, leaving Luke standing there watching her. She rolled down her window and waved him off with her hand. “Well, turn around. I can’t get changed with you staring at me like that.”
She caught Luke laughing as he turned around.
It was more than a little challenging getting changed in the truck, especially getting off her form-fitting leather pants. She’d been grateful to see that besides his mom’s bright-red ski pants, Luke had also tossed in some black leggings. She put those on first and then tackled the ski pants. As she wiggled trying to get everything on, she was already feeling toasty warm.
When she pulled the hat out of the bag Luke had brought her, she shook her head. “Is this some kind of joke?” The hat was a dead ringer for Santa’s red stocking cap. It made her wish she’d taken Comet’s suggestion and worn the other hat.
After she reluctantly put it on and wrapped a matching red scarf around her neck several times, she moved the rearview mirror over so she could see how she looked. “Yup, it’s official,” she said. “Forget Miss Christmas. I look like Mrs. Claus!”
When Luke tapped on her window and held up the snowshoes, she yelled back at him, “Hold your reindeer. I’m coming!”
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Luke said, holding his belly and laughing.
She took some small satisfaction in pretending she couldn’t hear him and then opened the door.
Chapter Sixteen
Stepping out of the truck, Riley had to admit she didn’t feel cold at all. Apparently, Luke’s mom’s gear, while Christmas crazy, was Colorado Rockies–proof. She joined Luke, who was standing a few feet away laying out two pairs of what looked like vintage wooden snowshoes.
He nodded his approval when he looked up and saw her. “Much better.”
“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not,” Riley said, adjusting her Santa hat. She eyed the snowshoes with trepidation. “Exactly how far are we going to go?”
Luke gave her a surprised look. “Into town. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Riley laughed. “What I wanted to do was drive into town.”
“What fun would that be?” Luke asked. “Besides, I thought you’d want to check this out because it’s one of the activities I was going to suggest for the Christmas Campers. Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I thought you liked outdoor sports,” Luke said with a frown.
Riley laughed. “Let me guess . . .”
“Mike,” they said at the same time and shared a laugh.
“What else did Mike tell you about me?” Riley asked. “You might as well tell me now. I don’t like surprises.”
“Really?” Luke laughed. “You don’t like surprises?”
Riley gave him an odd look. “No. And why are
