What he said made sense, but that didn’t explain why he couldn’t have told her who he was. “But what about me, Zach? Why couldn’t you have been honest with me about your real identity? Or do you also make a habit of having a fling with one of your female guests every time you visit one of your resorts?”
“No, Arielle, I don’t.” He leaned back until their gazes met. “Until you, I had never even asked another guest out to dinner.”
She could tell by the light in his dark green eyes that he was telling the truth. “What made me different?”
“Besides being the sexiest, most beautiful woman on the mountain, you were funny, intelligent and when you found yourself on the expert run instead of the beginner slope, you were so damned determined to get yourself out of a bad situation, I couldn’t resist.” His easy smile warmed her. “When I came across you making your way down that section of the Silver Queen run, you were scared to death, but you weren’t about to throw up your hands and wait for someone to find you. You had the courage to get yourself down the mountain. I admired that, darlin’.”
“All right, but that doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me who you really were sometime later during the week,” she countered, refusing to let him off that easily.
“You’re right, Arielle. I should have told you my real name.” He touched her cheek with his index finger. “But you took me by surprise, darlin’. I wasn’t expecting you or how fast things developed between us.” His expression turned serious. “And the reason I left that morning without waking you or leaving a note was because of an emergency about my sister. If I had been thinking clearly, I swear I’d have never left without at least telling you goodbye.”
“What happened?” She hadn’t considered that he’d been called away because of an emergency.
“Lana was almost killed in a head-on car crash. All I could think about was getting back to Dallas to see her.”
“Oh my God, Zach. Is she all right?” He’d mentioned his sister several times, but Arielle couldn’t remember him speaking about her in the present tense.
“She’s doing well now, but for several days after the accident, the doctors weren’t sure she would pull through.” He took a deep breath. “It’s been a long, hard recovery for her and she’s just recently started walking again.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him. She couldn’t even imagine how frightening the ordeal had to have been for him. If something like that had happened to one of her brothers and she thought there was a possibility she might lose one of them, she doubted that she would have had the presence of mind to do any differently.
“And for the record, I thought about contacting you after I knew Lana was out of danger. But so much time had passed, I decided it was best just to leave things the way they were because you probably wouldn’t want to hear from me, anyway,” he explained, his strong arms tightening around her. “I know that’s a poor excuse, darlin’. No matter how long it had been, I owed it to you to pick up the phone and let you know what happened.”
“The accident was the upheaval in your nephew’s life that you referred to Friday morning, wasn’t it?” she concluded with sudden insight.
Zach nodded. “Derek really is a good kid. He’s just had a hard time understanding what was going on and why Lana couldn’t give him the attention he’s used to getting from her.”
“And it resulted in behavior problems,” she guessed, having seen children react like that when something upsetting happened in their young lives.
Zach squeezed her slightly. “But now that he and Lana have moved back into her condo and things have settled down, he’ll do a lot better.”
“I’m sure he will.” She smiled. “Children always do better in a familiar environment. It gives them a sense of much-needed security.”
“And are you feeling a little more secure about me now?” he asked, nuzzling the side of her neck.
She fully understood why he’d left, and, to a point, why he hadn’t contacted her. As time passed, it was always easier to let things be. But even if he had called her, it would only have been to explain his disappearance, not because he wanted to rekindle the relationship they’d shared in Aspen.
“Give it some thought, darlin’,” he whispered. “Why don’t you go into the living room and put your feet up.”
Heat streaked straight through her and she had to remind herself to breathe when he brushed her lips with his. “You arranged for the meal. The least I can do is clear the table.”
He shook his head. “I told you, I fully intend to take care of you and our babies and that includes making sure you don’t overdo things.”
“I don’t think there’s any danger of doing more than I should,” she declared, feeling more breathless with each passing second. “I’d have to actually do something before I could overdo it.”
“Hey, you’re going to be the mother of twins in a few months. Take it easy while you can.” His lips skimmed the side of her neck, sending shivers throughout her body. “Besides, I like pampering you.”
A honeyed warmth began to flow through her veins and she had to remind herself that although he’d explained what happened, she wasn’t entirely certain she could trust him not to disappear all over again. Their current circumstances were a direct result of her falling for Zach’s line of sensuous persuasion once before and doing so again could very well be disastrous for her. But heaven help her, it certainly was tempting.
“I think I’ll take you up on that offer,” she decided suddenly, getting to her feet.
“I’ll join you in a few minutes.” He walked into the kitchen and when he returned, he held a small cardboard box. As she watched, he started placing their plates, silverware and glasses inside.
“Aren’t you going to put them in the dishwasher?” she chided, frowning.
He shook his head as he grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number. “Not when I have a driver waiting outside to take these back to my place.”
“Oh, good Lord,” she began, rolling her eyes as she walked over to the sitting area of the room. “Don’t tell me you’re going to make the poor man drive all the way to your house, then come back to get you later.”