Built and Bearded: Bearded Bros Series Read online

  “Okay, I’ll pick you and Hailey up in about an hour.”

  Hailey and I got ready quickly, each helping each other into our dresses and with each other’s hair.

  “Did you notice how good looking the Congresswoman’s other son is?” Hailey asked me.

  “Of course!” I told her. “Cooper? He’s a total babe! And I also noticed how he was checking you out the entire time at lunch the first day, and he was giving you googly eyes at the dinner party yesterday,” I told her, grinning.

  “I know! He gave me his phone number last night, too,” Hailey admitted. “And he asked me to hang out with him last night.”

  “Wait. You went out last night?” I asked her.

  I had thought that Hailey had disappeared sometime during the night because I had heard the door open and close early in the morning. I had come in late from hanging out with Dax and the bedroom light was off, and I didn’t turn it on so I wouldn’t wake her. But she hadn’t even been in her bed.

  “Yeah, he asked me to come over his place for a drink and movie. I thought about leaving you a note, but I knew you were with Dax. I just figured you were going to stay over at his place,” Hailey confessed.

  “I was at Dax’s, but I decided to come home last night. He had a social media post to write up about the pre-wedding dinner and stuff, so I wanted to give him some time to do it. He didn’t want me to leave and told me to stay, that he’d write it up quickly, but I’ve been taking up a lot of his time lately and he hasn’t even been able to do his real job here at the resort.”

  “So, do you like him?” I inquired.

  “Yeah, he’s a really sweet guy. I don’t know what it was. Like an instant attraction. It was crazy, really. You know it’s not like me to just hook up with someone I just met. But I couldn't stop myself!” she exclaimed.

  “It happens,” I told her. “Look what happened when I tried to stop myself from being with Dax,” I reminded her. “It was disastrous.”

  “I know, you’re right. It’s just so odd. Us both meeting a handsome man while we’re on a job. Nothing like this has ever happened to us in all the years we have been planning weddings, you know?” Hailey pointed out.

  I nodded. “Are you going it see him again?” I asked her.

  “I hope so. I told him I had to work the wedding most of the day today, but he asked if I would sit with him for dinner. So, let’s see how it all plays out,” Hailey answered.

  “That’s great,” I told her. “I hope to spend some time with Dax at dinner too. By then, we should be mostly off of the clock. I’ve noticed that the Stones are big drinkers. I’m sure they will be nice and toasty by then. So, let’s make them proud all day so we can have some fun tonight, too,” I told Hailey.

  “Sounds like a plan,” she agreed.

  Dax picked Hailey and me up right on time. He dropped Hailey off first and came back to get me.

  When he got out of the truck, I gasped. He was wearing a black tux with a shiny purple tie. The purple matched the wedding décor, and my dress. He looked absolutely amazing in a tux. His long, sandy blonde hair hung down his back in silky waves. His beard, mustache, and sideburns were all perfectly manicured and I wanted to rip his clothes off right then and there.

  It would have to wait.

  “Oakley, you look stunning,” he said as he came to me and lightly kissed my lips.

  I was decked out in a purple formal dress that was similar to the bridesmaid’s dresses. I usually tried to blend in with the wedding party so that I didn’t call attention to myself. The day was not about me. I wore my hair mostly up in a bun but let several long strands hand down.

  “Thanks, Dax,” I answered, blushing. “I love your tux,” I told him. “You look like royalty. Sexy, handsome royalty,” I added, still blushing.

  “Thanks,” he said blushing himself. “Ready to get this over with?” he chuckled.

  “Ready.”

  The wedding went off without a hitch.

  The media showed up for the ceremony right on time and Dax had them all squared away. There were several at the actual ceremony, some filming along the roads as the horse and buggies traveled up and down the mountainside, and some set up inside the dining room.

  Lindsay and Angela were both taking photographs for the family. They were going to put together a family keepsake album the week after the wedding.

  All guests showed up on time and it was easy to direct them to their seats at the lodge. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. The bride and her party were stunning, all decked out in extremely expensive designer gowns and jewels.

  After the ceremony, a formal lunch was served in the dining room at the resort, as planned, while the lodge was transformed into a dance floor and reception area.

  We had a DJ set up who had a list of the family and guest’s favorite songs.

  It was now time for the activities to begin. Guests who wanted to ski along with the bride and groom got changed into ski gear after lunch.

  Others were escorted back up to the lodge for the party. Both bars at the dining room and the lodge were opened and packed. I saw Dax, Cole, and Brad running around like mad men trying to keep everyone happy and to maintain things running smoothly. I couldn’t have asked for a better family to work with.

  Hailey and I also changed into ski attire to lead a bunch of so-so skiers down the mountainside. Harley took a more experienced group up and they would be coming down the steeper part of the mountain which was situated about one hundred yards from the slope we were using.

  We also had tubing for the kids going on, and several of Harley’s staff was running that activity. So far, so good.

  I took up one group and Hailey took up the second group. But it turned out that more and more people decided they wanted to try their hand at skiing. I didn’t like the fact that we only had two guides, especially being we had several children in our groups. I was going to need more help and another good ski guide.

  Harley was busy on the other slope, so I couldn’t ask him about it. Who knew when he would return. We had a big gathering waiting at the bottom of the lifts for their turn to go up. I needed to find Brad or Dax.

  I told the group to hold on and I was going to find another guide for us. They seemed fine with that, but I hurried as fast as I could. I started to get anxious when the guests were just standing around.

  Neither Brad nor Dax were anywhere to be found. Only the two bartenders and a server were inside the lodge. Shit!

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Dax’s number. He answered right away.

  “Oakley?”

  “Dax, I need your help. Or someone’s help. We’ve got too many skiers for just Hailey and I,” I informed him anxiously.

  “Where’s Harley?”

  “He took a group to the more advanced slope.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right up there. I can take a group,” he told me.

  “You?” I asked him surprised.

  “Umm, yeah. I grew up at a ski resort, ya know? I’m pretty good actually,” he said a matter-of-factly.

  “Okay. You just never mentioned skiing. I didn’t know.”

  “It’s cool. Oakley?” he asked.

  “What?” I answered quickly.

  “Stop stressing. I can hear it in your voice. Everything is fine. I’m down in the dining room helping to set up the dinner buffet and cake table. I’ll have my mom take over. I’ll stop at my cabin and get dressed. Give me five and I’ll be there.”

  “Okay, thanks, Dax. I really appreciate you, you know,” I told him.

  “I know. Hang on and I’ll be right there,” he said and hung up.

  I went back outside to the group just as Hailey was bringing her group back down. I asked her to take up the second group for me so I could wait for Dax. She agreed. Everyone seemed happy, so I was okay. But I wouldn’t stop stressing until I had every single skier on the mountain.

  The five minutes seemed like a century. Maybe more. I maintained my big, fake smile b
ut I was not happy until I saw Dax’s truck pull into the lot.

  Finally.

  Dax hurried out of his truck, grabbed his poles, and took quick strides toward me. He had goggles hanging from his neck and was all decked out in an orange and black ski outfit, heavy gloves, a scarf, and ski mask.

  Not too shabby for five minutes. I was impressed.

  “What do you want me to do?” he asked right off the bat.

  “Take up this next group?”

  “For you, anything,” he winked.

  I introduced Dax to the skiers and we separated the remaining group into two smaller ones. It worked out perfectly, and I took in a deep breath as Dax and his group rode the lifts up the slope.

  I wanted to check Dax out skiing, but as soon as his group jumped off of the lifts, it was our turn to board.

  I couldn’t help but think how perfect Dax was for me. Such a manly man who was considerate and kind. Someone who would always have my back and take care of me when I needed him. Not to mention, he could ski. It just didn’t get much better than that.

  For a quick second of my daydream while riding on the lift, I had a glimpse of a future with Dax. I could see myself getting old with him. I’d never met anyone like him before and probably would never again.

  Hailey, Dax, and I kept taking up groups for the next several hours. It was exhausting, and the groups got smaller and smaller until we only had about ten people left; eight adults and two kids.

  Normally, I could handle a group of that size on my own. I told Hailey that she could take a break to go and make sure everything was okay everywhere else since I couldn’t do it.

  I looked to Dax before I took the small group up. “You can go and do something else if you need to,” I told him.

  I secretly hoped that he would choose to stay with me. And, he did. I was so happy. Finally, we could spend a little time together even if it was shared with ten others.

  “Come on, let’s both go. We got another hour until dinner,” Dax said.

  All twelve of us jumped on the lifts and headed once again up the mountainside. Once on top, we sent the more experienced skiers down on their own. We had about half the group left to go down with us.

  The kids wanted to go down by themselves. With their parents’ permission, I told them to go ahead, but to use their poles and take it slow. I didn’t want any broken bones. It looked like they were doing fine so I sent down the remaining three adults and Dax and I followed behind.

  Dax maintained his speed perfectly to stay right by my side the entire ride down the slope. For such a large, muscular man, he was surprisingly agile. He moved with a grace that defied his size and I found myself falling farther over the edge for him.

  We laughed and ribbed one another about which of us was the better skier as we raced down the slope. When we reached the bottom, the kids begged to go up one more time.

  “Okay, just once more. I’m starving,” said the kids’ mom.

  I was happy to have one more chance to spend some time with Dax before we had to go to dinner, even though I had already decided that I was going to sit with him to eat.

  But, for one last time, we all jumped on the lifts and headed up the mountainside. I sat beside Dax and he reached over and took my gloved hand into his own. I scooched over so that I could feel his warm body against mine. All of the other guests were in front of us, so I took the chance of reaching over for a kiss.

  Dax seized the moment and pressed his warm lips to mine. His tongue found mine and we kissed the entire way up the mountainside.

  When we reached the top, I looked into his eyes and smiled at him.

  I knew that I was falling hard.

  Oakley

  One couple who was with us requested a little harder of a slope the last time around. They weren’t advanced enough to go to the slope that Harley was working but they could move on to a more intermediate downhill experience.

  Dax said he’d take them over about twenty-five yards where the snow hadn’t been trampled down yet, making it a faster slope. If they could maneuver the smoother snow, then they could move over to Harley’s more advanced slope. Harley was a good instructor, I heard Dax telling them.

  Five of the guests were a group of friends skiing together so I sent them down our regularly used run first. I watched as they all took to the hillside well and were okay to continue down on their own.

  That left me with two children, a boy about six-years-old and a cute girl who told me she was eight, plus their mom.

  “When can we go?” asked the girl excitedly.

  “As soon as this group makes it at least halfway down,” I answered. “So we won’t run into them just in case they stop.”

  “Okay,” the girl agreed impatiently.

  I smiled at her response. The little girl reminded me of myself at that age. I was so eager to learn to ski.

  As I waited for the first group to get further down the slope, the air seemed to grow oddly still, and everything went eerily quiet. Birds that were singing in nearby pine trees became silent.

  That’s odd, I thought, looking around. I took a look at my guests but none of them seemed to take notice.

  I looked over at Dax who was busy talking with his skiers. He didn’t seem to notice anything unusual either. I thought that my ears must have popped with all of the ups and downs of the day and that it was just me.

  I shook my head trying to clear my ears but it didn’t work. Something felt off.

  Then I heard it. Faint at first but it was definitely there; a crackling sound.

  As I turned to try and pinpoint where the sound was coming from, a thunderous clap pierced the air.

  I gasped and turned toward the monstrous sound.

  There was a deafening rumble and the ground started to move under our feet.

  Eyes wide, I looked up just in time to see the snow at the top of the mountain let loose, and it was coming straight for us.

  It happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to panic. Faintly, in the midst of all the noise, I heard Dax yelling. I looked over to see him pushing his guests to the side.

  But he was yelling my name.

  “OAKLEY,get over!” he was screaming and waving his free arm.

  “MOVE NOW!” he bellowed when he glanced over his shoulder and saw me frozen in my position.

  Dax’s voice woke me up. I shook my head and moved quickly.

  My first thought was of the five skiers who I had already sent down the mountainside. I looked in their direction and saw they were most of the way down. They had to have heard all of the commotion so I hoped they would move to safety.

  I didn’t have time to yell to them.

  I turned and looked at the two kids and screamed for the mom to grab her son, who was the closest child to her. She was staring wide-eyed at the rapidly descending rush of snow.

  “Mrs. Baker,” I shouted to get her attention. “Grab Adam!”

  She looked over at me and did as I asked. I quickly picked up Marcy, the little girl, and reached the mom in two fast sweeps to push her on her skis from behind. I dug my own skis into the snow to create some sideways momentum for all four of us.

  Moving in the opposite direction than Dax, I somehow moved all four of us quickly enough to avoid the rush of tumbling snow which now was speeding by us.

  I put Marcy down and bent over, hands on my knees. I took a huge breath of relief and tried to calm myself down. My guests needed me to remain calm. I looked up to see that the mom was silently weeping, holding on to both of her children.

  I nodded my head at her. “Great job moving out of there,” I told her. “You’re all going to be okay.”

  She nodded in response and hugged her kids even tighter. I didn’t blame her. I couldn’t imagine how scared she must have been for her children.

  That was a close one, I thought, looking over in Dax’s direction.

  I couldn’t see Dax right then past the massive drift of snow that had taken over our slope. But before I
’d pushed off, the last thing I’d seen was him and his two guests quickly skiing out of the way.

  Dax was strong. Stronger than me. I was closer to the center of the drift. If I made it, I was almost certain that he would have made it. I tried to not panic. I didn’t want to upset the guests any more than they already were.

  I wasn’t sure what to do.

  During high school, I had taking avalanche safety protocol training. But that was ten years ago, at least. Basically, we had learned that avalanches are extremely hard to predict, especially in areas where they are uncommon. Plus, as the instructor had said, things happen quickly and the best thing that anyone can do is to not panic.

  Most of my training involved learning the signs of an avalanche risk and then what to do if I got stuck in one. I hadn’t seen any of those risk signs today, obviously. Not to mention, there had never been an avalanche at Hunter’s Mountainside Ski Resort. I’d made sure to ask Harley when we’d had our meeting about the outdoor activities. He’s assured me than one had never occurred in the history of the resort.

  “What should we do?” Mrs. Baker asked me.

  I looked toward the lifts. We could ride the lifts back down the slope. But, they seemed too far away from my position to chance moving.

  I decided to stay put and wait on Dax. I didn’t want to risk the children skiing down the mountainside or to the lifts in these conditions. For now, we seemed out of danger and I thought it best to stay where we were.

  “I’m not sure about the stability of the snow at this point,” I tried to explain to Mrs. Baker. “I think we should wait for Mr. Hunter and all go to the lift together as a group. I don’t think we should chance skiing down the mountainside right now,” I told her.

  Mrs. Baker nodded in agreement. I was relieved that she had calmed down, resulting in calmer children.

  But how long were we supposed to wait for Dax? He had his own two guests to take care of. Maybe he couldn’t make it over to us. If the snow is too thick and loose, it could be too dangerous for him to try.