Snowbound Summer Read online

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  Snowbound Summer

  by Veronica Tower

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  Erotica/Romance

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  Red Rose Publishing

  www.redrosepublishing.com

  Copyright ©2011 by Veronica Tower

  First published in 2011

  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Other Books by Veronica Tower and Red Rose Publishing

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  Snowbound Summer

  Snowbound Series

  Book Six

  By

  Veronica Tower

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Snowbound Summer by Veronica Tower

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  Red RoseTM Publishing

  Publishing with a touch of Class! TM

  The symbol of the Red Rose and Red Rose is a trademark of Red RoseTM Publishing

  Red RoseTM Publishing

  Copyright(C) 2011 Veronica Tower

  ISBN: 978-1-4543-0081-6

  Cover Artist: Shirley Burnett

  Editor: Pam

  Line Editor: Zena Gainer

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

  This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

  * * * *

  Red RoseTM Publishing

  www.redrosepublishing.com

  Forestport, NY 13338

  Thank you for purchasing a book from Red RoseTM Publishing where publishing

  comes with a touch of Class!

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  Chapter One

  “Now where were those muscles that were hurting?” Ron whispered as he slid beneath the sheets in the bed beside Kara. The door was closed, the lights were off, and so—Kara suddenly realized—were all of Ron's clothes.

  This was not happening tonight—or any other time this weekend!

  She placed her hand on Ron's muscular chest and pushed him back toward the edge of the bed. “Be good!” she whispered fiercely.

  “I thought you said I'm always good,” Ron teased back. His hand slid beneath the covers to touch her stomach over top of her light summer nightgown.

  She grabbed his hand and tried to push it away but he resisted her. “Put some pajamas on,” she whispered.

  “I didn't bring any,” Ron told her. “Now what about those sore muscles? Did it hurt up here?” Ron slid his hand up her body and cupped one of Kara's large breasts.

  Kara grabbed the hand again and this time successfully pulled it away from her body. “That isn't a muscle,” she told him.

  Ron slid closer so that the long length of his firm naked body pressed against the more slender lines of Kara's form. His lips nuzzled her ear through the strands of her long dark hair. “Are you certain?” he asked. “Let's check it out...”

  “Kara, you came!” Ron's mother exclaimed as she threw her arms around Kara and hugged her.

  Kara cautiously returned the embrace, taking advantage of the opportunity to throw a glare at her younger boyfriend. Ron was not supposed to have told his mother that she hadn't wanted to come on this Miller family vacation. They were going to have to talk about the matter of confidences and discretion.

  Ron's mother relaxed her hold and stepped back from Kara. She was an older woman—as befitted someone celebrating her fortieth wedding anniversary—but the only place her years showed was in a slight wrinkling around the eyes which the plastic surgeon couldn't quite smooth away. She dyed her hair midnight black and adorned herself with tasteful jewelry and expensive name brand clothes. Unfortunately, her embrace was not necessarily a sign of affection. She was a touchy feely sort of person and she greeted even the mildest of acquaintances the same, whether she was fond of them or not.

  Kara stepped to the side to make room for Ron to kiss his mother on the cheek. The two didn't share a strong family resemblance. Ron's six foot three frame towered over the smaller woman and his blond hair stood out in stark contrast to his mother's dyed tresses. But there was still tenderness in both of them, even after the stress introduced by Ron's decision to date an older woman and thereby lessening his mother's chance of securing more grandchildren. At least she didn't appear concerned that Kara was African-American.

  Ron slipped his arm around Kara's waist and stepped with her into the cabin. His father was sprawled on the couch in front of the television, his belt and pants already unbuckled to reduce the strain on his large belly. The older Miller couldn't appear more different than his wife. Where she was immaculately coifed, he looked like he hadn't combed his thinning black hair, or washed his clothes, in days. The fact that he'd made such little personal effort on the occasion of his fortieth wedding anniversary weekend said tons about the man's disposition and indirectly explained why Ron and Kara were here.

  “Hey, Dad,” Ron said.

  His father merely grunted and kept his attention on the television—a typical response, as far as Kara could tell. Ron had privately confided that his father acted far differently when Ron was alone with him, but that his irritating all-consuming hostility toward women kept him from relaxing when Kara was around.

  “Howard!” Hanna snapped. “It's our anniversary! Can't you even try and be polite to our family? Ron and Kara flew nearly two thousand miles to be with us.”

  “I don't know why they bothered,” Ron's father replied. “We live less than twenty miles away from them.”

  Which was also the heart of the problem, Kara knew. Hanna wanted to be able to tell her friends that she had celebrated her fortieth wedding anniversary in a grand style, but her husband had been publicly regretting marrying her for most of those forty years. Since a large party back in Detroit wasn't really possible, she had pressured Ron and his two sisters to join them for a weekend in the northwest so she could claim a major family celebration. The downside for Kara, of course, was that instead of having to spend one evening with the hopefully normal friends of Ron's strange parents, she was going to be trapped for a weekend with the whole Miller clan.

  “We bothered because we love you, Dad,” Ron told him. He looked around as if searching for something. “Where's everyone else?”

  “Your sisters already have their broods on the slopes,” his mother told him. “It's not every
day you get the chance to go skiing in August and the kids were very excited about it.”

  Kara decided this was the perfect opening to flatter Ron's mother. “We're pretty excited about it too, Hanna,” she said. “Holding your celebration at a summer ski resort was a fabulous idea. I didn't know you could do this in America.”

  Hanna's smile looked warm and genuine. “There are only a couple of these lodges that are high enough in the mountains to have summer skiing. Frankly, I was skeptical, but they have enough activities that don't involve the snow that I figured we could keep the kids occupied even if the skiing part of the trip didn't work out.”

  “That's for sure, Mom,” Ron said. “Nature trails, horseback riding, rock climbing, ice climbing—I'm not sure I even want to hit the ski trails.”

  Kara felt the corners of her mouth quirking up. She wondered if her twenty-five year old boyfriend knew that he was one of the kids his mother had been thinking about when she worried over keeping the children entertained.

  “Just keep in mind, dear, that Kara isn't as young as you are. Try to choose an activity where she can keep up with you.”

  Kara lost her smile. She had expected her race to be a problem with Ron's family as his was with Kara's mother, but it was the fifteen years separating them that seemed to keep Hanna Miller up at nights. With Ron's father the dislike was more general. He just seemed to hate all women.

  She tried to mask her annoyance for Ron's sake and ran her hand over her boyfriend's muscular bicep. “No one can keep up with Ron,” she said.

  “But we have fun making you try,” Ron added.

  His little double entendre sent competing surges of excitement and embarrassment through Kara's body as the image of Ron's naked body propped over hers flashed through her mind. Fortunately, Hanna's expression gave no hint that she had noticed Ron's little witticism. Howard's perpetual scowl didn't change either.

  Kara was beginning to think that she had misread Ron's statement herself when he surreptitiously slid his hand behind her and squeezed her ass. She wished he wouldn't do that in front of his parents—even if she did love the feel of his hands.

  “So Anne and Kitten are skiing?” Ron asked.

  “Their kids are all out exploring already,” his mother said. “I think Anne is with her youngest on the bunny slope while I believe Kitten said something about hitting the bar.”

  “Already?” Ron asked.

  “What do you expect?” Ron's father asked. “Hanna insisted she bring her husband with her. You can't have fun on a trip when you're married!”

  Kara still found these statements by Howard Miller shocking, but Ron and his mother continued on as if he hadn't spoken.

  “Well, maybe we should get our suitcases into the cabin and get out there ourselves,” he told his mother. “Have you given any thought to how you're going to spend the day?”

  Hanna glanced at her husband who remained sprawled on the couch watching television as if he were still at home. Kara thought she detected the slightest flicker of disappointment in the woman's eyes—as if she'd secretly hoped that bringing her husband away for their anniversary might spark an improvement in their relationship.

  “I might do a little skiing,” she said, “now that my favorite boy is here.”

  Kara felt a flicker of indignation mixed with concern. Ron had promised her they'd only have to put up with his family when they were at the cabin. She didn't want to have Hanna Miller come skiing with them. She wanted some time alone with her man!

  “We were thinking of doing some ice climbing,” Ron said.

  That was news to Kara, but she immediately realized that it was unlikely Ron's fifty-eight year old mother would choose to join them in that activity. Kara herself wasn't too thrilled with the idea but they wouldn't actually have to do it as long as they got Hanna to leave them alone.

  “Oh, don't do that today,” Hanna pleaded. “Let's all go skiing. How often do you get to ski in the summer?”

  Kara decided to be a good guest and support the idea. “Before you mentioned this trip,” she told Hanna, “I didn't even know it was possible to ski in August. My sister, Liz, and her boyfriend are anxiously awaiting a report from me. If the slopes are even half good, they'll probably come out themselves in a couple of weeks.”

  “I hope everyone has fun,” Hanna said. “I'm not such a big skier myself, but I know that Ron and the girls like it, and of course the grandchildren adore getting out on the slopes.”

  “It'll be great!” Ron assured her. “Kara's a good skier too.”

  That was pure exaggeration, Kara knew. Her sister was an excellent skier, but she was only a competent one. Still it was fun and she liked being complimented. “So should we bring the bags in and hit the slopes?” she asked Ron.

  “I'll get them,” Ron said. He didn't even glance at his father before slipping back past Kara and out the door.

  “I'll help you,” Kara told him and followed him out before he could protest. She did not want to be trapped alone with his mother, and she wanted to figure out how they were going to get away for a bit.

  Ron had not waited for her—which was far from his usual behavior. Instead he'd gone straight to the rental car and opened the trunk so he could access his garment bag and Kara's three cases.

  Kara joined him behind the car, watching the muscles in his face contract with uncharacteristic tension.

  “I can get these,” he said as he pulled her largest piece of luggage out of the trunk and set it on the pavement. There was snow on the grass around the cabin and on the slopes above them, but not on the black asphalt of the parking space.

  “Ron,” Kara said, encouraging him to give her his attention.

  Ron wouldn't look her in the eye. “You don't have to help me,” he said as he reached in the trunk for another case.

  “Ron,” Kara repeated.

  “I don't mind making two trips,” he told her.

  Kara covered his white hand with her darker one as he reached back into the trunk. She didn't ask the question she'd intended, transforming her growing concern about this increasingly bleak weekend into a more general inquiry. “Ron, what's wrong?”

  Ron hesitated and Kara didn't like the expression she saw on his face. Usually Kara's boyfriend radiated confidence and good humor, but at this moment he looked disappointed and more unsure of himself than she ever remembered seeing. “I'm sorry,” he said.

  Kara didn't precisely understand what motivated the apology. Despite his rudeness, Ron's father was actually on what for him counted as good behavior. And Ron's mother really hadn't gotten bad yet.

  When Kara didn't answer, Ron continued. “It's just one weekend,” he reminded her. “And it's important to her. She's been married to a man who has hated her for forty years. Can we please just give her one weekend?”

  Now it was Kara's turn to hesitate as a surprising blast of jealousy roared up inside of her. A little part of her consciousness buried in the back of her brain knew it was stupid on her part, but she didn't like Ron acting more worried about his mother than he was about her. The negative feelings stiffened her spine and kept her from letting Ron off easy. “You promised me—” she began.

  “I know,” Ron interrupted her. “Believe me, I know! But I didn't think my sisters would abandon her on the first day, and you saw my Dad in there. It's even worse than at home...there he can go down in the basement to ignore her. Here...”

  His voice trailed off and he looked like a lost little boy wondering where his parents were.

  Kara did feel bad for him, but that didn't mean she was prepared to completely concede the weekend. That wouldn't be good for Ron and it certainly wouldn't be enjoyable for Kara. “You knew it was going to be hard,” she said. “You were the one who warned me how crazy it would be to force your parents to spend a whole weekend together.”

  “I know,” Ron said, “but I, I don't think my mother really believed it would be like this. Did you see her face in there? They haven't taken a v
acation together since we were kids and I just don't think she remembered how bad it would be.”

  That's not our fault! Kara wanted to tell him. What she said instead was, “You're not responsible for your parents’ crummy marriage.”

  Ron didn't argue the point, what he did instead was to cleverly play on Kara's compassion by pulling on her heartstrings. “But it's their fortieth wedding anniversary,” he reminded her. “Could we make this our real gift to them?”

  Kara didn't like the direction this conversation seemed to be going. “Ron, we can't fix your parents’ marriage in a weekend.” She should have stopped there but she was annoyed with him for dragging her out here and really didn't want to spend this weekend with his mother “We couldn't fix your parents’ marriage in a lifetime,” she finished.

  The cool confidant Ron peaked out again for a moment, but Kara knew him well enough not to believe in it this time. He pulled her into his arms, trying to play her. “Kara, I know we're not going to fix my parents this weekend. Hell, let's be honest, nothing is going to make my father enjoy this trip.”

  Except your mother dropping dead, Kara thought unkindly.

  “But if we just give my mother a little attention, maybe when she gets home she won't think this was such a disaster. Maybe all of this would be worthwhile if the two of you could become friends.”

  Kara hugged him, surrendering to his embrace, not because she felt particularly close to him at this moment but because he suddenly seemed so young, naive and vulnerable. “Oh, Ron, your mother doesn't want us to be friends,” she whispered. “She wants you to break up with me and start going out with someone your own age.”

  It was a cold assessment of the truth, but it stiffened Ron's back in her defense, instead of his mother's. “That isn't going to happen!” Ron told her. “Mom is going to have to get used to you being around.”

  Kara appreciated that he hadn't denied his mother's intentions. In many ways, Ron was a remarkably honest man and he truly cared about her. She decided she could find it in her heart to compromise with him.