When Sutton gets dumped right before what was supposed to be a romantic Christmas weekend getaway in the mountains, she makes a Christmas vow: a man free Christmas. She's going to finish writing her Christmas novel in peace and have a nice time skii...
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The snow crunched underfoot and the sharp clean scent of pine filled the air as Sutton made her way through the picture-perfect Christmas village. She wondered if she would ever see Marius again. Not likely. Though she couldn't help a small smile as she thought of him. He was cute. No more than cute. He was dreamy. And even though she would never see him again, Sutton suddenly realized she had the PERFECT new romantic interest for her story. A handsome man who loved to read, with dreamy eyes, curly hair, and a beautiful accent.
Not bad for a night's work.
All the shops glowed golden and cast a warm light on the snow, making it seem even brighter. Every building had Christmas decorations of some kind; lights, wreaths, even real pine trees decked out with lights and ornaments. The snow had been falling on and off all day; Sutton decided on impulse she would go hit the slopes before turning in. The perfect Man-Free activity.
Sutton opened the door to the cabin she's rented, flicked on the light, and was suddenly accosted by a heart made of petals on the bed. Well, that wouldn't do. She threw her bag on the floor and proceeded to jump on the bed until she'd completely mangled all sign of the heart.
That settled, Sutton pulled on her skiing gear and headed back outside. There was enough snow on the ground that she put her skis on outside the cabin, and then made her way to the bottom of the mountain. The towering light posts lit the main run clear up the mountain, and in the lights closest the halo of it's light illuminated thousands of thick flakes rushing by.
This was why Sutton had really decided to come. She loved skiing; the rush of flying down the mountain, the trees all frosted in white, the cold, clean air hitting her throat and numbing her cheeks and nose.
There weren't many people out night-skiing, only part of the mountain was open, so Sutton caught the first lift up, turning back a few times to see how the lights of the village below lit the night. At the top of the mountain she slid off the lift. The powder made everything smooth sailing, and soon she was flying along down the mountain. She noticed one of the runs, marked a black diamond, wasn't lit anymore. She turned to go investigate and had stopped before it when a sudden yell came from behind.
She turned to see a skier careening towards her, and then threw herself out of the way.
Unfortunately, the other person swerved the same way.
The skier collided with Sutton and both went tumbling down the unlit slope.
