5. Sean

5

Sean

S ean and Sawyer laughed at Xyla's response to Sawyer's offer of help when they reached the bottom of the slope. They looked up to see if Edward and Xyla made any progress.

Sawyer shook his head. "I guess she's the type that would cut off her nose to spite her face."

"That about sums it up. That's what blind hatred and bigotry do to people."

"I just feel sorry for her brother. If she pulled her head out of her ass, we could have helped her to the cabin a lot easier than he could have, and then he would have been able to go down the slope a few more times with us."

"Me, too. He seems like a really nice kid. However, it's out of our hands." Sean checked his watch. "We have time for at least five or six more treks down. Then, if you're game, we can do the double diamond tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan."

Sean banished all thoughts of Xyla and her family as he and Sawyer enjoyed their afternoon.

I'm definitely going to have to do this more often. I haven't had this much fun since – well, since Ivy was alive. She would be pissed to see me sitting around not enjoying life.

They finished their last run just as the sun was going down. After quickly taking their skis and poles to their cabin, they headed to the main resort for dinner.

Sean immediately scanned the room for signs of Xyla, Edward, or Elliot and breathed a sigh of relief when they weren't in sight.

Sawyer slapped him on the back. "You have to let them go. It's almost like you're obsessed with them."

"You're right."

A minute or so after they sat down, Marcie and Ellie showed up. "May we join you again?"

"Of course." Once again, Sawyer stood up and pulled a chair out for Ellie.

Sean, not to be outdone in the gentleman's department, did the same for Marcie.

"We saw you guys on the black diamond. How many times did you fall?" Marcie asked.

"None. We're actually planning on doing the double black diamond tomorrow. It's a good thing that Sawyer is a doctor, so if I do fall, he can put me back together. If he falls, he can tell me how to put him back together."

"I'd love to nurse you back to health," Marcie cooed, leaning over toward Sean.

Her blouse opened up enough to give Sean a good view of her supple breasts. He looked away and took a drink of his tea. Sawyer caught his eye and smirked.

"You have nothing to laugh about. Ellie's on you like a wart on a toad," Sean said telepathically to Sawyer.

Sawyer choked on the mouthful of tea he just swallowed.

Ellie and Marcie looked at the two of them, confusion all over their faces. "Did we miss something?" Marcie asked.

Sawyer shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. So, what did you guys do today?"

Marcie and Ellie took turns excitedly telling them how they went down the red slope. This was their first time skiing, so they were terrified at first, but then they got the hang of it and did well. They hung out with Tristan and Darren, who were also first-time skiers.

"Esme and Blake, the couple sitting in the corner, have been skiing for a couple of years and gave us some great pointers." Marcie waved to them with a huge smile.

They waved back.

"They are just the cutest couple," Ellie gushed. "They are so much in love. They met at a roller skating rink when they were in high school and fell in love. It's just like a fairy tale. I just love fairy tale endings, don't you?"

Sawyer rubbed his chin. "Well, that all depends. Are you talking about Disney tales or Grimm's version? There's quite a difference, you know."

Ellie smiled at him. "Disney's version, of course, silly."

Sean bit his lip to keep from laughing. He had a sneaking suspicion that Ellie and Marcie had a glass or two of wine before they came to dinner.

Ellie's eyes sparkled as she leaned closer to Sawyer. "Well, Dr. Charming, if you're so versed in fairy tales, which one do you think we're living right now?"

Sawyer was caught off guard for a minute before he thought of an answer. "One of the doctors I worked with used to tell the story of Snow White and Red Rose to the children. Here we have two beautiful women, two dashing men, and a magical setting on the mountain."

Marcie clapped her hands like a happy little kid. "Ooh, I love that fairy tale." She rubbed Sean's arm and leaned toward him. "Which one of you is the bear in disguise? You both seem manly enough to fit the bill."

"I'm the bear. He's the dwarf," Sawyer said, pointing at Sean. "Can't you tell?"

"Yeah, my beard got cut off, and I grew a couple of inches."

"I'd say." Marcie looked him up and down exaggeratingly, and she licked her lips seductively.

Sawyer choked on the tea he just swallowed again and grinned at Sean.

Ellie squeezed his hand. "So, Doctor Charming, if we get into trouble on the slopes tomorrow, are you going to rescue us as a knight in shining ski gear?"

"I'll do my best, but that knightly armor might be more along the lines of thermal underwear than any kind of shining metal."

"Thermal underwear can be very sexy and heroic," Ellie assured him.

Marcie raised her glass of tea. "To fairy tales and ski adventures. May our story have a happily ever after – or at least a very happy right now."

The four of them flirted throughout dinner. Sean was pretty sure the women were disappointed when Sawyer and Sean, once again, turned them down for an evening watching horror movies.

"I think they have something more in mind than just watching movies," Sean said.

"Gee. Whatever gave you that idea? I'm just glad that we managed to leave with my virtue intact."

Sean laughed. "Virtue? Sir, I think that you might be a wee bit past that. You are no virgin."

"How dare you impugn my dignity in such a way. If I had a white glove, I'd slap you across the face and we would duel at dawn."

"I think you might have been swept up in your own fairy tales. No one duels anymore." Sean unlocked their cabin door. "Besides, I left my epee at home."

"I seriously think people should duel, only with paint guns, plastic light sabers, or something like that. That way, no one gets seriously injured and everyone's honor is intact."

"I don't think we brought either of those things with us." Sean was quiet for a second. "We might be able to find some paper towel tubes."

"You're on. Paper towel tubes at dawn. But as for Marcie and Ellie – I'm sure they aren't too brokenhearted. After all, there are two other men here who are the same age. Maybe not quite as good-looking as us, but they'd do in a pinch." Sawyer strutted through the cabin, his chest puffed out and his chin up, making Sean laugh.

"I see that someone isn't humble."

They plopped down on the couch and Sean picked up his phone. "It says we could be in for a serious snowstorm tonight. It could dump a foot or more of snow on top of us. That could make it difficult to get out when we're ready to leave."

"It'll be fine. We're at a ski resort on a mountain. I'm sure that they're used to a little snow. And, so what if we're here for a couple of extra days. Jade is more than able to take care of Howlers' for you, and I don't have anywhere pressing to be. Relax."

Sean had a bad feeling about the situation, but he nodded. "I guess I'm not used to being away from Howlers' this long."

"You should get used to it. You know the old cliché, ‘All work and no play make Sean a dull boy.'"

Instead of dueling the next morning, they decided to shift and go for a run. Once again, Sean made sure to walk in front of Xyla's cabin. He knew he was acting like a two-year-old, but he couldn't help it. There was a little bit of satisfaction in knowing that he was going to irk the piss out of her.

They grabbed breakfast and did several runs down the black diamond slope. After lunch, they hit the double diamond. Sean took a spill on one run but wasn't hurt. He and Sawyer laughed as the doctor pulled him out of the snow.

It started snowing around two, but the men weren't about to let the wet snow spoil their fun. Apparently, no one else was, either. The slopes were very busy with skiers.

Marcie and Ellie sat with Esme and Blake for dinner. They smiled apologetically at Sawyer and Sean and gave a little flirtatious wave.

"Is it bad to say I'm a little relieved they are eating with those folks tonight?" Sean asked.

"Nope. The flirting was getting a little awkward. It's good to have a little bit of a break."

The heavy wet snow was fiercely coming down when they walked back to their cabins. It had already snowed at least four inches that afternoon.

"If it keeps up at this rate, we'll get more than just a foot of snow." Sawyer held out his gloved hands and caught some of the white stuff in his palm.

"You're not going to stick your tongue to something metal to see if it sticks, are you?"

"No. I tried that once when I was a kid. My tongue was sore for a week."

Sean laughed. It felt good to act like a goofy kid for a while. Up here, he had no responsibilities. There were no rowdy bikers to toss out, fights to settle, spills to clean up, or the absolute worst – paperwork. He could be a dork if he wanted.

They watched a couple of movies and then went to bed. Sean was in a deep sleep when he sat straight up in bed as a loud explosion seemed to rock the cabin. He ran into the living room, almost slamming into Sawyer.

"What the hell was that?" Sawyer's eyes were wide as he rushed to the door.

"I don't know. It sounded like someone set off a ton of dynamite."

They ran outside. Sean's heart stopped when he saw the wall of snow rushing toward them. Sean gasped as he saw the rolling white wall completely cover the first cabin. They dove back inside the cabin, the door banging shut behind them. They ran to the shutters, slamming them shut. Just as the last one was closed the cabin shuddered violently. Sean was terrified that the structure would be ripped apart, and he and Sawyer would be buried under several feet of snow.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the cabin finally stopped shaking. They were in complete darkness as the snow had knocked out the electricity and blocked out all possible light from outside. Sean looked at Sawyer who looked like he was in shock.

Sean put his hand on Sawyer's shoulder. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Just scared the hell out of me. Let's see what the damage is."

Sawyer slowly opened the door, making sure that none of the snow fell into the cabin, making it impossible to close it again.

"It's packed against the door, almost all the way to the top of the door. I think there might be six inches at the most." Sawyer shut the door and looked at Sean.

"Well, now. That could present a problem. We have enough wood for about a day and food for a few days. However, I don't really like the idea of staying here, buried alive."

Sawyer shook his head. "Me, either." He looked at his phone. "No service. Didn't expect there to be."

"I guess we try to dig our way out. There are shovels in the closet, or we can pretend we're wolves and do what they would do."

"Let's try the wolf version first." Sawyer started stripping.

Sean followed suit. "Do you want to pack the snow against the tunnel walls as we go or one of us stays in the cabin and kicks it into the corner?"

"Pack it to try to keep the tunnel from falling in on itself. It'll mean going slower, but I think it's the safer bet. I'll go first." Sawyer shifted.

The two men took turns digging and packing the snow until they had a tunnel big enough for them to crawl out of. It seemed like it took an eternity before they saw the morning sun peeking over the horizon. Snow continued to fall, although it wasn't as fierce, heavy, or wet as it had been.

They dropped back into the cabin, shifted, and got dressed. They packed their bags full of clothes, toiletries, and essentials. Sawyer went up first and Sean tossed the two bags before stepping into the tunnel, shutting the door behind him, and climbing the tunnel.

Sawyer and Sean slowly walked to the main resort building, grateful that they had thought to pack their snowshoes. They were glad to see that the resort wasn't as covered in snow, since it sat on top of a ridge.

Howard, the maintenance man, had just finished shoveling the porch enough that he could open the door all the way. William greeted Sean and Sawyer as they stumbled into the living room.

"Thank goodness that you're safe. I'm so worried about everyone else." William wrung his hands together. "Nothing like this has ever happened here before."

His face was red and he was shaking. Sean was afraid that he was going to have a heart attack.

"It'll be alright," Sean said. "If we can get a cup of coffee, we'll head out with some shovels and dig out the others. Are all the cabins occupied?"

"Yes. We always put guests in cabins before we fill up the main building because people like the cabins a little more."

"Do you have any way to communicate with the outside world?" Sean asked.

William shook his head. "The radios are down."

"Okay, so we might be stuck here a couple of nights." Sawyer's voice was calm as he, too, was worried about William. "You need to figure out where people are going to sleep, at least for tonight, if not for a few nights."

"Ginny, our housekeeper, will work with Sara to figure that out. We have enough food, medical, and other supplies to keep everyone safe for at least a week, maybe two if we stretch it," William reported.

"Hopefully, we won't be snowed in that long, but that's good to know." Sean finished his cup of coffee and ate the last bites of his energy bar. He looked at Sawyer. "Ready."

"Let's get this show on the road." Sawyer set his cup on the table and looked at Howard. "Shovels?"

"I wish I could help," William said.

Sean looked at him and smiled. The man was at least seventy and used a walker. "You can help by making sure that everything goes smoothly here."

"That I can do, young man."

Sawyer, Howard, and Sean headed out to the closest cabin. It was Darren's and Tristan's cabin. The two men quickly packed and took their bags to the resort and then joined the shoveling crew.

They worked until lunch and went back to the resort. The five men shoved a couple of sandwiches into their mouths, swallowed some soda, and headed back outside. By dusk, they had all of the cabins cleared out except for one. The other men had gone back to the resort because their hands were bloodied. Sawyer's and Sean's hands were, too, but they decided to keep going. It had to be done. Blake had wanted to help, but he had broken his wrist the day before.

Sean looked at the cabin and then back at Sawyer. "I don't suppose we could just leave them in there?"

Sawyer laughed. "Think of Edward. That poor kid has been stuck with those two people all day. He must be in mortal hell right now."

Heaving a heavy, exaggerated sigh, Sean hung his head. "Fine."

As the snow continued to fall on their heads, the two men started shoveling again.