Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

Chapter 1 Sawyer

1

C H A P T E R

Sawyer

A lright, Timmy. I’ve got all your stitches out. Your knee will be fine. Try to take it easy on those bicycle ramps,” Sawyer laughed, patting the boy on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Doc,” Mrs. Simmons said. “Those bike ramps are going to be the death of both of us. How many times have we been in your office in the last year for stitches and one broken arm?”

Sawyer laughed. “Well, I can’t say too much. My mother had ten kids. She probably spent more time in the hospitals and doctors’ offices with us than anywhere else.”

“Didn’t your brother, Colton, recently wreck his airplane and almost die from his injuries?”

Sawyer shook his head. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“See, Mom. Stitches aren’t so bad. I’m going to be a pilot when I grow up.”

She groaned. “Alright, Dr. Johnson. We’ll see you in a week or so for whatever else he might do to himself.”

Timmy hopped off the table. “Bye, Doc.”

“Bye Evel Knievel,” Sawyer replied.

“Mom, who’s Evel Knievel?”

Mrs. Simmons groaned and shot Sawyer a dirty look before she answered, “A famous daredevil who broke every bone in his body doing stunts.”

“Cool. I’m going to look him up when we get home.”

Sawyer smirked. “Look at me inspiring young people to learn.”

Martha, Sawyer’s nurse, said, “You know that woman is going to murder you the next time she sees you, right?”

“Yeah, but I’ve got to pay your salary somehow.”

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder with the file. “You’re incorrigible.”

“That’s what my mother always said.”

He pulled the folder out of the next patient’s wall holder and looked at it.

Denise, his receptionist tapped him on the shoulder. “You have a visitor.”

“Who is it?”

“Some guy named Lucas Hampton.”

“Well, I’ll be darned. I haven’t seen him in ages. Bring him back, please.”

A few minutes later, a tall red-haired man stood in the hallway. “Hello, there, Sawyer. Long time no see.”

“It has been a long time. How are you?”

“Great. I see you have a thriving business.”

Sawyer nodded. “Yep. What brings you my way?”

“I need a vacation and I think you should go with me. I was thinking of planning a week’s stay at the ski resort on Montagne Maudite.”

“I have patients and my schedule is packed.”

Martha, who was standing behind him, said, “You should go. You haven’t had a vacation in five years. Your appointments can be rescheduled. Any emergencies can go to the hospital. Sadie, your new sister-in-law, and Dr. Gibson are more than capable of handling anything that comes your way.”

Sawyer hesitated.

“You’re getting grouchy because you’re overworked and the only thing you’ve done for fun lately is attending Ryder’s, Colton’s, and Lane’s weddings. The one full weekend off you had a few weeks ago was spent fixing up dogs that were rescued from the puppy mill.”

Lucas raised his eyebrows. “I heard about that. I hope they all found a good home.”

“Actually, there are several that are still on Lane’s ranch. He’s acting as a temporary sanctuary until he can get them all adopted,” Sawyer said.

“I can always use another copilot. After we get back from the vacation I’ll stop by and get me a new friend. Old Fred passed a month ago. He was seventeen,” Lucas said, sadly. “For now, though, you and I are leaving Saturday morning for Montagne Maudite.”

“I’ll have Denise start calling your patients and rearranging your schedule,” Martha said. “I’m locking the doors to your office and I’m taking your keys.”

Sawyer held up his hands in surrender. “What time are you picking me up?”

****

Sawyer loaded his skis, snowshoes, and suitcase into Lucas’ truck Saturday morning.

“Of all the places you chose to vacation on, you had to choose Montagne Maudite?”

Lucas shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “What can I say. I like to live dangerously.”

“As a helicopter pilot, I would think that you get enough danger.”

“Nah. It’s routine. I just give people helicopter tours doing the same thing every day.” Lucas paused for a second. “I can’t quite remember the story behind the mountain’s name.”

Sawyer took a swig of his energy drink. “Really? Well, let me educate you. Centuries ago, there was a small village on the side of the mountain. Claire was a beautiful healer who had a special relationship with nature. Etienne, her fiancé, was a skilled hunter. They were very much in love and were going to get married under the harvest moon.”

“Sounds romantic.”

“One day, a mysterious traveler showed up. He had been injured and asked for shelter, food, and help. The villagers welcomed him and gave him everything they needed. He fell in love with Claire and told her that if she married Etienne, then the village and everyone in it would be doomed.”

“That’s a heck of a way to repay kindness.”

“I know. The villagers were terrified because he supposedly had supernatural powers. Claire ignored, him though, rejected the man’s advances, and swore her love and loyalty to Etienne. In a fit of anger, the stranger said that a tragedy would strike on the night of their wedding. The villagers begged Claire and Etienne to call off the wedding, but they refused.”

“Of course, they refused or there wouldn’t be a story,” Sawyer said sardonically. “I’m guessing something bad happened the night of their wedding.”

“Yep. You must be psychic or something. Anyway, as soon as the couple said their vows, the ground started shaking and a sudden avalanche of snow and rocks roared down from the top of the mountain, burying the village. The traveler appeared in front of Claire and Etienne in the form of a vengeful spirit. He said that if Claire would abandon Etienne, he would spare the lives of the villagers. She refused. The spirit unleashed his anger on Etienne, turning him into a mist-like being, and scattered him around the mountain. His body disappeared and the only thing left was his voice that people can hear in the wind.”

“So now people can hear him calling for her when the wind blows.”

“You guessed it. Claire begged the stranger to undo the curse, but he just laughed at her and said she was destined to wander the mountain forever searching for her love. According to the curse, anyone who dares go on the mountain risks facing avalanches or being turned into the mist. There have been a lot of injuries and deaths on the mountain.”

“Of course, there have been. It is a mountain. People go camping, get lost, and freeze to death. It’s a ski resort. People are going to get hurt. There hasn’t been an avalanche or other catastrophe for decades.”

“You just jinxed us,” Sawyer groaned.

“There’s no such thing as jinxes. They only exist in people’s imaginations,” Lucas said. “We’re going to have a great vacation.”

They talked about their lives and everything they’ve been up to. Lucas just ended a long-term relationship when he and his girlfriend realized that there wasn’t a spark there anymore. They were just comfortable with each other.

Sawyer talked about his practice and that he had a few new nieces and nephews, Colton’s plane crash, and the puppy mill rescues.

“Sounds like your family keeps you busy. Do you ever do anything fun for yourself?”

“Yeah, I stay home and hang out with my dogs. Colton and Sadie are doggie-sitting for me. Between their four dogs and my two, they have a whole pack at their place right now.”

The five-hour drive flew by and soon they were crawling up the steep mountain road that was wide enough for one and a half cars. One side hugged the mountain and the other was a sheer drop off.

Sawyer looked out the window. “Hmm. I see that they didn’t even bother trying to bring up those cars that went over.”

“Not worth it. They use rescue helicopters to get the people out and leave the vehicles.”

The resort came into sight. The main building looked like someone had transported an old southern plantation home from Georgia and moved it to the side of a mountain in Colorado. There were two rows of small cabins in a U-shape in front of the main building.

“I got us a cabin. I figured it would be more fun than staying in the main building.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

They check in and drop their gear off at their cabin.

“We still have time to do a couple of runs on the blue or medium slope before dinner,” Lucas said.

“It’s what we came for,” Sawyer said, grabbing his skis.

“I figured we would hit the medium slope until we get back in practice. I haven’t skied in years.”

They get off the ski lift. Sawyer looked over at a family standing by the blue ski entrance and groaned.

“What’s up?”

“Do you see those folks over there? That’s the Cooper family. Jerome and Audrey used to be friends with Mom and Dad before they moved to New York. They owned a farm that was right next to the ranch. A few years ago, we had that drought that lasted about three years. They lost their farm. The only reason the Johnson Ranch survived was because a river runs through it. Lane, Colton, and Willow bought the Cooper place when it came up for auction. They offered to sell it back to the Coopers, but they refused. Jerome said they shouldn’t have to pay for their own property. Their son, Kyle, was in med school with me but dropped out. He got married and they had a kid. The baby was with Jerome and Audrey when Kyle and his wife went out to party. Kyle was drunk, got behind the wheel, and killed them. He had developed a drinking problem after dropping out.”

“Oh. That sucks. It seems like they made their own bad luck, though.”

“Yeah. Jerome went to work for an agricultural coop and I think Audrey is a teacher. They blame us for Kyle’s death, though.”

“Don’t worry about them. We can still have a good time. Besides, you weren’t directly involved in the ranch deal.”

“It doesn’t matter. They hate all Johnsons, now. But you’re right. I’m not going to let them wreck our party.”