Caught by the Blizzard: A romantic winter thriller (Tellure Hollow Book 1) (24 page)

My voice grew firm. I’d had enough. “Merry Christmas, Kayla,” I said and hung up. I stared at the dark phone in my hand a moment longer, shaking my head at her behavior. I loved her like a sister, but sometimes she pissed me off the way only sisters can.

Bryan looked up expectantly from the table as I walked back inside. “Everything okay?”

I rolled my eyes, and shut the door. “She said Rick had stopped by looking for me. She says she didn’t tell him anything, but I know she did.” I slumped in the sofa.

“Why is she like that?”

“You’ve got me,” I replied, throwing my hands in the air. “And then she gave me this guilt trip about how I wasn’t going to be there for the party tonight or Christmas tomorrow. We planned this big orphan’s Christmas thing. Ugh!” I slammed my fist down on the cushion. Even when I knew she was manipulating me, it could work. “Fucking Rick…”

Bryan got to his feet and stood in front of me, holding out a hand. “Are you up for a little fun?”

I looked up with a pout. I wasn’t sure I was done with my mini tantrum. “What kind of fun?” I asked with a furrowed brow.

The sparkle in his eye worried me a little. “The kind that gets your heart thumping,” he winked. “Consider it my Christmas present. You might want to grab your camera.”

Ten minutes later, I stood beside a jet black snowmobile, shaking my head. Bryan sat on the padded seat, one helmet in his lap, the other outstretched to me. “No way. No,” I laughed. “There’s no way in hell I’m getting on that thing.”

“Aww, come on! I promise, I’ll take it slow until you feel comfortable. You don’t have to do a thing but sit back and enjoy the ride.” I knew he’d take it easy but the machine looked like it was built for speed. I was wracking my brain for a decent enough excuse when he dropped the only two words that could’ve worked. The dimples forming at the corner of his mouth, he smiled, wiggling the helmet. “Trust me.”

I groaned, taking the helmet from him. “Where’s my Christmas present, then?” I whined.

“I’ll give you whatever you want.” His words dripped with innuendo. My heart flip-flopped but I tried to ignore it.

“I’ll be sure to give it some thought.” I slipped the bulky helmet over my hair, my ponytail pushing down to the nape of my neck. I wanted to look cool, like this whole thing didn’t scare the ever-living shit out of me. Swinging my leg over, I tentatively held onto his sides.

“You good back there?” His voice was muffled through the helmet.

I patted him with my right hand. “All good.”

He pressed the ignition and the snowmobile rumbled to life between my legs. I let out a small scream, gripping my arms around his waist for dear life. I thought I could hear him laugh over the roar of the engine. He patted my hand and shouted over the noise. “Hang on tight!”

True to his word, he did keep it slow…at first. He eased us down the driveway and onto the unplowed road, taking the right turn so sharp we skidded a little. Once I got comfortable with the speed, I was able to look up and around. The snow covered pines towered above us, whisking quickly by. The greens and whites were starkly contrasted against the bright blue sky. The ride was so smooth, it felt like we were floating over the ground.

Bryan slowed and patted my hand. “If you’re up to it, we can go off road for a bit. There’s something I want to show you.”

I took a deep breath to steady myself. The road was fine, but a fresh wave of nerves flooded through me at the thought of weaving between the trees. I heard his voice in my head.
Trust me
. “Yeah, let’s do it!” I replied.

A few minutes later, Bryan slowed and cut the engine. I thought the forest was quiet before, but this silence was deafening. I stood on shaky legs and looked all around, the towering pines almost standing guard over us. He pulled his helmet off and set it on the seat. I followed suit.

“There’s a waterfall just over there,” he said pointing to an outcropping of rocks. “You have your camera?”

I patted my jacket pocket and nodded. “It managed to hang on, too.”

The snow wasn’t as deep here, the tree branches above holding onto the bulk of it. I followed in Bryan’s big footsteps, stopping to look up at the blue sky when I needed to catch my breath. Bryan got ahead of me, maybe twenty feet up the hill. He stopped and smiled, his hazel eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Even after everything I’d just told him, he still looked at me that way. Incredible.

“Do you need me to carry you?” he asked with a cheeky grin.

Hands on my hips, I tried to slow my breathing. Damn cold air showed exactly how out of shape I was. “And what if I do?”

Without a word, he leapt down the hill, kicking up powdery snow as he raced towards me. I stepped back a foot in surprise, but his arms were quickly around me. I squealed as he picked me up, clinging to his shoulder. “No, you’re crazy! Bryan, your leg!” I wanted to take back the words the moment I said them. His expression wavered slightly as he set me down, the smile now artificial rather than organic. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

Bryan pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Nope, it’s okay. You’re right.” He touched my cheek with his gloved thumb. “You make me do crazy things.” His eyes fell to my lips and I yearned for another kiss. God, I wanted him to kiss me again, now that he knew everything. Kind looks were one thing, but I needed to feel like everything was still the same.

He seemed to catch himself and the moment dissolved. As he pulled away, I was left panting, but not for a lack of exercise. “It’s only up the hill, I promise.” He turned and continued back up the slope. I scrambled quickly after.

Once I reached the crest, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’m not even sure I can adequately describe how beautiful the scene before me was. Bryan stood to the side as if presenting it to me, this little treasure of nature. The forest opened just wide enough to allow a deep but narrow creek to pass through. A waterfall, maybe ten feet tall, was lined with glittering icicles the size of my body. Just enough water still ran through the rocks to create the most peaceful burble. I followed the path of the creek down the hill and gasped when I saw the view.

One of the things I still hadn’t gotten used to was how limited line of sight was in the mountains. Unless I was standing on the tallest peak, there was always something towering over me. Couldn’t be any more different than the flat beaches of North Carolina. But here…this creek cut a swath in the forest wide enough to provide a view to a valley down below. I squinted into the sun to better see the green glade nestled between the soaring mountains, obviously fed by the mountain streams.

For once in my life, I didn’t feel like speaking. I simply wanted to exist in this moment, to embrace every detail and hold it close. With a start, I remembered the camera in my pocket. As I pulled it out, I glanced to Bryan. He stood with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, eyes closed, chin slightly tilted towards the sky. As quietly as I could, I removed the lens cap and knelt in the snow, framing him and the waterfall in the same shot.

I stepped around the creek, snapping photos here and there. I spotted a few deer tracks in the snow on the far bank, and gingerly stepped to the edge of the creek and crouched. After a few minutes, my fingers were frozen. Putting the camera away, I stood and took it all in again.

“It looks like it’s completely untouched, like we’re the first people in the world to be here,” I murmured in a breathy voice.

“I knew you’d like it,” he said coming alongside me. “My dad and granddad used to take me up here.” He chuckled, the sound quickly swallowed by the deep snow. He pointed up the hill, beyond the waterfall. “Actually, they used to take me to the lake up there to go fishing but I hated it. I’d always slip away and come down here.”

I peered up at him, his cheeks and nose red with the cold. There was always such sadness in his voice when he talked about his family. I desperately wanted to know what’d happened to him but didn’t know how to ask. He looked down and smiled, his eyes creasing slightly at the corners.

“I’m glad you brought me here,” I whispered. That electric zing passed between us, that undeniable connection we were getting terrible at ignoring.

He pulled off his gloves and dropped them to the ground, sliding his hands into my hair. His lips brushed mine as he pulled me close. He teased the tip of his nose against mine before whispering, “Me too,” mouth moving against mine.

I fell into that kiss like it was my first. In many ways, it was. In small pieces, I felt the Liz I’d been falling away to reveal the Liz I wanted to be. The passion and truthfulness we shared in that kiss…it was like I’d never been kissed before. Maybe it lasted a few seconds, maybe a few minutes, but when we pulled apart, I felt like I’d changed in some way I couldn’t put my finger on.

Bryan pressed his forehead against mine, our clouds of breath mingling in the air. He kissed me again, full and hard against my lips, before pulling away completely.

“We should probably head back soon. Night comes quickly up here,” he said bending to get his gloves. I nodded, taking one last look around the clearing, thankful that I’d been brave enough to come. I had no idea what to expect but opening myself up to the experience had proved worth it.

When we returned to the snowmobile, I gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. “As long as you’re careful, I don’t mind if you pick up the pace a little bit on the way back.”

He gave me a broad grin, one eyebrow arched. “Oh yeah? Ready to get that blood really pumping?”

I laughed, plucking my helmet from the seat and stepping closer. It was my turn to grab the back of his head and pull him into a hungry kiss. “It already is.” The look of surprise on his face was so delicious. Slipping my helmet on, I nodded towards the snowmobile, Bryan snapping out of his fog.

Wrapping myself tightly against him, this time not out of fear, I was able to enjoy the ride more. He carefully threaded through the trees, following the tracks we’d made coming in. Once we reached the edge of the road, he gave my arm a pat and gunned it. I squealed and laughed, holding him tight. The way he looked at me, the rush, the feel of his hard body beneath my hands, the vibrations of the snowmobile between my legs…it stirred up some pretty wicked ideas.

I decided what I wanted for Christmas.

I never, ever, in a million years thought I’d feel this way about someone again. I was overwhelmed when Liz opened up to me. Her mother, her surgery, the things she’d done all for the love of her father. I could see past the actions to the intent and saw nothing but a caring person, doing her best to survive. If anyone knew how trauma could screw with the path of a life, it was me. To say she was amazing doesn’t do her justice. I owed it to her to be honest about my past. That was the whole point of taking her up to the falls but I hadn’t found the right words, didn’t know how to start. Any time I tried to tell her anything about my past, I froze up.

I threw a couple logs in the furnace when we got back to the cabin and told Liz to relax. After I changed out of my wet jeans, I set about making us a modest Christmas Eve dinner. My conflicting emotions became too much to ignore. I was happy for the distraction of cooking because I didn’t think I’d be able to hide my thoughts very well.

My problems were nothing compared to hers, but I still couldn’t bring myself to tell her. I felt pathetic in comparison. She’d risen up to the challenges in her life and I’d simply retreated, becoming a shell of the person I once was. I was in too deep, going far too long lying by omission. Would she look at me differently once she knew who I really was, well, who I’d been? Would she hate me for keeping it from her when she’d been nothing but honest?

On top of it all, I wanted her so much I felt guilty. I wanted to feel her bare skin against me, to hold her in my arms, to connect with her in ways I never had before. I glanced at her lounging on the old sofa, one leg slung over the arm as she reclined. She was staring at the ceiling deep in thought. She looked up, giving me that smile I’d almost become addicted to. When I’d decided to move to Tellure Hollow, I thought the solitude was what I needed. Little did I know I’d find exactly what I needed dangling over a bridge, trying to take a photo.

I wiped my hands on the dish towel. “You thinking about what you want for Christmas?”

“Maybe,” she winked. Liz kicked her leg off the arm of the sofa and leaned forward. “I think I’m gonna call my dad. He’ll worry when I don’t come online to chat.”