Saved by the Blizzard: A romantic winter thriller (Tellure Hollow Book 2) (12 page)

The cold wind battered my face and I knew I’d end up with that quintessential goggle burn, but I didn’t care. The speed, the outdoors, the utter freedom -- it was amazing. It was like finding something I’d been missing my entire life.

I tucked into the third corner and let out a loud whoop as I entered the final straight away. I glanced to my right and up the hill at an intersecting trail, checking for cross traffic. My ski hit a chunk of ice and I was knocked off center. I flung my arms out for balance and quickly recovered, my heart pumping pure adrenaline through my system at a moment’s notice. With a quick mental chastisement for thinking I was better than I was, I turned down another slope and headed towards another set of lifts.

First run of the day over, the mob not too far behind me, I decided it was time to start tackling the moguls.

____________

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him at the lodge, nor was it the first time he’d tried to talk to me, but it was the first time he’d been close enough I could smell his cologne. I was chatting with Emily after turning in my equipment when he came up from behind. I swear, I probably smelled him before I heard him speak, some part of my brain alerting me to his presence.

“I’ll tighten up your bindings for tomorrow,” Emily said pushing her wispy hair out of her eyes. “That’s probably why you’re having such a hard time going down the Roaring Fork.”

“So it’s not because I suck? Whew,” I said dramatically, falling on the counter, “glad we got that figured out.”

Emily laughed as she turned to put my poles away. “If you hit the bumps too hard and fast, your boots will just pop right out. I think this makes you officially a level three.”

“Are you serious?” I clapped. “That’s amazing, right? Like, some kind of record.”

“They don’t hand out medals for it or anything,” she said with a smirk, “but you’re doing really well.”

“Congratulations,” a deep voice said from behind me. He was nearly close enough that I half expected to feel his breath on my neck. I closed my eyes for a moment as his scent hit me. It’s so difficult to describe. Musky cologne mixed with a little of his sweat, the conditioner he used in his hair. It enveloped my senses, flooding my body with so many conflicting emotions. I ignored them...and him.

“So, are we on for Saturday still?” I asked sweetly. Emily looked at me and then over my shoulder to Bryan, obviously very confused. “It’s gonna be an epic party.”
God. I sound like Kayla.

“Uh, yeah, it sounds good.” I tried to communicate to her with my eyes.
Don’t go. Don’t leave me with him. If you leave me with him, I’m not sure what I’ll do
. “I’m gonna go...over here.”
Damnit, Emily! I bring you the nectar of the gods every morning!

I turned slowly, my eyes trailing up from his feet, so resistant to meet his gaze. It was dangerous territory but when I finally did, I was shocked. Dark circles ringed his hazel eyes, making him look like he hadn’t slept properly in weeks. His beard was shaggy, back to the length it’d been when I first met him. Limp brown hair hung from the edge of his hat and he looked as though he’d lost some weight.

“I guess you’re a natural after all, like your mom,” he smiled. He had a fantastic way of picking the exact wrong thing to say.

“Nice try, not gonna happen,” I said stepping past him.

“Liz, please don’t keep doing this.” It sounded almost like a whimper. I stopped but didn’t look back. “It’s been weeks...”

“I know,” I whispered, still not turning.

He moved closer. The rental area buzzed with excitement, a flow of people moving around us like water against rocks. My skin tingled. I wanted to just fall back into his arms, into his life. I’d thought about the night we’d spent together with varying degrees of affection and loathing. Confusing wasn’t a strong enough word.

Bryan gently touched my elbow as he spoke. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m doing alright,” I squinted at the floor, sensing more to his question. “Why?”

“It’s just...I know your birthday is coming up and—”

I spun around to face him, nearly gnashing my teeth in anger. “And what? You wanted to see if you could get first dibs?”

He anticipated my vitriol. “No,” he said plainly. “I’m worried about you. I know that...he’s still around and I figured—”

“What I do with my vagina is my fucking choice, you got that?” I hissed in his face. “Why don’t you just forget everything I told you and we can just carry on being strangers?”

“If only I could,” he replied. His eyes cast down, he turned and walked abruptly away without another word. I was left feeling like a complete bitch.

I got back from the mountain and immediately jumped into the shower, still unsteady from the interaction with Bryan in the lodge. The water poured down, warming my chilled skin and easing my tired muscles. I didn’t even wait for the steam to build up on the windows, no longer afraid that some pervert would be standing outside in the forest just waiting for my noon shower. If someone was willing to stand out in the snow just to catch a peek, they deserved a show.

I still couldn’t believe how terrible he’d looked. Knowing everything I did now, thanks to the Internet, I was afraid he might be slipping back into his destructive tendencies. The interviews his ex-girlfriend had given hinted at an abusive personality prone to scary outbursts. As I rinsed the shampoo from my hair, I remembered the fight he’d gotten into with Noah that first night in the bar. The heat in his eyes had been so intense, it was easy to believe her stories.

Switching the shower off, I stood in the warm room letting the water bead down my skin. I hung my head and watched the water drip from my hair.
How could I have been so wrong about him? I’ve never let someone in so far without a hint of what their inner character was like. Well, not since Rick...

“Yeah, and see where that got you?” I mumbled to myself.

Wiping the mirror clean of steam, I looked at my reflection. Physically, I’d never felt better. Skiing had quickly replaced my yoga routine. My muscles were hardening with the near-daily workouts, my cardio improving in the high altitudes. I was eating healthy and keeping my drinking in check for the first time in years. As I poked at the dark circles under my own eyes, I had to accept Bryan wasn’t the only one looking a little ragged. My mental health was dragging me down.

Pushing myself to the point of physical exhaustion every day, I’d collapse in bed and stare out the windows for hours. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get my brain to relax, like it was on some type of loop. I thought about Rick, then Bryan, then our time up in the cabin, and then how betrayed I’d felt. Bryan’s eyes, the feeling of his body against mine...then I’d snap to worries over what Rick’s plans were for me. I’d worry about my dad, afraid he’d somehow discover everything. Over and over I cycled through this pain until my body finally demanded rest.

With a grunt, I wrapped my hair up tightly in a towel and cinched the terrycloth robe around my waist. “Maybe I should just hear him out and then I’ll be able to sleep,” I said to myself as I walked out of the bathroom.

“Hear who out?” Kayla asked. I screamed in surprise when I opened the door to find her sitting on my bed.

“Shit Kay, what the hell? I thought you were at work,” I said breathlessly.

“I’m playing hooky. Hear who out?” she repeated. She smiled meekly, making the question seem innocent. Her legs were crossed and she was leaning back on her hands, practically swimming in a bulky Angel Vista sweatshirt.

“Oh, uh...nobody.” I turned to my dresser to avoid her eye. As far as she was concerned, I was over my infatuation.

“So, you’re not talking about The Blizzard, then?” she said with a sneer. “Makes sense after the conversation you two just had.”

I spun around so quickly the towel on my head unraveled. “Are you following me now?”

“I don’t have to,” she said, her face remaining calm. Her enigmatic smile would’ve made Da Vinci envious. We looked at each other for a few beats before she broke into a wide grin. “I talked to Emily before I left, she told me what happened. She said she didn’t hear exactly what he said, just that you yelled something about your vagina and he walked off.”

“Ah,” I sighed bending to pick up the towel. “Yeah, well. It was a short conversation.”

Kayla nodded in sympathy. “You know that whatever he says is just going to be a way to get into your pants. Men dig virgins, especially assholes like him.”

I winced. Bryan wasn’t really like that. He might’ve been a liar and had a past, but I couldn’t believe he was like that...could I? I squeezed the water from my hair and chucked the clothes on the bed beside her. Grabbing a bottle of lotion, I sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed it into my skin.

“Maybe. I was just thinking that I should at least let him talk and then maybe he’d leave me alone,” I said, finally meeting her eye.

She grew concerned. “This isn’t the first time he’s come near you?”

I shrugged. “He hasn’t come as close as today. Mostly it’s just been on the mountain or from a distance in the lodge or something.” I rubbed the lotion into my elbows, unable to put words to the tumult of emotions.

Kayla reached out and touched my knee. “Let me talk to him, okay? I really don’t think you should go near him. He’s not good news, hon.”

I couldn’t contain a scoff. “And Rick is? Seriously, just answer me straight for once. Why is Bryan such a threat and Rick isn’t?”

“I thought you two were alright now?” I still had no idea what ‘alright’ meant between the two of us.

“Yeah, we’re fine now but that doesn’t mean he’s good for me.” As I finished protecting myself from cracked skin, it occurred to me she hadn’t explained why she was playing hooky. “So, what’s going on then, Kay? You done for the day completely?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” she said bouncing to the end of the bed. “My boss is off for the day so no one is there checking up on me. I thought I’d take some time to do a little pampering before the party.”

“Ugh, another one?” I groaned. I pulled my panties on under the towel, turning my back to clip my bra. Even my best friend never saw my scars...as Bryan had.

“It’s Friday!” She said it as if I’d forgotten her birthday or something. “Come on, let’s do facials and nails and stuff. Since I can’t wear anything sexy tonight, I wanna look good.”

“Why can’t you wear anything sexy?” I padded over to my clothes and pulled on an over-sized sweatshirt and yoga pants.

“It’s a marker party.” My unimpressed face showed I had no idea what a marker party was, so she continued with a roll of her eyes. “Everyone wears a plain white shirt. There are markers everywhere and people can just write or draw on you all night.”

“Wow, sounds amazing,” I said with dripping sarcasm. I pulled my wet hair into a bun on the top of my head, straightening out my bangs with my fingers.

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet someone nice,” she said with a wink.

I paused and crossed my arms as I looked at her. “Do you promise you’ll be nice if you talk to Bryan? I don’t want him beat up or something. I just want to make sure he stops coming around. It’s hard to get over someone when they’re constantly in your face.”

She held her fingers up in a Girl Scout salute. “I swear it. Claws will be fully retracted.”

____________

I was so exhausted of the near-constant parties our cabin hosted. It’d quickly become
the
place in Tellure Hollow where people came to get crazy. The crowd was typically a mix of locals we saw every weekend and some of the cool tourists Kayla and Noah had grabbed from the lodge. You know the sort. Kids on vacation using mommy and daddy’s credit card, probably had a blossoming substance abuse problem, and followed directions like sheep. Lots of those around.

It wasn’t like I had anywhere to escape to, either. While my room was right on the end, it was still surrounded by the porch. Inevitably, the party would spill onto the deck and right outside my door. I’d tried to hide out as long as I could but Kayla had just pounded on my door like the freakin’ Gestapo.

“Get your ass out here!” She’d shouted as she knocked and tested the latch. “It’s no fun without you.” Apparently four hours of girlie time hadn’t satisfied her.

I glanced at my laptop longingly, wanting nothing more than the actual quiet mountain retreat I’d been promised. I had a ton of photos I wanted to edit, a series on Netflix I could binge on. Put a mini-fridge in my room and I’d never leave. But deep down I knew she wouldn’t leave me alone, so I opted to stage a peaceful protest of my own.