Devoted to the Blizzard: A romantic winter thriller (Tellure Hollow Book 3) by Adele Huxley Page B

few trust issues. It wasn’t so much fear as the experience that a threat ignored rarely went away on its own.
    I knocked back the remainder of my first cup and groaned. “You’re being ridiculous, Elizabeth,” I muttered, hearing more my dad’s voice than my own. I pushed off the chair, and marched towards the letter like I was confronting an enemy. I snatched it up, stomped back to the kitchen, poured myself another cup of coffee, and stared at it from a distance. I tried to think analytically, search for any clues or hints while keeping my emotions out of it.
    What does this person want? What are they trying to achieve? This obviously has something to do with the race… could it be a competitor? Someone like that would probably know my movements, like when I came to the country, where I’d be staying…
    Before I could mull over that thought too long, I heard the crunch of wheels on the gravel drive. Glancing at the time, I wondered who could pulling up to the house so early. With more than a little lump in my throat, I crept towards the front door and peered through the glass sides. I released a breath when I saw Josh step out of a Jeep Wrangler.
    In a flurry, I smoothed my hair back, rolled down the waist of my sweatpants, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I had no desire for any other man but Bryan, but I didn’t want to feel like such a slob in front of someone so gorgeous. Before he could knock, I opened the door with a smile.
    “Whoa there!” he jumped back.
    I held a finger to my lips and whispered. “Bryan’s still sleeping. What are you doing here?” He waved a thick manila envelope in response. “You want a cup of coffee?”
    Recovering quickly, he flashed a dangerously charming smile and nodded. “Totally.”
    Gliding around the kitchen, I handed him a fresh cup and grabbed my own, gesturing to the outside deck. At the last moment, I grabbed the letter from the counter, resisting the urge to ball it up in my fist then and there.
    “So, what’s up? I didn’t expect to see you so early,” I said as I shut the accordion doors. The morning was crisp but not cold enough that my breath was visible. Compared to the heat of Colorado, the cold felt refreshing. I pulled the sleeves of my oversized sweatshirt around my wrists.
    Josh leaned against the railing, the incredible mountain backdrop just behind him. “I thought I could be stealthy,” he replied, zipping up his thick black jacket. With the dark knit hat and cable scarf, he looked like something out of a fashion magazine. “I was going to leave these for you to look over, but now that you’re up…”
    “Can we talk about something else first?” The paper in my hand felt like it weighed thirty pounds. I needed to address it straight away.
    “Yeah, of course.” We both sat on the sides of two lounge chairs facing one another. I handed him the letter without explanation. After he read it, he looked up with questioning.
    “I got it last night. It’s the second one this sicko has sent to me.” I was surprised by how much my voice trembled when I spoke.
    “What was the first one?”
    “They’d taken a bunch of the same photos of me and cut out the heads like confetti. There was a letter there too, number ten. It said something like, ‘see you then’ but I have no idea what the hell it’s supposed to mean. It’s beyond messed up,” I grumbled. Fear and exasperation battled each other for dominance in my mind. After a moment, I added, “I got the first one back in the States, too. So whoever it is knows my movements.”
    “Do you have any idea who could be doing it?”
    I snorted and took another sip of my coffee. Do I even throw out the possibility? Should I invite the trouble if I’m wrong? “I can think of one person who doesn’t like and knows my movements.”
    “Nicole?” Josh asked with surprise. I nodded and glanced at the paper. He didn’t seem to care much about info I thought was shockingly important. “It’s