Saved by the Blizzard: A romantic winter thriller (Tellure Hollow Book 2) by Adele Huxley Page A
Authors: Adele Huxley
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amused on the surface but obviously angry at to core. I waited to see if he’d follow before I chased after.
By the time I reached her, she was halfway up the hill, walking towards the cabin at a fast clip. My leg and hip screamed in protest as I slipped and jogged towards her, calling her name. After a few shouts, she stopped in the middle of the trail and turned around. “What did I ever do to deserve this?” she cried. “It isn’t fair. I just can’t...” She fell into sobs as I drew near, wrapping my arms protectively around her.
“Come here,” I whispered.
“What did I do? Why did I do this?” she repeated softly. The more she said it, the more it felt like she was pleading with the Liz from the past. How I wished I could’ve met her before this whole thing had started.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I said in an attempt to soothe her.
“You can’t say that, you don’t know.” There was no anger in her voice, only resignation. It wrecked me to hear this fireball of a woman reduced to the point of giving up.
“What did he say?” I said lifting her chin. She peered up at me, her dark makeup smudged around her eyes. I tried to wipe it clean with my gloved thumbs.
“It doesn’t matter, there’s no hope. We should run away like we talked about,” she said with a sniff. I heard the crunch of snow to my right and saw Kayla teetering up the hill in those ridiculous heeled boots. I had to give it to her, she was moving better than I would’ve expected in shoes like that. Of course, she was leaving the slope gouged behind her.
“Lizzie!” she called out. “Are you alright? What happened?”
I bit back a string of expletive-laced comments as she came near. Trashing Liz’s best friend, no matter how much I disliked her, wouldn’t exactly win me any favors here.
“What do you think happened? He was an ass,” she said with another sniff, wiping her wet cheeks.
With a glare at me, Kayla rubbed Liz’s back. “Why don’t we go up to the house and get you cleaned up?”
“That’s a great idea,” I said, tightening my arm around her shoulders.
Kayla squinted at me. “Might be better just us girls, give us a chance to talk and all,” she said with a fake smile.
“After what just happened, you’re a fucking idiot if you think I’m letting Liz—”
“Bryan, what about trespassing?” Liz said, putting her hand on my chest and stepping out of my arms. “If you stay here and keep an eye on them, I’ll be okay. I need to pee anyway and I’m not going in the woods,” she half-laughed through the tears.
Liz’s words strengthened Kayla’s bitchy possessiveness, like she was saving her from me or something. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight but also didn’t want to make another scene. Besides, something she said had triggered an idea. I took a deep breath and held it, the cold air stinging my lungs.
“Fine,” I said with a sharp exhale. “Take your time.”
I returned to the party, mulling over my thoughts. Someone had jammed a couple dozen bottles of beer into a pile of snow, so I grabbed one on the way. If things went sour, at least I could use it as a weapon. Plus, it gave me something to do with my hands. My nerves were on fire. Standing by myself and to the side, if there was ever a time Rick would approach me, now would be it. The shed was a few steps to my left, the pond and a smaller fire in front of me, standing with my back to the cabin. In retrospect, this was one of the biggest mistakes I could’ve made.
Sure enough, as I stood sipping my beer casually, Rick sauntered over. “Gotta say, when Beth was my girl, she didn’t dare talk back like that. You’ve gotta get her under control.”
My grip tightened around the bottle. On some level I was impressed by how he always managed to find the one thing that could get under my skin. I raised the bottle to my lips and pretended to take another sip. “I’m of the camp that believes women can do what they
By the time I reached her, she was halfway up the hill, walking towards the cabin at a fast clip. My leg and hip screamed in protest as I slipped and jogged towards her, calling her name. After a few shouts, she stopped in the middle of the trail and turned around. “What did I ever do to deserve this?” she cried. “It isn’t fair. I just can’t...” She fell into sobs as I drew near, wrapping my arms protectively around her.
“Come here,” I whispered.
“What did I do? Why did I do this?” she repeated softly. The more she said it, the more it felt like she was pleading with the Liz from the past. How I wished I could’ve met her before this whole thing had started.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I said in an attempt to soothe her.
“You can’t say that, you don’t know.” There was no anger in her voice, only resignation. It wrecked me to hear this fireball of a woman reduced to the point of giving up.
“What did he say?” I said lifting her chin. She peered up at me, her dark makeup smudged around her eyes. I tried to wipe it clean with my gloved thumbs.
“It doesn’t matter, there’s no hope. We should run away like we talked about,” she said with a sniff. I heard the crunch of snow to my right and saw Kayla teetering up the hill in those ridiculous heeled boots. I had to give it to her, she was moving better than I would’ve expected in shoes like that. Of course, she was leaving the slope gouged behind her.
“Lizzie!” she called out. “Are you alright? What happened?”
I bit back a string of expletive-laced comments as she came near. Trashing Liz’s best friend, no matter how much I disliked her, wouldn’t exactly win me any favors here.
“What do you think happened? He was an ass,” she said with another sniff, wiping her wet cheeks.
With a glare at me, Kayla rubbed Liz’s back. “Why don’t we go up to the house and get you cleaned up?”
“That’s a great idea,” I said, tightening my arm around her shoulders.
Kayla squinted at me. “Might be better just us girls, give us a chance to talk and all,” she said with a fake smile.
“After what just happened, you’re a fucking idiot if you think I’m letting Liz—”
“Bryan, what about trespassing?” Liz said, putting her hand on my chest and stepping out of my arms. “If you stay here and keep an eye on them, I’ll be okay. I need to pee anyway and I’m not going in the woods,” she half-laughed through the tears.
Liz’s words strengthened Kayla’s bitchy possessiveness, like she was saving her from me or something. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight but also didn’t want to make another scene. Besides, something she said had triggered an idea. I took a deep breath and held it, the cold air stinging my lungs.
“Fine,” I said with a sharp exhale. “Take your time.”
I returned to the party, mulling over my thoughts. Someone had jammed a couple dozen bottles of beer into a pile of snow, so I grabbed one on the way. If things went sour, at least I could use it as a weapon. Plus, it gave me something to do with my hands. My nerves were on fire. Standing by myself and to the side, if there was ever a time Rick would approach me, now would be it. The shed was a few steps to my left, the pond and a smaller fire in front of me, standing with my back to the cabin. In retrospect, this was one of the biggest mistakes I could’ve made.
Sure enough, as I stood sipping my beer casually, Rick sauntered over. “Gotta say, when Beth was my girl, she didn’t dare talk back like that. You’ve gotta get her under control.”
My grip tightened around the bottle. On some level I was impressed by how he always managed to find the one thing that could get under my skin. I raised the bottle to my lips and pretended to take another sip. “I’m of the camp that believes women can do what they
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