Trapped with the Blizzard Read online

  Contents

  Trapped with the Blizzard

  Other books by Adele Huxley

  Adele Huxley Mailing List

  A note from the author

  Prologue - Liz

  Part 1 - Liz

  Chapter 2 - Liz

  Chapter 3 - Dani

  Chapter 4 - Liz

  Part 2 - Liz

  Chapter 6 - Dani

  Chapter 7 - Liz

  Chapter 8 - Dani

  Chapter 9 - Liz

  Chapter 10 - Dani

  Chapter 11 - Liz

  Chapter 12 - Dani

  Chapter 13 - Liz

  Chapter 14 - Liz

  Chapter 15 - Dani

  Chapter 16 - Liz

  Chapter 17 - Dani

  Part 3 - Liz

  Chapter 19 - Dani

  Chapter 20 - Liz

  Chapter 21 - Dani

  Chapter 22 - Liz

  Chapter 23 - Dani

  Chapter 24 - Liz

  Chapter 25 - Dani

  Chapter 26 - Liz

  Chapter 27 - Dani

  Chapter 28 - Liz

  Part 4 - Dani

  Chapter 30 - Liz

  Chapter 31 - Dani

  Chapter 32 - Liz

  Chapter 33 - Dani

  Chapter 34 - Liz

  Chapter 35 - Dani

  Epilogue - Dani

  Thank you!

  Excerpt from A Wicked Desire

  Excerpt from The Billionaire's Power Trip

  Trapped with the Blizzard

  by

  Adele Huxley

  This book is work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This book contains explicit material and is intended for readers 18 years or older.

  The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademarked owners of any wordmarks mentioned in the following fiction.

  Copyright © 2015 by Adele Huxley

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.

  All requests should be forwarded to: [email protected]

  Other books by Adele Huxley

  The Tellure Hollow Series

  Caught by the Blizzard

  Saved by the Blizzard

  Devoted to the Blizzard

  Troubled

  Trapped with the Blizzard

  The Billionaire’s Power Trip Series

  Books 1 - 5

  The Kael Family Series

  A Wicked Desire

  A Wicked Decision

  A Wicked Devotion

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  Tap here or the cover above!

  A note from the author

  In the 1958-59 season, Mount Shasta Ski Bowl in Northern California received an epic amount of precipitation. In February alone, the area was pounded with 236 inches of snow. That’s nearly 20 feet (6 meters for my metric friends)… enough to cover a two story house. The bulk of this snow came during a five-day period. The area, gripped in the middle of a blizzard, was buried under 14.5 feet of the white stuff! While these storms are thankfully far and few between, they can happen.

  Also…

  While not necessary to enjoy the following story, you might want to pick up Troubled before getting started. This short story gives a little background to Dani Marsh and her home life before arriving in Tellure Hollow!

  December 21st

  “Another fire has turned deadly. A 19-year-old woman has been found dead after a nighttime blaze in Tellure Hollow started late last night. Jen Wachowicz is live at the scene but first, a look at the weather. Dan?”

  The broadcast flipped to a middle-aged man with a middle-American accent. “Thank you, Hillary. As you can see, this storm is a monster and still hasn’t finished growing yet. We’ve been keeping an eye on it and the system seems to have shifted slightly. The jet stream is dipping down from the north a lot further than we originally expected while this swirl of moisture from the south is going to sit and rotate. This could mean one of two things.” The TV flashed with a graphic depicting two possible paths the storm could take. One showed the storm system shearing off to the north, missing us by hundreds of miles. The second, less likely track put the storm almost dead center on Tellure Hollow.

  “The storm has the potential to dump two to three feet of snow in some locations,” the weatherman continued. “Other spots, mainly in the mountains, may see twice as much. There are a lot of variables at work with this storm, so there’s plenty of opportunity for this track to change. Anyone in this area,” he said, gesturing to a broad swath of the Rocky Mountains, “should keep an eye on this evolving situation.”

  “Dan, what’s the timing of this storm?” Hillary asked.

  “Well, Bing Crosby would be happy,” he said with a fake smile. “Timing for this storm in our area should mean we’ll have a very white Christmas. Back to you.”

  “Thank you, Dan. As we reported at the top of the hour, the small mountain town of Tellure Hollow has been rocked by yet another fire, this time, with deadly consequences. We now go live to Jen at the scene. Jen?”

  The young reporter had her finger in her ear, the bright camera lights washing out the layers of makeup plastered on her face. Wide-eyed, she jumped at the introduction. “Yes, thank you, Hillary. Residents are shocked by the latest development in the ‘Market Price Pyro’ arson spree. The charred remains of the building you see behind me is all that is left of a vacation rental. 19-year-old Rachel Swank, a Denver native, was staying in the cabin with five others. The teenage friends had minutes to escape when the fire broke out in the early morning hours.”

  The TV cut to a prerecorded scene. A distressed young woman with tears streaking her face stood wrapped in a rough blanket. She stared at the cabin in disbelief as she spoke into the microphone. “My boyfriend smelled the smoke first. We were able to crawl out on the deck. By the time we realized Rachel wasn’t with us, it was… there was no way.”

  The camera returned to Jen’s somber face. “Firemen have confirmed the smoke detectors were stripped of batteries prior to the fire. Because of the incendiary materials used to start the blaze, and the letter found pinned to a tree at the scene, police are pinning this fire on the same arsonist who has plagued the area for weeks. Residents are asked to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior.”

  “I understand the police have not yet released the letter.”

  “That’s right,” Jen nodded. “If this letter matches the pattern of the others, it will contain an estimated value of the burned property in dollars. Police have reason to…”

  I turned off the TV, set the remote on the table with a trembling hand, and spoke without looking at Bryan. I was afraid if I did, the tiny hold over my emotions might crumble.

  “You recognized the cabin, right?”

  He sighed and leaned forward to put a hand on my back. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

  I rolled my eyes. “How many times have we gotten ourselves
into trouble by ignoring the obvious? There’s a connection here. I can feel it.”

  “Maybe there is, but that doesn’t mean we have anything to do with it. Other things can happen in Tellure Hollow that don’t involve us, you know?” he quipped. “The world doesn’t revolve around us.”

  I didn’t completely believe that, but I snorted despite myself. “Of course it does. We’re the most important people in this town,” I chuckled quietly.

  “Come on,” Bryan comforted, sliding an arm around my waist. “Don’t borrow trouble. Let’s get Jack fed, start dinner, and enjoy a quiet night.”

  “A quiet night?” I scoffed. “With Miss Moody stomping around upstairs? What if she brings the cloud down with her?” Still, sitting so close to him was giving me all sorts of ideas.

  “We’ll put on America’s Got Talent or something equally lame to scare her back to her bedroom,” Bryan added.

  “Well, aren’t you full of solutions?” I bumped his shoulder with mine, still trying to shake the sinking feeling in my gut.

  “That’s me, solving the world’s problems, one compromise at a time.”

  December 22nd

  “Can I get an ETA on skiers at base lodge, over?” I asked into the walkie-talkie.

  I gazed across the growing crowd, fixed a smile on my face, and hoped they saw an air of calm. Inside, I was absolutely shitting bricks. It was my first time in charge of the Festival of Lights and we’d been forced to move it forward two days because of the storm. Everything had to be perfect. Even though I’d married Bryan and have the last name of Marsh, I was still a bit of an outsider in Tellure Hollow. This was my chance to impress the town.

  Heavy snow was already falling from the first bands of the storm. I’d hoped for a pretty dusting to make Main Street appear picturesque and festive. Instead, we’d already gotten a few inches that’d turned the street into a sloppy, slippery mess. Still, the streetlights and vendor tents were coated, and it was hard to feel upset when you looked up to see a million flakes falling from the sky.

  The walkie-talkie crackled in my hand. “Skiers are five minutes out. Everyone else is in position.”

  Okay, I thought to myself. Everything is going fine. Everyone is in position. All of this because we’re lighting a goddamn tree. As long as the tree is lit by the end of the night, I will consider this whole thing a success. But where the fuck is Dani?

  I stepped to the back of the platform, yanked my mitten off, pulled out my phone, and quickly phoned Bryan.

  “Hey babe, can’t really talk right now,” he said breathlessly.

  “I know, but I wanted to tell you that your cousin still hasn’t showed up. I tried calling her a couple times, but she’s just not picking up.” I couldn’t hide the irritation from my voice.

  Bryan sighed on the other end. “I’m sure she’s fine. You can’t even know if she came down from the house, can you?”

  “I suppose,” I mumbled. Dorothy, one of the town gossips, was standing a bit too close and trying to listen in on the conversation. I gave her a tight smile, turned, and walked behind the Christmas tree. “But that’s not the point.”

  “You’re not afraid because of this whole arsonist thing, are you?” Bryan asked.

  To be honest, the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was beyond frustrated with her. I’d extended this as a gesture of goodwill, a peace offering, and she was throwing it right in my face. In my mind, it pretty much proved I was destined to be a horrible mother. If I couldn’t get a teenager to do one thing, what hope did I have raising Jack? I hadn’t even entertained the terrifying idea of arson. “It wasn’t until now, thanks a lot.”

  The walkie-talkie crackled in my hand again. “Skiers have arrived. Readying sleigh.”

  There was a rustling on Bryan’s end of the phone. I heard his muffled voice before he returned. “I gotta go.”

  “Yeah,” I replied, “I heard. I guess I will have to look for Dani later. See you in a few minutes, Santa. And try to not step in any horse shit.”

  I tucked my phone away and rounded the front of the platform just in time to see Dani pushing her way through the crowd at the side. I swear she grimaced when our eyes met. Her sour expression reflected exactly how I felt seeing her. I swallowed every angry thought and word and reminded myself that I was literally on stage in front of the entire town. Whether I liked it or not, all eyes were on us.

  Dani weaved past the confused onlookers and tripped on the last step as she came up to the platform. I had to jump to catch her before she face planted. Supporting her by her hand and elbow, I caught a whiff of vodka on her breath. Her long blonde hair looked like a rat’s nest, thankfully tucked under a purple knit hat. My knit hat.

  “Where the hell have you been?” I asked through a smile.

  “Sorry, so sorry. Lost track of time again. But I’m here now!” she said with more enthusiasm than I’d ever seen from her. I couldn’t tell if the smudged black eyeliner was deliberate or another victim of the vodka. I eyed her suspiciously, knowing full well she had a few drinks in her system, but she seemed sober enough to do the job.

  “Well, better late than never, right?” I was still painfully aware we were on display in front of the entire town. You better believe you’re gonna catch hell for this later, I thought.

  “Absolutely!” Dani exclaimed, throwing her arms out.

  The walkie-talkie at my waist released two short bursts of static, the coordinator letting me know the sleigh was less than five minutes away. “Okay, this is all I need you to do. Bryan is on a horse-drawn carriage with a torch that skiers carried down from the top of Powder Mountain.”

  “Oh! That’s what all those fireflies were,” Dani exclaimed as she drunkenly pointed to the mountain.

  I arched an eyebrow at her. “Right. So, all you need to do is press this button here.” I gestured to the device tucked behind the podium. “When Bryan touches his torch to this one here, press the button and the tree will light up.”

  “Got it,” Dani said. She gave me two thumbs up, which normally would’ve seemed mocking but appeared genuine.

  The girl was drunk, but I figured it was an easy enough job even she could handle it. We’d have a further conversation back at the house, but for right now, I needed her to do this. I’ll hold her up and use her like a puppet if I have to. I got on the walkie-talkie and spoke to one coordinator near the band, letting them know the sleigh was close.

  On cue, the Christmas carolers faded as the sound of the jingling bells on the reins of the approaching sleigh grew louder. The crowd oohed and ahhed. A few children shrieked in the excitement.

  “Santa’s coming!” every parent told their kid.

  With the best vantage point high above the crowd, I saw Bryan waving in his red suit before anybody else could. I did my best to remain professional, but inside I was a giggling idiot. When the original Santa couldn’t get to town in time, I had to enlist Bryan in playing Santa Claus. I’d only caught a glimpse of him during the run through, but with the full beard and belly, I struggled to keep from cracking up.

  Within moments, the sled came to a stop at the edge of the crowd. Bryan, in his Santa suit with a torch held aloft, made his way through the parting crowd. Our eyes met and I’m pretty sure from underneath that white beard and wig, he gave me a quick wink.

  As was traditional, there were no formal speeches or declarations. No pomp and circumstance for the level-headed residents of Tellure Hollow. Bryan strolled up to the cold torch waiting at the platform, nodded to me, and touched the flame. With a whoosh, the gas ignited. The crowd cheered and looked to the huge tree. With a broad smile I turned, looking to Dani expectantly.

  I couldn’t believe that in a matter of minutes she’d gone from looking a little tipsy to out-of-her-mind drunk. She wobbled on her feet as if she were standing on the deck of a ship at sea. To her credit, she managed to press the button before she stumbled over to the edge of the stage and threw up a day’s worth of food and liquor.

&nb
sp; Luckily, only the people to the left of the stage were witness to this embarrassment. Everybody else stood in awe of the thirty-foot lit Christmas tree, the successful conclusion of the Festival of Lights.

  As Bryan and I shared a look, I used every bit of my gaze to wordlessly say, I’m going to kill your cousin.

  Half an hour later in the darkness of Walt’s shop, as I was helping Bryan strip out of his Santa Claus outfit, I let my rage fly.

  “I called that girl I can’t tell you how many times. I told her when she needed to be down here, stressed how important it was, and she shows up drunk? You don’t know everything. This isn’t the first time she’s blown me off.”

  Bryan hopped on one foot as he tried to pull off a shiny black boot. He nearly toppled over into the counter before he regained his balance. “She’s a teenager, Liz. I’m sure you were pretty independent at her age.”

  “You’re right. She’s a teenager and she got drunk on our liquor. How do you think that looks? Jesus, she puked on stage!” I cried, throwing my hands up in defeat.

  “She’s been having a tough time. Between her dad and then coming up here, you’ve gotta give her time to adjust.”

  “It’s been a month. She should be adjusted. I know she’s had a tough year, but that’s not the fucking point.” Bryan gave me a warning eye, his automatic reaction every time I swore. “Jacky’s not around, I’m allowed to curse. If I can’t swear about this…” I growled. “That girl is driving me up the wall.”

  “Where is she now?” Bryan sighed as he pulled down the suspenders of the red velvet pants.

  “I got her some water and some food and put her in the car out front. Walt’s keeping an eye on her.”

  “Oh Christ, she’s gonna puke everywhere.”

  I leaned against the counter. “Someone needs to talk to her, and it can’t be me. I’m way too fucking pissed off about this, Bryan.”

  Bryan stood in his boxers and a white T-shirt, his cheeks and nose still a deep rosy red from the blush he’d borrowed. Bushy white eyebrows still stuck to his own, but the rest of the costume laid scattered around on the floor. Even as angry as I was, I couldn’t help but notice how ridiculous he looked… and sexy.