Saved by the Blizzard: A romantic winter thriller (Tellure Hollow Book 2) Read Free Page A

asked in a breathy, panicky voice.
    He squinted at me. “It’s my day off. Shop’s closed.”
    “Jesus, I’m not here to get my skis sharpened. Bryan sent me. He’s in trouble.”
    The old man’s expression changed at that. “What’s he done?”
    “Nothing. He hasn’t done anything wrong. Noah Richards is pressing assault charges and the police are holding him. He told me to come tell you.”
    “That fucking Richards family,” Walt said as he spit on the sidewalk. He studied my face before adding, “Alright, come on in, missy. We’ll sort this all out. Sounds like I got some phone calls to make.”
     

“I’m just gonna put you in the cell until we can sort through this whole mess, alright?” the cop Dylan said as he led me down the hall. “I don’t feel like going through all the paperwork just to have you released. But I will need to take your phone,” he said holding out his hand.
    I tried to stay as pleasant as possible but internally, I was absolutely fuming. I’d instantly recognized him as the same cop I’d seen writing Noah a ticket when I first pulled into town. He already knew what a dickhead Noah could be. Plus, he recognized my name so it was obviously better to keep hold of my temper. “Sure thing, boss. I’m not gonna cause you any trouble.” I placed my phone in his hand with a sigh.
    He opened up the closest of the two cells and gestured inside. I walked in and sat on the cold metal bench, wincing as the door clanged shut. That’s a sound I could’ve gone my entire life without hearing , I thought. He paused with his hands on the bars, peering in, giving me The Look.
    “Real shame what happened to you and your pop.”
    I nodded, my eyes pinned to the ground, hoping my disinterest could push him away. I really didn’t feel like talking about the accident or my dad.
    “What was that? About two years ago now?” He leaned against the bars, squinting as he tried to pull the memory up.
    “Yup, a little over.” I was fighting to keep my mouth shut. I could feel this guy about to go tripping down memory lane but he was the one literally holding the keys to my freedom. The entire day felt like some kind of test, this moment being no exception.
    “It’s just crazy, ain’t it? First you wreck on the mountain—and you were good, man. So good. Bode Miller good. Weren’t you on the cover of Sports Illustrated ? Well anyway, first you crash on the slopes and then your dad crashes following you—”
    My head shot up, hands balling in my lap. “Yeah, it was a really crazy how that happened. Please , let’s keep talking about the the worst day of my life? I love it. Favorite thing in the world,” I finally snapped.
    His eyebrow twitched but otherwise, I couldn’t read his expression. To his credit, Dylan simply nodded and tapped his wedding ring against the bar. He didn’t seem put off by my outburst but I certainly hadn’t won any favors. “I’ll let you know when anything changes,” he said and walked away.
    Aside from the faint Christmas music echoing along the corridor, the station was totally quiet. I lay back on the bench and bent my knees, slipping my arm over my eyes to block the glare of the overhead lights. I caught a waft of Liz’s scent on my jacket, bringing forth a whole host of new emotions.
    How could a day go from so incredibly amazing to terrifying to infuriating in a matter of an hour? For the first time in years, years , I’d been happy when I woke up. Having Liz curled against my chest was everything I could’ve ever wanted. I’m sure she didn’t know it at the time, but the night we spent together went a long way toward healing all that was wrong in my life. She didn’t care about my scars, trusted me enough to open up about her past. Yeah, but you still haven’t done the same for her , a voice in my mind said.
    I sat up, resting my head in my hands. I hated that I’d given in to my physical desires before I’d told her the truth. I vowed that the