She grasped the bar and, taking a deep breath, lifted it up and opened the door to darkness. Grabbing the flashlight she’d positioned on her dresser, she clicked it on and stepped into the hallway.
Sweeping the house in fear he’d be hiding around the next corner, she moved in a swift manner, following the pattern she used every night to clear her home before bed. Every night and every time she returned to her home.
It’d be a year without a note. Without any sign of him, but he terrorized her still.
When she reached the kitchen, her rigid muscles eased some, her breath less shallow.
Thank you,Lord.
She leaned back against the kitchen counter, her gaze falling to her open cookbook in its wooden stand on the granite countertop.
She lifted her flashlight, centering on the book.
Horror coursed through her at the sight of the linen envelope.
He was back.
One
January30
CASSIE APPROACHEDthe stunning Silver Pines ski village the following day, her insides still tingling from the letter’s reminder to stay away from Joel. After a year, she’d hoped she was finally free, though his last letter before disappearing warned of what would happen if she reunited with Sheriff Joel Brunswick, and she’d refused to risk Joel’s life—no matter how much it destroyed hers.
Now he was back. Because she was seeing Joel this weekend? They were hours away from her home at the Cedar Loft ski lodge in Silver Pines, Colorado, so how did he know where she was?
Her skin crawled. Had he gone through her things? Seen the invitation to the four-day wedding party weekend for her bestie in the trash? She’d learned not to keep personal information lying around. Her planner stayed on her phone, and her phone stayed on her. But somehow, he knew. But how?
Taking a stiff inhale, the winter chill burning her lungs, she pushed those thoughts away as she passed by the Silver Pines Resort, continued through the quaint ski village all the way to the opposite end, and pulled into Cedar Loft Resort’s parking lot. She prayed the four-hour drive to the Colorado destination was enough to leave him behind, but fear whispered otherwise.
She grabbed her gear, checked in at the lodge, then walkedthrough the upper part of the idyllic ski village to find her cabin. Cedar Loft consisted of the beautiful lodge—only a few years old—and outer cabins only reachable on foot—snow shoes optional.
She rested her mittened hand on the outer doorknob of her cabin. He couldn’t be here. She exhaled. Yes. He could, but...
Please don’t let him behere.No more letters. Let me be free.
At least for the long weekend, culminating in Iz wedding Talbot. She didn’t want her horror ruining another Brunswick wedding, and more importantly, ruining the wedding of someone she loved so dearly—again.
She opened the door and pulled her gun from her waist holster. Entering, she held her breath. She hated herself for letting him bring her to this level—scared, trepidatious ... borderline paranoid. But he had. She couldn’t shake the sensation of always being watched, of the prickly fear creeping up her neck that he’d been in her place, touched her things...
“Stop it! He’s not here. You are fine!” Maybe if she repeated it enough, she’d believe it. Doubtful, but worth a shot.
Clearing the main room, she smiled at finding a note from her bestie—thankfully, no envelope with her name scrawled in black across it or she’d have freaked.Hisalways came in expensive linen envelopes. How something so beautiful could bring such pain she didn’t know.
She cleared the rest of the cabin and came back to read Izzy’s note.
Welcome to the Silver Pines ski village! Our first excursion begins at one p.m.
Meet on Cedar Loft’s main lodge’s porch at ten till.
Dress in snowboarding gear.
We’re going to have a blast!
Izzy & Talbot
A deep swell of dread swirled through her. Not for seeing her stalker but for seeing Joel. It’d been a year, almost to the day—the perfect day they’d spent before their wedding.
Tears burned her eyes, dropping on the note and smearing the ink.
