Page 10 of Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

Her mother sat down beside her and patted her knee. “Are you okay?”

Gwen nodded but then contradicted herself. “I’m completely humiliated by Dad’s outburst. Everyone in the dining room was staring at us.”

Audrey sighed. “Your father’s anger and hatred have been a problem for a long time. I had hoped that he had left it behind, but I guess he didn’t.”

They sat in silence for a minute.

Then, Audrey said softly, “You know he’s wrong, don’t you? Hating Sawyer and the rest of the Johnsons isn’t going to bring Kyle back. It’s not their fault. Your father and brother made their own choices. They are responsible for what happened to them.”

Gwen frowned at her mother. “If you really believe that, why haven’t you said anything? Why haven’t you told Dad that he was wrong.”

Audrey sighed. “Your father would never believe it. He needed someone to blame besides himself, and he would just shut me down if I did try to argue with him. It was just easier to not say anything at all. I kept my mouth shut over the years, hoping that he would let go of his anger.”

She was quiet for a minute. “I thought maybe he had let go. His rants had lessened over the years and he finally stopped. I should have spoken up more for your sake and all of our sakes.”

Gwen swallowed hard and her throat tightened with emotion. Deep down inside, she had sometimes wondered if her father had been wrong about the Johnsons. They had been such great friends until the Coopers had to leave their farm. If truth be told, she had a crush on Sawyer when she was much younger. However, she had let her father’s anger influence her. Over the years, she hadn’t really thought about the Johnsons much. She missed her brother and saw Kyle’s face every time she looked at Brent.

“Everyone’s going to be looking at us now.”

Audrey nodded. “They will for a while and then it’ll blow over. We can’t let this ruin Brent’s Christmas present. He’s so excited to be here and to spend time with you.”

Gwen sighed. “I know. I don’t want to be the reason his Christmas is ruined, but I’m worried about Dad’s attitude.”

“I’ll talk to your father. You and I will focus on making sure that the vacation is good for Brent.”

Gwen nodded and hugged her mother. Sometimes she forgot that it was her mother who bore the brunt of all problems, bad moods, and everything negative from the kids and Jerome.

After her shower, she climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. She can’t get her brain to be quiet because she is so conflicted. Sawyer had always been kind to her when she wasyounger. She was about six years younger than Sawyer, but he didn’t mind when she tagged along with him and Kyle. She adored her brother. Gwen had struggled when they left Angel’s Creek and Kyle’s death was a stab in the heart.

One part of her knew that it wasn’t the Johnsons’ fault that her world had fallen apart. Another part did blame them. As her father often said, the Johnsons were billionaires and it wouldn’t have hurt them to simply give their land back to them. That thought upset her though, because that wasn’t fair to the Johnsons and she didn’t particularly like handouts. The idea that they were working and living on land that wasn’t really theirs would chafe like a burr under a saddle blanket.

The logical side of her brain told her that the problem was really with the land. It was the fact that Kyle’s death had devastated them and it was easier to blame someone.

The next morning, Audrey and Jerome decided to hang out at the cabin, so Brent and Gwen went to the blue slopes alone.

Brent looked up at Gwen with curiosity. “Why did Grandpa yell at that man and call him a murderer? Who did he kill?”

Sighing heavily, Gwen tried to figure out a way to explain the situation that a ten-year-old would understand. “That man was Sawyer Johnson. A long time ago, our family used to be close to the Johnson family. We had a farm next to theirs. We lost the farm and had to move. They bought the farm and offered to sell it back, but Grandpa didn’t want to buy back his own land. Your daddy was going to medical school with Sawyer and dropped out after we lost the land. Your daddy started drinking a lot. You know how he died. Grandpa thinks that it’s the Johnsons’ fault.”

Brent was quiet for a few seconds while he processed the information. “I don’t think that it was the Johnsons’ fault. We learn about using alcohol and especially about drinking anddriving because sometimes, even kids my age drink. Daddy was drinking and he drove the car even when he knew he shouldn’t. The Johnsons didn’t do that.”

“Please don’t say anything like that to your grandfather, or he will blow a gasket. Let’s not talk about it anymore. We came here to ski and have fun.”

They stopped for lunch and then Brent said, “We both practiced on the blue run. Now, it’s time for the black diamond.”

Gwen sucked in a breath. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“Are you scared? Don’t worry, I’ll be there to help you out of the snow if you can’t handle it,” Brent said smugly.

Laughing, Gwen said, “Alright, turkey. You’re on.”

Gwen and Brent went down the slope a couple of times. Brent’s laughter was contagious and Gwen thoroughly enjoyed herself. She focused on having fun and keeping her feet underneath her and forgot about everything else in the world.

By the time they decided to take their final run of the day, Gwen’s legs were aching. She refused to let Brent see her being tired or to let it slow her down. She would end up hearing jokes about her being old and out of shape all night long.

She pushed herself harder to keep up with him as they navigated the difficult run. Near the bottom, she hit a patch of ice that she hadn’t seen and before she knew it, her ski slipped out from under her. Gwen tumbled awkwardly and landed on her side. She yelped as a sharp pain shot up her ankle.

“Aunt Gwen. Are you okay?” Brent hurried over and squatted next to her.

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