Page 6 of Snowed in With My Small Town Billionaire

Her father had parked the car and had already pulled everyone’s skis and poles off the top of the vehicle. She grabbed her bag and unlocked the cabin door.

The living room was snug, with a hide-a-bed couch and two recliners in front of a fireplace. A television hung on one of the walls. A small kitchen was perfect if they didn’t feel like going to the main building for meals. There were three bedrooms and one bathroom.

She set her bag down in the smallest room and went back to the SUV to help bring in supplies.

As soon as the vehicle was unloaded, Brent grabbed her arm. “Let’s go.”

“Alright, alright,” she said.

Her father and mother decided they would go, too. They hopped on the ski lift and jumped off at the blue slopes. It had been a year since she had gone skiing and she wanted to make sure she remembered how to get down the slopes without hurting herself. Brent, Jerome, and Audrey humored her.

She glanced over to a couple of men getting ready to go down the run. Her heart sank. She hadn’t seen him in years, but she would recognize him anywhere. He was the same tall, handsome, well-built man she had seen when she was a kid.

Her hands clenched into fists as the memories rushed back. Her father had lost their farm and they had been forced to move when she was only twelve. Sawyer’s family bought it when it went up on the auction block. They offered to sell it back to her father at the same price they bought it for, but Jerome looked at it as a betrayal and refused. Their lives had spiraled out of control from there.

Jerome had blamed the Johnsons for everything, including Kyle’s drinking problem and death. Even though Gwen knew, deep inside of her that it wasn’t the Johnsons’ fault, the hatred had been figuratively beaten into her over the years.

She groaned as the tension knotted in her shoulders. This was not how she planned on spending her vacation. As soon as her father saw Sawyer at the resort, her father would make their lives miserable.

Why didn’t I drive my own car, blast it? Then, I could leave if things got too bad.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Brent grabbed her arm. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

He looked at her strangely and said, “You and I are going first.”

She tried to push thoughts of Sawyer out of her mind and smiled at Brent. “Let’s go, Buddy.”

They went down the run several times. Brent beat her most of the time, mostly because she let him. They were all tired by the time they decided to head back to the cabin.

She decided she would warn her mother that Sawyer was at the resort, but wouldn’t say anything to her father.

After they got situated, Gwen said, “Mom, I need your help outside for a second, please.”

Audrey looked confused but walked outside with her.

“I just thought I would give you a heads-up. I saw Sawyer Johnson here.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Afraid not.”

“Drat. This isn’t going to go well. I really wish Sawyer had picked a different mountain. I don’t blame the Johnsons for anything that happened, but I really don’t want to have to deal with your father.”

Gwen grimaced. “Are you going to tell him?”

Audrey sighed. “I don’t know. What do you think the chances are that we won’t see him?”

“About zero.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

3

C H A P T E R

Sawyer

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