Snowed In at Silver Lake - Stephanie Fowers Page 0,2

to give his six lonely redneck brothers advice on how to court the women in town, but of course they misunderstood and thought he was telling them to abduct the women instead. After a series of unfortunate events, the men eventually did get the women to fall in love with them in the perfect happy ending only found on Broadway.

She sighed. If seven unruly—slightly airheady—rednecks could find love in such a clumsy way, why couldn’t she? She chuckled. Not that they were real, but seriously, she just wanted a chance to get to know a man who cherished her, and if she was lucky, he’d be as good a man as her father. She’d adore him and make him the happiest man alive—possibly the most well-fed man alive, lavishing her baking on him with all her love. The only thing she’d ask in return is that he’d kill all the spiders. She was a self-professed girly-girl and proud of it. What guy wouldn’t want that?

The last remnants of the song melted into the lonely night as she listened to the wet sludge grind against her wheels. Was she the only one foolhardy enough to be on this pass? The forest, heavy with ice, made everything look sinister. The announcer on the radio said something about a fugitive on the run. Her breath hitched, and she turned up the volume. The media was always more willing than her father to give her the details.

“We’ve had a disturbing case in Raven Sky, Wyoming this week.” The announcer sounded bored as he made his report. “Local police issued a warrant for Barron Hart. He’s wanted for the alleged murder of his brother, Jaime Hart. Drugs are involved. He was last seen two days ago. He’s on foot and presumed dangerous. He has brown hair, blue eyes, 6’2, an estimated 230 pounds with an identifying snake tattoo on his forearm. Please see the Raven Sky PD website for a picture. If you identify the suspect, call the authorities immediately. Use extreme caution. Don’t approach Hart. He has a history of violence.”

The broadcasters eagerly discussed the case while she digested the information. What kind of man killed his own brother? Likely he was under the influence of some heavy drugs, but she couldn’t imagine anything sadder than to follow in the footsteps of Cain and Abel. Who knew what sort of regret Barron Hart would feel after he’d cleaned up his life?

Another song from a show tune drifted through her car. She barely identified it as “The Hills are Alive” from the Sound of Music before the music dissolved into fuzz. She flipped off the radio, and fell into silence, caught up by the rhythmic melody of windshield wipers, the low hum of her engine, and the wet snow crunching under her wheels. Her every focus was trained on getting home to her father. Her powerful headlights pierced the blanket of snow, until she felt her wheels skid. Her fear bounced to her throat in a scream. She tightened her grip over the wheel. Her car headed straight for the median. She knew better than to turn the wheel to avoid it because that would flip her car. She pumped the brakes instead. Through the grace of God, her sliding sedan stopped just short of hitting the cement barrier.

She let out a breath. Her shoulders sagged as she leaned over her wheel. At least her car had gone for the median and not the cliff on the other side of her. What was she thinking driving in this storm? Trying to barrel through the pass had been a mistake. She should’ve listened to her father. He’d wanted her to pull over, but there was nowhere to park that wouldn’t put her in danger. Another car coming up the way would plow into her. She bent her head and whispered a prayer for help. Father, I know I shouldn’t have been in such a rush to get home. I just wanted to see my dad! If you could help me out, I’d really appreciate it. I’ll try not to be this reckless again.

Taking a deep breath, Gracie tried to reassess her situation. She backed up from the median and inched up the road, hoping to find a safer place to pull over with a wider shoulder, a spot that wasn’t next to the side of the cliff. After about five minutes of excruciating creeping, she spied the sign for exit 287.

Her heart sped up with hope