Snowed In

By Shannon Nemechek

I met her, the girl of my dreams. We shared a kiss, we fell in love…and then I was deployed. Now I'm back, but I'm no longer the man I used to be. I'm injured, scarred, and chances are I might never fully recover. My heart still belongs to her—Annabelle—but my love for her demands I let her go. She deserves more than a broken man's love, more than what I can offer. But now, as I stare at her beautiful face, the sight of her cracking my heart in two, I pray I can be strong enough not to succumb to temptation. Both of us need time alone with our thoughts, so we came to the one place that made us feel whole again. Now we're trapped in her family cabin, and I can't help but wonder whether being snowed in with Annabelle is a wonderful mistake…or a disaster waiting to happen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shannon Nemechek
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215831212

Book preview

PROLOGUE

The Bryants of Milwaukee, Wisconsin were famous for their wealth, their brewing skills, and the exploits of their oldest son—the infamous Andrew Bryant, Jr. Andrew was the heir apparent to the family business and fought the title every chance he got. He did anything he could by any means possible to avoid becoming his father so he did the opposite of what they wanted. His parents had always planned for Andrew Jr. to take over just as Andrew Sr. had from his father. His parents wanted to retire and enjoy their golden years once he graduated from college. Knowing the family business would be in their son’s capable hands and continue for generations to come gave them some peace of mind.

Andrew Jr. had plans of his own, his parents just didn’t know. Like his grandfather, he would join the Army and run as far away from the brewery and his family as possible. The problem would be leaving his younger sister Annabelle. In his mind he knew Annabelle would be ok; she was a Bryant, for God’s sake, a Bryant through and through. His heart, however, knew Annabelle was a strong-willed and intelligent girl with a mind of her own. But for Andrew Jr., leaving Annabelle to face their parents alone was not the easiest decision he would ever make, he just didn’t know it yet. When the day arrived, he had to be selfish and do what made him happy, not what made his parents happy.

Janice and Andrew Bryant Sr. had raised their children to be independent thinkers. The kids had a great childhood with everything they could want. They enjoyed many trips to Colorado, particularly Christmas trips to their cabin in the mountains. It was the only time the siblings would have their parents all to themselves. No one worked during the Christmas holiday.

1

Andrew

Andrew Jr. cherished his childhood memories as he sat waiting for his friend, Sergeant First Class Jackson Tolliver, outside physical therapy at Womack Army Medical Center. Andrew and Jackson were stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; they were members of the elite Ninth Special Forces. Tolliver had been injured during an ambush in the mountains of the Takur Ghar region of Afghanistan, the same attack where two of their buddies had been captured and tortured.

That ambush was always on his mind, lately more than usual. Because of everything that recently happened on post, it appeared they would be re-visiting the ambush. A substantial investigation had been started after a series of thefts on post and a massive fire at a warehouse that belonged to the Ninth Special Forces. They would meet up with their old unit leader, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Raleigh Fitzgerald, and his associate Sergeant Samantha O’Hara for interviews.

Neither he nor Tolliver had seen Chief since he transferred to Alabama, so they both looked forward to seeing him, even if it was a criminal investigation that brought them together. Andrew had always admired Chief and knew if anyone could get to the bottom of what was going on, it would be him.

The rumor mill was running at full tilt since the fire, but no one knew what the real story was. Everyone had their own opinion of what was going on, but like they say—opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.

As Andrew sat pondering the many views held about what the investigation was looking for, his buddy Jackson emerged from Physical Therapy. You ready to get the hell outta this place? Jackson announced as he grabbed his backpack that sat in the seat next to Andrew.

Yeah I am; we have to meet Chief in about twenty minutes over at the detention center. It’s gonna be good seeing him after everything has gone to shit since he left, Andrew complained.

I hear ya, ain’t nuttin’ been the same since ole’ Chief left, Jackson touted in his deep southern twang. Wonder what he’s been up to?

I couldn’t say. I know Chief went to Alabama to work with General Winfield, his old high school buddy. At least that’s what I heard, Andrew stated as he unlocked the doors on his Jeep.

We’ll find out soon enough. We got 10 minutes to get over there to meet with him, Jackson said as he slid into the passenger seat.

Pulling into the parking lot of the detention center, Andrew maneuvered his Jeep around the swarms of reporters and satellite trucks, ultimately coming to a stop in a spot next to the side entrance of the building. Raleigh watched through the small window of the heavy metal door of the detention center, easily catching a glimpse of the red Jeep Cherokee.

Jackson was the first to see Chief and flashed him a flimsy salute as Andrew pulled into the parking spot. The two men