SNOWFALL AT EVERGREEN LODGE

CHAPTER1 A Light in the Snow By the time Clara Bennett saw the sign for Evergreen Ridge, the snow had swallowed most of the road. She leaned forward over the steering wheel, searching for the next reflective marker. Beyond the windshield, enormous pine trees stood be neath white branches, and somewhere behind them rose the Colorado mountains she had admired so confidently on a map that morning. On the map, the drive had looked simple. On the map, there had been no mention of darkness arriving before five, a phone losing its signal, or snowflakes large enough to hide an entire bend in the road. “All right,” she whispered. “Slow and steady.” Her little blue car answered with a shudder. Clara glanced at the dashboard. “No. Please don’t do that.” The car shuddered again. Ahead, a wooden sign emerged from the snow. EVERGREEN LODGE