Nowhere to Run Read Free Page A

Louisiana plates and figured you were probably headed north.”
    The license plates! She’d been so upset she hadn’t thought of that. “I—I borrowed the car from a friend,” Marie alibied. “She lives down there. I’m actually from Texas.”
    Her daughter tugged on her hand and looked up at her. “Mama? No, we’re…”
    â€œThat’s enough, Patty,” Marie said, purposely interrupting. “You and I will go get an ice cream while this man works on our car. How does that sound?”
    â€œChocolate,” the five-year-old said. “Two scoops.”
    â€œFine.” She turned back to the mechanic. “I’ll trust you to do whatever the car needs, within reason. Can you have it running soon?”
    â€œI can try,” Seth answered. He pointed. “There’s a café on the square that has good food. And Hickory Station, about half a block that way, sells ice cream and snacks.”
    â€œThanks.”
    Hesitant to leave her belongings unattended, Marie nevertheless grabbed her purse from the front seat and walked off. She figured it was best to get Patty away from the service station before the child revealed too much. She knew it was wrong to lie, let alone to ask an innocent child to do so, but in this situation she was certain the good Lord would forgive them. After all, He was the one who now had their lives in His hands, the one who had promised to look after His children.
    Marie started to smile in spite of all her worries. If that rough-looking guy with the sandy-gray hair was supposed to be a Heaven-sent guardian in disguise, his masquerade was working. He surely didn’t look the part.
    He’d had nice eyes, though, she mused. Blue, like the summer sky, with tinges of gray to match his hair and little smile wrinkles at the outer corners. He didn’t appear to be very old, but she supposed it was possible for a man to be turning gray in his thirties, which was roughly what she estimated his age to be.
    Pausing and waiting for passing cars before crossing the peaceful, tree-lined street, she glanced back at the service station.
    Instead of working on her car as he’d promised, the man was standing beside it with his hands fisted on his hips. His eyes were shaded by his ball cap, but she could tell he was looking directly at her.
    She stared back at him. He didn’t flinch. His intense, unwavering concentration gave her the shivers from her nape to her toes.
    Grabbing Patty’s hand, she half dragged the little girl as she hurried across the street. The sooner they were back on the road and heading for parts unknown, the happier she’d be.
    The only question now was how she could either change cars or find another license plate that wouldn’t reveal her origin. If she’d been a thief like Roy, she’d have simply stolen one. Being an honest person could be difficult at times, couldn’t it?
    She glanced Heavenward. “Father, how about leaving a discarded license plate along the road somewhere, huh? I know it’s a lot to ask, but…”
    â€œMama?”
    â€œYes, honey?”
    â€œAre you praying?”
    â€œYes, Patty,” Marie said with a nod. “I sure am.”
    â€œGood,” the little girl answered, hurrying to keep pace with her mother’s rapid strides, “’cause you lied and I don’t want God to be mad at you.”

TWO
    S eth frowned. He had an uneasy feeling about that woman. Oh, she’d seemed innocent enough at first, but she’d definitely wanted to hide where she’d come from, so there was no telling what else about her story was false.
    The real question was, why not tell the truth? Was she the stranded motorist she pretended to be, or was there a more sinister reason for her supposed breakdown? He hadn’t thought his enemies would use a child to get to him, but that woman looked enough like his late wife to be her younger