teased her nostrils. Under the doors a gray haze seeped into the interior. She rushed forward and reached for the handle. Warm to the touch, she jerked her hand back. Swinging around, she hurried back to Misty, trying to school her features into a calmness she didn’t feel.
“We need to get out of here. Hold on to Snowball.”
The child lifted her head from cuddling it against the white cat and rotated her wheelchair around so she could head out the front. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a fire.”
Panic bolted through Hannah at the sight of the double doors that they’d come into the barn through and always left open, now shut. More smoke invaded the back of the barn.
Misty’s eyes widened as she saw its insidious tentacles fan out. “Candy can’t leave!” She swerved to the side and drove her chair toward the horse’s stall.
“Go! Now!” All Hannah could remember was Austin telling her about the barn that had burned when he was a child, some animals dying in the fire, and the fact the structure was all wood.
Then the thought: was this the work of a hit man sent to take out another woman in the Witness Protection Program?
SIX
F rozen for a few precious seconds, Hannah couldn’t shake the thought. She wasn’t Eloise Hill and she wasn’t involved with the program anymore. So how could an informant know she, Hannah Williams, was Jen Davis? It didn’t make any sense. And if Violet was right and the U.S. Marshal’s office with all its resources was looking for her and they hadn’t found her, then she was safe from the phantom hit men.
Calm down. Think.
She stared behind her. No flames visible yet. But smoke continued to ooze under the double doors at the back. She waved her arms. “Come on. Go!”
Tears streaked down the child’s face. “But, Candy—”
“You keep going. I’ll get her. Don’t wait for me. Get outside.” Hannah watched the child drive toward the front and prayed to the Lord that way wasn’t blocked or they were truly trapped.
Misty stopped and glanced back. “I’m going. Go ahead.”
After making sure the child was clear and out of harm’s way, Hannah raced to the stall and thrust the door open. The horse charged out, nearly knocking Hannah to theground. The mare’s eyes wide with fright, she bolted toward the one double door Misty had disappeared through.
The scent of smoke grew stronger. Hannah heard the whinnies of the other horses locked in their stalls. The sound of hooves striking the wooden doors drowned out the hammering of her heartbeat. She peered back at the thickening smoke and made a decision. There was still a little time to save some of the animals, if not all.
Covering her mouth and nose with the bottom of her sweatshirt, she ran to each stall she could get to and threw open its door, making sure this time she was well out of the way of the terrified animal as it stampeded toward freedom.
She’d left the stalls near the front until last. She thrust two more open, then turned to the last one by the barn entrance. She could get to it on her way out.
This last one, Lord, then I’ll leave.
As she neared the stall, the noise from inside as the horse’s hooves came down on the door underscored how panicked the usually docile mare was. She was only a few feet from being able to release the latch when the door crashed open and the horse careened out of her prison and straight for Hannah, who stood between the mare and her escape.
Hannah tried to move but the thousand-pound animal barreled into her, clipping her on the shoulder, which sent Hannah flying to the ground. The hard impact propelled all the air from her lungs. The smoke continued to roll toward her.
The scent of coffee laced the air, drawing Austin toward the kitchen. Hannah must have fixed it. She’dbeen preparing it most mornings this week. She rose earlier than even he did.
When he entered, his gaze swept the room. Where was she?
Austin spied the note on the kitchen table as he
“We need to get out of here. Hold on to Snowball.”
The child lifted her head from cuddling it against the white cat and rotated her wheelchair around so she could head out the front. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a fire.”
Panic bolted through Hannah at the sight of the double doors that they’d come into the barn through and always left open, now shut. More smoke invaded the back of the barn.
Misty’s eyes widened as she saw its insidious tentacles fan out. “Candy can’t leave!” She swerved to the side and drove her chair toward the horse’s stall.
“Go! Now!” All Hannah could remember was Austin telling her about the barn that had burned when he was a child, some animals dying in the fire, and the fact the structure was all wood.
Then the thought: was this the work of a hit man sent to take out another woman in the Witness Protection Program?
SIX
F rozen for a few precious seconds, Hannah couldn’t shake the thought. She wasn’t Eloise Hill and she wasn’t involved with the program anymore. So how could an informant know she, Hannah Williams, was Jen Davis? It didn’t make any sense. And if Violet was right and the U.S. Marshal’s office with all its resources was looking for her and they hadn’t found her, then she was safe from the phantom hit men.
Calm down. Think.
She stared behind her. No flames visible yet. But smoke continued to ooze under the double doors at the back. She waved her arms. “Come on. Go!”
Tears streaked down the child’s face. “But, Candy—”
“You keep going. I’ll get her. Don’t wait for me. Get outside.” Hannah watched the child drive toward the front and prayed to the Lord that way wasn’t blocked or they were truly trapped.
Misty stopped and glanced back. “I’m going. Go ahead.”
After making sure the child was clear and out of harm’s way, Hannah raced to the stall and thrust the door open. The horse charged out, nearly knocking Hannah to theground. The mare’s eyes wide with fright, she bolted toward the one double door Misty had disappeared through.
The scent of smoke grew stronger. Hannah heard the whinnies of the other horses locked in their stalls. The sound of hooves striking the wooden doors drowned out the hammering of her heartbeat. She peered back at the thickening smoke and made a decision. There was still a little time to save some of the animals, if not all.
Covering her mouth and nose with the bottom of her sweatshirt, she ran to each stall she could get to and threw open its door, making sure this time she was well out of the way of the terrified animal as it stampeded toward freedom.
She’d left the stalls near the front until last. She thrust two more open, then turned to the last one by the barn entrance. She could get to it on her way out.
This last one, Lord, then I’ll leave.
As she neared the stall, the noise from inside as the horse’s hooves came down on the door underscored how panicked the usually docile mare was. She was only a few feet from being able to release the latch when the door crashed open and the horse careened out of her prison and straight for Hannah, who stood between the mare and her escape.
Hannah tried to move but the thousand-pound animal barreled into her, clipping her on the shoulder, which sent Hannah flying to the ground. The hard impact propelled all the air from her lungs. The smoke continued to roll toward her.
The scent of coffee laced the air, drawing Austin toward the kitchen. Hannah must have fixed it. She’dbeen preparing it most mornings this week. She rose earlier than even he did.
When he entered, his gaze swept the room. Where was she?
Austin spied the note on the kitchen table as he
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