that his life and his death were in God’s hand.
When he’d first gone to Afghanistan his prayer had been to keep him safe but somewhere along the way the words had changed. It felt too shallow—too selfish to pray for his safety when others around him died every day.
A clicking noise drew his attention.
What was it? It sounded familiar but he couldn’t quite place it. The slithering motion once again. Only he felt it in two places at the same time. And then the clicking noise.
And t hen he understood.
Snake s. He was in the tub with snakes.
More clicking. More slithering. Hard to know how many snakes were in the tub. Only two types of venomous snakes were native to this part of the country and he was lying helpless in a bathtub with one of them— rattlesnakes.
His heart fluttered and a moment of panic filled him, before he forced himself to remain calm. Panicking wouldn’t help. He assessed his situation. No way to know how many without seeing them, but he could feel them.
Could be a coincidence, but he doubted it. What kind of crazy people would put him in a tub with rattlesnakes? Why not just kill him and get it over with? It would have been a lot less painful—and terrifying.
Timber rattlers were not aggressive by nature , but that meant little under these circumstances. Certainly any movement from him would be construed as an attack from them.
He moved his hands slowly searching for the end of the rope binding them.
If he could untie himself, he might be able to get out of the tub. After a few minutes and no luck with the rope, he wondered if he should try to ease out of the tub. He might be able to do it, but without being able to see the snakes, he had a good chance of kicking one or stepping on one and then all bets would be off.
More whispered rattles.
Well, he wasn’t one to wait for something to happen.
He’d take his chances trying to escape. Better tha n laying here and waiting for them to attack him. Without any sense of rushing, he moved inch by inch to a sitting position all the while rattles came and went as snakes slithered across his ankles, his legs, his thighs, and his body.
CHAPTER 28
“Are we there yet?” Suzie yelled from the backseat.
“Stop asking that. We’ve only been in the car five minutes.” Noah complained. “Mom, tell her to stop asking that.”
Reggie giggled under her breath. These kids reminded her of Joni’s kids when she and Dylan had taken them to the zoo earlier in the summer.
Suzie and Noah . You both need to quiet down.” Her passenger’s face flamed red and she sounded mortified. “I’m so sorry. They’re a bit high-strung this morning.”
“ It’s not a problem at all. Don’t worry about it. My nieces and nephews are the same way.”
Reggie turned left into her parents-in-laws’ drive and came to a stop beside the old white farmhouse. She was impatient to get moving and get to Paw Paw, but she’d made peace with the fact she had other things to do first.
No matter how worried she was at the moment, she’d stay here until the time was right. Right for Misty and her kids—not for herself.
It was time for her to start focusing on someone other than herself. Life was about more than what she wanted. It was about helping oth ers. No more drama queen.
In spite of the early morning drizzle, Mellie and Joni rushed out to greet them before Reggie managed to unbuckle Suzie’s seatbelt.
Joni looked great these days, now that she was a renowned artist. The instant fame she experienced might have messed with some people’s heads but not her sister-in-law.
Her main focus remained on her family, but she’d had to attend some art shows over the past year so she’d opted for a makeover. She’d managed to lose fifteen pounds and her new sophisticated haircut had taken years off her looks, but she was still the same sweet woman she’d met more than a year earlier.
“Morning.” Reggie told them as they hurried up to the
When he’d first gone to Afghanistan his prayer had been to keep him safe but somewhere along the way the words had changed. It felt too shallow—too selfish to pray for his safety when others around him died every day.
A clicking noise drew his attention.
What was it? It sounded familiar but he couldn’t quite place it. The slithering motion once again. Only he felt it in two places at the same time. And then the clicking noise.
And t hen he understood.
Snake s. He was in the tub with snakes.
More clicking. More slithering. Hard to know how many snakes were in the tub. Only two types of venomous snakes were native to this part of the country and he was lying helpless in a bathtub with one of them— rattlesnakes.
His heart fluttered and a moment of panic filled him, before he forced himself to remain calm. Panicking wouldn’t help. He assessed his situation. No way to know how many without seeing them, but he could feel them.
Could be a coincidence, but he doubted it. What kind of crazy people would put him in a tub with rattlesnakes? Why not just kill him and get it over with? It would have been a lot less painful—and terrifying.
Timber rattlers were not aggressive by nature , but that meant little under these circumstances. Certainly any movement from him would be construed as an attack from them.
He moved his hands slowly searching for the end of the rope binding them.
If he could untie himself, he might be able to get out of the tub. After a few minutes and no luck with the rope, he wondered if he should try to ease out of the tub. He might be able to do it, but without being able to see the snakes, he had a good chance of kicking one or stepping on one and then all bets would be off.
More whispered rattles.
Well, he wasn’t one to wait for something to happen.
He’d take his chances trying to escape. Better tha n laying here and waiting for them to attack him. Without any sense of rushing, he moved inch by inch to a sitting position all the while rattles came and went as snakes slithered across his ankles, his legs, his thighs, and his body.
CHAPTER 28
“Are we there yet?” Suzie yelled from the backseat.
“Stop asking that. We’ve only been in the car five minutes.” Noah complained. “Mom, tell her to stop asking that.”
Reggie giggled under her breath. These kids reminded her of Joni’s kids when she and Dylan had taken them to the zoo earlier in the summer.
Suzie and Noah . You both need to quiet down.” Her passenger’s face flamed red and she sounded mortified. “I’m so sorry. They’re a bit high-strung this morning.”
“ It’s not a problem at all. Don’t worry about it. My nieces and nephews are the same way.”
Reggie turned left into her parents-in-laws’ drive and came to a stop beside the old white farmhouse. She was impatient to get moving and get to Paw Paw, but she’d made peace with the fact she had other things to do first.
No matter how worried she was at the moment, she’d stay here until the time was right. Right for Misty and her kids—not for herself.
It was time for her to start focusing on someone other than herself. Life was about more than what she wanted. It was about helping oth ers. No more drama queen.
In spite of the early morning drizzle, Mellie and Joni rushed out to greet them before Reggie managed to unbuckle Suzie’s seatbelt.
Joni looked great these days, now that she was a renowned artist. The instant fame she experienced might have messed with some people’s heads but not her sister-in-law.
Her main focus remained on her family, but she’d had to attend some art shows over the past year so she’d opted for a makeover. She’d managed to lose fifteen pounds and her new sophisticated haircut had taken years off her looks, but she was still the same sweet woman she’d met more than a year earlier.
“Morning.” Reggie told them as they hurried up to the
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