close. The trees were dense in places. Worst case, the wheels on his fixed-gear plane would catch the treetops and flip him forward. Dead or alive, he’d be stuck in the tops.
Come on, baby, you can do this.
Palms sweating, he squeezed the yoke. Continuing the mantra in his head, he willed Ole Blue to stay in the air just a little longer. When he’d proclaimed today was his last delivery, he hadn’t meant that to be a literal prophecy.
He mentally shook his fist at God. You hear that? I didn’t mean I wanted to die today. I just meant I’m done doing what I do.
A thousand thoughts blew through his mind at once, not the least of which was that if he made it, if he survived, he’d have to file a crash report with the FAA. He was only supposed to take his flight bag from the crash site, but he’d have to make an exception this time and remove the package he was supposed to deliver.
The treetops reached up for Ole Blue, their lofty trunks and branches growing taller as if they would stretch to catch the plane’s wheels. The Piper shuddered and vibrated. Chance held his breath, working the yoke until, finally, he maneuvered above the narrow road.
Lower, lower, lower . . .
The wheels touched the road, and the plane bounced hard.
Trees closed in on the narrowing road. Chance braced himself. The wingtips caught the trees. The sound of metal twisting and ripping vibrated through him as the tin can protecting him shook and rattled. The impact shattered the window and catapulted what was left of his plane, and Chance’s body was flung like a rag doll despite the shoulder harness. Ole Blue slammed against a tree on the passenger side, crumpling the only door. Chance’s head hit the yoke handle. Thunder ignited in his temples as pain throbbed across his chest.
But the plane had stopped. Finally . . .
Seconds ticked by. He drew in a few shuddering, painful breaths. Allowed his heart rate to slow.
Chance assessed his injuries. He could move his legs and arms. Maybe he had a few broken ribs. He touched his forehead and felt the warm, sticky fluid. Blood covered his fingertips. He stared at the tree branch protruding through the shattered window, caught a whiff of pine from the needles, and tried to grasp the near miss. He could have been skewered. That was only one of many possible fatal injuries that could have occurred. How . . . How had he survived?
He wouldn’t waste time questioning Providence. For the moment, he was alive. But for how much longer?
And trusty Ole Blue was gone for good. Myriad emotions—anger, fear, grief—seized him all at once. His pulse raced again as dizziness swept over him.
He fought the darkness edging his vision.
Why had he harbored an ounce of hope that he would be able to walk away from this unscathed? He wished he hadn’t broken his one rule and looked at the contents of that package.
If he wasn’t able to deliver it, he was as good as dead anyway.
Elizabeth Goddard has sold over one million books and is the award-winning author of more than forty romance novels and counting, including the romantic mystery The Camera Never Lies—a 2011 Carol Award winner. She is a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense finalist for her Mountain Cove series—Buried, Backfire, and Deception—and a Carol Award finalist for Submerged. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. For more information about her books, visit her website at www.ElizabethGoddard.com.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Books by Elizabeth Goddard
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Epigraph
Prologue
1
2
3
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Acknowledgments
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