Beauty and the Beastmaster - Linda Winstead Jones Page 0,1
next day or the next would bring, could barely stand to think beyond the next few hours. But in this moment, her world was fine.
Mia fed well, then Gabi righted her clothes and made sure the baby was snugly wrapped in her blanket. Inside the car was warm enough; she didn’t feel any cold creeping in, yet. She held her daughter close and they both slept. For Gabi it was a hard sleep, without dreams. Without fear.
Her eyes flew open suddenly as her body jerked awake. The sky was gray with a winter morning light. Dawn was coming, and with it another uncertain day. The interior of the car wasn’t as warm as it had been when she’d drifted off. How far could she drive today? Where could she go? She had no answers, no plan at all beyond moving. Escape. Safety.
She eased a sleeping Mia back into her car seat, then opened the car door. It seemed even colder than it had a couple of hours ago. She was tempted to leave the bag-o-stink where it lay, but no matter how desperate she was, she wouldn’t do that to someone else, wouldn’t leave her mess for someone else to clean up. She snatched up the bag and rounded the building, looking for a garbage can. She found one and tossed the bagged diaper into it.
As she walked back toward the car, wondering where she’d stop next, she heard a howl in the distance. The wail was quickly followed by another, and then another. Wild dogs, most likely. Surely there weren’t wolves here in southern Alabama. She increased her pace and jogged back to the car, jumped into the driver’s seat, and locked the doors. Yeah, because a locked door would help if there were wild dogs, or worse, on the other side of the building.
She started the car. The time illuminated on the dashboard showed she’d gotten almost three hours of sleep. That wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing and she did feel better. More alert, at least.
Gabi took stock as she backed up and then turned around to head out of the parking lot. She had enough cash to last her for a few weeks, a suitcase crammed with her clothes and Mia’s, a decent supply of diapers, and a few bottles of formula. There was a case of water and two boxes of protein bars in the trunk. She’d prepared for this as best she could, all things considered. It would’ve been nice if she’d had more time, but circumstances had made that impossible.
When she reached the road, she turned right. Mia immediately started to cry. It wasn’t an I’m uncomfortable mewl, it was yet another ear-splitting scream. A child not yet three months old shouldn’t be able to make that much noise!
Gabi stopped, put the car in reverse, and backed into the parking lot, gravel crunching under the tires as she eased away from the road. The screaming stopped. She glanced over the seat to Mia, who kicked her feet and smiled. Okay, that was weird. Again, Gabi pulled forward slowly. Even the slightest turn to the right triggered the scream.
After the third time, she decided to experiment. She turned left, glancing into the back seat so she could judge the baby’s response.
No scream. In fact, Mia kicked her fat little legs, waved her arms, and cooed up a storm.
“Well, that’s weird,” Gabi whispered. She continued on. If she remembered the map correctly the river was straight ahead, to the east. Maybe there was a vacation community, a few fishing cabins and boat docks. She glanced down at the fuel gauge. A gas station would be great.
She passed a battered sign which welcomed her to Mystic Springs, whatever that was. As they drove past that sign, Mia made a series of new sounds. She blew air through her lips, cooed contentedly, and made a noise that was suspiciously like a giggle. Her little arms and legs danced with enthusiasm.
Okay, so her infant was making the decisions now. How was that any worse than the circumstances that had brought them here?
She passed a few residential streets to the right, but kept going until the road ended.
In dawn’s gray light the small town, unexpected at the end of the less than impressive road, looked charming. Maybe by the full light of day its scars would be revealed, but at this moment it was welcoming. It was beautiful.