Prologue
A Flicker in the Pines
The gathering darkness swallowed her whole. A chill went deeper than the cold. It seeped into her very being.
Why, oh, why hadn’t she listened to that inner voice that warned her not to linger in town?
She hadn’t intended to spend so much time at the shops around Cedar Creek, Montana. After all, she was starting a new job and a new life in just two short days. She wanted to make a good impression. That meant reaching her brand-new apartment and getting settled in before her first day of work.
But everything about the town was just so quaint. And she hadn’t felt this good about her decisions in two years. Not since "it" happened.
Emily had remained too long in town without realizing that darkness came quickly in the mountains.
Leaving Duluth and the shadow that followed her since her reckless behavior resulted in a DUI would allow her a fresh start. Even though no one had been hurt and her family said they’d forgiven her, they still questioned her every move as if expecting her to fail.
It was bad enough that the DUI had cost her position as a nurse at the hospital she’d worked at for almost four years. But it was the loss of her family’s faith in her that hurt the most.
Emily flipped the headlights on as the last rays of daylight disappeared. A full-on pitch black that came from being high up in the mountains, where there were no streetlights settled in around her.
She grabbed her phone. Despite the friction between her mom and herself, Emily needed to hear Beverly’s voice.
When the call didn’t go through, her uneasiness ratcheted up to a whole new fear level.
Why hadn’t she listened to her gut and stayed the night in town when it got so late? Instead, she’d wanted to save money by driving straight through.
And now she was in the middle of nowhere, and she couldn’t reach anyone on the phone.
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel as snow continued to fall harder at this higher altitude.
The Subaru’s engine spluttered. Once. Twice. A new fear chased away the ones about her future. She looked out at the stark, unwelcoming landscape. Her stomach turned.
“Oh, please, please, please. Don’t die!” The thought of breaking down and being stuck up here had now become her worst nightmare.
After a couple of moments, the engine appeared to even out. Hope surged, mingling with relief. “Oh, thank you, Lord.”
The tension between her shoulders slowly seeped away, and she leaned back against her seat.
She was okay. The car had plenty of gas thanks to refueling before she left town.
Emily smiled when she thought about starting over in Spokane. The earlier fear faded, replaced by the fragile optimism of a fresh start. No one knew her there. The job at the hospitalwasn’t in nursing, but she’d be helping patients with their billing. It was a start.
As she rounded another switchback on the icy, snow-covered road, the car’s engine stumbled again.
“No!” Emily struck the dashboard with her palm. Fear replaced her frustration as the twenty-year-old car she’d bought for this new life sputtered, rolled a few more feet, and stopped dead.
The sudden silence sent a chill through her.
“You’re okay. Don’t panic.” Brave words. She was already there.
Emily squinted at the dim dashboard lights. The temperature was past 250 degrees.
Before purchasing the car, she had it thoroughly checked out by a friend who was a mechanic. According to Rick, there was nothing wrong with the Subaru, though he’d warned her to keep an eye on the temperature gauge. He’d told her that sometimes driving through the mountains could put strain on a vehicle.
And she’d forgotten everything Rick warned her about until now.
She’d had a late lunch at the Rusty Elk Café and then bought a small trinket from the Mountain Shepherd Gift Shop to commemorate the trip. Both had served to boost her spirits. For the first time in years, Emily felt good about herself. She was moving forward with her life after two long years.
Now, her previous happiness collapsed into all-out terror, the emotional whiplash leaving her reeling.
