Jolene Navarro - Lone Star Holiday

Lorrie Ann could hear the expectation of glamorous stories about life in Los Angeles.

Vickie crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, face pulled tight. “Where’s your boyfriend? Waitin’ in the car? Probably thinks he’s too good for the likes of us.”

Lorrie Ann drew a deep breath and smiled the smile she used to close deals with in L.A. “No, he’s not here. We broke up.” She turned to Katy with a genuine smile. “Once I get settled, we can have lunch or something.”

“Ooh, just like in the movies!” Katy tilted her head. “Will you be at church for our Wednesday-night prayer meeting?” She nudged Lorrie Ann’s shoulder. “Looks like you already know Pastor John.”

A frown replaced the smile when the word pastor sank into Lorrie Ann’s brain. Only one other person had spoken to her. That good-looking cowboy couldn’t have been a...

“That cowboy is a preacher?” Her jaw dropped, and she closed her eyes. Horror stomped out the shock. She had flirted with a man of God.

Katy’s smile went wider as her eyes sparkled. “Yes! He seemed to really like you.”

Vickie gave a loud snort and narrowed her glare. “You’ve always tried taking men who aren’t yours. He will see right through you.”

Katy punched Vickie’s arm and laughed. “Oh, stop it! Lorrie Ann just got into town. We don’t need to bring up what happened in the past. Anyway, Pastor John has not dated anyone since the horrible accident five years ago. I think it’s about time he left his daughters at home and went out for some fun.”

“Whatever.” With a shrug, Vickie turned and walked to the back of the store.

Lorrie Ann’s chin went up. No longer was she the pathetic girl abandoned by her mother. Now she made big deals and managed bands in her daily life. She controlled her destiny. Not some...

A warm hand on her arm brought her around.

“Don’t let her get under your skin. She’s always been jealous of you.” Katy waved her hand in the air and lowered her voice. “And since the divorce, she’s just gotten downright bitter. She should have never married Tommy. Poor thing, her life is a mess right now. Let’s get your stuff so you can go home.”

Katy’s soft gaze brought a knot to Lorrie Ann’s throat. Well, she could relate to a messy life. “I always thought her and Jake were an item. She hated my friendship with him.”

“Yeah, now they are both back in town and avoiding each other—sad, really.” Katy shook her head. “Come on. Let’s get your things so you can surprise Maggie.”

Purchases in hand, Lorrie Ann stepped out of the store and spotted the Ford truck still parked outside the mercantile. She groaned. Less than thirty minutes in town, and she had already been flirting with the town pastor right on Main Street. The gossips would have a field day with that tidbit.

Chapter Two

“Aunt Maggie? It’s—”

“Oh, mija, it’s so good to hear from you!” A slight pause came through the line. “Is everything okay?”

The love and concern in the older woman’s voice wrapped itself around Lorrie Ann’s heart. Eyes closed briefly, she eased a smile across her face.

“Yeah, I’m good. I’m actually in Clear Water heading to the farm.” As the silence lingered, her stomach knotted.

“What? Oh, my, Lorrie Ann Ortega! What do you mean you’re in Clear Water? Why are you just now calling me?” Lorrie could almost hear her aunt’s thoughts processing. “Oh, sweetheart, what happened?”

“Nothing.... I just need a place to rest, get my thoughts together. Is it okay that I came to the farm? I don’t know Mom’s latest location.” Nerves hit her stomach hard. “It’s just for a couple weeks while I figure things out. I can rent one of the cabins.”

“You hush about paying. This is your home. Your room’s always ready for you.”

Lorrie pulled in her lips and bit down. The need to cry burned her eyes. She pulled a deep breath through her nose before she dared speak again. “Thank you, Aunt Maggie. I’m at Second Crossing now, so I’ll—”

A deer darted across the road. Her phone slid to the floorboard as she grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. Hitting the brake, she pulled her car to the side of the road.

The deer’s hooves slid on the pavement, fighting to regain control. The white of the doe’s eyes flashed, and in a frenzied twist it turned back the way it had come and ran behind her.

In Lorrie Ann’s rearview mirror, she tracked the animal as it scurried right in front of a yellow Jeep. Eyes wide, Lorrie Ann watched the events as if in slow motion. Horror filled her mind as the deer collided with the grille of the oncoming vehicle. The deer flew over the hood into the windshield, and the Jeep lost control. It slid in the loose gravel and rolled toward the river. Frozen in her seat, Lorrie Ann stared as a group of cedar trees stopped the rolling car.

“Lorrie! Lorrie Ann, answer me!” Her aunt’s frantic voice brought her back to herself. White fingers had a death grip around the leather of her steering wheel. As she reached for the phone between her feet, her hands shook. She took a deep breath. The dark shades fell to the floorboard, and she didn’t bother picking them up.

“I’m here. I’m fine, but there’s been an accident. I have to call 911.” Without waiting to hear her aunt’s response, she ended the call and hit the emergency button. She stepped out of her car and jogged along the shoulder of the road, her heels clicking across the asphalt. Breath held tight, she approached the flipped vehicle. When she heard crying, relief eased her muscles a small bit, proof of life.

She knelt to look in the cab, her heart pounding at the thought of what she might see. A young girl hung upside down by her seat belt in the backseat.

A sob muffled her words. “Rachel! Rachel!”

Her weeping broke Lorrie’s heart. “Sweetheart, my name’s Lorrie Ann. I called the ambulance.”

The voice on the line demanded her attention, asking for details. “There has been a car accident at Second Crossing. Oh, I’m Lorrie Ann Ortega. There’s a girl about five or six in the backseat. She is awake and suspended by her seat belt.”

Lorrie scanned the cab, noticing two more girls up front. Broken glass covered the roof, but the roll bars had done their job and created a pocket for them.

The passenger in the front seat appeared to be around ten or twelve. “There are two girls in the front, both strapped in their seats. The driver has blood on her face. She looks unconscious.” A deep sigh of relief escaped. “But breathing.”

The young girl in front started twisting against her shoulder strap. “Celeste? Celeste, where are you?” A frantic tone edged her voice.

“Rachel! I’m...I’m scared.” The smaller one in the backseat reached forward.

“Don’t be scared. Stop crying! It won’t help.” Her voice sounded more mature than her age.

Lorrie Ann couldn’t help being impressed. “Girls, help is on the way. Are you sisters?” Their matching ponytails bobbed as they nodded their heads. “It’s Rachel and Celeste, right?”

“Yes.” The older girl in the front spoke, moving both hands to rub at her face. “Amy’s our babysitter. Oh, Daddy’s going to be so mad.”

“I’m sure your father just wants you safe.”

“Oh! My leg is stuck. I can’t move it.” Rachel sounded calm, though her voice pitched higher at the last word.

Lorrie Ann narrowed her gaze on Rachel’s right leg surrounded by metal. It looked as if a piece of the engine had pushed through.

The driver groaned.

“Amy, Amy, wake up!” Rachel reached across and touched her shoulder.

“What happened?” Amy pushed back her hair. “Oh, no!” She sucked in deep breaths, and her eyes went wide. “Rachel? Celeste? Please, please tell me you’re all right!” She cried out in pain, hugging herself and moaning.