and Miriam. Now they were gone from her life and her heart ached too much to blame anyone but herself.
Hannah had been selfish and thinking of her own needs, not the good of the family. Although the three girls raised by a flighty, self-absorbed mother hardly deserved the name “family.” The disjointed reality of their dysfunctional life had, at times, seemed anything but close-knit or loving.
Plus, the old man was wrong. Any resemblance she had to Miriam was slight. After what she had learned the night she’d left home, it was no wonder she had always felt like an outsider. The accusation and the memory of the secret her mother had revealed remained an open wound.
The last thing she’d expected to find today on her cell phone was Miriam’s garbled voice mail. Her sister’s heartbreaking message—at least what Hannah could decipher—had been almost too much to bear.
According to the television footage, Miriam hadn’t been seen in Willkommen since she’d boarded the bus six weeks ago. The possibility of finding either sister seemed remote, yet Hannah wouldn’t give up her search until she found Miriam and Sarah.
Needing to get back on the road, Hannah splashed cold water on her face, wiped it dry with a paper towel and hurried to her car, grateful that the older, bearded guy, now chatting with the men by the magazine rack, failed to notice her departure.
Nearing her car, Hannah sensed she wasn’t alone and turned to see the man in blue flannel. He glanced at her through narrowed eyes before he opened the door to his black Tahoe and settled into the driver’s seat. Something about the guy chilled her blood. Was it his bushy brows and pensive stare or his long hair pulled into a ponytail? His jeans and work boots were crusted with Georgia clay, making him look like he belonged on a backhoe instead of in the well-detailed SUV.
Unnerved by the man’s penetrating gaze, she unscrewed the gas cap, inserted the nozzle and began pumping, all the while watching the guy pull his black SUV onto the roadway, heading toward the highway. For whatever reason, she felt a sense of relief.
Once her tank was full, she slipped behind the wheel of her small, four-door sedan and turned left toward Willkommen. Surely the town couldn’t be too far away.
The road was windy and narrow and angled up the mountain. A sign for Pine Lodge Mountain Resort caught her attention. Closed For Renovation read the small banner that hung over the larger placard.
A light drizzle began to fall. Hannah flipped on the windshield wipers and squinted into the night. If only visibility was better. The temperature dropped as the elevation increased. She upped the heater, but even with the warm air blowing straight at her, she still felt cold and totally alone.
Usually she welcomed solitude. Tonight, she found the night too dark and eerie. Had it been along this road where her mother had been killed?
Her gut tightened and another tide of hot tears burned her eyes. She blinked them back, swallowed the lump that filled her throat and focused even more intently on the narrow mountain road.
A warning light flashed on her dash. She leaned closer and tapped the glass, unsure of what was wrong. Her heart pounded as she watched the temperature gauge rise. She clicked the heater off but the needle continued to climb.
She groaned, pulled to the side of the road and killed the engine. Staring into the darkness, she gulped down a lump of fear. She was too far from the gas station to walk back, and she hadn’t passed another car for more than twenty minutes. If only someone would happen along.
“Lord—” she bowed her head “—I’m just starting on my walk of faith, but I trust You’re with me. Send help.”
She glanced up to see headlights in the rearview mirror.
“Thank You, Lord.” She exited her car, grateful when the vehicle pulled to a stop behind her sedan. A man stepped to the pavement. Hannah squinted in the glare from his headlights and put her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes. Something about the guy stirred her memory. He neared and her pulse ricocheted as she recognized the blue flannel shirt.
His car had been headed for the highway when he’d pulled out of the gas station. Why had he turned around?
“Looks like you’ve got a problem.” His voice was deep with a hint of Southern twang.
“You’re right about a problem,” she replied, keeping her tone even and hoping he didn’t hear the tremble in her voice. “My engine seems to have overheated.”
“Mind if I take a look under the hood?”
“Sure. Thanks.” Only Hannah wasn’t sure about anything, especially the strange man with the ponytail.
“You wanna pop the hood?” he asked.
She tugged on the release and then stood aside as he peered into the engine.
“Looks like you’ve got a hole in your radiator.”
“But how—?”
“No telling, lady. Willkommen’s not far. I’ll give you a lift.”
An overwhelming sense of dread washed over her. “If you could send someone from a service station, I’d prefer to stay with my vehicle.”
“There might not be another car along for hours,” he cautioned.
Wary of his advice, she held up her hand. “If you could send help, I’d be most grateful.”
“I can’t leave you out here.” His smile seemed more like a sneer. “Come on, lady. I won’t hurt you.”
“I never said you would.” She stepped back from the car and from the man whose lips suddenly curved into a seductive grin.
Her pulse raced. Fear threaded through her veins.
He moved closer and held out his hand. “Sure you wouldn’t like a ride to town?”
“No, thanks.”
“Come on, honey.”
She wasn’t his honey, nor did she like the tone of his voice.
Flicking her gaze over her shoulder, she eyed the thick forest that edged the roadway. Would it provide cover? Enough cover?
He stepped closer and reached for her hand.
She drew back. “What do you want?” she demanded.
“Information. That old guy at the gas station was right. You’ve got to be related to the woman on the news.”
Hannah shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He retrieved his cell from his pocket and pulled up a photo. “This is the woman. You look just like her.”
Hannah peered at the picture of her sister and fought to control her emotions, seeing Miriam’s bruised forehead and her matted hair.
The lewd man stepped closer. “She left Willkommen weeks ago. Some folks say she returned. If so, I need to find her.”
“I...I can’t help you.”
