Copyright © 2008
All rights reserved, The Wild Rose Press
The car picked up speed and Hope braked. Instead of slowing, the accelerator notched up. Her knuckles turned white from their tight grip.
She tromped on the brake. The pedal touched the floor.
Frantic now, her heart threatened to break free of her chest.
She shifted into low gear. The car jerked and slowed. Could she make it around the curve? The jagged mountain hugged the opposite side of the road, but on the passenger side, a steep drop-off fell hundreds of yards to a thicket of trees.
Her chest constricted against her thumping heart.
“Mommy?”
Joshua's voice, so innocent and trusting, increased her fear.
She shifted again, moved the car into the lowest gear, and steered toward the center stripe to avoid the drop-off. Please, God, don't let me meet another car .
“Mommy!”
The tires squealed as she rounded the curve.