Hidden Blessing. Leona Karr

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СКАЧАТЬ of excitement and relief moved through the cafeteria the next morning when a fire chief stood in front of the refugees and announced, “All of you who have homes below Prospect Ridge will be allowed back in the area for a two-hour period.” He emphasized the time limit. “Two hours only. You got that?” His steely eyes dragged around the room. “The wind could shift at any time, and anyone still on the mountain could be caught in a fiery downdraft. Concentrate on speedily collecting the necessities, and let the rest go. Understand?”

      There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd, and as Shannon bounded out of the building with the other evacuees, her mind raced. Two hours! That was enough time to get herself cleaned up with a quick shower and a change of clothes, with time left over to pack all her belongings in the car. Once the highway was open to general traffic, she’d leave Beaver Junction as fast as she could. Just where she would go to find the quiet retreat she needed was something she’d have to decide later. Right now, her pressing need was to get out of the present situation as soon as she could.

      As she drove away from the school, she felt a pang of sympathy for those who would have to remain and endure a heartrending vigil, not knowing if their homes would be spared. She already felt drained and off balance.

      A line of cars trailing out of town and up the side of the mountain moved at a snail’s pace, and Shannon’s agitation grew as precious time slipped away. A heavy haze of smoke billowed into the sky from some point hidden beyond Prospect Ridge, and her nostrils quivered with the pungent odor of burning wood. Her chest tightened as she realized that thick drifts of aspen and pine trees on each side of the road promised more fuel for the greedy fire if it topped the ridge and came racing downward. She clutched the steering wheel with nervous hands as she drove up the side of the mountain, forced to take the serpentine curves slowly instead of with her usual speed.

      By the time she pulled into the driveway of the rented mountain cottage, she had lost more than a half hour of her precious time limit. She raced into the small house, and before she did anything else, she went directly to the telephone and dialed the employment agency that had sent out her applications. She had tried to use her cell phone, but it had kept fading out on her.

      Her mouth went dry as she waited for someone to answer. Common sense told her it was too soon to expect any results, but she might get lucky, and if anyone was interested in interviewing her this soon, she could immediately head to California. Her pragmatic nature desperately needed a definite course of action. She had never been able to stand not having a specific agenda, and her present situation had heightened a need to get back in charge of her life.

      “I’m sorry, Miss Hensley, we don’t have anything right now, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time,” a pleasant woman advised her after Shannon had made her inquiry.

      Time. Shannon bit her lip. Patience had never been one of her most admirable qualities. In fact, she knew that impatience with herself, others and the world in general had been a driving force in her life, but she also knew she hadn’t accomplished her climb in the business world by wasting time. She was proud of her reputation as a hardheaded businesswoman, and at the moment, she felt even more driven because her life was at a standstill.

      “I would appreciate your doing everything you can to facilitate my applications,” Shannon said as calmly as she could. She wasn’t about to reveal the anxious tremors she felt inside.

      “I can reach you at this number, can’t I? If something should develop?” asked the lady in her professional, optimistic voice.

      Shannon hesitated. Rather than go into the long explanation of the fire and her predicament, she answered, “I’m not sure, but I’ll call you frequently and keep in touch.”

      When Shannon hung up, she sat for a long minute. Maybe she should start concentrating on finding a position in another part of the country. She hated to leave the Los Angeles area, but if nothing developed in the next few weeks, she’d have to relocate and find a position elsewhere, anyway. She’d only rented her apartment on a temporary basis, but the couple who had taken it would probably sign an extended lease, or maybe even buy it. She ran a tired hand through her hair. Just thinking about giving up all that she’d struggled to create for herself brought a bone-deep weariness and anger. It wasn’t fair.

      She glanced at her watch, then stood up with a jerk. She couldn’t believe how fast the time was going. Hurriedly, she stripped off her wrinkled clothes and dived into the shower, delighting in the cleansing sprays of warm water. Although they had opened the gym showers at the school to the displaced refugees, Shannon had declined to push her way into the line of people waiting to use them. Personal privacy had always been important to her, and having been raised in an affluent family as the only child, she’d always enjoyed her own things and her own space.

      She sighed with utter contentment as she bathed with her favorite scented soap and shampooed her hair. She stepped out of the shower, refreshed, and quickly dressed in tailored slacks and a matching soft blue knit top. She towel-dried her shoulder-length hair and secured it in a clip at the back of her head.

      She deliberately ignored the moving hands on her watch as she began packing her suitcases, giving careful attention to a small canvas overnight bag that she would keep with her. She hadn’t unpacked the boxes that had held her books and laptop computer. She took them out to the car and stowed them in the trunk, along with her suitcases. She made one last trip to fill some kitchen sacks with foodstuff she didn’t want to leave behind.

      When she was ready to lock the front door of the cottage, she dared a look at her watch. She couldn’t believe it! Already a half hour past the two-hour limit. Lifting her head, she quickly searched the mountain skyline. There seemed to be more dark smoke thickening on the horizon.

      She bounded down the front steps, opened the door to her car and was about to climb in when she heard some commotion behind her. She swung around. A small black dog with white feet scurried toward her, his tail wagging furiously as he greeted her enthusiastically with a friendly, puppy-size bark.

      There was no doubt in Shannon’s mind that he was Pokey. She laughed as the puppy danced around her feet and put his paws on her legs. As she picked the fellow up, his little legs shot out in all directions, and his pink tongue was like windshield wipers gone berserk as he washed her face with jubilant kisses.

      “I know someone who’s going to be glad to see you,” she said, chuckling as she opened the back door of the car and put him inside. “Lie down, Pokey,” she ordered, but the puppy stood on the back seat, his head cocked to one side and his tail wagging as fiercely as ever.

      She tossed her shoulder purse on top of her small overnight bag and hurriedly backed out of the gravel driveway.

      There was no sign of other cars on the narrow winding road ahead, and she kept glancing in the mirror to see if there were any stragglers behind her. The road was pointedly empty. She couldn’t believe everyone else had observed the time limit. Well, it didn’t matter. Once traffic was allowed on the highway to Elkhorn, she’d be on her way out of here.

      She was lost in thought when suddenly, without warning, Pokey suddenly leaped from the back seat into the front, sending her purse and the small canvas overnight bag flying.

      “No, Pokey, no!” she protested as the dog tried to scramble into her arms. In her effort to shove him away, she turned the steering wheel too sharply.

      The car left the pavement.

      Frantically she tried to bring it back on the road, but the wheels failed to gain any traction on the narrow dirt shoulder. The car began to slowly slide downward.

      Panic-stricken, she fumbled with her СКАЧАТЬ