All she could do was wait.
Aunt Tessie would have urged her to pray, she knew, yet no inspiring spiritual words came to mind. Jamie Lynn wasn’t surprised. God had quit heeding her prayers when she was ten years old.
If He had been listening to her back then, she knew she wouldn’t have lost her whole family.
* * *
Shane Colton parked his flatbed tow truck beyond the small pickup with four flat tires and hit the ground running, waving his arms to get the sheriff’s attention. “Harlan! I just saw two men in hunter’s camo run out the back.”
“Must’ve spotted us,” Sheriff Allgood replied. “Let ’em go. We’ve got their truck for ID.”
“I didn’t recognize either one.” Glancing at the old house, Shane frowned. “Aren’t you going in?”
“In a minute. Gotta radio the station so my officers know to keep their eyes peeled for two guys on foot.”
Uneasy, Shane lifted his chin. Sniffed the breeze. And instantly knew what was happening. Smoke!
Hands cupped around his mouth, he shouted, “Call the fire department,” as he raced toward the house.
“Stop! Don’t!”
He ignored the sheriff’s command. If he hurried, he might be able to put the fire out while it was small. If not, he could at least do a quick search of the premises for victims. Somebody had made the report of trouble at the old Henderson farm. That person might still be inside.
* * *
What was wrong with Ulysses all of a sudden? “Take it easy, boy. We’re safe now. I heard them leave.”
The lapdog’s tiny claws raked Jamie Lynn’s forearm. “Ouch! Knock it off,” she snapped, immediately penitent. He’d kept quiet while she’d tiptoed down the stairs and hidden them both in the maid’s cupboard. It was time to let him be himself again.
“Okay, okay.” She got to her knees and operated the panel that masked the secret opening. It slid back silently, revealing disaster. The walls and ceilings were partially obscured by layers of drifting smoke. They had to get out of there.
Startled, Ulysses twisted from her grasp and disappeared into the smoke, barking.
“No!”
She started to rise from her crawl on the floor. Thicker, acrid vapor made her gag and drop back down. Tears blinded her further. There was no way she’d be able to spot her little dog in that swirling, glowing haze. If he didn’t come back to her, the poor baby was going to die! And it was her fault.
Rasping, gagging, Jamie did her best to scream, “Ulysses?” He didn’t respond. Was it already too late?
Brokenhearted, she started to inch farther into the thick of things, moving by feel and hoping that her next reach might be long enough to touch his soft fur.
She could not give up. Not as long as there was one more breath left to keep her moving. Coughs racked her body, aching all the way to her ribs and beyond. Thoughts of her parents and brother, R.J., swirled in her mind, and confusion surrounded her, beginning to deaden the pain.
Then, suddenly, she was grasped around the waist and jerked sideways.
Fighting spirit returned. Jamie kicked and struck out at her captor. She even managed a feeble screech.
Spots of bright light flickered in her distorted vision and she felt as if she were floating. Cradled in powerful arms, she heard the strong beating of a heart.
Brightness abruptly bathed her face and she wondered if this was the phenomenon often reported by those having near-death experiences.
Surrendering, she laid her head against the shoulder of her captor and slipped into unconsciousness.
* * *
It had been several years since Shane Colton had practiced CPR but everything came back to him in a rush. He laid the woman on the ground, tilted her head to make sure her airway was clear, then pressed his lips to hers and delivered several rescue breaths before checking her pulse.
“Ambulance is almost here,” Harlan shouted. “Is she alive?”
To Shane’s immense relief he was able to reply, “Yes!”
“I oughta slap the cuffs on you for pullin’ a stunt like that,” the sheriff said. “What would your little boy do if his daddy went and got himself killed? Huh? You ever think of that?”
Shane shook his head. Harlan was absolutely right. A single parent needed to be extra careful. He would never purposely endanger Kyle’s future. The poor little guy had been too small to miss his mother much after she’d left them, but losing his only remaining parent would be devastating, even though he’d still have loving grandparents.
“I wasn’t thinking. I just did what I thought was necessary,” Shane said.
“How’d you find the victim in all that smoke?”
“Heard a dog barking,” Shane told him. “You got any water in your car?”