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I’m just frazzled and need to get out of this traffic.”
    There was angry silence on the other side before Estelle finally replied, “You’re always so stubborn. Never listening to me! You should stay on the interstate.”
    â€œMom, I need a little more peace than this traffic is going to give me.”
    â€œFine! Call me in an hour.”
    â€œI will.”
    â€œI’m just looking after you because I love you.”
    â€œI know, I just…” Mackenzie braked as she came to the intersection where she needed to turn onto US-79. “I have about a nine-hour trip ahead of me. I need to keep my head together.”
    â€œYes you do, Mackenzie,” Estelle said briskly. “Be careful.”
    Killing the call, Mackenzie stared through the fogged windshield at the falling rain. “This day cannot get any worse.”
    As lightning crackled through the black clouds overhead and thunder roared, Mackenzie drove along the narrow highway into the thick woods.

 
    CHAPTER 3
    The battered Ford sped along US-79,but Mackenzie felt safer now that she wasn’t in heavy traffic. For the last hour, she’d only seen a few other cars. The world streaming past her was filled with the lush green of the beautiful pine forests of East Texas. The road was a bit twisting at times, but she didn’t mind so much. The storm was now far behind and the sun peeked out through the tops of the trees.
    There was absolutely no cell service in the area, but her GPS still worked. Estelle would have a fit when she didn’t call, but Mackenzie really didn’t feel like talking to anyone anyway, especially her disapproving mother. For a while she had driven in silence, but it was too easy to torture herself with either fond memories of good times, or the terrible remembrances of the bad. Finally, she’d popped The Dixie Chicks into the CD player and sang along with gusto. It helped alleviate the tightness in her chest, but her head still throbbed. The anxiety attack was finally lessening its hold on her battered mind.
    As Mackenzie guided her car along the winding two-lane highway, she felt a spark of excitement emerging from the darkness within her. The shadow of the last few months still lurked, but she could feel hope beginning to seep in. Maybe somehow she could find a way back to her old self. Tanner always said he loved her smile and her laugh. Maybe one day soon she could smile and laugh again. Before Tanner she’d had a fairly good life, and she could have one again. Though it would be hard living with Estelle at first, she could probably find her own place within a few weeks’ time. With her bookkeeping experience, she could probably get a job fairly easily through her mother’s connections.
    Mackenzie was driving around a wide curve when she saw three deer languidly walking across the asphalt. With a gasp, she hit the brake while spinning the wheel. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a clearing next to the road and aimed for it. The car skidded through grass, gravel, and dirt before coming to a hard stop before a dilapidated café.
    Heart pounding, Mackenzie stared at the deer standing a few feet from the car. The larger one with beautiful graceful horns scrutinized her with enormous brown eyes. It took a sharp step toward the car, slightly tilting its head. Mackenzie froze, uncertain of what was happening. The smaller one gave a sudden start and the three creatures dashed into the forest, vanishing into the green.
    Mackenzie shifted into park, listening to her wildly beating heart. She wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time, but sat in silence instead. The Dixie Chicks continued to sing, but the music and words seemed far away. The adrenaline rush left her feeling shaky and her hands on the steering wheel were visibly trembling.
    She’d been damn lucky.
    Images of alternative outcomes filled her mind’s eye. The car hitting the deer and one of them