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bad relationships with some loser or another.  Her entire existence was dependent on having a man, any man, by her side.
    Although she was only in her mid-thirties, she looked ten years older.  Her cropped hair was dried out from years of unhealthy living, and her face prematurely wrinkled from too much sun and cigarette smoke. 
    My heart hardened at the sight of her.  I remembered how quickly she and Marshall had moved out of their crummy little trailer at the edge of town to live in her brother’s house with the excuse of caring for her orphaned niece. 
    “You’re wrong about that, Aunt Connie.  Mom and Dad had other plans for Ember.  And you aren’t part of them,” Timmy said.
    Aunt Connie’s eyes narrowed, but Marshall’s groan got her attention.
    She tightened her arm around him.  Before she struggled with his weight out of the room, she said in a quiet voice, “This ain’t over, kids.  Not by a long shot.”
    Marshall’s sick smile made my skin crawl before he disappeared around the corner. 
    Then I threw up.
     
    Hebrews 13:2
    Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. 
     
    Ember ~ Four
    “H e’s not going to kill my dog.”
    I glanced at Timmy from the couch that was strategically placed by the back window.  It gave me a clear view of the barn and pasture. Angus was beside me, his head resting on my lap.  The dog was oblivious to the conversation about his life expectancy. 
    Timmy rubbed his hand over his newly buzz-cut hair in agitation.
    “No one’s going to kill Angus,” he said firmly.
    When Chloe spoke, her voice had a whining quality that grated on my last nerve.
    “But, Tim, you know how Marshall is.  He won’t let this matter rest.  I can just imagine him getting smashed some night and shooting the dog himself.”
    “That’s enough.  Don’t talk like that in front of Ember,” Timmy scolded.
    Chloe nodded nervously.  Her face was pale, probably from wiping up Marshall’s blood.  I had cleaned my own mess, but I told Timmy that I’d jump in front of a train before I took care of Marshall’s. 
    “I’m surprised the cops aren’t here already,” I mumbled, stroking Angus’ head.   
    Silence and thick tension filled the room. I turned away from Timmy and stared out the window into the backyard.  Our resident squirrel was climbing into the bird feeder, a miniature replica of our barn, for an easy afternoon meal.  Dad had always hated that squirrel for raiding the bird feeder every day.  The memory brought the whisper of a smile to my mouth thinking how he had tried to deter it with all kinds of gadgets that had never even remotely worked. 
    I looked past the feeder to the field beyond.  Cricket was grazing near the fence, and in that instant, she looked up at the house and whinnied.  The sight of her triggered a ripple of confidence to grow inside of me.   
    “There’s a way to save Angus,” Timmy said.  He walked across the room swiftly and knelt before me. “That’s why I came over actually. I had something important to tell you. Now it seems like it was all meant to be.”
    Every inch of me tingled in anticipation as I rubbed Angus’ fur harder, waiting for Timmy to speak again. 
    Chloe interrupted.  “This is crazy.  What are you thinking, sending her down there to live with a stranger?” Chloe shrieked. 
    While I stared at her, the last thing she had said boomed in my head. 
    Live with a stranger?
    “It’s what Mom and Dad wanted.  Now let me talk to Ember about it,” Timmy said, ignoring the exaggerated roll of Chloe’s eyes. 
    He turned to me. “Do you remember that time when you were about six or seven and we went down to the Smoky Mountains to visit Aunt Ila?”
    Of course I did.  Mom had told us that Aunt Ila wasn’t really related to us at all, just an old family friend.  But I never did forget how the woman had stared at me with emerald eyes, holding my hands tightly