Read TEXAS ROADS (A Miller's Creek Novel Book 1) for Free Online

betrayed. “Maybe some other time.” Dani drained the rest of the creamy liquid then forced a smile. “Did I tell you I’m thinking about leaving Dallas? Starting over?”
    Her aunt’s features clouded. “I understand about wanting to start over, but make sure you’re not running away. Problems have a way of following you wherever you go.”
    “Sounds like you speak from experience.”
    “I do. Pray about it first.”
    She set her cup on the wicker table and released a half-laugh. “Prayer doesn’t seem to help me much.”
    “What makes you say that?”
    A bitter taste uncoiled in her mouth. “My prayers seem to go unnoticed.”
    “That’s not true.” Her aunt’s sharpened words sliced the air.
    “Then you must have more faith than I do.” Not that it would take a lot.
    Aunt Beth’s eyebrows wrinkled in the center. “You don’t believe in God?”
    “I believe there is a God. I’m just not sure he cares about me. All I ever wanted was a home and family, but…” Her throat clogged with a salty lump of tears.
    Sorrow-filled pain flared in her aunt’s eyes. “I know what you’re feeling, Dani. Trust me, I’ve been there. Life’s confusing and hard, but running away from God only makes it worse. He’ll help you through this if you let Him.”
    “I wish I could believe it.” She blinked against a rush of emotion.
    “Do you blame God for what’s happened?”
    Would her aunt understand? Would God? “I guess in some ways I do. If He’s God, then why doesn’t He bring a stop to evil in the world?”
    “There’s not an easy answer to that question.” The older woman pursed her lips and leaned forward to refill Dani’s empty cup with the cream-colored liquid. “Not that it’s any consolation, but people have been asking the same question for thousands of years.”
    Dani waited for her to elaborate.
    Her aunt didn’t let her down. “Ever heard of Job?”
    She rotated toward her aunt and pulled one knee close to her chest, relieved the conversation had moved in a different direction. “The guy with all the patience?”
    Aunt Beth’s hearty laughter rang out in the still night. “You mean all the impatience.” She silenced momentarily, a chorus of crickets filling in. “Oh, I guess he was patient in that he endured the horrible things God allowed in his life.”
    “Like what?”
    “He lost his children and livestock, his wealth. He was even covered from head to toe with painful sores.”
    A shudder crept down her spine. “See? That’s my point. If God loves us so much, why would He allow that to happen?”
    “He had confidence in Job.”
    “I hope He never gets confidence in me.” She muttered the words and bent down to retrieve the cup of hot chocolate as a giggle erupted from her aunt.
    “At least the story ends on a happy note. God healed Job and restored his fortune.”
    Dani shook her head. “Still don’t buy it.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because the story doesn’t explain why God allowed it to happen in the first place. Does He enjoy watching me suffer?”
    “We’ve all suffered, Dani. You’re not the only one.” The words were soft, but firm. “Maybe this will help explain it. What would the world be like if everything was wonderful all the time? No bad weather, no sad events, no ugliness or pain. No sorrow.”
    Well, that was a no-brainer. “Perfect.”
    “Oh, really? You know any perfect people?”
    Her eyebrows shot up. “No.” What was Aunt Beth after?
    “Exactly my point.” Her aunt leaned closer. “Even if things were perfect, we’d mess it up because we’re not. That’s what happened at the beginning of time. Everything God made was good. Man’s the one who messed it up, and we’ve been blaming God for it ever since.”
    A rounded edge of moon peeked above the wispy clouds. She sensed the wisdom in her aunt’s words. “But why can’t bad things just happen to bad people?”
    “You ever watch a butterfly hatch?”
    “Of course. We watch them hatch