Chapters (50)
- Dedication
- About This Book
- CHAPTER ONE
- CHAPTER TWO
- CHAPTER THREE
- CHAPTER FOUR
- CHAPTER FIVE
- CHAPTER SIX
- CHAPTER SEVEN
- CHAPTER EIGHT
- CHAPTER NINE
- CHAPTER TEN
- CHAPTER ELEVEN
- CHAPTER TWELVE
- CHAPTER THIRTEEN
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- CHAPTER NINTEEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY
- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
- CHAPTER THIRTY
- CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
- CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
- CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
- CHAPTER FORTY
- CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
- CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
- CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
- CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
- CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
She waved as they chugged away from the parking lot. They’d teamed up with two other boats and between the three tiny vessels had nearly cleared Mistletoe Avenue and Holly Alley. There were two more homes to clear before they could move on to another street.
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SIX
Noah squinted against the wind and the rain and fought to keep the bow of the canoe pointed in the right direction. He’d slogged through eighteen inches of water to meet up with his fire chief who couldn’t verify if any of his crew had made it to Mrs. Pringle’s house. A neighboring town’s search and rescue team was on its way, but with water still rising in the downtown, Noah wasn’t taking any chances.
He’d left Sara in the house with the dozen displaced neighbors they’d opened the doors to. A veritable river separated them from the old high school building that was acting as a shelter. Sara was more than happy to play hostess, and he’d left her making her “famous tuna salad” for their new roommates.
He’d liberated a canoe from the back of a neighbor’s garage and pushed off into the murk and mud. Mrs. Pringle’s home was only five blocks over, an easy walk on a pretty day. However, paddling through debris and current slowed him down considerably.
His hands were white knuckled on the oar as the rain, and cold bit at every gap in his rain jacket and pants. The water was higher and faster on the lower end of town, and he lost valuable time when the current plowed him through a hedge row.
He hoped to God that Mrs. Pringle had been talked into going to a neighbor’s house. But the woman was beyond stubborn. Round and soft, she fit the grandmother type to a tee. Her hair still had more black than silver in it and she always wore a hat to church on Sundays. Her vocabulary was sprinkled with southernisms like “lawd a’ mercy!” Everyone loved her. Hell, Noah adored her, and she doted on Sara as if she was one of her eleven grandbabies. There were always cookies in her house, always a donation ready for whoever knocked on her door selling candles or candy. She was everyone’s granny.
She’d been wheelchair bound for about ten years now. Volunteers from town had gotten together to build the ramp in front of the house she shared with Mr. Pringle. Noah remembered helping. He’d been twenty-two. Fresh out of college and juggling a wife, a new career as a public servant, and his toddler.