They went inside and she got Belle into a warmer sweater, then called out to her mom that she was leaving.

“I should be back a little after five,” she said. It was about an hour each way to the drop-off point. The charity in Seattle had arranged for her to meet a driver heading to Seattle at a truck stop on Highway 2. That saved her from having to make the five-hour drive to the city.

Once Belle was secure in the back seat, Reggie swung by the elementary school, where classes were just letting out. She spotted Harrison and honked. He came running toward her car.

“I can’t believe we’re finished with the project,” he said, hugging her before climbing into the back seat. “Belle! You came.”

“She insisted,” Reggie told him, making sure his seat belt was secure. “Once I told her you were coming, she wouldn’t stay home.”

She got behind the wheel and started her SUV. “Ready?”

“Uh-huh.” He looked around. “This is a lot of boxes.”

“It is. You did a good thing, Harrison. A lot of kids are going to have hats for Christmas. They’ll be warm and it’s because of you.”

He grinned at her. She smiled back, then checked for traffic before pulling out onto the street.

It only took a few minutes to head west on Pacific Silver Highway that would take them south to where they would meet up with Highway 2 and find the truck stop. Reggie had already texted with the driver she was meeting. Apparently the man traveled with a Chihuahua named Rex. He’d seemed very proud of his companion, and Reggie had refrained from texting back a picture of Belle. She didn’t want to give Rex a complex.

The snow had stopped the day before. Although it was due to start back up in the morning, for now the roads were relatively clear. She merged onto the highway and was careful to watch for icy patches. The temperature was plenty cold, and she wanted to stay safe.

She and Harrison talked about his day at school and how excited he was about Christmas. He told her he was too big to believe in Santa but they still put out their stockings every Christmas Eve.

“Dena and I do, as well,” Reggie told him with a laugh. “My mom insists, and honestly, I’d be disappointed if I didn’t wake up to a full stocking on Christmas morning.”

A truck sped past going about twenty miles an hour over the speed limit. Reggie watched the vehicle zip by. Whoever was driving was an idiot, she thought. It was going to get dark in an hour, and they’d just had their first snow of the season. Better to be cautious.

She checked her mirrors and saw another pickup coming up behind her. It was also going way too fast, and she felt a flicker of tension in her midsection.