Free The Light of His Sword by Alaina Stanford

way in a few minutes.”
    After swallowing the pills, Alyssa handed
Samantha the water and lay back down on the seat. The car was
getting cold sitting in the shade of the gas station. She laid her
head back on Samantha’s lap and reached up to snuggle with her. “I
love you,” She whispered, kissing her daughter’s cheek.
    “I love you too, mommy. Everything is going
to be okay. Gabe is very smart and brave. He’s a good driver too;
you should have seen him.” Samantha answered, glancing up as Gabe
slammed the hood shut.
    Gabe climbed into the car and started the
engine. It sputtered and jerked then began to run. They pulled out
onto the two-lane highway and headed into town. Gabe explained,
“The attendant said there is a farmer’s supply store a short
distance from here. We can buy a change of clothes and get you both
a coat. The weather’s getting colder; there’s going to be a frost
tonight.”
    The farmers market was inside a large, brick
building sitting just inside the city limits. The large blacktop
parking lot was filled with cars and trucks. Gabe helped Alyssa out
of the car. A wave of dizziness rushed over her but disappeared
quickly as she clung to his arm. The interior of the store smelled
of leather and animal musk. Alyssa’s head ached too much to be
impressed by the assortment of harnesses, saddles and hunting
supplies that filled the large store. Samantha spied the clothing
and pulled Alyssa toward the racks of jeans, plaid shirts and
cowboy hats. Gabe headed toward the back of the store as they
searched the racks.
    The variety of colors and textures thrilled
Samantha. She pulled several shirts from the rack and laid them
against her chest. “They have pink and blue mommy!” She gasped,
finding another.
    Alyssa fought against the pain in her head
and back. She forced herself to reach out and pull a shirt off the
rack for herself. They were listed by size, but the sizes made no
sense. What was size 5/6 and 7/8? Was that age? The children’s
clothing looked correct, although the 5/6 looked too small for
Samantha. The woman’s clothing had the same sizes; it just didn’t’
make sense. Deciding to ignore the sizes, she found a shirt that
looked right.
    Taking hold of Samantha’s hand, Alyssa led
her over to the skirts and pants. She pulled two suede skirts from
the rack for each of them. The material looked sturdy and warm. She
glanced around for Gabe. He was nowhere in sight. Noticing a closet
labeled dressing room, Alyssa headed toward it. A young woman
appeared beside them. Her name tag said Missy.
    “Feel free to try on the clothes.” Missy
instructed, pointing at the dressing room. “If they aren’t the
right size, just give me a holler and I’ll bring you a different
selection.”
    By the time Gabe returned, Missy had Alyssa
and Samantha fitted and changed. She brought them boots and took
them to try on coats. Missy’s smile broadened as Gabe approached.
Alyssa watched as Missy reached up and straightened her hair. She
adjusted her stance and squared her shoulders in response to the
handsome man standing before her.
    Gabe smiled back at her then turned to
Alyssa. “Good news! I just spoke to the owner. He also owns a
taxidermy business. There’s a new sporting goods store in St Louis,
and he’s got a huge shipment headed that way. Only his driver is
out sick.”
    Alyssa stared at him with a blank
expression, not understanding.
    Gabe explained, “We have a new vehicle. The
truck is loaded and ready to go. We’ll leave the car here, and I
can pick it up when I return the truck, after I get you settled at
your grandmothers.”
    “Taxidermy?” Samantha said with a frown.
    Gabe grinned at her and said, “See that deer
head over on the wall?”
    Samantha turned and stared at the mounted
deer. “Yes.”
    “Once the hunter shoots a deer and harvests
the meat, they take the head to a taxidermist who cleans it up so
they can mount it on the wall as a trophy.” Gabe explained as