Free Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble

Bend.”

9
    T HE THERMOMETER STOOD NEAR NINETY , BUT THE DESERT BREEZE WAS DRY AND BRISK . T HE girls were piled into the back of the Bluebird Ranch van, an older model that was neat and rust-free. Eden sat two seats back with one arm around Lacie and one arm around Katie. She relished the way the girls had taken to her.
    Zeke rode shotgun with Clay driving, and Della and Rita were in the back with the older girls. Clay turned into the lot by the park headquarters. The girls chattered excitedly, showing one another their cameras. He’d bought an inexpensive digital camera for each of them.
    “Everyone out,” he said, opening the van door.
    The girls squealed and jostled for the door. Eden counted heads.
    Clay led them onto a trail that had vegetation marked. “Here we are. I want you to walk single file. Zeke, you bring up the rear and make sure no one wanders off,” he said.
    Eden reluctantly let go of the small hands she’d been holding. “Look, there’s a roadrunner,” she said, pointing to the bird by the agave plant.
    The girls all shrieked, and before anyone could show them how to use a camera, the bird ran off into the desert. “I think we need a little lesson first,” she told Clay.
    He grinned and began instructions on the camera. Eden’s eyes glazed over when he started talking about picture composition and where to aim the camera. Her gaze wandered to the high peaks around the park. Though stark, the place was beautiful, but she wouldn’t want to be lost in the desert. It could be brutal. She saw something move by her foot and jumped out of the way as a tarantula lumbered by.
    Shuddering, she went to stand by Clay. She glanced around, counting heads once more. Wait, there was one missing. She counted again and realized Katie’s red hair was nowhere to be seen. “Clay, where’s Katie?”
    “I told her she could go to the bathroom.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the ranger building.
    “Not by herself!” she scolded.
    She jogged across the desert to the ladies’ room, where she found Katie washing her hands. Eden realized she might have overreacted. This was a family park, and the girl had only gone twenty or thirty feet to the bathroom. But she wanted no snakebites, no run-ins with any of the scary creatures that inhabited this desert.
    She took Katie’s hand to go back, but the little girl stopped and tugged her fingers free. “I forgot Button!”
    Button was the much-loved bear with the missing eye. “Where is he?” Eden asked.
    “I left him in the stall.” She pointed.
    “I’ll get him. Wait here.” Eden walked to the back stall and pushed it open. The bear was on the floor. Ick. Not very sanitary. She’d have to wash him when they got home. When she returned to Katie, she handed her the bear. “Let’s get back to taking pictures.”
    She pulled on the door handle but it seemed to be stuck. Frowning, she jerked on it again. What on earth?
    “You’re doing it wrong,” Katie said. She grabbed the handle and pushed. It didn’t budge.
    “Hang on a minute.” Eden stooped and peered through the crack in the door. “It appears to be locked. Maybe the janitor locked it accidentally.”
    But it was the middle of the afternoon. And they’d notified the rangers they were bringing a group of children today. She banged on the door. “Hello,” she called. “Can someone let us out?”
    She tried to keep panic out of her voice. Being locked in brought back too many memories from her childhood. Was there breathing on the other side of the door? The hair stood on the back of her neck as she listened. “Who’s there?”
    Silence. She was jumping at shadows. There was no one there. The faint stench of smoke came to her nose. She sniffed again. It was stronger now. Was the place on fire? It was all she could do not to beat on the door in panic.
    Katie tugged on her blouse. “Miss Eden, are you all right? You’re scaring me.”
    “I’m fine, honey.” Eden picked her up and