Free Dreaming Of You by Marie Higgins Page A

concentrated on becoming more active to help keep her mind off Shane. The undecided weather turned the fierce winds too chilly for golfing—a pastime she’d taken up in the past few months—but she still enjoyed horseback riding with some of her friends from church. Late at night, Katelyn visited her brother’s family, or her sister’s family. Katelyn didn’t want to be alone because that’s the time Shane invaded her mind.
    She thought about trying to write a new book, but the stress of her life lately had created a new stress—writer’s block. What other excuse could she have for not thinking of one single word to write? She hadn’t been this unorganized since she first started writing, and it scared her. For writers, this was the kiss of death!
    There had to be something she could do to take her mind off that man. Just the other day, her sister, Stacey, had suggested Katelyn come help her at the preschool she owned, and lately, Katelyn had been tempted to take her sister up on that offer. Katelyn would probably never have kids of her own, so this would be a good chance to enjoy being around children.
    She slipped on her coat and hurried outside to her jeep. The piece of junk still gave her problems, and she impatiently waited for the publishing company to pay her so she could get another vehicle.
    It took a couple of minutes for the old clunker to rattle to life. She pushed on the gas pedal, gunning the engine for more power. When she felt sure it wouldn’t stop on her, she put it in gear and backed out of the driveway.
    Halfway to her sister’s house, the jeep chugged fitfully. Katelyn quickly pulled over on the side of the road, but mere seconds later the engine coughed with its last ounce of strength and died.
    “You useless piece of tin.” She pumped the gas pedal several times, trying to start the jeep.
    With a defeated sigh, she slumped against the steering wheel and looked out the window. Rain threatened in the forecast and the thick gray clouds testified that soon there’d be a downpour. She couldn’t be stranded in a raging storm. It was just her luck that she’d forgotten to charge her cell phone this morning, too. The wind had chilled the air already, and icy drops were soon to follow. No matter how she tried to analyze this, she was stuck in this weather.
    The thought occurred to her to get out and look under the hood, but what if someone pulled over and tried to help? People around this area were not exactly model citizens. Then again, what if nobody offered? There was no other choice. She would have to walk to the nearest store and use their phone to call for help.
    Growling in protest, she opened the door and jumped out. She sighed heavily and turned to look up the street as a car passed. She glanced in the opposite direction, trying to decide which way would be the shortest route to a store. She’d call Mike. Her dear brother would come to her rescue. Again.
    Overhead, thick gray clouds grew darker by the second. After taking two steps away from the vehicle, the first drops of rain touched her face. Suddenly, the blasting winds swept underneath her coat, chilling her. Clutching her coat like a shield, she buried her chin into her knitted scarf, and proceeded to find a store.
    As the rain increased, so did her steps, and within minutes, the storm had completely drenched her. Inwardly, she boiled with anger, but it didn’t make her any warmer. She wanted to cry in frustration. Nobody would be able to tell the difference between her tears and the rain.
    A truck passed by before the driver hit the brakes and pulled to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Bright twin red taillights flashed on the new Toyota crew-cab. Her heart hammered in panic. She didn’t know anyone who drove a truck like this. With her luck, it was probably someone out to hurt her. She said a quick prayer that the person would be nice…and someone who could help her.
    The door opened and a tall, broad-shouldered man