Free A Treasury of Miracles for Teens by Karen Kingsbury Page A

Otherwise, why did he help her serve meals at the homeless shelter in nearby Cottonwood each Tuesday night?
Whatever it takes, Lord,
she would pray.
Just make him believe in you. Whatever it takes.
    Kara thought about that prayer now as she took a quick look at Shane. They’d only been driving ten minutes and already he
     was sound asleep. He was so cute, she thought. So tall compared to the other junior guys.
    She stared at the freeway ahead of her. She’d been driving for almost a year and already this stretch of interstate felt as
     familiar to her as the streets around her home. Her sister was in her first year at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff,
     so Kara and her parents had made the trip often. Especially that past year.
    Kara drew in a slow breath and felt herself relax. The interstate was wide and safe, but utterly remote. There were stretches
     where she would drive fifteen miles without even an exit to break up the monotony. A monotony that was worse at night when
     the Arizona desert spread out on either side of her, vast and pitch dark.
    A yawn came out of Kara and then another. Kara shook her head and slapped her cheeks lightly. Shewas more tired than she’d thought. She turned on the radio and opened her window a crack.
There … that oughta do the trick.
    And it did for another ten minutes. But less than halfway home, she closed her eyes for just a moment and her head began to
     drop. Suddenly she jerked it back up again, her eyes wide open, her heart racing. What had she almost done? She shot a look
     at her speedometer. She was going seventy-five miles per hour. If she’d fallen asleep… She couldn’t finish the thought. If
     she were that tired, she’d have to pull off the side of the road and get some ice water, anything to keep her awake. But how
     many miles would it be until then? Ten? Twenty?
    “Come on, Lord.” She whispered the words, her heart pounding so hard it was difficult for her to speak. “Keep me awake. Just
     until the next rest stop.”
    Less than a minute later, Kara felt herself nod off again. At about the same time, she saw flashing lights in her rearview
     mirror. She swallowed hard as she realized the lights belonged to a police car. Great. I
must’ve been swerving.
Again, her heart raced. Thank you, God … even if I’m in trouble. At least I didn’t kill us.
    As Kara pulled over, she wondered where the officer had come from. There had been no traffic on the interstate for miles,
     and the area she was traveling was practically deserted. Kara looked down and remembered that she was driving barefoot. Shethought about reaching into the backseat and grabbing her shoes, but it was too late. She poked at Thane as she parked the
     car on the side of the road.
    “What … where are we?” He opened his eyes and squinted as he saw the flashing lights behind them.
    “I got pulled over.” She rolled down the window and waited for the officer to approach.
    As nervous as Kara was, her relief was greater. She was wide awake now, but what would’ve happened if the officer hadn’t pulled
     her over? A uniformed man walked toward her car and shone a flashlight just high enough so he could see her face. Kara had
     never been pulled over before. She hoped her parents would understand.
    “Good evening, Officer,” Kara said as the patrolman stopped beside her open window.
    “Are you alright?” The officer bent over and looked at Kara. Something about his face seemed peaceful, almost unearthly. She
     noticed that his badge number read 37—the same number she wore for her high school’s basketball team.
    “Yes, sir. I’m fine.”
    The officer laughed. “Go ahead and put your shoes on. You’ll be safer that way.”
    Kara felt her heart skip a beat. Her shoes? How had the officer known about her shoes? Beside her, Thane reached into the
     backseat, grabbed her pumps, and handed them to her. She shot him a silent thank-you and slipped them on. But beforeshe could ask the