Chapter Nineteen

THERE was actually a town. Not much of a town, but it had a gas station, a hotel, and a two-story brick-and-stone building with a sign in front that proclaimed it the Aspen Creek School. Beyond the school, tucked back in the

trees and barely visible from anywhere but the parking lot, was an old stone church. If not for Toby’s directions, she might have missed it. Lauren eased his big green truck through the church parking lot into a spot designed for a much smaller rig. It was the only place left. She hadn’t seen any houses, but there were a lot of trucks and other fourwheel-drive vehicles in the lot.

Toby’s truck was older than she was, but looked as if it were brand-new. It had been driven less than fifty thousand miles, if she wanted to believe the odometer about two thousand miles a year. Toby had told her he didn’t like driving.

She turned off the engine and watched anxiously as Toby opened his door and slid to the ground. The drop didn’t seem to bother him. The stain on his pink