Bluebonnet Bride by Colleen Coble

Author:Colleen Coble [Coble, Colleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2014-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

Still smiling, Elli unlocked the door and pushed it open. The first thing that struck her was the faint scent of something smoky and sweet. Tobacco. But Nathan didn’t smoke, and he hadn’t been in the house anyway.

When Hannah started to dart inside, she grabbed the child’s shoulder and pulled her back. “Would you feed the kitty for me, honey? His food is in the garden shed.”

Hannah brightened and dashed around the side of the house with her blue shirt flying behind her. Ellie stepped into the entry and looked around. It appeared as though everything they owned was on the floor. Piles of clothing lay strewn in heaps in the doorway to the bedroom. Shoes and boots were upended as though someone had shaken them out. In a daze, she walked toward the kitchen. It was the same situation in that room. Pie plates and iron skillets lay on the floor, and every dish towel had been pulled from the drawer. The pie-safe doors hung open, and the shelves were emptied of their contents. Piles of sugar and flour lay in white drifts like snow.

She stood with her mouth gaping until she realized whoever had done this could still be inside. Her breath came hard in her chest as she bolted for the front door. She had to stop Hannah from coming in here. The destruction would frighten the child even if the intruder was long gone.

Was that a creak from the bedroom? Her mouth went dry, but she reached the front of the house and rushed out onto the porch as Hannah came skipping up the walk.

The little girl stopped when she saw Elli’s face. Her gaze darted past Elli. “I want Uncle Nathan.”

Though the little girl weighed forty pounds, Elli scooped her up and ran for the Becker house. Hannah didn’t struggle but wrapped skinny arms around Elli’s neck and clung tightly as if she understood the urgency. They practically crushed Hannah’s wooden doll between them. She reached Abby’s porch and rushed to the door where she rang the doorbell. Through the window she caught a brief glimpse of a male form inside heading to the back of the house.

Abby, her brown hair hanging onto her shoulders, appeared moments later with a smile that quickly faded after one glance at Elli. “Whatever is the matter?” She opened the screen door wide. “Come in. You look as though you are about to faint.”

Elli did feel a little light-headed. She set Hannah down and hurried inside with a final fearful glance back at her house. The aroma of freshly baked bread hung in the air. “Someone was in our house. I need to call Nathan. And the police. Is your father here?”

“No, my brother was, but he just left.” Abby clucked her tongue, then shut the door and locked it. “Again? What is going on in this neighborhood?” She seized Elli’s arm and guided her into the parlor.

Lace doilies covered the arms of the red sofa and tan chairs, and Abby’s crocheting lay on the middle sofa.

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