A Soldier Finds His Way Read Online Free PDF Page A

for us. I’ll never forget you for that.” She faltered as tears streamed down her face.
     
     

Chapter 4
     
    Edward warmed his back near the fire while Audra dozed in a fitful sleep. Zoe slept soundly beside her, unbothered by Audra’s twitching and moaning. Should he wake her, or let her sleep? She was breathing, and that was what mattered right now, and no one was screaming or crying.
    Audra jerked, and cried out in her sleep. “Zoe!”
    Zoe woke with a start and shook Audra. “Wake up, you’re dreaming. Everything’s okay.”
    Edward rushed over to them. “The kid is right. You were dreaming. You’re okay, and Zoe’s okay. That must have been quite a dream you were having.”
    Audra put her good arm around Zoe and wept into the child’s hair. “I was dreaming about hitting the snowbank and—”
    “What were you doing out on that road in this weather anyway?”
    “I was bringing Zoe to my house for a few days. Vanessa and Mike, her parents, were going to come and get her and take her back home. They moved into their new house a few months ago, and I’d only been there once before. I nearly got lost driving there, so I bought a GPS to help me get back home. It didn’t seem to be working properly. Maybe I didn’t have it set up right.” Her shoulder lifted in a shrug.
    “As the weather got worse, the satellite signal kept getting lost, and so did I. I was also frustrated with the GPS because it seemed to be sending me away from the main roads. A few times it told me to make right-hand turns onto one-way streets going the opposite direction.”
    “It sounds like maybe you had it set for pedestrian travel instead of vehicle travel.”
    “Maybe you’re right. That would explain what was going on.” She nodded. “At first the snow wasn’t too bad and I pressed on. We ended up on a narrow, winding road with nowhere to pull over or turn around. When I rounded a curve, the road was blocked with snow and rocks. I hit the brakes, but it was too late. I remember going airborne.”
    Zoe’s eyes widened. “It was scary.”
    “I’m sorry, sweetie. Thank God you didn’t get hurt.” Audra kissed Zoe’s cheek and looked back at Edward. “The next thing I remember is waking up here in this chair.”
    Edward stayed silent. If she needed to say more and get it off her chest, he’d let her.
    Audra brought her hand up to her neck and rubbed it as if she’d just survived a hanging or other near-death experience. “It happened so fast. I guess that’s what everyone says when they’ve been in an accident. One minute you’re singing a silly song. The next moment your heart stops beating. But God—”
    “But God?”
    “You know sometimes you make plans but God changes them. Or something horrible is about to happen but God changes the circumstances. I don’t think you simply happened to be in these woods, with that particular dog and her supersonic hearing, at the precise moment my car decided to swan-dive into the river. Do you?”
    “ Pfft. Gimme a break. If God was watching out for you, why’d He let you get lost and tumble into the river in the first place? If He’d have done His job and kept you on the right roads, or told you not to start out from your sister’s house right from the get-go, you’d be cozied up with your family right now instead of out here in the middle of the woods, all banged up, ruining my peace and quiet.”
    “I’m sorry about that part, but I certainly don’t blame God for what happened.”
    Edward rolled his eyes, walked away, and grumbled under his breath. “Great, just great, another Holy Roller. Just what I need. It’s bad enough I have to put up with our medic and all his hallelujahs and praise the Lords. Am I some sort of magnet for these people?”
    “Hey, excuse me, where’s the bathroom?” Zoe asked.
    “Come on. I’ll show you.”
    She popped out of the recliner and followed him.
    “Where’s the sink?” She wrinkled her nose and spun.
    “You have to