Chasing a Dream Read Online Free PDF

compliment caught Justin off guard, but he smiled his appreciation. “Thank you.” His voice sounded husky, and he cleared his throat before adding, “Your singing needs work.”
    Now Tess laughed, a lilting, beautiful sound, sweeter to his ears than Faith Hill’s ballad. His stomach chose that moment to growl loud enough to wake the dead.
    A grin still graced her lips when she faced him. “Hungry?”
    Chuckling, he ducked his head. “Yeah, how’d you guess?” Except for the peanut butter crackers he’d devoured last night for supper, he’d not eaten since breakfast the previous day.
    “Do you want to stop? There are several restaurants at this next exit.”
    “This is your show, so you pick. I’m just along for the ride.”
    His deferral to her preference seemed to startle her. “Well, uh, how about . . . hamburgers?” She made her suggestion tentatively, as if afraid to give the wrong answer.
    “Fine by me.”
    Puckering her brow, she added, “Can we make this quick? I don’t want to lose more time than we have to.”
    He shrugged. “Sure.”
    Why the rush? he wanted to ask but swallowed the question.
    As Tess took the exit and pulled in at a hamburger chain restaurant, Justin checked his cash reserves. He’d budgeted only so much money per week, needing his limited funds to last him until he reached Nashville and found employment somewhere. He’d have to maximize his lunch purchase with a minimum of outlay.
    Any crowd the restaurant might have had at lunchtime had dispersed hours ago, and the drizzling rain apparently kept any late afternoon snackers away. Tess pulled into the deserted parking lot and cut the engine.
    A frown darkened her face, and she bit her lip again. Only after she’d cast a wary glance around the empty lot did the tension in her expression relax. “I’m only going to use the restroom. I’ll meet you back here once you get your food, okay?”
    He reached back for his hat and gave her a nod. “Yes, ma’am.”
    She wrinkled her nose as she peeked up at the dripping clouds then opened her door with a sigh.
    Hustling out the passenger’s side, he splashed through the puddles, jogging toward the restaurant door beside her. They parted ways inside, and he stepped up to the counter to place his order.
    A minute later, while he waited for his hamburgers, he saw her leave the restroom and stop at the outside door to watch the rain a moment before venturing back to the truck.
    He glanced away only long enough to check the progress of the teenager filling his order, only long enough to see the girl stuff a bag of French fries in his sack and start wrapping his sandwiches. Then he looked back outside for Tess.
    And his heart lurched in horror.

CHAPTER THREE
     
     
    Tess hadn’t seen the man coming.
    One second she crossed the parking lot, keys in hand, eager to get out of the rain. The next second a strong hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her scream. Another hand snaked around her waist, and a brutish arm hauled her up against a stout body.
    Panic surged through her. Fear squeezed her chest. Her keys clattered to the pavement.
    “Get in the car,” a deep, menacing voice ordered. Something hard jabbed her side. She heard a loud click, like the cocking of a gun. The man thrust her toward a blue sedan.
    Acting on survival instinct alone, she twisted and fought as her captor shoved her toward the waiting car. Adrenaline strengthened her, but her certainty that she would die if she got in the sedan fueled her struggle.
    The man’s grip around her middle tightened. His gun dug deeper into her ribs. The hand over her mouth suffocated her, and her lungs burned with the need for air. Clawing at his hand, she prayed for deliverance, for oxygen. When he lifted her from her feet, she thrashed wildly. She kicked the knees of her captor in a desperate battle for her freedom.
    Suddenly, his grasp weakened. Asphalt bit her hands and knees as she crashed to the ground with a jarring thud.