Random Acts Read Online Free PDF Page B

romances. It made sense to get married when I graduated because I was being deployed.”
    Danielle nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line. A sheen of something he couldn’t quite identify shone in her eyes.
    “It is nice to see you.” He reached out. This time he was able to squeeze her forearm. Had he sensed a quiet trembling?
    “Nice to see you too.” Danielle slipped past him. “It’s chilly out here.” She rubbed her hands down her arms. “I need to see if Gram is ready to go to the hospital.” She disappeared into the house, leaving him standing in the cold.

Chapter Four
    Danielle climbed into her childhood bed and pulled the covers to her chin, relieved to be alone. The trip to the hospital had left her exhausted and emotionally spent. Gram had nearly fainted when she had seen Jenny’s bruised face and battered body. The fleeting nature of life was never more evident than when Danielle stood by her sister’s hospital bed with her grandmother who suddenly seemed older than her years.
    Danielle hated to admit it, but Patrick had been a huge comfort since this ordeal had begun. He had shown such warmth and compassion to both her and her grandmother. The familiar pangs of guilt twisted her insides. How had she moved away without a second thought, abandoning the only woman who had shown her love? The reality of the situation had become clear. Jenny needed her. Gram needed her.
    But she had responsibilities in Atlanta.
    Danielle flipped over her pillow and punched it. She curled up on her side and pressed her eyes closed. Sleep eluded her.
    She wasn’t sure how long she had been lying there dozing when suddenly she opened her eyes. Adrenaline surged through her veins. The blood in her ears roared, deafening her. Sucking in deep breaths, she struggled to shake the nauseating mix of panic and confusion. The obscure outlines in the darkened room were as disorienting as the jolt of emotions swirling through her system. Where was she? And what had startled her out of a fitful sleep?
    Danielle pushed up on her elbow and blinked. The forms in the bedroom took shape. Ah, my childhood bedroom . The thick branches of the oak tree outside her window swayed in the wind, a few thin branches clacking against the exterior wall. The old windows rattled in their frames.
    The large red letters on the digital clock read 3:33 . Danielle lay back down and pulled the covers up, trying to get comfortable, but she feared she’d never get back to sleep, not with the events of the past twenty-four hours crowding in on her again.
    She rubbed a hand across her eyes and tossed back the scratchy sheets. Why bother pretending? Her nerves were on overdrive. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and braced herself for the inevitable chill of the cold hard wood on her bare feet. Some things you never forgot. Her townhouse had plush carpeting in the bedroom.
    She glanced toward the bathroom adjoining this room with her sister’s. Her sister… “Jenny, where were you going? What made you run off the road?” Tears burned the back of her eyes. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Things always seemed much worse in the dark of night.
    An idea struck her. One she should have considered earlier if her brain hadn’t been frazzled. Between her sister’s accident and seeing Patrick again, she hadn’t thought of her sister’s cell phone. Maybe there was a record of a phone call prior to her going out. She scratched her forehead. Did it really matter where Jenny was going? It wouldn’t change the outcome. But it was just like her to try to put everything in a neat little box.
    A crash sounded through the quiet air.She froze, still seated on the edge of the bed. Tiny pinpricks swept across her scalp. The strumming of her pulse in her ears made it impossible to hear. A thud vibrated the cold floor beneath her feet. Swallowing hard, she felt for her cell phone on the nightstand. Her clumsy movements knocked it to the wood floor with