When Love Finds a Home Read Online Free PDF Page A

on the defroster. "The interstates are probably closed by
now, so we'll have to take the long way home." She gave Rona further
directions.
    "So what happens if it
really snows tonight?" Rona asked.
    "The city will shut down,
basically."
    Rona chuckled.
    "I take it you're not
from here?" Anna asked.
    "No. I was born and
raised in Port Austin, Michigan. That's located on the tip of the thumb,"
she replied. "My great-great-grandparents were from Norway."
She gave Anna a mocking smile and was certain she saw her blush before she
turned away.
    "Sorry, I guess I got a
little carried away with the genealogy," Anna said. "What did you
mean by the tip of die thumb?"
    "Michigan is shaped like
a mitten." Rona held up her hand to demonstrate. "Port Austin is
right about here." She wiggled her thumb.
    "That's interesting. I'd
never noticed that before," Anna admitted.
    They rode in silence while
Rona struggled to think of something to talk about. She didn't want to give
Anna time to dwell on the kids.
    Anna spoke first. "I
really appreciate you driving me home. I could have called one of my brothers,
but they would have read me the riot act for working so late. They mean well,
but sometimes they can get overly protective. When we get to the house, I'll
call a cab and have it take you home."
    Rona couldn't stop the look of
disgust she sent Anna's way. This time there was a definite blush.
    "Or a shelter," Anna
hastened to add.
    Rona shook her head and
answered without thinking. "Oh no. I'm not spending the night in one of
those places."
    Anna glanced at her.
"It's supposed to drop well below freezing tonight."
    Despite the warmth of the car,
Rona couldn't stop the shiver that ran up her spine. "There are worse
things than freezing to death. I tried staying in one of the shelters in Austin
one night, and the men seemed to think all the women were there for their
pleasure."
    "All the shelters aren't
that way, are they?" Anna asked.
    "I don't know and I don't
intend to find out." Rona said.
    "The sleet is getting
worse. No one should be out in this tonight." Anna was quiet for several
seconds. "You pulled me out of a bad spot back there." She seemed on
the verge of saying more when a small sneeze erupted in the backseat.
    "Is she sick?" Anna
asked.
    "No," Tammy replied
quickly. "She just sneezed."
    Anna continued to look over
her shoulder for several seconds. "Are they twins?" she asked.
    "I'm Katie and that's
Karla."
    In the rearview mirror, Rona
saw Tammy pull the girls closer to her.
    "How old are you?"
Anna directed her question to Katie.
    Apparently, Tammy had
communicated some silent signal to Katie to be quiet. "They're four,"
Tammy replied reluctantly.
    "My youngest brother has
twins. They just turned five." She turned around and stared through the
windshield.
    They rode in silence except
for the few times Anna gave directions. The sleet was still falling steadily,
but Rona felt completely at ease in driving. It felt good to do something so
normal. When she got her life straightened out again, and found a job that
offered vacations, her first vacation was going to be a long road trip, all
alone on the road, no blaring music, none of those books on tape crap, just the
sweet sound of tires on pavement.
    "Turn left at the next
light."
    Rona turned and drove beneath
a large stone archway holding a wooden sign for Stone Brook Estates. The bottom
of the arch was hidden by a thick stand of shrubs.
    Streetlights resembling the
old carriage lights lined both sides of the street. The neatly kept homes were
tucked away behind expertly trimmed hedges and large oak trees. In this area
there were no cars parked on the streets. Reflective signs, tastefully
displayed, warned anyone with ill intentions that a neighborhood watch program
was in place.
    "Take a left and then a
quick right at the next block," Anna said.
    Rona followed her directions.
    "It's the third house on
the right." As soon as the car pulled into the driveway, Anna reached up
and