🍑 Peach Blossom Bundle

Sample Chapter

MJ Goodrich sprinted to the end of the mile-long driveway that edged her mother’s rural Oklahoma peach orchard, then ran in place while waiting for her new friend Kelsey. Since tardiness was out of character for Kelsey, a glimmer of concern flickered through MJ. Her palm grazed the ugly scar on her abdomen, a nervous habit gained from a life-altering injury.

Down the highway to her right, where she expected to see Kelsey, mist blurred her mother’s orchard and the woodland beyond. Did Kelsey leave without her? She pivoted to the left to check their usual route. The sight of an opaque wall of fog stopped her legs and tightened her neck muscles.

"Maybe we shouldn’t go in there,” MJ’s shoulders and gut tightened. She slowed her pace and grabbed Kelsey’s elbow to guide her toward the grass beside the road. “I never saw fog like this in Arizona. Did you experience it wherever you’re from?”

Kelsey shook her arm from MJ’s grasp. “I don’t tell people where I’m from, but I’ve seen plenty of fog. If you’re not used to it, I can see why it might scare you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She stretched her long legs and sprinted away.

MJ stopped, confused. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t go.” Despite that, the reprieve eased the stiffness in her neck and shoulders.

Kelsey yelled over her shoulder as she disappeared into the fog. “It’s okay. I’m in the mood to be alone with my thoughts. See you tomorrow.”

“Don’t run in the middle of the road, okay?” An image of the bridge flashed through her brain. “Stay on the grass.”

Kelsey shouted something that MJ didn’t understand. As she shifted toward the dirt path she’d mentioned to Kelsey, a silver sedan passed, followed by a black tow truck. Seconds later, brakes screeched, a woman screamed, and something crashed against metal.

“Kelsey!” She ran toward the narrow bridge that spanned Kingfisher Creek. “Please, God, don’t let anyone hurt her.” She couldn’t fail another friend. “Please let her have switched to running on the grass beside the road.”

Penetrating the fog, she lost her bearings and tapped her foot to find the grassy area at the edge of the road. Stinky body odor approached from behind. Bony hands clamped her arms like a cold vise and dragged her across the pavement until her legs pumped in mid-air. The fingers let go. Her body took a bumpy roll down a wet slope that knocked the air from her lungs. Grass and pebbles tore her sleeves, skinned her elbows. She tasted blood. Struggled to inhale. Landed in icy water from her knees down. When she tried pushing up, her arms were too weak to hold her.

Peach Blossom Bundle

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