Jingle of Coins by C D Ledbetter Read Free Book Online Page A

making sure to stay in the far right lane. The pull of gravity and the weight of the small trailer she towed increased her speed. She watched in horror as the speedometer inched toward 70 mph.
    Not again! Please, dear God—not again! Panic-induced adrenalin gave her the courage to unclamp her hands from the steering wheel and shift the transmission into a lower gear. She didn’t dare take her eyes off the road, but from the corner of her eye she could see the rocky slope climbing upward on her right. Huge boulders of all sizes and angles stuck out from the mountainside, and she prayed that she could keep her car from veering off the road into one of them. Time stretched like the sides of a rubber band as her car sped down the steep incline. Just when she felt her resolve evaporating, she reached safety in the form of the blessedly flat road at the bottom.
    She’d done it! She’d made it safely down that stretch of living hell that masqueraded as a road! Her shirt stuck to her body like a clammy hand, even though the air conditioner was on full blast. Her hands ached from the death grip she’d kept on the steering wheel, and her stomach felt like a volcano ready to erupt. Unable to control the acid that rose to the back of her throat, she pulled onto the first dirt road she saw, flung open the car door, and threw up.
    Her hands trembled as she pulled the door shut to block out the waves of afternoon heat that threatened to overpower her. Even the dust particles felt like fragments of hot coals striking her skin; the outside temperature had to be at least a hundred and twenty degrees. Her temples throbbed and daggers of pain shot across her skin. She gingerly massaged her scalp and took two pain tablets to stave off a full-blown migraine. Looking at the reflection in her outside mirror, she shivered and vowed to never again make the drive down that mountain. Navigating one six percent grade in her lifetime was more than enough.
    The pain eased off as she rested her head against the steering wheel. Then, out of habit, she checked the dashboard gauges and noted that the temperature gauge was close to the overheated zone. Biting her lip, she turned off the air conditioner and rolled down the window before pulling back into the flow of traffic. Five miles later the needle still hadn’t moved, and common sense overrode her desire to complete the journey as quickly as possible. Much as she hated to, she’d have to stop at one of the casinos and wait for the engine to cool off. She glanced out the window and sighed. There was nothing but sand, cactus, and heat in every direction. In the distance she could see the sign for Toby Joe’s Casino. It would do nicely. Casinos were air-conditioned; she could cool off as well as the car.
    As Emily stepped through the glass doors and into the foyer of Toby Joe’s, cool air caressed her parched skin. She glanced around quickly, then, instead of heading for the slot floor, opted for a small table in the back of the Gilded Saddle Steakhouse. The tingling in her temples subsided after she sipped her second glass of iced tea, and she realized it had been a good idea to take a break.
    She glanced around for a clock, but there was none. Time didn’t exist in casino restaurants anymore than it did on the gambling floor. She reached into her purse and pulled out her watch. Only thirty minutes had passed. She’d probably need to wait another hour. In the intense desert heat, the engine would not cool quickly.
    Ignoring the temptation to utilize her talent in the casino, she spent the next hour browsing through the gift shops and various antique car displays. When she paused at the entrance to brace herself for the heat wave that would surely engulf her the moment she went out, her arms and legs felt as if they had weights tied onto them, a sure sign that her fragile reserve of energy was fading. She’d been on the road since six this morning, and it wouldn’t be long before she’d have to