Shield of Refuge by Carol Steward Read Free Book Online Page A

getting the bakery cases ready to fill with fresh pastries. “Unless the damage was pretty minor, I wouldn’t bet on it. My dad’s car took almost two months to fix after his accident.”
    Amber felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. This had been her grandparents’ business. The memories here went deep—too deep to let go so easily. Especially not over a broken-down vehicle. Nana Scott had been ecstatic when Amber had asked if she could buy the bakery from her. Though her parents argued that she needed to go back to college and finish her degree, Amber was convinced that this was God’s plan for her life. She was determined to prove to her parents that she could succeed without their help.
    Amber yawned. “I have no idea how long it will take,” she admitted, “but I don’t know what we’ll do if it’s not repaired by then. I’ll have to find some way to get the wedding cake to the resort. I cannot give up this order.” The profit on it alone would pay this month’s expenses, she mused. She’d had the van repainted and tuned up, hoping it would get her through a few more years while she got the new shop in the black financially. She just hoped they could make the repairs to keep it running. Another yawn escaped. This time Andrea and CiCi caught the wave of sleepiness.
    â€œYou haven’t slept all night, have you?” Andrea asked.
    Amber wondered if the half hour she dozed would really count as sleep. “I took a catnap, but it didn’t help much. Since I finished decorating the cakes last night, I’ll try to catch a little sleep after the lunch rush.”
    â€œWhy don’t you go sleep for a while now. We can get the rest of the cabinet shelves filled,” CiCi said. “It looks like you have almost everything done for us. Once the coffee finishes brewing, we’re about set. Then when Sean arrives to help Andrea, I’ll make the deliveries.”
    There was a knock on the alley door.
    â€œThat’s probably Rachelle,” she said, taking a step toward the door. “The coffee is made, the cinnamon raisin loaves are cooling on the racks, but need to be sliced and bagged.” She looked out the peephole and reached for the doorknob, then froze.
    Amber opened the door, surprised to see Garrett’s brother, Nick, still in uniform. Another officer was sitting in a separate car. “Morning, Ms. Scott. I’m Sergeant Nick Matthews….”
    â€œHi,” she said tentatively, wondering why he was addressing her so formally after meeting at the hospital. “Is your brother okay?”
    He looked at her oddly. “As far as I know, he’s doing fine. Why?”
    â€œWell, you’re here, for one thing, and you sounded so official. Am I under arrest for something?”
    He laughed. “No, sorry, the introduction is just a formality. We’ve been patrolling a little more by your shop through the night, and I noticed that you have some company. Since a white sedan showed up sometime in the last hour, I thought we’d better check on you.”
    Amber leaned just far enough out the door to see the white car. “It’s here?”
    â€œThere’s no one inside it, but we thought there was a chance that the guy may have noticed your van and placed you here….”
    She glanced at Nick. “That’s similar to the car I saw last night, but it’s not as nice.” She quickly stepped back inside her shop. “My employees just arrived. Do you want to see if it belongs to either of them?”
    â€œThat would probably be a good idea.”
    As Nick stepped inside, Amber worried that he was going to take her in to the station because of her old charges. Though her lawyer had assured her years ago that her record had been cleared, doubt still plagued her. “This is Andrea and CiCi.”
    As Sergeant Matthews questioned her employees, Amber studied him closer.