Chapter 11

ELEVEN

Bison Ridge, Montana

Shiloh Weeks waved goodbye to her friends and turned the corner that led to her house. It was a short walk along the dirt road and one she did every day. Her mommy worked until five and left the key under a flowerpot beside the front door. Since her daddy died in the mine, Mommy had to work. She didn't mind. It wasn't long before she came home, and Shiloh liked the milk and snacks her mommy left for her in the refrigerator. She understood her mommy didn't have much time and she liked to help. She kept her room tidy and cleared the table after meals to help out. The bumpy dirt road had dried out after the snow but had deep ruts from her mommy's truck. Daddy used to smooth out the road, but Mommy didn't know how to use the big machinery in the barn. They'd have to wait until her Uncle Bob came by to fix it.

She picked her way along the uneven ground, jumping over the larger holes and singing. She liked to sing, and it kept her company as she walked home. She heard a noise and looked up to see a vehicle coming toward her from the direction of the house. Shiloh moved to the side of the road and stared at the truck. No one ever visited apart from her uncle. A shiver of fear went through her and she looked around for a place to hide. The wheatgrass on each side of the track grew tall and anything could be lurking in there. She swallowed hard as the truck slowed and a man in a blue shirt buzzed down his window and looked at her. Not knowing what to do, she stared at him.

"You Shiloh?" The man's expression was serious.

Shiloh nodded and, noticing the badge on the man's shirt sleeve, wondered what she'd done wrong. She'd never seen a real police officer before, but she'd seen one on TV. Around these parts the sheriff and his deputies were the same as a police officer, or so her mom had told her. She stood up straight and looked at him. "Have I done something wrong?"

The man climbed down from his truck and crouched in front of her. Shiloh took a step back and he closed one large hand around her arm.

"Not so fast, little lady." The man smiled and pulled a candy bar out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Your mom is in the hospital. She sent me to come and get you. I'll be looking after you for a few days. Get into my truck."

Shocked, Shiloh stared at the house and then back to him. She could trust a police officer. He wasn't like a regular stranger. "What happened to her?"

"She was in a car wreck and asked me to take care of you." The man straightened but kept his hand on her arm. "I can't take you to see her. She's in surgery."

Unable to think, Shiloh stumbled toward the truck. Being small for her age, she took time climbing up, and the police officer picked her up and tossed her into the seat. She scrambled across the console and into the passenger seat. "Was she hurt bad?"

"Bad enough." The police officer climbed back behind the wheel, leaned toward her to remove her backpack, and secured the seatbelt. He handed her an open bottle of soda. "You must be thirsty after your long walk." He drove along the bumpy road and within a few minutes they were heading along a highway.

Sipping the drink, Shiloh pushed down the need to cry. Only babies cried and she peered ahead at the endless strip of blacktop wondering where they were heading. The police officer drove really fast and the fields and forests alongside the highway became streaks of color. She looked at him. He'd put on sunglasses and turned up the tunes on the radio. "Where did they take Mommy and where are we going?"

"We're going to a place called Rainbow." He turned and smiled at her. "You'll have a room all to yourself and you don't have to go back to school." He laid a large hand on her knee and squeezed. "I figure you're all grown up now. I hear you help clean and keep your room as neat as a pin."

She moved away and his hand fell from her knee. "Did Mommy tell you?"

"Yeah, she said you might be small but you're very smart. She said to tell you to do everything I say." He rubbed the tip of his nose. "You'd better be a good girl like she said, or I'll have to put you into the system."

Frowning and feeling sleepy, Shiloh yawned. "What's that?"

"It's a bad place for naughty kids." The man glanced at her. "They beat them with long sticks and lock them in closets. You don't want that, do you, Shiloh?"

Horrified, she shook her head. "I'll be very good. I promise." Sleep tugged at her. She leaned against the truck door and closed her eyes. "When can I see Mommy?"

She didn't hear his reply.