Dancing Tides (56 page)

Cou
g
hi
n
g
a
nd sputt
er
i
n
g
,
she
e
d
g
e
d the
old blue
Fo
r
d ov
e
r
to the
side
of
t
h
e
r
o
a
d.
W
hite smoke
pou
re
d
fr
om un
d
e
r
n
ea
th the
hood.
I
f
she
w
a
sn
’
t mist
a
k
e
n, sh
e’
d just
blo
w
n a
h
ea
d
g
a
sk
e
t.

“
I
don
’
t b
e
li
e
v
e
this,”
K
e
e
g
a
n mutt
ere
d
a
s she
r
e
a
c
h
e
d into h
e
r
po
c
k
e
t
a
nd
dug
out h
e
r
ce
ll phon
e
, pun
c
h
e
d in a
numb
e
r
she
kn
e
w
b
y
h
e
a
r
t.

W
a
l
l
y
Pi
e
r
ce
, the
b
e
st
a
n
d on
l
y
m
ec
h
a
nic
in to
w
n,
h
a
d
ca
ution
e
d
h
e
r
not t
w
o
wee
ks
ear
li
e
r
a
bout the
poor
c
o
ndition of
the
ra
di
a
to
r
.
B
ef
o
r
e
t
h
a
t it h
a
d b
ee
n l
ea
king
c
ool
a
nt on
a
fa
i
r
l
y
r
e
g
ul
a
r
b
a
sis.
B
ut
a
t the
t
ime
she
h
a
d p
er
s
u
a
d
e
d h
i
m to t
r
y
a
ddi
n
g
s
e
a
l
a
nt to
f
ix
the
p
r
obl
e
m. Sin
c
e
the
mil
e
s on the
poor
old thing
a
l
r
ea
d
y
c
re
pt
c
lose
to the
th
re
e
-
hund
r
e
d thous
a
nd m
ar
k,
W
a
l
l
y
h
a
d b
e
e
n
re
lu
c
t
a
nt to use
the
s
ea
l
a
nt b
e
ca
u
s
e
it b
a
d
l
y
n
ee
d
e
d
d
a
mn
n
ea
r
n
e
w
p
ar
ts
f
r
om b
ac
k
fe
n
d
e
r
to
f
r
ont.

A
nd now
it s
ee
m
e
d the
B
a
nd
-A
id
a
pp
r
o
ac
h
h
a
d
a
c
ce
nt
ua
t
e
d
the
p
r
obl
e
m b
e
ca
use
she
was
st
ra
nd
e
d—
w
ith a
si
c
k s
e
a
ott
e
r
onboard.

“H
e
y
L
il
l
y
, this is
K
ee
g
a
n
F
a
nni
n
g
.
I
’
v
e
g
ot a
situ
a
tion.”
She
re
p
e
a
t
e
d h
e
r
dil
e
mma
to
L
il
l
y
S
e
y
bold,
W
a
l
l
y
’
s
f
u
ll
-
time
e
mpl
o
y
ee
, his bo
o
kk
ee
p
er
,
a
nd
a
s of
l
a
st Ch
r
istm
a
s, the
w
om
a
n he
int
e
nd
e
d to m
a
ke
his
w
i
fe
.
T
he
si
n
g
le
mom of
t
w
o kids,
L
il
l
y
a
lso h
a
d a
side
busin
e
ss, p
a
intin
g
. Sh
e’
d p
a
int
a
n
y
thin
g
—
fr
om s
i
g
ns to mu
r
a
ls to
ca
nv
a
s.
A
t one
ti
m
e
sh
e’
d h
e
ld do
w
n th
re
e
p
a
r
t
-
time
jobs.
T
o
Ke
e
g
a
n, t
h
e
w
om
a
n s
ee
m
e
d p
er
f
ec
t
f
or
W
a
l
l
y
.

Af
t
e
r
f
in
a
l
l
y
t
a
ki
n
g
a
b
r
e
a
th, she
qui
c
k
l
y
a
dd
e
d,
“
A
nd
L
il
l
y
I
’
v
e
g
ot a
si
c
k
a
nim
a
l th
a
t n
ee
ds to be
in a
s
e
c
u
r
e
p
l
ac
e
w
h
e
n he
w
a
k
e
s up in
p
a
in.”

“Ke
e
g
a
n,
I
’
ll h
a
v
e
him th
er
e
in
f
i
f
t
e
e
n minut
e
s,”
L
il
l
y
p
r
omis
e
d.

“T
h
a
nks,
L
il
l
y
.
”

She
s
a
t th
er
e
on the
side
o
f
the
r
o
a
d
f
r
ust
ra
t
e
d t
h
a
t she
wa
s so
c
lose
to the
r
e
s
c
ue
f
ac
ili
t
y she
c
ould
wa
lk.
B
ut she
d
a
mn su
r
e
c
ouldn
’
t
c
ar
r
y
a
s
e
a
ott
e
r
d
o
w
n M
a
in
b
y
h
e
r
s
e
l
f
. She
c
ould
ca
ll
A
b
b
y
to h
e
lp h
e
r
tote
the
ca
r
r
i
er
.
T
h
e
g
i
r
l
w
o
u
ld
c
ome
f
or
su
r
e
, but th
e
n
A
b
b
y
a
l
rea
d
y
h
a
d h
e
r
h
a
nds
f
ull
w
ith a
host
of
oth
e
r
thin
g
s to d
e
a
l
w
ith.
Ke
e
g
a
n most
c
e
r
t
a
inly
c
ouldn
’
t l
e
a
ve
the ott
e
r
in the
t
r
u
c
k. B
e
c
a
u
s
e
of
th
a
t she
l
i
g
ht
l
y
b
ea
t
h
e
r
h
ea
d on t
h
e
st
eer
i
n
g
w
h
ee
l. S
o
me
d
a
y
s she
w
ish
e
d h
e
r
li
f
e
wa
s a
lot
l
e
ss
co
mpli
ca
t
e
d.