Alone and Afraid (Rocky Mountain Home Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

Then she thought of the poor person who bled on the plastic and wondered if they were still alive.

Chapter 6
     
    Brooke had a night of tossing and turning.  She wasn’t able to get much sleep, so she finally gave up and made some coffee .  While she sipped on the strong brew, she planned her day.  She refused to let the sheriff’s words ruin this new day.  She wanted to do more work in her garden, which required another trip into town.  She thought about driving over to Vail, since it was only twelve miles away.  Now that this area was her home, she wanted to explore it little by little.  She’d make a day of it and then on the way back she’d stop in town and get some tomato plants for the garden.
    Once her plans were made, she finished her coffee and started her day with a long shower.  After she dressed in a pair of jeans and a light sweater, she got into her car for the short drive to Vail, Colorado.
    As she drove further up the mountain -side, she smiled.  This was exactly what she needed today.  The mountains were so beautiful and there was still snow on the ground.  She regretted not bringing her camera, but promised herself she would remember to bring it next time.
    She wasn’t the only person who decided to visit Vail today.  There were cars in front of her and behind her going up the mountain.
    Brooke got lucky when she drove down Main Street and found a parking spot in front of one of the shops.  She locked her car and strolled through the town. This was a very carefree day for her.  She even stopped and had lunch at one of the quaint chalets, which served delicious Rueben sandwiches.
    She walked down one side of the street visiting shops , and then ventured down the other side of the street.  It was while she walked down the other side that she felt someone watching her.  She looked around, and except for a man across the street smoking a cigarette, she noticed nothing unusual.  There were people everywhere.  So she dismissed her fears and finished exploring the remainder of shops.  She made a couple of purchases, then knew it was time to head back to Red Cliff.
    As she walked across the street to her car, she saw the same man who was smoking before , now stood in front of her vehicle, but he moved away as she got closer.  Thinking nothing of it, she continued across the wide street, unlocked her car, and after she got in, quickly re-locked it.
    The man was walking in the opposite direction, so she thought nothing of his being near her car. She was in such a rush to lock herself inside the car; she almost didn’t notice the piece of paper under her windshield wipers.  She got out quickly, grabbed the paper, got back inside, and dropped the paper on the passenger seat.  It was obviously some advertisement for one of the shops, she thought as she backed out of her parking spot.  That must have been what the man was doing when she saw him.  She didn’t think to look at the other vehicles parked on Main Street, or she would’ve noticed none of them had paper on their windshields.
    Just like the road to Vail was lined with cars, the road back was the same.  But it took only twenty-five minutes to get to her town.
    She knew there was a plant nursery in Red Cliff and found it right away.  As she picked the tomato plants she wanted, she also found some green pepper plants and some cucumber plants.  She knew these would complete her garden.  She had already planted squash, green beans, green onions, cabbage, carrots, and lettuce.
    Excited about getting home and getting the plants situated in the garden, she again ignored the piece of paper on the passenger seat.
    As she unloaded her purchase s, she carried the plants directly around to the garden.  Then she grabbed her purchases from the shops in Vail, locked up the car, unlocked her front door and dropped her bags on the kitchen table.  She was in a rush to change clothes and work in the garden.
    She threw on another pai r of old