Entertaining Angels Read Online Free

sending a message in Morse code. She tried to ignore it, but couldn’t. Maybe God didn’t always use clouds to show people the way.
    Okay, this was probably just a fluke and way too weird to contemplate, yet in spite of her better judgment, she cut through the brush, drawn to the light like a moth.
    About twenty yards in, she found a path that seemed to lead right to the source, a big tree with a wooden structure built in its branches. A bicycle rim hung over the small doorway—some kind of ornament or decoration, she guessed. Apparently, the chrome had picked up a sunray and shot it at her.
    Her curiosity now appeased, she turned to go, then froze in her tracks. She’d asked for a cheap place to spend the night, and an abandoned tree house wouldn’t cost her a dime.
    She glanced up at the sky. “I don’t suppose you meant for me to stay here tonight.”
    No answer.
    Slowly turning around, she made her way to the tree, surveying the sturdy structure and pondering the possibilities. Seven or eight wooden steps had been nailed to the trunk to allow entrance to the little house.
    Just think of the money she’d save.
    And six feet above the ground, she’d be safe from snakes.
    She placed a foot on the bottom rung and began to climb until she reached the opening. Inside, two fringed throw rugs—one blue, the other green—covered the floor. Both were frayed and had seen better days. They were dirty, too. But she could shake them out.
    There were a couple of comic books in the corner, as well as a ball of string and an old red coffee can.
    On a wooden ledge about eighteen inches from the ceiling, three red candles, each used to various degrees, sat upright, held in place by globs of melted wax.
    Well, the place definitely had possibilities.
    And it wasn’t far from the park, so she had access to a bathroom and running water …
    Renee pulled herself through the opening, then removed her backpack and, with the bag of stuff she found, began to settle in for the night.
    What was it Jesse, the hippie guy, had said?
    You’ll find everything you’ll need in Fairbrook.
    Maybe he’d been right.
    But two hours later, as darkness huddled over the canyon and a pack of coyotes yipped and howled just steps away from the tree, Renee wasn’t so sure.

Chapter 2
    Just as Craig neared Fairbrook’s city limits, the Ford Taurus rumbled one more time, then groaned and shuddered to a complete stop.
    Giving in to temptation, he finally let loose and swore under his breath, a reaction he’d been holding back for the past two hundred miles.
    Ain’t nothing wrong under the hood,
nearly a legion of mechanics had told him time and again.
    Which meant what? That the problem was behind the wheel?
    Craig glanced at the clock on the dash. 10:36.
    Unable to help himself, he looked heavenward, rolled his eyes, and slowly shook his head.
    Deciding he’d better push the car to the shoulder of the road and walk the rest of the way to town, he threw the transmission into neutral and climbed out of the driver’s seat.
    With the door still open, he placed one hand on the steering wheel and began to push with the other.
    “Need some help?”
    Craig nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of an unexpected male voice. He turned to see who was there. Darkness separated them, yet footsteps crunched on the gravel at the side of the road at his approach.
    Moments later, the man stepped into the light of the headlamps. His hair was long and shaggy, and he wore a bushy, silver-streaked beard.
    If Craig were a gambler, he’d wager that the guy was homeless based upon his appearance and his clothing—a baggy dark shirt and jacket, frayed jeans with a gaping hole in the knee, and a pair of bulky leather sandals.
    Continuing to maneuver the rattletrap hunk of metal and tires out of the road, Craig thanked the stranger for the offer. “It’s all right. I’ve just about got it now.”
    The guy nodded toward the city lights. “I’m heading to Fairbrook,