"It's hard to tell on the map, but it can't be more than a few miles. Five at the most."

That seemed reasonable, although she had to wonder if they were heading toward a designated picnic area or invading personal property. Well, they'd find out soon enough.

Minutes later, they reached the lake. There wasn't a picnic table-or a picnicker-in sight. They saw the remains of a campfire someone had made some time ago, but no other evidence of anyone's presence. Using the hood of the car as a table, Ruth spread out their feast and they stood in the shade and ate their sandwiches and chips. Lingering over sodas, Annie and Bethanne walked along the lakesh.o.r.e.

Annie removed her shoes and waded in the water. "Wow, this is cold."

"It isn't called Snow Water Lake for nothing," Bethanne teased.

"Come on in, Mom," Annie said, and kicked her feet at the water's edge, splashing onto the sh.o.r.e.

Although they'd been out of the car for less than thirty minutes, Bethanne roasted in the early-afternoon heat. Sitting on the sand at the lake's edge, she slipped off her shoes and waded ankle-deep into the chilly water. After the initial shock she quickly grew accustomed to the cold.

She got up and, with her arm around Annie's waist, ambled through the water.

"I should probably call Dad," Annie said. "He'll want to know we've changed our plans."

Bethanne didn't comment.

"Dad talked to you about Andrew's wedding, didn't he?" Annie asked. "We can sit together as a family, can't we?"

Bethanne hadn't given Grant her final answer. "I suppose."

"Good." Annie rested her head on Bethanne's shoulder. "I want us to be a family again."

"I know you do, honey," Bethanne said in a soothing voice. "Annie, you have your own own life now. Your own place, a promising future... And your dad and I both love you." life now. Your own place, a promising future... And your dad and I both love you."

"Yeah. But nothing's been the same since Dad moved out."

Moved out, divorced her, remarried and gone through a second divorce, Bethanne added to herself. The man who'd walked out the door wasn't the same person anymore, nor was she. A lot had changed, and Bethanne wasn't sure either of them could return to the past. Perhaps that was a good thing; she didn't know.

"Dad's different," Annie continued, almost as if she'd been reading Bethanne's thoughts.

"We both are."

"Dad's learned his lesson. He's humbled. You know that can't be easy for him."

What Annie said was true. With Grant's pride, it had taken a great deal for him to admit he'd made a mistake and seek a reconciliation.

"You don't mind if I call him, do you?"

"Not at all."

Annie reached for her cell and punched a couple of b.u.t.tons. After a moment, she muttered in frustration. "We don't have coverage here."

"It can wait. In fact, if you call him now he'll only worry. Why don't we call once we're in Vegas?"

"Okay."

By the time they returned to the car, Ruth had cleaned up their leftovers and they were ready to go back to the highway.

"I'll drive," Annie said.

Bethanne was happy to relinquish the wheel. If she was going to finish the wedding gloves, she'd need time to knit. She'd made progress their first day on the road, but none today. She was counting on the trip to afford her knitting time she didn't generally have.

Ruth climbed into the back, while Bethanne sat in the pa.s.senger seat next to her daughter. Annie inserted the key and the engine turned over once and then quit.

Frowning, Annie looked at Bethanne. "What's wrong?"

Bethanne's heart slowed as she remembered what had happened at the gas station in Wells. "Try again."

Annie did, and the engine caught right away. Bethanne relaxed, giving her daughter a rea.s.suring smile. The last thing they needed now was to get stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken-down vehicle and no cell coverage.

The car lurched forward and died again.

"Is there a problem?" Ruth asked anxiously from the backseat.

"I'm not sure," Bethanne said.

Annie tried again. Nothing. When it became apparent that no amount of cranking was going to start the engine, Bethanne placed her hand over her daughter's.

"Now what?" Annie asked.

Bethanne's head was spinning. They didn't have a lot of options. "How far are we from the main road? Isn't it about five miles?"

"Yup. Farther than I'd want to walk," Annie said, "especially in this heat."

"I agree. It's too far to walk in this heat," Ruth said emphatically.

"Then we're stuck until someone comes along." Annie dropped her hands from the steering wheel. "Does anyone know anything about fixing cars?"

Bethanne shook her head.

"Not me," Ruth said. "I left all that to Richard. After he died I had to learn how to fill my own gas tank. But that's about all I can do."

"We could be here for days," Annie moaned.

"Why don't we wait until it cools down and then walk to the highway."

"This is all my fault," Ruth wailed. "I was so eager for adventure that I put us in danger."

"I was the one who suggested we eat lunch by the lake," Annie said. was the one who suggested we eat lunch by the lake," Annie said.

"Stop," Bethanne told them both. "This isn't anyone's fault. We'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about. Besides, there are worse things than being stuck by a beautiful lake on a summer afternoon."

"Right," Annie said, instantly perking up. "Let's go swimming. We have our swimsuits, don't we?"

"Uh, I didn't bring one," Ruth confessed. "I didn't want anyone to see my fat thighs."

"Ruth," Bethanne said, rolling her eyes. She was on her way to Florida and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world-and she was worried about showing her thighs. "Who'll even notice?"

"What about you, Mom?" Annie asked.

Bethanne's smile faded. "I don't own a suit."

"You've got to be kidding me," Annie said, staring up at the car ceiling. "Okay, you two, I don't care if you have your bathing suits or not, we're going swimming."

"You can," Ruth said, "but I'm staying out of the water."

"Suit yourself, Grandma, but Mom and I are getting in the water."

Bethanne hesitated. "You go on and I'll join you later."

"Mo-om," Annie groaned. "Okay, if it'll make you both feel better, I'll swim in my underwear."

Annie shucked off her shorts and cotton top, leaving them at the water's edge, and walked into the lake with her arms raised. "Oh, boy, this is cold."

Bethanne kept a keen eye on her daughter. The cool water lapped at her bare toes, and she felt the sweat roll down her neck. The sun was even fiercer now. Annie, meanwhile, was floating on her back.

"Are you coming in or not?" she shouted to Bethanne.

"Coming in." Bethanne carefully removed her own clothes and waded into the water in her bra and underpants. The lake seemed even colder than before and shock made her gasp.

Ruth strolled down to the sh.o.r.e, watching them more intently than a lifeguard at the baby pool.

"Come on, Ruth," Bethanne said. "You wanted adventure. Well, this is it!"

Her mother-in-law paced the sh.o.r.eline. "I've never done any thing like this in my life."

"Don't be shy," Annie said. "We could be here for hours. We might as well enjoy ourselves."

Ruth cast them an anxious look. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Cross my heart," Annie said, standing up to make the motions.

"Come on," Bethanne encouraged her again, waving her in. "The water's fabulous."

Ruth took off her clothes and folded them in a neat pile. Then she walked straight into the water. Unlike Annie and Bethanne, who took time to adjust to the cold, Ruth plunged ahead. Maybe she feared one of them would comment on her thighs, Bethanne thought with amus.e.m.e.nt.

The three frolicked and played like schoolchildren splashing one another and diving under the water. Bethanne couldn't remember the last time she'd swum in a lake. She was enjoying herself so much, she didn't immediately hear the noise that attracted Ruth and Annie's attention.

Both of them got to their feet and stood there, unmoving.

Bethanne turned around and was instantly overwhelmed by the sound of motorcycles moving toward them.

"Mom," Annie said, grabbing Bethanne's arm. "I remember where I heard about this lake," she cried. "It was from the bikers at the restaurant."

Nine.

The motorcycles roared right to the edge of the lake, and lined up side by side.

Shivering in the water Bethanne huddled close to Ruth and Annie. No one seemed to know exactly what to do or how to react. The water suddenly went from comfortable to below freezing. All three of them crossed their arms, although Bethanne realized their efforts to hide themselves were futile.

"Didn't Robin say something like this would happen?" Ruth wailed. "We're goners for sure."

"Over my dead body," Bethanne said from between clenched teeth.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Ruth muttered. "How will I ever explain this to Grant? This is all my fault."

"It's no one's fault," Bethanne said. She wasn't about to let these men intimidate her or or her family. Squaring her shoulders, she began marching toward the sh.o.r.e, her legs making rippling, splashing movements in the water. her family. Squaring her shoulders, she began marching toward the sh.o.r.e, her legs making rippling, splashing movements in the water.

Annie tried to grab her arm. "Mom, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to ask them for help," she said. If she treated them with respect, then they'd do the same. She hoped.

"Mom!" came Annie's plaintive cry as Bethanne pulled her arm free.

With her back straight, Bethanne ignored Annie and Ruth's pleas and the teasing catcalls from the bikers. She was all too aware that her wet underwear concealed nothing. Scooping up her capris, she tried to pull them on, slipping one leg in. Because she was wet, the fabric stuck and she lost her balance. She would've tumbled to the ground if not for one of the bikers who reached out and caught her.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly.

The biker removed his helmet.

Bethanne blinked twice. It was the same man she'd served in the cafe less than twenty-four hours earlier. The one who'd stayed in her mind, the biker named Max. Their eyes met again, his dark gaze unreadable.

Rooster removed his helmet next; so did the other two bikers, Willie and Skunk, if she remembered correctly.

By then Bethanne was fully dressed, although her clothing clung to her, soaked as it was from her underwear.

Annie stepped out of the water and quickly dressed, too. That left Ruth, who stubbornly remained in the water. She squatted down so only her head was above the waterline and refused to budge.

"Grandma, it's all right," Annie told her. "You can come out. We know these guys."

"I'll stay where I am until those...those men turn around and stop gawking at me."

Rooster threw back his head and howled. "I don't think you've got anything I haven't seen before, Grandma."

"Turn around," Ruth barked. "All of you. I don't need any Peeping Toms staring at me."

To Bethanne's amazement, all four bikers did as Ruth demanded.

"We'd appreciate your help. Our car won't start," Bethanne said, as much to distract the four men as to secure their a.s.sistance.