ONE

Amelia Florence must calm the quick rhythm of her heartbeat. Hearing other things besides the blood rushing through her at a fast pace that sounded like drums settling deep in her ears was most imperative. In order to escape this nightmare she'd been living in since she was a young girl of nine, Amelia needed to not only keep her courage, but hold fast to her wits.

She glanced down at the five-year-old girl staring up at her with wide eyes. Gracie's face held pure terror, which broke Amelia's heart. She took the girl's cold hand and rubbed warmth into it. The girl pressed her face against Amelia's skirt and sobbed quietly.

"Shh," Amelia whispered. "This will all be over soon, and we'll be on our way to freedom."

Taking a deep breath for courage, she led little Gracie down the steps of the three-story orphanage. Amelia was proud of the little girl for trying her best to be as silent as a mouse. The old house creaked, and the squeaky steps weren't much better, and the only sound in the house was from most of the fifty-eight children who lived in the orphanage, and their night cries.

Her heart wrenched, knowing full well what they were going through, because at age nine, she, her brother, and sister, were brought to this place after their parents sailed away and never returned. Amelia recalled hearing the words the ship went down, the first year of living in the orphanage. Nobody would really tell her what happened to her parents, except they were not coming to get her and her siblings. Within the next year, her brother died of pneumonia, and her sister ran away, leaving Amelia a true orphan.

She remembered crying every night. Not only did she miss her family, but she was scared to fall asleep because then the nightmares would come. There were more than one, but they all were of the orphanage and the beatings she'd witnessed being done to the other children. She'd prayed that Mr. and Mrs. Stone would never lay a hand on her as they'd done to the others, but she'd feared her prayers would go unanswered. Mr. and Mrs. Stone took to their whiskey bottles like an infant would to milk.

As Amelia stepped quietly toward the back of the house, she listened carefully for signs of the watchers. The kids in the orphanage had given this title to the cook, the gardener, and the Stone's oldest son, Lucas. Because Mr. and Mrs. Stone would eventually pass out due to the liquor they'd consumed, they had these others keeping watch over the children to make sure none of them ran away.

Amelia wished she knew how her older sister, Prudence, had gotten away. Amelia also wondered why her sister hadn't wanted to take her along. Every year, two children went missing, and the rest of the children figured they had run away. The Stones had become the meanest during this time since the state paid them per child. The more children at the orphanage, the more whiskey the Stones could afford to buy.

Gracie's gasp brought Amelia to a stop, jerking her out of her thoughts – memories from the past she wished she'd never remember again. She glanced down at Gracie. Her big, blue eyes stared up at Amelia.

"What's wrong?" Amelia whispered.

"I forgot my doll." Tears filled the little girl's eyes.

"Oh, sweetie. We can't go back. We're almost to the door now, and Uncle Theo will be waiting."

The girl's bottom lip trembled as the tears streaked down her dirt-coated face.

"We'll get you another doll, I promise." Amelia offered her a tender smile, hoping it would ease the girl's fears because she had no idea how they were going to get the money. She'd worry about that later. Right now, they just needed to get out of here.

Sniffing, Gracie wiped her hand under her nose and nodded.

Amelia continued in her journey to freedom, tip-toeing toward the side door where Uncle Theo would meet them with a wagon. Theo wasn't any relation to the children, but they all called him uncle, anyway. The deaf man had taught several of them sign language. He worked for the Stones as their maintenance man, yet Amelia knew he only stayed in this hell hole because he had no other place to go. Most people didn't know how to act around deaf people, and so they ridiculed him and treated him like a disease. Uncle Theo had been the only reason she had made it so long at the orphanage. But at age twenty-five, Amelia knew it was time to break away from this place. She was tired of working for the Stones as the children's schoolteacher without pay.

Just as they neared the door, the floor in the corridor squeaked. Amelia froze and Gracie halted by her body continued to tremble. Someone is coming!

Without another thought, she pulled Gracie into the closest room and closed the door. This room happened to be Mr. Stone's study. Immediately, their senses were attacked by the reeking whiskey fumes in the air. Gracie pressed her face against Amelia's skirt as she lifted her thread-barren cloak to her nose. The room was dark, but she closed her eyes and prayed for deliverance.

The awkward rhythm of the footsteps coming their way could only be one person. Gentry Mills, the gardener. He limped terribly, and after all these years, she knew the sound well. He was not one she wanted to cross, either. He used horsewhips to discipline the children, and she had scars on her back to prove his abuse.

The footsteps stopped near the door. Amelia didn't breathe as she held Gracie against her. The fifty-year-old gardener could hear a cracker drop to the floor from the next room over, and he'd certainly hear Gracie's panicked sob. Amelia prayed this would be the night that his ears didn't work very well.

After what seemed to be the longest time she had held her breath, the man's uneven footsteps finally moved back down the corridor. Slowly, Amelia released her breath, and Gracie's body relaxed. They couldn't leave just yet. After all, Gentry was still close enough to hear them.

As her breathing slowly returned to normal, she actually started to believe her prayers were going to be answered. She and Gracie would make it out of here without being detected, and they, along with Uncle Theo, would start their new lives in Spruce Hill.

Releasing a sigh, she opened her eyes and scanned the study. Her vision adjusted to the darkness, and there was a small amount of light coming from the slit through the ripped curtains. The moon must be bright tonight.

Suddenly, her gaze landed on the bulky figure lying on the broken down sofa. Her chest tightened and she didn't dare breathe. As she studied the lump, she realized it was in the same shape as Mr. Stone. Gracie's body trembled harder, and Amelia realized the girl must have seen him, too.

Mr. Stone lay still with one arm over his eyes, one foot hanging off the sofa's armrest, and the other foot on the floor. His other hand hovered over an empty whiskey bottle, and... a wad of bills. Amelia knew immediately that the man was passed out cold. She'd seen him this way so often in the sixteen years she'd been here, and she also knew he wouldn't wake up until after the midday meal.

Mr. Stone's stillness did not ease Amelia's mind in the least. The man had always frightened her. His bushy-bearded face and his quick temper would always be in her nightmares.

Amelia glanced at the wad of bills again. She sucked in a surprised breath. There was so much money. The state must have paid the Stones for them, and yet... Amelia had never seen him or his wife with that much money before.

Gracie tugged on Amelia's skirt and pointed to the money. The little girl's eyes held a touch of wonderment as she peered up at Amelia.

The money would certainly help them escape and be enough to buy food for their journey. The money would even be able to buy Gracie a new doll. They'd all be able to buy warmer cloaks to wear since Idaho's weather was getting colder by the day. Not to mention... the Stone's hadn't paid Amelia for teaching the children, and they owed her!

Still, she didn't dare walk any closer to Mr. Stone than she had to. He reeked of alcohol, and what if he woke up? No, she couldn't take the chance.

She looked down at Gracie and shook her head, silently communicating with the girl that they couldn't take the money. Gracie's scowled and she straightened her shoulders in defiance. Amelia's heart dropped, knowing exactly what the girl was thinking.

Gracie moved away from Amelia, so she grasped the girl's shoulder, stopping her. Gracie glared at her and shook her head, pointing toward the money.

"No," Amelia whispered.

Gracie's hands signed the words, we deserve it. Amelia shook her head again and Gracie signed, they owe you that money.

A lump of fear grew in Amelia's throat. The money would definitely help them. And the Stone's did owe her.

Gracie slipped out of Amelia's grasp and tiptoed toward the drunken man on the couch. Holding her breath, Amelia prayed again. She didn't want to think of their punishment if Mr. Stone awoke and saw them in his study, stealing his money.

Gracie made it to the wad of bills, very carefully bent and picked it up. She looked at Amelia and smiled. Her heart softened, knowing that the little girl hadn't smiled much since she was brought to the orphanage six months ago.

The girl glanced at Mr. Stone and, wrinkling her nose, she stuck out her tongue at him. Amelia bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh. Every child who'd been raised in this place had wanted to do that – or worse – but they didn't dare.

Once Gracie returned to Amelia's side, she breathed a sigh of relief. Gracie stuffed the money in Amelia's wrist purse before giving the let's go nod. Without another thought, Amelia slowly opened the door and peeked into the darkened hallway. She listened for Gentry's uneven walk, but she couldn't hear him. She hoped that meant he wasn't on this side of the large manor.

Together, she and Gracie crept toward the door. Amelia opened it up and let Gracie hurry outside first, before following quickly. The cool air touched her face, and she breathed in the fresh air while she searched the yard for Uncle Theo. She couldn't see him, or a wagon.

Her heart sank lower than the Pacific Ocean, which was the very place they'd start heading once they could get on their way. But without a wagon, how could they travel that far?

Gracie tugged on Amelia's skirt again. The little girl pointed to the cluster of trees. The clouds had moved across the moon, making it harder to see, but finally, Amelia noticed the figure of a man and he was waving his arms.

She sighed in relief. Uncle Theo!

Both Amelia and Gracie dashed across the yard as fast as their legs could take them. Because she still held onto the little girl's hand, Amelia probably dragged the girl more times than Gracie had used her feet.

They reached Uncle Theo. Breathless, Amelia signed the words where is the wagon? He signed back, near the road.

She didn't want to feel they were free just yet. Once they had passed the Idaho border, then – and only then – would Amelia feel safe.

They snuck through the trees as fast as they could toward the road with Uncle Theo leading the way. Up toward the road, she saw the outline of the wagon. The beat of her heart quickened with anticipation. Perhaps the clouds covering the moon right now was the Lord's way of helping them escape because, from the manor, anyone looking out the north windows would be able to see the wagon.

They reached the wagon and Uncle Theo helped them up. Amelia sat in the bed of the vehicle and wrapped Gracie in her arms. Theo whipped the reins, urging the horse forward.

Amelia stared at the manor where she'd lived in for sixteen very long and agonizing years slowly fade from sight. Tears ran down her face. Finally, she felt that their escape had been successful. Maybe now she and Gracie could live a normal life free of nightly terrors.

As she thought about traveling to Oregon – the last known place where her grandparents had lived – she wondered how an unmarried woman and a little girl could make it. An idea hit her immediately as if it was meant to be.

She would tell everyone she was a widow, and that Gracie was her daughter. Depending on how long Theo would want to travel with them would depend upon his role in their lives. However, he would always be Uncle Theo to both her and Gracie.

A smile touched Amelia's mouth and she sighed. She'd been an orphan for too long. From this point forward, she now had a daughter and an uncle.