Remember the Yellow Rose

*** Based on Christian Morals--Christian Romance ***

Book 5 in the Three Cross Faith Series: Rosie McCord has one goal--to save the United States from the terrorists chasing her across the country. She stops at a library in Texas, hoping for a break. When the bad men find her, it's up to someone else in that library--Andy Ross, of Three Cross Faith--to save Rosie in more than one way.

Excerpt

The library was supposed to be her sanctuary, the place she could escape from the men who'd chased her halfway across the country.

Even though she was certain she'd hidden her car and no one had seen her enter this building, Rosie McCord had a sinking feeling someone watched her. However, she really needed to use the restroom and take a nap some place safe.

With a quick glance around the nearly empty library, she didn't see anyone keeping an eye on her. She could steal a moment away without worry.

She wrenched the restroom door open and went inside. Once she'd finished and had washed her hands and face, she knew she had to get back on the road. Even though she considered staying here for the night, it might not be wise with the feeling of dread filling her thoughts. She needed to get to Los Alamos in New Mexico, to give her uncle the information she'd lifted from Virginia. She didn't trust anyone else to get it to him, not even by sending it through the mail or over email.

Rosie pulled the door open an inch and peeked into the library's main room, just to make sure no one had followed her. In the event she was found, she also had to make sure innocent people weren't nearby. The men hunting for her were ruthless, with no compassion for human life.

Six people were in the library. One blond-haired man sat at a table with a bunch of books around him. He was deep into his research and Rosie considered him to be her best ally. The woman in the corner reading to her daughter would be in the way. Rosie hoped the woman would leave with her young child before they became collateral damage. The couple making out in the stacks of bookshelves to her right would probably be leaving. The older, gray-haired librarian stationed near the front door needed to get away from her post, so her life would be spared. How Rosie would make her do that was beyond her. She'd have to hide so the bad guys wouldn't see her from the front windows.

Rosie waited for a bit until the couple left. A few minutes later, the woman finished reading the book to the young girl. They yanked on their coats and walked out of the building.

So, the only innocent people left were the blond man and the librarian. Since it was nearly closing time, Rosie was half-tempted just to stay in the bathroom and wait for the librarian to lock up. It might be okay. She really needed some sleep and a place to hide out for the night so she wouldn't have a paper trail from her credit card. The thought of sleep intrigued her, until the librarian left her post with her purse. She was probably headed for the bathroom, where Rosie was hiding. She had to get out of there, so the librarian wouldn't make Rosie leave when the older lady locked up.

The librarian walked around the bookshelves, turning off extra lights. "It's almost closin' time," she said to the blond man. "Would you like to check out those books?"

"No. I'll just come back. I'm onto something, but when I go home, everyone interrupts me. I'll come back tomorrow."

Rosie couldn't see his face, but his voice was very warm. However, his accent was almost non-existent, unlike many people in this state. She guessed he wasn't a Texan, just from all the dealings she'd had since she'd driven across the state line.

The librarian turned her back on Rosie to see what the man was reading. "Travel books and livin' off the land?"

"Yes, ma'am." He lifted one of the books. "I'm just looking for a place to travel to for the holidays. Some place remote."

Rosie didn't care. She had to escape. Since she was about ten feet behind the librarian's back, this was her perfect opportunity.

She slipped out of the bathroom, inched toward the dark part of the bookshelves, and hid.

The librarian finished the conversation with a chuckle and headed for the bathroom, as Rosie had predicted.

Just when the bathroom door closed, Rosie moved to the darkest part of the shelves, where she couldn't see anyone. At least she could hide out.

"Come here often?"

Rosie spun around at the sound. Her hand flew to her upper chest in fear. The silhouette before her and the man's voice indicated it was the blond-haired guy.

She sighed a breath of relief. "It's you. You scared me."

He put a book back on the shelf. "Why are you back here? It's so dark, you can barely see." He searched through the books on the shelves and returned another one in his hand. He still held two more thin books. "It's not easy seeing where these books go, either."

She had to answer him, thinking fast on her feet. "Well, I was looking for—"

But she didn't get out the rest of her sentence before two of the men chasing her burst through the front door, carrying big guns. She pulled the blond guy to the carpet and hit the floor, herself. She hoped he understood the problem but she couldn't say anything. In a darting motion, she lifted her eyes and peeked through the tiny crack above the books on the shelf, to see how close the bad guys were. She just wished she'd get out of this alive, so she could deliver the information to her uncle in time.