Self-loathing pulsed through her. What had she done? She pictured her mother pacing the floor, crying as though Deni was already dead and buried. Her father was probably out looking for her. Would it even occur to him to try this road instead of the interstate? She thought of her little sister and brothers. What an example she had been for them. Jeff was probably full of I-told-you-so’s about Deni’s lack of character. Logan probably enjoyed the drama. Beth was probably crying her eyes out and eating herself up with worry. Hadn’t she been traumatized enough? She wondered what Craig would think when he found out she had put her life into the hands of an alcoholic stranger. He would consider her childish, stupid. Would he reconsider her suitability as his wife? No one with political aspirations wanted a loose cannon in his life. He needed someone stable, strong, smart . . . But it couldn’t be undone now. She was here. She’d gotten herself into this mess. Somehow she had to find a way out.
