Looking for Miracles by Lynn Bulock Page B

think.” She’d handle this in stride, like everything else. Probably even find some good news in it, like she had everything else. He’d never met anybody else who spent as much time looking for miracles.
    Of course she seemed to find them every time, so who was the oddball? Maybe if he looked for more of them, they’d pop up in his life. Right. And maybe Dogg would grow antlers. “Come on back and we’ll tell her. She’s going to have to go out there to see if anything’s missing.”
    “I know. That’s the part I hate, dragging herover there like this. But I won’t feel comfortable unless we make a police report.” Carrie grimaced. “They’re going to love being called out today, too. It’s just my lucky day all around.”
    “Don’t say that in front of Lori. She’ll find a reason why it really is.”
    “Say what in front of me?” Lori’s pale blond head rose out of the chair, and she passed the back of one hand across her face in a gesture that nearly broke Mike’s heart in its simplicity and innocence.
    “That it’s Carrie’s lucky day. And before you start agreeing, let her tell you why it isn’t.” Her eyes widened and she sat back in the chair. Mike felt like he’d slapped a puppy, given her reaction, but he wasn’t in the mood for any chipper stuff right now. This was serious business for once, and needed to be attended to in a serious way. Then why did he feel so bad? Merry Christmas to all, for sure.
    Lori looked at the outside of the trailer. This had been home for over a year. Had it always looked this awful? Somehow she didn’t remember it being that banged up or dingy. Maybe just being away from it for a couple of days gave her a new perspective. If so, it wasn’t a particularly attractive one.
    The concrete block steps up to the door lookedless sturdy than usual. How had she gotten up and down those things the last few weeks? God only knew. Thank heavens she’d had His help and protection. Who knows what would have happened if the robbers, or whoever, had broken in while she and Tyler were there.
    “Was the door locked when you got here?” Lori asked. Carrie put her hand on the smooth metal.
    She shrugged. “I’m not sure. It took me a while fiddling with the key to get the door to open. But you said it stuck, so I couldn’t tell whether I was locking and then unlocking it, or what.”
    “I always had trouble with that myself. Gary said it didn’t matter because we didn’t have anything worth stealing. I was more concerned about Tyler getting out at night and going for some big adventure.” She shivered at the thought.
    Mike was there beside her, a large, steadying arm around her. It felt so good. “You sure you’re up to this? Let me at least take the baby.” He shifted Mikayla and the infant seat from Lori’s hand without disturbing the blanket or the sleeping baby under it. In his hands it looked like such a tiny parcel.
    Lori didn’t complain. The baby and the seat were heavy, and she knew Mike would be careful with her precious cargo. Already she trusted him, probably more than she should. Still, there were so many things that told her that he had a good heart.“I have to be. Nobody else could tell you if there’s something missing.” She pushed off his concern and went into the mobile home. At least the lamp in the living room wasn’t broken, and the bulb still worked when she turned the switch.
    After standing in the dim light taking everything in, Lori almost wished she hadn’t turned on the lamp. Anybody seeing the living room or the kitchen would think she was a terrible housekeeper.
    Nothing was in its place. Couch cushions sagged onto the floor. What few magazines had been on the rickety coffee table were torn and scattered. The stacked plastic crates in the corner that held her books and Tyler’s toys were in a jumbled heap.
    “The kitchen isn’t as bad as it could be.” Carrie sounded hopeful. It was good of her to try and cheer her up. Lori