The Road to Terminus — Catherine Leggitt

The paths of three strangers collide on a desperate road trip along Route 66. One is running away, one is racing the clock, and the child who binds them merely hopes to survive. Middle-aged widow Mabel Crowley hasn't felt needed in years. But when a homeless child named Stryker shows up at church one Sunday, Mabel's life takes a drastic turn. George Stanton is not who he seems. Running from the law in his brand new 1955 Lincoln Continental, he's planning a mad dash to Mexico to leave his past behind. He can't let an old woman and a sick kid get in his way. Eleven-year-old Stryker has never eaten with utensils and doesn't know how to read, but she can identify the make, year, and model of every car on the road. She won't reveal the identity of her mother or why she's been told to never let her tattered stuffed monkey out of her sight. Mabel races against time to save Stryker's life. George only wants to save his own skin. Soon their destinies become irrevocably entwined, and the road they choose could change their lives forever.