Sara Garret has lived under her husband's domination for too long; alphabetizing soup cans as she tucks them in the cupboard, jumping tensely to make sure that everything is perfect for him. She's been planning her escape for a long time, knowing that her husband, Garret, will hunt her and her son, Kendal, forever. But when Garret strangles Kendal's rabbit, Sara knows she can't wait any longer. Frantic for a way out that doesn't involve leaving a trail, she begs a man she barely knows, Chief Petty Officer Chase McCaffrey, to take her and Kendal with him to Oklahoma, where he's going for some time off.

Chase turns her down, trying his best to stay out of trouble, but can't put her desperation out of his head. Against his better judgment and knowing he's risking his military career by angering Garret, a JAG, Chase helps Sara and Kendal sneak away.

The three settle into the rundown house that Chase inherited from his stepfather, working to fix it up and knowing that it's only a matter of time before Sara and Kendal head on to start a new life with Sara's birth mother. Sara is confident that Garret doesn't know she's adopted, so will never find her through her birth mother. But as they create a family and watch the home take shape around them, the three grow to care about each other and start to crave a future.

This book will twist all of your heartstrings -- from Sara's abusive marriage and the harm done to Kendal through that, to Chase's own abusive childhood and the emotional stress he feels from being a sniper. You won't be able to put TIME TO RUN down! It's not just the abuse aspect that will draw you in, either. Chase's stepfather was a skinhead and a group of men are coming around the house, threatening this new family's peace. Ms. Melton is to be commended for the skillful plotting and characterization that make this a must-read book, the third one in her Navy SEAL trilogy.