Wildfire Read Free Page A

last glimmer of sunlight disappeared, leaving the horizon painted with a thin line of orange. As the full chill of the evening air finally penetrated her clothes, she realized that she had been single for a very long time, but had been unwilling to admit it to herself or anyone else.
    Tomorrow she would take her swim in the fresh mountain spring and let nature cleanse her body, mind and soul. Tonight she would be content to sit by a nice warm fire, snuggled in her favorite pajamas with a cup of hot tea.

    Devon heated water over her campfire and opened one of the freeze-dried packets she had brought. Reconstituted noodles weren’t really food and it didn’t sound the least bit appetizing, but tonight it would have to suffice if she wanted the grumbling in her stomach to cease. She had learned to tolerate the tasteless packets out of necessity. They enabled her to pack plenty of meals and she didn’t have to worry so much about attracting animals, but the freeze-dried meals always made her look forward to going home and eating real food.
    She forced down her so-called dinner and secured its packaging in an airtight bag. Since this was a restricted area, unfortunately there were no bear resistant garbage cans or food storage lockers which forced her to be creative. After checking her campsite one last time to make certain that everything was secure and she hadn’t left anything out that might draw curious animals, she crawled into her tent to don the sweats she would sleep in. She really wished that she could shower, but that would have to wait until the next day when the sun could warm her solar shower. She was in no mood for an ice-cold shower tonight. Leaving her moccasins in the vestibule of her tent she secured the door flap before crawling into the warm bedding.
    After fulfilling her promise and checking in with Stacey and getting a tinny and crackling but understandable update on Raine’s prenatal checkup, Devon snapped her phone closed and with a long yawn snuggled in for the night. She listened to the nightlife of the forest come alive, the sounds of nature calming her with their peaceful rhythm until she was lulled to sleep.

    As she stood on the deck and drank a cup of cocoa, Elaine surveyed the area one last time before retiring for the evening. The night was peaceful and the stars bright and so clear that she had opted for a cup of cocoa on the deck rather than tea next to the fire. She couldn’t get enough of the cool crisp nights that allowed her to enjoy her flannel pajama pants, huge comfy sweatshirt and fuzzy bear slippers. The cold temperature had forced her to wear her parka which she pulled tighter around her. Only after several years of wear had the government issue parka become a favorite, transforming from stiff and abrasive to being silky-soft and broken in perfectly.
    As she let the cold air fill her lungs she could tell there was another storm on its way. She could smell the moisture in the gentle breeze. The moon was bright and reflecting off the top of the pines.
    What the hell? She scanned the basin again. The moonlight was sufficiently bright for her to see the plume of smoke wafting up from the trees. It was obviously from a campfire.
    “Who would be stupid enough to be up here this time of year and camping , no less?” The botanist hadn’t checked in yet so Elaine knew he couldn’t be the culprit. Those geeky lab guys weren’t exactly known for roughing it.
    “Of all the stupid idiotic things to do. I swear if that is those fucking poachers, their asses are mine! Why in the hell would they draw that much attention? Why not just send me a map to their whereabouts?” Nobody answered, of course and Elaine gave herself a self-conscious shake—talking to herself was a habit that came with the job.
    They are slaughtering animals on federal land, she reminded herself furiously. As if courting federal charges isn’t stupid enough. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself. She would