Page 16 of Saved By the Lumberjack
"Well it wasn't Bigfoot, I know that much," Phoenix says. We laugh. We laugh a lot about the local bigfoot legends and all the people they bring to our tiny community.
"At least he's good for business," I point out, picking one the cinnamon rolls out of the box of goodies she brought up from the bakery.
The ginormous bear claws she calls "squatch claws" are too rich for me, but the cinnamon rolls smothered in cream cheese icing are my favorite. They don't have a Bigfoot-themed name, but she sells them with a tag that says "Bigfoot is a cinnamon roll for our cinnamon rolls."
Girl's a marketing genius, her bakery is internet famous around the world. It helps that everything she makes tastes good enough that it'd sell like crazy even without Bigfoot's celebrity endorsement.
Our laughter dies and Phoenix gets serious.
"Any word on who it was though?"
I watch my hands unravel the sticky treat thoughtfully and shake my head.
Jake told the deputy what I heard the day he pulled me out of that forest, but no one's ever found the men who tore my campsite up.
"Hawk is working with the department in Paradise Point, but they admit we might never know who it was. They're worried it might be traffickers-- or maybe just weirdos-- thinking they can use the forest's history to their advantage. Maybe just sickos who thought it'd be fun to start the disappearances again."
Phoenix shudders.
"They really said those things? The men you heard at your camp?"
I nod, swallowing before responding.
"Yeah, the one guy asked if I was female. I mean, he just said 'female?' like a question, you know. Then the other guy must have said yes or nodded or something because I heard the first guy ask if I was 'claimed' and the other guylaughedand said 'not yet.'" Now it's my turn to shudder.
"Like who talks like that? And how would the other guy know if I was single or not? I can't think about it too much or I get really freaked out."
"I'm glad Jake saved you." Phoenix searches the box of pastries and breaks off half a chocolate chip muffin. "And I'm glad you decided to stay on the Ridge."
Baby Michael has rolled himself into an afternoon nap, giving us a chance to concentrate on grown-up conversations without distraction for a while.
"I'll stay where ever Jake is."
This feeling is still new to me, the absolute certainty that I belong with Jake. I look down at the engagement ring sparkling on my hand and smile.
"But I'm glad that's going to be Moonshine Ridge," I add. "This is home." I look up at the house with almost as much affection as I look at my ring.
Outside of field research-- which I'll never do alone again-- I can work anywhere. Jake's been with Murdock Timber for almost a decade already and, even though he talks shit about his bosses being grumpy old men, he plans to stay with the company long term.
Moonshine Ridge is home now. We'll be remodeling the house as needed, but this is where we'll have our babies and grow old together.
"Did you hear about the plane crash?"
Phoenix's questions pops me out of my thoughts.
"What? No!"
"Mable Hart was in the bakery this morning. She said that Vera said that Marcia said that Terra told her that Hawk toldher--" My friend takes an exaggerated breath. I laugh. We both got used to the way the grapevine works on the Ridge very fast. "-- and, of course, Terra swore her grandmother to secrecy because Hawk said it's super on the downlow still-- but a small plane is missing. They think it went down somewhere on the Point's side of the mountains."
"Oh my gosh. They don't know if it crashed? How many people were on the plane?"
Phoenix shrugs, indicating she doesn't have all the details. And, we both know, there's no guarantee the ones she has are accurate.
"Just the pilot. No passengers were mentioned. But the pilot's a woman. That's all I've heard so far."
"I hope they find her," I say.
"I hope she's okay," Phoenix adds.
