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I should chase Bigfoot, but I won't. Dani is scratched up and limping a bit, like her feet are sore or blistered. I suspect she's nearly as dehydrated as Mari. "He's too fast for me. I'll give him a chance to tire himself out and then come back to look for him."
The look she gives me suggests she doesn't believe a word I'm saying, but I'm okay with that. She can think whatever she wants as long as I can see her home safe.
"Thanks, Ranger," she says in a low voice.
I smile. There's no chance I'll make it back into the woods to find Bigfoot before night falls, but I can live with that.
"Were you honestly scared of me the first time you saw me?" She certainly hadn't seemed afraid of me or of anything, but her words to Mari won't shake free of my brain.
She barks out a laugh. "I was a woman all alone in the middle of the forest. If I'd screamed, no one would have heard me. Of course, I was afraid of you."
And now I feel like a dick. I should have known how scary that situation would be for her. "I'm sorry. I never meant to scare you."
"Right. You just march up to women in the middle of the forest and accuse them of breaking the law as an icebreaker."
I run a hand through my hair. "I guess I'm just so used to wearing the uniform, I assumed you'd know I'm one of the good guys."
"A uniform doesn't automatically make you a good guy, Ranger. You stomp around these woods like you own them every day. Maybe just put yourself in my shoes for a second the next time you approach a woman on her own in the forest."
Apparently, my lesson for the week is that I'm no good at seeing things from anyone else's point of view. "I'm sorry I scared you. It wasn't my intention."
She snorts. "Pretty sure it was exactly your intention. Scare me into never camping without paying again."
"You think I should just let people off the hook? Maybe we should just do away with the fines all together? Is that what you think? I'm a government servant, right? Should I just work for free?" I am fully aware that I'm overreacting, but it's a pet peeve of mine, the way so many people take the forest and me for granted.
The United States has some of the best and biggest parks in the world and the parks depend on everyone who visits them contributing to their upkeep.
She huffs, but doesn't argue. She doesn't say anything.
If Kaia's right and Dani's broke, wouldn't she just admit it? I'll be understanding if that's her reason for not paying. But Dani doesn't say a word.
We walk on in silence. Maybe the longest I've ever gone in Dani's presence without her speaking. Strangely, I miss the sound of her voice.
"How long are you going to avoid me?" she asks finally.
Immediately, I know she's talking about the fact I haven't bought pastries directly from her all week. I don't want to lie to her, but there's no way I'm going to tell her the truth. A truth which I've barely admitted to myself, which is that the more I'm around her, the more I can't stop thinking about her when I'm not around her. "It's easier for me to get what I need from Lazy. I've been running late this week."
The trail narrows so we have to go in single file, but Dani pauses before she steps out in front of me, her expression suggesting she can see right through my bullshit. "Worried I'm going to spit in your coffee?"
"No." Yes. One hundred percent certain she'd spit in my coffee. Probably because I wouldn't be able to resist pointing out that her 'cat' is a skunk. Uncalled for on her part, but predictable. "Maybe I just know I won't be able to resist fining you for illegal possession of a wild animal."
"Harsh. Lazy's mostly civilized and I wouldn't call him mine. Though he has said I'm the best employee he's ever had and he's taking me out to dinner tomorrow to celebrate a successful first week of the bakery and coffee bar."
A white hot bolt of jealousy spikes through me. Lazy hasn't said anything to me about being interested in Dani, but a brotherly conversation wouldn't hurt.
Not because I want to date her. Absolutely not. Because it would be unprofessional of Lazy to date her, and I'd like his business to thrive.
"I'm talking about the skunk," I say. "I understand the position you're in, but if you could avoid flaunting your unlawful behavior to the entire community, it would help me look less like I'm neglecting my duties."
"First," she says primly. "Skidmark is a cat. Second, he doesn't like to be away from me. He gets anxious and starts crawling around on his front legs, trying to find me. If my sisters try to help him, he hisses like he wants to eat their faces." She shrugs. "I'm hoping he'll outgrow it, but he's very popular at the bookstore."
"Exactly the problem. You don't want other people to see how sweet and cute he is with you, which is bizarre, by the way, and think it's okay to take a skunk from the wild."
"I tell everyone the same thing I tell you, Ranger. He's a cat. I would never take a wild animal from the wild because it is wrong and dangerous for the animal."
I sigh. I'm not going to win this battle today. "How'd you bewitch him, anyway?"
Maybe her answer can help me figure out how to stop her from bewitching me. It's like she's under my skin and clawing at my blood vessels, peeling away bone to implant herself in my marrow.
