Forests, Fishing, & Forgery Read online

  The veterinarian told me Fifi’s pregnancy would last around 9 weeks. She was already a few days’ pregnant when Tammy Jo Bentley had surrendered the pregnant four-year-old to me. Long story short, I’d done some cleaning for Tammy Jo as a side hustle. When she was held in jail under suspicion of murder, she picked me of all people to take care of Fifi. I didn’t know a thing about dogs - barely did now - but she was in my care. I couldn’t watch her every move so I let Ty’s little brother, Timmy, take her for walks and play with her while I did things around the campground.

  It just so happened Ethel and her band were here for another monthly party and she brought Rosco. Timmy thought the two dogs were playing - they obviously weren’t. The problem was that Fifi was insured due to a long line of prestige breeding and one night at Happy Trails had changed that. Tammy Jo was beside herself and since Fifi could no longer carry on the bloodline, she was no use to Tammy. Tammy Jo dropped her off at my camper and left me no room to protest.

  Long gone were the days Fifi spent at the spa; she was too busy running around the campground to worry about staying clean. The gourmet meals were long ago replaced with campfire leftovers and whatever dog food was on sale at the grocery store. But she seemed to be doing just fine. She was a happy little stinker who found a place in my entire heart, leaving just a smidge for Ty.

  “I guess we better get a date in before you become a grandmother and all your time is taken.” Ty’s smile reached up to his eyes.

  “I’d love that.” This would make the fourth date we’ve had, but who was counting? The word date was being used very loosely here. “What were you thinking?”

  “How about a nice hike to get in some fall colors before you get too busy to enjoy it?” He was always taking my needs into consideration. It was one of the things that I just adored about him.

  “I think it’s perfect. I have tomorrow off. How about tomorrow?” I asked.

  “I’ve got to get through the lunch crowd at the diner first,” he said.

  Ty had grown up in Normal. His dad, Ron, owned the Normal Diner located downtown. Ty and his dad were chefs. Ty’s mom had died of cancer, leaving Ron to care for Ty’s two younger brothers. Ty was living in San Francisco, working as a head chef in a farm to table restaurant until his father’s last illness, a severe burn to his hands from the fryers at the diner.

  He’d always rented a yearly lot from Happy Trails and used it as a vacation spot until he recently moved back full time. Since then, we’d been dancing around the chemistry between us by having a cocktail here, bumping into each other there, and taking a couple of walks. Nothing really big like driving in a car somewhere and that’s what I meant by loosely.

  “What if we make it around one p.m.? That way, dad can just do the cleanup,” he suggested.

  “It’s perfect. Fifi will be ready to nap and I’ll have my walking shoes on. I’m looking forward to enjoying a little bit of nature.” Something else that took me by surprise after I moved here. I used to hate camping and nature, but now that I’d grown up a little, in my thirties, I’d grown fond of the peacefulness and time spent with myself it offered me.

  There was a loud bang coming from the direction of the Bungalow Five.

  “I better get them all settled in,” I said to Ty as we said our goodbyes.

  I got Fifi settled back into the camper and made sure all her bowls were filled before I left. We didn’t need little mama hungry or thirsty. At this point, I’d fallen in love with the little rascal and I just want her to be safe during this pregnancy.

  Once Fifi had laid back down, I walked down to the bungalows. There wasn’t anything going on. The bachelor party and the couple weren’t there and it appeared all was right with the world. I had some hope the initial excitement of the bachelor party had calmed down.

  The party was in full swing. By the looks of it, the party was going to go well into the night. Even Dottie Swaggert had joined Ron Randal on the makeshift dance floor in front of the band. On the walk back over to the lake, I noticed campers were taking advantage of the pedal boats, the games near the recreation center and the food.

  From a distance, I saw Dottie give a little high five to Mayor Courtney Mackenzie. Dottie wasn’t too fond of the mayor. She said the mayor was so crooked you couldn’t tell from her tracks if she was coming or going. Whatever that meant. I’d given up trying to figure out some of the things Dottie said.

  At the end of the dock, my friends from The Laundry Club were sitting on the edge with their toes dangling in the water.

  Abby Fawn, the Normal County Library librarian and local Tupperware consultant, pushed her long brown hair behind her shoulder and wildly waved me over. She nudged Betts Hager and pointed towards me. Betts brushed her bangs out of her eye. She and Abby were both waving at me. Queenie French smiled when she noticed me.

  Betts wore many hats. As if it wasn’t hard enough to be the local preacher’s wife with all the duties that came along with that job, she also cleaned houses and owned The Laundry Club.

  The Laundry Club was the laundromat located downtown, but it was much more than just a bunch of washer and dryers. It’d become a place for us to hang out and visit. Betts had made it very cozy and welcoming by adding a coffee station, book club meetings, puzzles, and TVs.

  They took me in when I came to town and didn’t deserve the kindness they extended. They truly have been instrumental in my staying in Normal and in the success of Happy Trails.

  “Your monthly parties keep getting bigger and bigger.” Betts stood up and pulled the rubber hairband from around her wrist, tugging her long wavy brown hair into a low ponytail.

  “I can’t take the credit.” I nodded towards Abby. “If it weren’t for Abby’s genius marketing skills, I’d never been able to get the word out.”

  “Oh!” Abby leaned on one side of her hip and took her phone out. She pointed it towards me and Betts. “Smile.”

  Betts and I laughed and put our heads together with big smiles on both of our faces.

  “Hashtag Happy Trails Campground is a place for hashtag family hashtag vacation with hashtag fun.” Abby tapped away. “I’ve got all my social media accounts tied together so this photo will go everywhere.”

  “Wait! Stay there!” There was a familiar voice behind me yelling, followed by heavy footsteps. When I turned around, I saw it was Alison Gilbert.

  Alison was the local reporter who wrote for the National Parks of America Magazine and the Normal Gazette. Her heavy 35mm camera hung around her neck and a big bag was strapped across her body. She was in work mode.

  “Let me grab a picture for the paper.” She motioned for me and Betts to stick our heads together again. “Say s’mores.”

  Betts and I laughed as we did what she told us to do. Slowly, she pulled the camera from her eye and left it near her cheek. I followed her eye that was looking over my shoulder. She was staring at Ranger Corbin Ashbrook, who was standing at the beginning of one of the trails along with Mayor Courtney MacKenzie.

  Corbin was one of three forest rangers we had in our area of the Daniel Boone National Forest. During the campground parties, a ranger came around to make sure no one got on the trails and did crazy things after they’d been drinking. There were a lot of dangerous cliffs, drop offs, and ledges in the park. Unfortunately, each hiking season brought unexpected deaths. Luckily, we had good rangers to help keep everyone safe.

  I didn’t know a whole lot about Courtney, but I was happy to see her here at the party. We’d extended an invitation every month only to be met with a decline.

  “Wonder what’s going on over there?” Betts looked toward the trails. “Shocker.” Betts’s nose curled. “Looks like the Mayor has her nose in it too.”

  “Eeee-lection year coming up,” Queenie’s southern drawl pulled out the letters in her word. She pushed the red headband off her brows and up to her forehead. “She knows how to work it.”

  “Ugh,” I groaned. “Corbin has a hold on William Hinson. He’s having
his bachelor party here.”

  “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.” Abby lifted a brow.

  “Yeah, I better get over there,” I said after I noticed Alison had already high-tailed it over there, snapping photos.

  Betts Hager was a true friend and hurried next to me to help. Or maybe she was there for the gossip. Either way, from the sound of the escalating voices, I could use the backup.

  We rushed over as fast as our legs would go. The argument was getting louder and louder, starting to bring attention to themselves and make a scene.

  “I just need a bandage,” William spat with a slur. An obvious sign he’d had too much to drink. William jerked away from Corbin. “What’s your problem? You can’t give me a bandage?”

  “William.” I tried to get his attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my backup had disappeared.

  “Ahem,” Courtney cleared her throat. We made eye contact.

  “Mayor,” I said, since she obviously wanted me to note she was there. I’d never met the woman before.

  William and Corbin were still in a little scuffle in front of us.

  “I see we have a rowdy visitor to our town.” Mayor pinched a no-teeth grin.

  “I’m a hardworking American that pays you to hike all day.” William was just getting plain nasty. “You should pay me for allowing you to work here.”

  “Okay.” I stepped in. “Let’s get you back to your bungalow.” I grabbed William’s arm. “I’m sorry, Corbin.”

  “I’ve done warned him and his friends.” Corbin gave Betts an odd look when she shoved a napkin with a cookie on it in his face. “Peanut butter?”

  “Yes. One of the church ladies made it especially for today,” Betts spoke with pride.

  “I’m allergic to peanuts,” Corbin said and his jaw loosened. He turned back to me. “I’m not going to haul him in, but you need to keep an eye on that bunch.”

  I looked at Betts and mouthed “thank you” because I wasn’t sure if it was her that changed Corbin’s mind with the cookie or because she was the preacher’s wife. Either way, I truly appreciated it.

  Alison continued to snap away.

  “Seriously, Alison?” I asked. “Are you really wanting photos of this? It doesn’t look good for the community and if you print those, people might not want to come visit or vacation.”

  “Mae, don’t be ridiculous,” the mayor said with a laughter. Her jaw tensed. Her eyes narrowed. “Corbin knows this is our busy season.”

  “Yes, Mayor. I do, but I have a job to do and if I have to shut down this part of the Daniel Boone National Park, I will,” Corbin said.

  I jerked my head up to look at him. Courtney sucked in a deep breath, gave her most perfect smile, and her chest slowly went down as I watched her regain her composure.

  “It’s so much more than that.” Courtney and Corbin gave each other a look that told me he knew what she was talking about.

  “I’m going back with my friends. I’m getting married.” William winced after he tried to jerk away from my grip where my nails were digging into him.

  “No. You’re going to get some sleep.” It wasn’t negotiable.

  “Code W.” Corbin said a little too loud, probably wanting to get the last word in since a crowd had gathered to see what all the excitement was about.

  “Code W?” William’s head twisted around as I dragged him forward.

  “Yeah! Code Wimp is what we call hikers like you.” Corbin laughed harder.

  “This is going to happen all the time if you shut down the entire park.” I heard Alison say to Corbin. “Seriously? A drought?”

  “Alison, leave it alone. Yep. There you go. Reporting on something that’s not taken place yet.” Corbin was in a bad mood and he wasn’t going to leave anyone alone that approached him, but the word shutdown did catch my attention.

  If they shut down the park we’d be in a world of hurt.

  “Come on,” William jerked away. “Let me go with my friends,” he whined.

  I pointed to the bungalow.

  “If you want to be kicked out and end your bachelor party right now, go ahead. But if you want a second chance, then you better go sleep it off,” I said.

  He shuffled along side of me with his head hung.

  “Listen,” I said after we’d finally made it to the door of the bungalow. “There are no more chances. We are a family campground. We don’t want rowdy and I told your fiancée that when she booked your stay. If you can’t behave like a grown man, I suggest you take your friends elsewhere.”

  I wasn’t good at kicking people out, but it was for his own good.

  “It can be dangerous up here if you can’t control your liquor intake.” I opened the door for him. “Now, you go in there and sleep this off. I’m going to grab you some food and bring it back.”

  With his chin still hanging down, he finally went into the bungalow.

  “Listen, don’t bring me any food. I think I just want to sleep like you said.” He shut the door.

  On my way back to the party, I could see Dottie had now joined the conversation between Alison and Corbin. Alison wasn’t going to give up. She was relentless. I knew. She’d interviewed me for the National Parks Magazine one time and she dug into my past life where I’d gone through the Kentucky foster care system after a horrible home fire had taken the lives of my parents.

  It was a life I had left behind the minute I turned eighteen years old. It was funny how I’d gotten back to Kentucky and no shutdown was going to destroy it. Especially because of a drought.

  THREE

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” I looked down at Fifi as I poured myself the first cup of coffee of the morning.

  There would be more cups to follow. I was always exhausted the day after a monthly themed party. As the owner of the campground, I stayed up until the last person left to make sure all the campfires were out and the food was put away, which was well past my bedtime. We didn’t need any fires, since the forest rangers were predicting a drought. We didn’t need extra critters tearing up the food table. We had enough animals around here and Fifi was about all I could handle at this moment.

  “I don’t want to leave you here today if you don’t feel good,” I said into those sweet, big brown eyes.

  Her tail wiggled along with the entire back end. She was fine and happy, which made me happy.

  “You were a little restless,” I told her as I filled up her bowl with kibble. “Are you about to have your babies?”

  The past couple of nights, she’d seem really irritable and unable to get comfortable, keeping us both up. From all the research I’d done, I knew she’d become a little more fidgety as she got closer to having her babies.

  A few more pats on the head and kisses, I had my full thermos of coffee and was out the door.

  A blurred, blood-red sun rose above the tree line on the horizon. There was a slight breeze blowing a few of the leaves that’d fallen off a little too early for the fall. There was a hint of cooler weather in the air and it was almost time to put a sweater on over short sleeves. Or a comfy sweatshirt.

  As if the weather and the beautifully painted sky weren’t enough to fill me full of joy, the hiking date I had with Ty put a little more giddy-up in my step. I glanced back at his camper. His car was gone, though I knew it would be since he had to get up really early to open the diner.

  Dottie Swaggert was already at her desk filling in all the reservation requests we’d gotten out of yesterday’s party. It was one reason we did the party.

  “Woooweee doggie, we got us a lot of requests.” She tapped the computer monitor. “Of course, we are booked for most of the requested dates, but I’m adding them to the mailing list and the email distribution list and giving them options for future dates.”

  “Your party turned out great,” I gushed on my way over to my desk where I put my coffee down before I went to look over her shoulder.

  “This is gonna keep me busier than a funeral home fan during the
month of July.” She nodded.

  Dottie always had a way with words and she always made me smile.

  “Say, did you overhear anything about a drought in our part of the Park?” I asked referring to what I’d overheard from Alison yesterday when she asked Corbin about shutting down our part of the park.

  “There’s always rumblings.” Dottie looked up from her computer. She leaned back in her chair, planting her elbows on the armrests. “Why?”

  “Yesterday Alison said something about how that sort of situation with William would happen all the time.” When I said his name, Dottie rolled her eyes.

  “What does that mean?” Dottie’s head turned as her eyes lowered as if she were thinking about it.

  “I guess if they close our trails, then people will still hike and get even more rowdy if there’s no ranger on duty.” I gnawed on my thoughts for a second before I shrugged it off and went over to my desk.

  “No need to worry about tomorrow’s problems.” Dottie went back to inputting the information about potential campers into the computer. “What’s on your agenda for your day off?”

  “I’ve got to get the money to the bank from yesterday’s check-ins,” I said and bent down next to my desk to open up the safe where we kept the money. “And. . .” I curled my bottom lip under my front teeth and smiled like a teenager in love. “I’ve got a hiking date at one with Ty.”

  The campground reservations for rentals started on Sunday and ended on Saturday, which gave Henry, the Happy Trails’ handyman, only a few hours to clean the bungalows or the area around the lots to get ready for the next campers.

  “Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit.” She smacked her desk so hard, I jumped. “I can’t believe it. There’s nothing gonna stop y’all this time.”

  “I figured taking off on Friday before the long weekend was better than my normal Saturday.” I thumbed through some papers on the desk just to make sure everything was good for the day. Not that she couldn’t get in touch with me if she needed to - I was still going to be on the property.