Page 97 of Lost and Found

"I'll go with you."

"I'll go, too," Jared says. "Winnie and Liz can head on if I can get a ride home with you and Clover after we find out what's making that noise."

I nod and jog toward the car, where I quickly fill Clover in on the plan.

She joins me and we run to catch up with Jared and the Sheriff as they start across the wide open field behind the log cabin.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Grant

Aflash of brown between the trees catches my eye and I take off, leaping over tree roots and sliding on dead leaves. It's pouring now, thunder rolling and lightning flashing. I shouldn't be out here, but someone spotted Bigfoot right before the storm and it's my job to go into the woods after anyone who might be in trouble.

I make out the form of Bigfoot and relief courses through me. I've found him. Finally.

I pick up my pace. Bigfoot is off the trail and slowing down. Thankfully, he probably can't hear me crashing through the woods over the roar of the pouring rain.

I'm getting closer when Bigfoot vanishes from sight. One second he's racing through the woods and the next he's just gone.

A feminine shriek and then a scream and is that… a goat making that maaaa noise?

I sprint in the direction I last saw Bigfoot. Where the hell did he go?

I reach the spot where I think he vanished and my feet shoot out from under me, the slick leaves finally taking me out.

It's as I'm sliding down a steep drop-off that I realize the same thing must have happened to Bigfoot and that's why he disappeared from view.

I fight for traction as I race down the hill on my butt. I splay my legs and arms wide, reaching for anything to stop me, because I'm heading straight for a pile of brown fur that somehow has more than the correct number of appendages, like some sort of land octopus.

Finally, I catch a sapling and my body jerks to a halt inches before I land on the mass that is topped by… a goat?

I blink against the rain pelting my face and sit up gingerly. Nothing seems to be broken.

The mass is shouting now, "Get off me!"

"Get it off me!"

"Maaa!"

It's two people, the one lying on top of the other is in a Bigfoot costume, and the goat is standing on top of them both, shaking and sodden, a rope looped loosely around its neck.

Carefully, I slide the rest of the way down the hill. "Everyone, just calm down."

The goat doesn't fight me when I set him on the ground, but he doesn't stop crying either. Next, I help Bigfoot to his feet. He's wobbly and sits right back down on the hillside.

"Don't go anywhere," I say in my most threatening voice.

Bigfoot nods his muddy, worn, costumed head.

Dani lies on the ground, looking up at me, her expression panicked, her eyes red like she's been crying. "Grant?"

Before I can brace myself, she leaps up and wraps herself around me, knocking me on my back.

"Oh, my God. Thank you for saving me again. I was so scared I was going to get us both killed after everything I've done to save Arty."

"Arty?" I hug her back, because, damn, she feels good in my arms. So good that I forget all about our argument.

"Short for Escape Artist. He belonged to a hoarder and Clover, Jared, the sheriff, and I found ten goats all smushed into this tiny shed. Jared and the sheriff were rounding up the other goats, and they gave me a rope to help, but Arty ran away into the woods and straight up the side of the mountain. It was thundering and lightning and he could have been killed, Grant. I had to go after him."