Page 98 of Lost and Found

Damn this sweet, beautiful, stupid girl. "Youcould have been killed. The goat would have been fine if you'd looked for him after the weather cleared. Where are Clover, Jared, and the sheriff now? Why didn't they help you?"

She breaks free of my arms and takes a step back. "They were busy with the goats and—" She points over my shoulder. "Your Bigfoot is getting away."

Sure enough, Bigfoot is racing up the hill away from us. He doesn't get far, though, before he slides back down the mountain and lands at my feet with a thump and a groan.

Before he gets on his feet to make another attempt, I grip the fur on the headpiece of the suit and pull hard. It pops off to reveal not the man I figured I'd been chasing for weeks, but a woman.

A woman I know.

"Sunny?" I ask. "What the hell? You told me you're looking forward to the new customers the resort will bring you."

"I am." Sunny gets to her feet, her eyes shifting behind me. "Hey, Dani. Sorry about landing on top of you."

"No worries. I figured you didn't do it on purpose."

Lightning flashes and the thunder follows far too quickly. "We'll figure this out later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of these woods before we get struck by lightning or caught in a flash flood." I pull my walkie off my belt — thank God it didn't get yanked off in my fall — and radio in. "I've got Bigfoot. Also found Dani Weston. Can you let the Sheriff know she's with me?"

"Will do, boss," Josie says. "Be careful out there. Been some reports of flash flooding."

"Always." I end the call and put the radio back on my belt. Then I pull out my phone to figure out where the hell we are. "Looks like we can pick up a trail by heading west." I point as I speak.

Sunny sighs. "That's the long way, Holiday. It's easier if we just climb up that hill again and head back toward the Horned Owl trail."

Sunny's not wrong, but Dani looks absolutely bushed and her goat is wobbling on its little legs. The poor animal looks starved, his ribs visible. "I don't need anyone else falling down the hill. We'll go my way."

"We won't fall." Sunny huffs. "Dani, tell him you can make it up the hill."

I turn on Sunny. I don't know the woman well, but she's never been anything but kind to me. She's always spoken to me about her goats in a loving way. "What the hell is going on, Sunny?"

When Sunny shrinks back, I realize my words may have come out harsher than I intended. But I'm exhausted, wet, filthy, and stressed to the max about getting everyone out of here safely. I don't have the energy to coddle anyone.

Sunny glances at Dani, but Dani presses her lips together and says nothing.

"Fine," Sunny says. "We'll go the long way."

I gesture them ahead, so I can make sure no one slips or makes a run for it.

We've only gone about twenty steps in the right direction when the land opens up into a clearing that's at least an acre wide and covered in green ferns. It's beautiful, but wrong, because there's no water source anywhere nearby.

As we get closer, I see the plants aren't ferns at all.

"No," I say, on a hard breath. Damn it. "Sunny. What the hell were you thinking?"

Sunny turns to face me, but her eyes are shifty, like she's looking for an out.

Lightning flashes, and I close my eyes and count until the thunder booms. The storm is getting farther away, but the rain is coming down harder. "Explain it later. Let's just get out of here."

"It was my grandfather's," Sunny shouts, standing her ground as the rain drenches us. "He told me about it right before he passed last year. I just need to harvest this crop next month, then I'll till it under. Business has been slow and I need the money."

"This is too much marijuana for one person. Who else is working with you?" We need to move, but I'm not going to stop her when she's willing to talk freely.

"No one. I swear, Grant. Grandpa grew it for himself and his friends."

"He didn't have this many friends, Sunny. And you aren't risking jail time growing this to give it freely to a bunch of old men."

"This was Grandpa's retirement plan. He didn't have a pension and his social security check was pennies. He knew a few guys who paid well for what he grew. That's all I know."

"She said she's going to plow it under." Dani faces me, and I can see the judgment in her eyes.