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I loaded the pan into the back of Snickety and drove the few blocks to the fire station where the Search and Rescue team held their meetings. I was relieved to see Jim's SUV in the parking lot. I was sure people would wonder why I just showed up. I unloaded the food from Snickety's hatch and headed for the door.
Someone opened the door and pointed me toward a long table already loaded with food. As soon as I sat the food down, Jim walked up and gave me a hug. "I'm glad you decided to come," he said. "Thanks for bringing a dish. We have a lot of potlucks around here. I'm sure everyone will enjoy trying something new."
"It's just red beans and rice."
"Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone," he said, taking my hand. I was happy to see Laurie Beckett from the consignment store. At least there were two people I knew and several I recognized as customers from Hairy's.
A man I didn't know welcomed everyone before telling us to fill our plates, so we could eat while we heard about the latest rescues. Jim directed me to the food table with his hand on my back. The man in front of me in the line pulled the lid off a crockpot and a heavenly smell escaped.
"That smells like stew. I'm definitely having some of that," I said as I ladled it onto my plate. Just then I noticed Chance Munroe on the other side of the table filling his plate.
"I hope you like my elk stew," he said, nodding at the crockpot.
"I'm sure it'll be delicious."
"I suspect you don't get a lot of wild game back home."
"Oh, we do. We have some venison but mostly we eat smaller game like rabbits and squirrels." Actually, I'd have to be starving to eat a bunny or a squirrel, but Chance didn't need to know that. I have no idea why the man has it in for me, but he does.
I sat down between Laurie and Jim. Before they started reviewing their latest rescues, the man said, "We have a new Wilkins’ Gap resident with us tonight. "Welcome, Ms. Everly Mason, the new owner of Hairy's. Are you interested in joining our Search and Rescue Team?"
"No, she figured it would be good for everybody to meet her since we'll most likely have to rescue her," Chance Munroe said. "That is if she ever decides to set foot in the woods around here."
Jim reached for my hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. I stood up. "He's not wrong. I'm not exactly an outdoors person, but I hope to learn some of those skills now that I'm living in this gorgeous place."
After a round of applause, they got on with their discussion and I sat down, pleased with how I handled the situation. I glanced over at Chance and saw him glaring at me. My less mature self really wanted to stick my tongue out at him, but I was able to fight the temptation. I watched Jim. He was holding my hand, and I was getting the idea that Jim was interested in more than just helping me get settled. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. He was attractive and very nice, but I had the idea that my life do-over meant I should date a different kind of man. Jim was too much of a reminder of the life I was trying to leave behind.
When the meeting ended we stayed sitting at the table for a few minutes talking. Jim leaned across me to talk to Laurie and said, "How's the hotshot doing?"
I must have looked at him like he'd worn white shoes after Labor Day. "That's not very nice, Jim."
"Why not? Tom is on the hotshot crew fighting a forest fire up north."
"Oh, sorry. I thought you were calling him a hotshot. In the south if we said that we'd mean the guy was conceited."
Laurie laughed. "That definitely wouldn't be Tom. You'll have to meet him when he gets back. I think you two might hit it off," she said, and I noticed that Jim didn't look too pleased with that idea.
Laurie left us, and I reached for my purse. "I should probably get going. Thanks, for telling me about this Jim. It was a good..."
"I don't know what you two are up to," Munroe said, "but I want that journal. Are you two trying to figure out a way to keep it from me?"
"I can assure you we have better things to talk about than an old journal," I said.
What is his problem with me?" I asked Jim as I watched Chance pick up his crockpot and head for the door.
"His dad and your uncle were partners. Supposedly they found a spot occupied by a family of bigfoot. They went back regularly so the bigfoot got used to them. Harry agreed to keep notes about their interactions with the creatures. Both men made a pact not to release the story to the media. They knew if they did, the area would be overrun by hunters out to claim a prize. They wanted to study the creatures not put them at risk."
"Even if that's true, and I'm not saying it is, why would Chance need that journal so badly?"
"Harry said he and Dutch Munroe disagreed about how to release the proof they gathered from the site. They were still arguing about it when Dutch was killed on one of their hunting trips. Harry figured that meant the problem was solved as long as no one in Munroe's family knew the location. They'd made a pact to keep the secret, and it seems like both of them honored it."
We gathered up our dishes and walked outside as we talked. "So, if I don't spend a week camping in the woods with Chance Munroe, you would actually burn the journal without ever reading it?"
"I would. That's what my client wanted," Jim said as we stood next to Snickety. "I know you said you had a lot on your to-do list but give me a call when you can take a day off, and I'll show you some of the local sights."
"Will do, but I guess I'm going to have to figure out what to do about this Munroe thing sooner rather than later. Jim brushed his lips across mine in a soft kiss. It wasn't unpleasant, but it certainly wasn't heated. For now, I wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but I climbed into Snickety and headed back to the cafe.