one does. And if you don't believe me, just ask Spence-he's
tried me enough times to know."
"I do believe you, Maggie. But I'm still sorry I was such
a little brat about all this. To tell you the truth, it's pretty
embarrassing. It actually felt horrible being mean to you. I
was really starting to hate myself."
Maggie grinned at her. "I guess that makes me feel better.
It did seem a little out of character for you-it sure didn't
seem like the Leah I thought I knew."
After a leisurely breakfast, with Lizzie finishing off the
table scraps, Maggie drove them all carefully back into
town. About six more inches of snow had accumulated over
night, bringing the total snowfall to nearly a foot. Maggie
asked Leah to call Audrey on the cell phone as soon as they
were within range.
"She wasn't even worried," said Leah, after hanging up.
"She just thought you'd gone to work early this morning."
Maggie laughed. "I guess we both could've been lost all
night and no one would've even have noticed~r at least
not right away."
She dropped Leah and Lizzie at Je d's shop with a promise
to bring them back some lunch, then stopped by the news-
paper office to explain what had happened last night and to
check on things in general before she went back home to put
on fresh clothes. "I'll be back in after lunch," she promised
Abigail as she fingered through the mail.
"Good grief, girl, after all you've been through, I think
you should just take the whole day off," said Abigail sagely.
Then she looked at Maggie curiousl "Although, as strange
as it sounds, you actually look more refreshed and relaxed
than you have in the last few weeks."
276Melody Carlson
Maggie sighed happily. "I feel better too. Something
about being up there in the cabin was like having a little
mini-vacation of sorts."
"Pretty wild one, if you ask me, but if that sort of thing
agrees with you, maybe you ought to do it on a regular
basis."
*"No thanks," said Maggie. "At least the part about res-
cuing hypothermia victims. Now as far as staying in a cabin
out in the snowy woods, I just might have to give that idea
*some thought."
For the next few days, Maggie got everything in line to
publish a very special Pine Cone Christmas edition. Scott
rounded up enough miscellaneous photos from the past
year's activities to make up a two-page collage of town hap-
*penings. And they specifically steered away from any nega-
tive stories, which of course meant not a single word about
TS Development. And that was despite the fact that both
Rick and Greg made a personal appearance to complain in