10
Sheila wasn’t ready for the scale of a wildfire or the scale of the change that washed over her easy-going and affable lover. She barely recognized him. Deep in a valley beyond Dryden, a fire was ripping apart the landscape.
“Goddamn winter hunters,” his unexpected snarl came from deep in his chest.
“What’s wrong with hunters?”
“They’re big on exploding targets. Doesn’t matter that the damned things are outlawed on state forest land; they love seeing the flash and bang during target practice. Then, if they start a fire, the hunters scram so that they don’t get caught and have to pay for the firefight. Not the primary cause of our manmade fires, but it’s climbing.”
“What are the primaries?”
“Campfires and arsonists. But there aren’t any hiking trails back here and arsonists like sh
