7 Wild East (13 page)

Of course it was great news about the pipeline being
stopped, but when he thought about his plane he just wanted to bawl like a
girl. How was he ever going to get the money to get the thing fixed?

His spiral of pity arrested as he looked out the window and
saw what looked like the entire town lined up along the runway not far from
Potter’s Ridge.

Keith managed to get the plane landed and Little Davey
pulled up the fuel truck they used to fuel planes when they landed on the
airfield—which wasn’t very often.

The Wings climbed out of the passenger seat and looked at
the mass of smiling faces.

Big John stepped forward and offered him a metal lunchbox.

“I hope you’re not too tired to turn around and head back
again,” Big John said.

“What?” he asked blankly.

“Look in the box,” the mayor urged. So Danny did. Briefly.
He slammed the lid before the wind could carry the loose bills away.

“There’s enough there to fix your plane.”

Then the Wings did cry.

It took a while to fuel the plane and to get Thomas, Pete,
and Mark loaded up. By then, the Wings was also ready to go.

“You’re sure you won’t stay?” Chuck said to the recruit as
he loaded the last suitcase. “Next week is bound to be less exciting.”

“I want to follow up about this newt,” Thomas said. “And,
truthfully, I am not sure that I am cut out for duty in the outback. I may need
to rethink my goals.”

“Well, if you change your mind I hope you’ll come back,”
Chuck said and then offered a salute.

Butterscotch gave Thomas a hug and the Flowers pressed bags
of cookies on all the travelers. Mark got a hug as well and a warning to be
kind to his ankle.

Ricky, Sisu, and Max were also there to say their goodbyes
to Thomas.

“I hope you come back soon so we can find some more
endangered species.” Ricky had decided that he was going to be the first
biologist Mountie in outer space.

“Well, I may just do that come summer,” Thomas said,
kneeling down and letting his slacks get a tiny bit dirty. “After all, I still
need to learn how to catch fish with my bare hands.”

“You don’t have to wait for summer,” I heard myself say.
“You might want to come for Thanksgiving.”

Thomas smiled, his eyes—for once—not somber.

“I will think about it,” he promised.

*  * 
*

We were happy to wave the plane goodbye and get back to
town. That night there would be some drinking and eating and telling stories by
the fire of the survey and of how we had raised a cabin—a fire which was
needed. The chill in the air was pronounced and I thought we might get rain by
morning.

I looked at the vistas of dried grass and the humps of gray
rock that pushed through it.
Intrusions
, Pete had called them. Whatever
the word, the airstrip looked lonely once everyone was gone.

Our hamlet and those around it are not “destinations.” The
land is hostile, saying as clearly as it can that it doesn’t want human
visitors. There had never been a reason to come here—and now, with the pipeline
diverted, there never would be. Or so we hoped.

“Ready to call it a day?” Chuck asked, slipping an arm
around me. I leaned into his warmth. Max whined softly, also asking if I was
ready to go.

“Ready and then some. Let’s go get drunk.”

As sometimes happens with works of fiction, liberties are
taken with facts. This time it was with the laws of physics and geology. I just
mention it so that you won’t feel the need to write and tell me about all the
kinds of rocks they don’t have in Canada and which airplanes can and cannot do
barrel rolls.

About the Author

Melanie Jackson is the author of over 60 novels. If you
enjoyed this story, please visit Melanie’s author web site at
www.melaniejackson.com
.

eBooks by Melanie Jackson:

The Chloe Boston Mystery Series:

Moving Violation

The Pumpkin Thief

Death in a Turkey Town

Murder on Parade

Cupid’s Revenge

Viva Lost Vegas

Death of a Dumb Bunny

Red, White and a Dog Named Blue

Haunted

The Great Pumpkin Caper

Beast of a Feast

Snow Angel

Lucky Thirteen

The Sham

Murder by the Book

The Chloe Boston Mysteries Volume 1 (Books 2 – 4)

The Chloe Boston Mysteries Volume 2 (Books 5 – 7

The Chloe Boston Mysteries Volume 3 (Books 8 – 10)

The Chloe Boston Mysteries Volume 4 (Books 11 – 13)

The Butterscotch Jones Mystery Series

Due North

Big Bones

Gone South

Home Fires

Points West

The Wedding

Wild East

The Butterscotch Jones Mysteries Volume 1 (Books 2 – 4)

The Wendover House Mystery Series

The Secret Staircase

Twelfth Night

On Deadly Tides

Miss Henry Mystery Series

Portrait of a Gossip

Landscape in Scarlet (Coming soon)

Requiem at Christmas (Coming soon)

Wildside Series

Outsiders

Courier

Still Life

The Book of Dreams Series:

The First Book of Dreams: Metropolis

The Second Book of Dreams: Meridian

The Third Book of Dreams: Destiny

Medicine Trilogy

Bad Medicine

Medicine Man

Knave of Hearts

Club Valhalla

Devil of Bodmin Moor

Devil of the Highlands

Devil in a Red Coat

Halloween

The Curiosity Shoppe
(Sequel to A Curious Affair)

Timeless
(Sequel to Club Valhalla)

Nevermore: The Last Divine Book