KIM BALDWIN. hundreds of acres of state forest but within easy reach of the two small villages she frequented

hundreds of acres of state forest but within easy reach of the two small villages she frequented. Pine River, F ve miles southeast, had the nearest grocery store, and Meriwether, seven miles west, had the nearest pharmacy, where she worked.

Erin’s place wasn’t exactly on her way home. It was a good ten-minute detour off her fastest route back from Kalamazoo. But she took the back roads there anyway, as if seeing what was left of the place would somehow preserve her connection with its owner.

Although the lot had been cleared and leveled, Gable was disappointed to discover that no construction was underway. She nearly stopped at the Blue Moose motel next, convinced suddenly that seeing Erin would put an end to her irrational F xation. But she needed to shower and change before coming face-to-face with the woman she longed to see, so she swung home instead, prolonging the torture.

She tried on various outF ts, eventually settling on jeans, a white shirt, and her leather jacket. She was so nervous her palms were sweating. She brushed her hair until it shone, feeling every bit like she was on a very important F rst date, though she knew that wasn’t the truth.

Stomach churning, she headed to the Blue Moose. Once she’d parked in the lot, she took a moment to control her breathing, then wiped her palms on her pant legs before she went into the ofF ce.

“Hi, I’m here to see Erin Richards,” she told the bespectacled older gentleman behind the counter. “Can I have her room number or can you ring her for me?”

“Erin Richards, you say?”

The man typed the name into his computer using only two F ngers.

Who knew what could happen if he hit the wrong key? Clearly, he was terriF ed. He would look at the keyboard, searching for the letter. Strike it with painful deliberation, then peer at the monitor over his reading glasses to make sure it was there.

Gable bit her tongue to keep from telling him to hurry. Finally, he announced, “I’m sorry, we have no one here by that name.”

She stopped breathing for an instant. “Not here?” she repeated.

“ Was she here? Can you tell me that?”

He looked back at the computer screen, then called over his shoulder, “Martha! Can you come out here a minute?”

There was an open door behind him that led into an inner ofF ce.

After a moment a diminutive woman with gray hair and a ready smile

• 40 •

FORCE OF NATURE