Looking For You All My Life Part 176

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

embarra.s.sing. 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 finis.h.i.+ng off the

table sc.r.a.ps, Maggie drove them all carefully back into

town. About six more inches of snow had acc.u.mulated 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