As she stepped back outside, the sound of the hound was getting closer. Brush crackled near the edge of the forest and a deer leaped into the open. Megan gasped. The deer paused only a second when it saw her, and then bounded across the clearing, its white tail held erect.

Megan reached inside the door and grabbed the broom as the deer disappeared into the forest again. Surely it wasn't deer season in the middle of summer, so that meant the dog was chasing the deer for pleasure - or worse. The dog plunged from the forest as she dodged the closing screen door. Brandishing the broom, she raced down the porch steps, screaming at the dog.

"Get out of here you horrid thing!"

The dog stopped and stared at her. As she drew near, it turned and ran; its tail between its legs.

"And stay away, you miserable..." She stopped, suddenly aware that she was in the middle of the field. Behind her lay a path of crushed grass and beyond that, tall weeds and grass. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead and she mopped it away with her forearm. Using the broom to push the grass aside, she carefully made her way back to the porch and sank into the chair. It was ridiculous to be so frightened of something. She was virtually a captive in the cabin.

A few minutes later a brown LTD crept up the drive and stopped. Megan stood and smiled a genuine welcome as Clara emerged from the car, carrying two large hanging plants. She held them up for Megan to examine.

"This one is a begonia, the other one is a coleus. They like sun - as long as it isn't direct."

Megan nodded. "They are colorful, aren't they?" She pulled the rocker to the edge of the porch and lifted the plants to some hooks. "It seems a waste of time to hang these for less than a month."

"Oh, I'll probably leave them up until the weather starts to get cold - unless someone objects, of course."

Megan hopped off the chair and pulled it back beside the door. "Well, I hope the person that buys it isn't such a coward"

Clara stared at her. "Coward? Land sakes, girl. You come out here from California all alone and rent you a place in the middle of nowhere. I think that takes a lot of guts."

Megan laughed. "I've been terrified to get off the porch. Do you know there was a huge snake waiting for me right there in front of the door yesterday when I came home?" She shuddered. "I hate snakes."




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