“Don’t it bother you none to cut down all this? Do you ever think about the animals that live here – the deer and….”
“The deer feed in the meadows, not the forest,” he interrupted, his expression exasperated. “Clearing some of the trees out will only give the grass a chance to grow. Don’t you know anything about the critters that live in the forest?”
Her voice was crisp. “I know that squirrels live in the trees, and the trees provide acorns for the deer – not to mention a place for raccoons to hide from the wolves.”
He glanced away. “We’re not getting any closer to that highway sitting here arguing.”
Any other time Barrett would have enjoyed the ride through the forest as well as the exchange with Mary Jo, but his head and stomach were taking turns agonizing him. Her concerns about clear cutting might be founded in a bad experience or biased information. In either case, deforestation wasn’t the biggest problem the mountain faced right now. Her perception of his intent might be good for his cover, but it wasn’t getting him the information he needed. She had hinted at the Hudson place as being dangerous. How much did she know about the drug activity in the mountains?
Mary Jo swung around and kicked her mule into motion. She was upset with him and he couldn’t blame her. She had rescued him from the wreck, steered him away from what she felt was a dangerous destination, and now she was leading him through the wilderness to find help. She did all that even though she believed he was there to destroy the forest she felt compelled to protect. He didn’t agree with her, but he had to admire her dedication. What she lacked in education, she more than made up for in compassion. She wore no makeup and dressed for comfort. She made no attempt to impress him. A mule was her only method of transportation; she lived in a house with no plumbing or electricity – none of the things that most women considered essential – yet she appeared to be content. The truth was; she intrigued him more than any woman he had ever met.
The mule followed Mary Jo with no direction from him. He tried relaxing his body a little and rolling with the gait of the animal. It took him a while - mostly because it was difficult to relax - but he finally found the rhythm and it did ease the pain in his head. He should see a doctor, but he'd rather do that after he contacted Uncle Del. If he couldn't trust the law, who could he trust?