Time is of the Essence

 From where I was standing, I couldn’t tell at first that anything had changed. I expected small, adorable woodland creatures to stampede from the forest across my path and hightail it down the dirt road. But I couldn’t remember if that was an incident I saw on the Discovery Channel or the fire scene in “Bambi.” A lone rabbit, thin and mangy, hopped across the deck. Not the stampede of nature one would normally associate with a forest fire. Ash drifted across the sky and settled on the grill cover and quickly laid a layer of soft gray over the surface of the deck. Two borate bombers droned closer. Out of habit I paused and watched the heavy fat planes roar overhead to drop their loads farther up the mountain. I slid the glass door closed to block out the ash, as if I were the homeowner, not a thief breaking and entering.  

I was sure it was here in the house. The only thing falling was ash; the fire was up the mountain at least a mile away. I had a few more minutes.

New Allison Little Adventure

After a difficult summer, Allison Little, Realtor for New Century Realty decides she needs some time off.

So, as she has in the past, she escapes to Claim Jump, a small town in the Sierra Foothills where her favorite Grandmother lives.  But despite the great weather, lazy afternoons at the river and marvelous company of grandma's eccentric friends, Allison cannot relax. Once there, Allison discovers that her    Grandmother has been accused of embezzling funds from the City. An important escrow is on the verge of collapse because one of the sellers has disappeared, and a new man enters her life who, unlike Ben Stone (Rock Solid Service), actually takes Allison out on dates. Yet, there is something odd about him.  Oh, and a huge forest fire threatened the town. Twice.

Nothing like spending the whole night on the roof with a garden hose in one hand and a martini in the other to make a girl re-think her vacation plans.
Allison does not have time for this.