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sense of fear
    in the not too distant future.
    "You would leave me," the woman cried clearly, and lurched back into the
    glare of the headlight.  It was then Anna saw the swollen belly and knew
    her for Tabby Belfore, the district ranger's wife.
    The man stepped forward, reaching for Tabby.
    "Hey, Todd!" Anna yelled, hoping if violence was in the offing to avert
    it ." You guys need any help?"
    She was close enough now to see their faces.  Annoyance mixed with
    sheepishness.  Tabby blotted at her eyes with her fingertips; a woman
    concerned about makeup damage.  There were no signs of high drama, j L]
    St tile usual earmarks of a spat.
    Because of training and a natural distrust of people, Anna checked Tabby
    for any signs of' abuse ." Having engine trouble?" she asked easily.
    Todd Belfore was a small man, five foot three or four and ilot more than
    140 pounds, but muscular and self-assured ." Nope.  We were having a
    fight," he said with disarming candor ." Tabby's smarter than me.  I had
    to stop driving and concentrate if I had tiny hope of winning." -labby
    laughed.  It didn't sound forced, so Anna joined her.  Alter that there
    was nothing else to say and the Belfores stood looking l'oolish, both
    sets of eyes flitting everywhere to avoid making contact with Anna's.
    "We'd better be getting on hotne"' Tabby said finally.
    Todd got back into the truck so fast he cracked his head against the
    frame ." No harm done.  Hard as a rock." He laughed again, alone this
    time.
    "Guess we better be going." Tabby backed away from Anna, heading toward
    the passenger side.  She didn't seem afraid or anxious.  Reassured, Anna
    watched them drive away to be swallowed up by the oak woods.
    The district ranger and his wife lived in an upstairs apartment in the
    Plum Orchard mansion.  At one time the mansion had been open for the
    public to tour but funds had failed and it was now closed to visitors.
    Tabby probably felt isolated.  From their brief acquaintance she didn't
    strike Anna as a woman of great inner resources.
    As she walked back to the ATV an old Doris Day movie she hadn't watched
    in years floated into her mind: Midnight Lace.  Day played an heiress,
    married and rich.  She shopped, she looked terrific, she mixed martinis
    and had them waiting when Rex Harrison returned fromhard day at the
    office.  And she was compellingly, endearingly helpless in an era when
    the liciplessness of grown women was accepted, admired-at least in
    fiction.
    Mrs.  Belfore had some of Day's blond vulnerability.  People found
    themselves wanting to look after her.  In Midnight Lace there was an
    attraction even for Anna.  It would be delicious to sink back into
    frailty and let the battles be fought around you.
    As she fired up the ATV, she allowed herself a brief fantasy of giving
    in, giving up, giving over; absolute trust and, so, absolute dependence.
    Appealing, but only momentarily.  To the victor go the spoils.  It
    wasn't healthy to align oneself with the spoils.
    Back in the air-conditioned sanctity of her upstairs bedroom, Anna
    stretched naked on her yellow fire-issue sleeping bag.  A room and a bed
    of her own; a rare luxury on a fire assignment ." God bless sexism," she
    said to the spirits above the raked ceiling.  As crew boss, Guy had
    claimed one bedroom.  He'd assigned her another as the only female.  The
    remaining three crew members shared the third .
    As in every crew since the first group of Cro-Magnons banded together to
    stomp out the first grass fire, there was a magnificent nose, a man who
    snored with the resonance of a dull chain saw cutting through hardwood.
    On this crew Rick did the honors.
    Through two closed doors it was dulled to a comfortable rumble.  A
    little imagination could mutate it into a purr and Anna liked to pretend
    Piedmont, her orange tiger cat, was curled up beside her .
    Cats were such excellent soporifics.
    Folding her hands behind her head, she stretched till her