by Kay Correll
Back to work. If only they’d been a bit slower tonight and she could have joined him for that glass of wine.
And that was the first time she’d ever wished things were less busy at the lodge.
Chapter 10
Harrison headed out from the dining room and wandered down to the lake as his eyes adjusted to the night. Moonlight illuminated the path. He glanced up toward the night sky. It looked like almost a full moon. He leaned over and picked up a rock and skipped it across the surface. He grinned in spite of himself. He hadn’t done that since he was a boy. His grandfather had taught him how to do it one summer when he was about six. He’d probably skipped a million rocks across this lake, no lie.
He picked up another one and skipped it. Three hops this time.
About a dozen rocks later he gave up trying to get four hops out of a rock. He looked across the lake and saw faint lighting coming from the windows of his grandfather’s cabin. Well, Walt’s cabin.
No, it wasn’t Walt’s cabin, he reminded himself. Walt had just taken on squatter’s rights, without asking anyone else in the family.
First thing Monday he was going to visit county records and look for the original deed to the place and any transfers or amendments. This afternoon, after his adventure of visiting the cabin, he’d tried to get in contact with the law firm that did his grandfather’s estate. They’d had an honest-to-goodness gone fishing sign in the window. A man from the neighboring office had said Friday afternoons were usually a fishing day for the lawyer who ran the practice now.
Small towns. They sure were different than Chicago. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d left early on a Friday from his job.
Or the last time he’d gone fishing, for that matter. Maybe he’d find time to drop a line in the lake while he was here.
He walked along the trail that ran beside the lake and stopped at a boulder by the edge. He scrambled onto it and looked across the water. It was a nice night out, and he was plenty warm with just a light jacket over his flannel shirt. He looked up at the vast array of stars flung across the sky above him. No view like this in Chicago either. He’d actually moved to a condo downtown about ten years ago to be nearer to his work. Yep, no skies like this in downtown Chicago.
The peace of the evening settled around him. An owl hooted from a nearby tree. The fresh scent of pine wrapped around him.
And he just… sat.
When was the last time he’d just sat and listened to the silence? It was a peaceful almost-silence. He could hear some creature, a squirrel or chipmunk, rustle along the ground in the leaves beside the trail. The owl called out a melancholy hoot again. The breeze ruffled the leaves on the trees in a soothing lullaby of quiet whispers.
He sat there and soaked in the beauty and ambience of the lake. He was certain there was no place like this in all of the world and regretted all the years he’d stayed away. Not that he’d really had any choice.
Nora headed back to her cabin, her mind on tomorrow’s wedding at the lodge and all that still needed to be done. Luckily she had Bree and Cece to do most of it. Hiring the Stuart sisters had taken a load off her shoulders on wedding weekends. Her mind bounced on to Harrison. He intrigued her with his quick smile and his easy conversation. She could relax and be herself with him, and yet, in some ways, he unsettled her.
She paused as she noticed someone sitting on a boulder at the edge of the lake. Her favorite boulder for lake watching, actually.
In an instant, she knew who it was.
Harrison. Had she conjured him up from her thoughts? She pushed the silly notion aside.
She could cross over to another trail that led to the river path and leave him to his lake watching. And yet… she didn’t.
She continued down the trail and paused near the boulder. “Hi.” Her voice was low so as not to startle him.
He turned to her, and she saw his smile, welcoming her in the moonlight. “Well, this is a nice surprise. Care to join me?” He reached out a hand and motioned to the rock beside him.
“I…” Should she? Yes, yes she should. She wanted to. “I’d like that.” She climbed up beside him on the large, smooth rock. “This is my favorite place to sit and look over the lake. A bit away from everything. So peaceful.”
“It is a nice spot. I can see why it’s your favorite. And look at those stars.” He flung his arm above him. “We don’t have those stars in Chicago.”
She grinned at him. “Well, you do have those stars, you just can’t see them very well through the light pollution.”
“Point taken.” He stared up at the sky. “It seems so endless and majestic. I remember seeing skies like this as a boy.”
“Really? Where?”
He glanced at her, and a quick frown floated across his features and left just as quickly. “Oh, here and there on vacations with my folks.”
“Always nice to get out of the city for a bit.”
“It is.” He leaned back on his elbows and stretched his legs in front of him. “I can’t imagine having this view for the taking, every single day.”
She looked up at the familiar sky. It was a blessing to have this view. The sky. The mountains. The lake. She was a very lucky woman. And she never took it for granted.
Harrison sat back up. “So… this Dobbs guy you spoke of. He’s going to change all this?”
“Well, yes. Across the way there…” She pointed across the lake. “That’s where he plans on putting in condos. Lots of condos. Along with lots of condos will come lots of light, so the sky view won’t be the same.”
“And he wants to allow motorboats on the lake?”
“He does. Right now we have canoes, kayaks, an occasional small sailboat. That’s it.”
“It seems… wrong. Why did the city council allow it?”
“Because Dobbs gets what he wants in this town. Almost always. He has friends in power and… well, he usually wins. We did get the riverwalk put in behind the buildings on Main Street along Sweet River. He didn’t want that.”
“Why not?”
“Maybe because he didn’t think of the idea? Maybe because Annie and I worked so hard to get it passed through the town council?”
A deep frown creased his features. “Sounds like this Dobbs is quite a character.”
She couldn’t agree with him more. They sat in silence for a while, looking at the stars. Listening to the gentle evening sounds. She finally sighed. “I should probably go. Long day tomorrow with a wedding at the lodge.”
“I should probably head in, too. May I walk you back to your cabin?”
“That would be nice.” She stood and climbed off the rock. She led him over to the trail that crossed to the river. The moonlight lit their way.
“You walk home alone every night?”
“Most nights. Occasionally I drive to the lodge if it’s raining. But more likely I just grab an umbrella. I love this walk to start my day and end my day.”
“It sounds like a fine way to begin and end a day.” They continued along the path until they got to her cabin and climbed the familiar stairs to the porch. And yet they felt strangely different with Harrison beside her.
“Well, thanks for walking me home. You sure you know your way back?”
“I’ve got it. And the moon is bright enough. I’m good.”
She stood there for a moment, looking at his chiseled face in the soft light filtering through the windows. She placed her hand on the knob. “I should go in.”
“Goodnight, then.” He turned away.
She turned the knob and stepped through the door.
“Nora?”
She turned back to look at him. “Yes?”
“I… I like talking to you.” He shifted from foot to foot. “You’re… easy to talk to, and I’ve enjoyed spending time with you.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. She’d enjoyed spending time with him, too.
“How would you like to… well, go out with me? I know you’re busy tomorrow with the w
edding, but maybe on Sunday? We could go into town to eat. Maybe grab lunch?”
“That sounds nice.” Her heart did a double beat.
“Perfect. I’ll meet you here? Or at the lodge? Noonish?”
“How about meeting at the lodge?”
“See you then.” He turned and walked away, and she watched him disappear down the trail beside the river.
Had he just asked her on a date? Was she, Nora Cassidy, going on a real live date? Annie was never going to believe this…
Chapter 11
Nora left early the next morning to head to the lodge. It was non-stop activity throughout the day with people staying at the lodge for the wedding, along with other guests arriving late afternoon.
She hurried along the pathway to the chalet, her arms full of a basket of a selection of crackers. Bree had called back to the lodge and said they were running low on crackers to go with the variety of cheeses set out for appetizers.
She ducked in the back entrance to the kitchen of the chalet. “Here you go.” She handed the crackers to Bree.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know what happened to the crackers. I’m usually more organized than this.”
“It was no problem.” She smiled at her new daughter-in-law. Daughter-in-law. The words rolled unfamiliarly through her mind. She couldn’t quite get used to the idea that Jason was married now. Happily married. It had been quite a year. A lot of changes.
And now Harrison… She shook her head and glanced around at the people bustling around the kitchen. “Everything going okay?”
“Everything is great. The ceremony went fine, of course, with Cece in charge. We’re serving drinks and appetizers while the bride and groom get pictures taken. Then later, there’s the buffet dinner.”
“Looks like you have it all covered.”
Cece popped her head into the kitchen. “Oh, hey, Nora.”
“Hi, Cece. I hear the ceremony went well.”
“It was lovely.” Cece nodded and turned to Bree. “Bartender needs more ice at the bar. Want me to get it?”
“Here, I’ll take it out.” She might as well make herself useful while she was here.
“Thanks, Nora.” Cece disappeared back out of the kitchen.
Nora went to the freezer, took out some more ice, and placed it in an ice bin.
“Thanks, Nora.” Bree turned to set up a tray with the newly acquired crackers.
Nora pushed through the kitchen door, walked through the chalet, and out onto the deck on the lakeside where the bar had been set up. She handed the ice to the bartender and turned to leave.
“Well, Nora. What are you doing here dressed like that? So inappropriate.” Gloria Edmonds, dressed in a tailored navy dress that look like it had been expressly made for her—and it probably had—stood directly in her path.
“Hello, Gloria.” She’d learned long ago to ignore Gloria’s remarks. Mostly.
“Do you know you’re out of ice?”
“Just brought out some more.” She gritted her teeth, reminding herself that Gloria was obviously a guest of the wedding, so therefore she needed to be civil to her.
Gloria clung to the arm of Mr. Ashbury, father of the bride. Gloria turned to him. “I thought there might be some problems like this when you said your daughter was getting married here, of all places. Even though they built this little building… well… the whole setting is so rustic, and well, things like this happen.
Nora wasn’t sure if she was the this that happened, or the fact the ice had been out for all of like three minutes. Well, it hadn’t even been out, just almost out. And she shouldn’t have to defend herself or her beloved lodge to Gloria Edmonds.
“This is Mr. Ashbury.” Gloria beamed at the man and practically fluttered her eyelashes.
“Yes, we’ve met.” They’d met when he’d come to see the venue with his daughter.
“I think it’s a wonderful venue, and my daughter has been so pleased with everything. From the food, the flowers, the fabulous view.” Mr. Ashbury smiled at Nora.
His words vindicated her.
Gloria frowned. “Well… I guess. It is a shame that the Bellingham didn’t have any availability for her.”
The Bellingham—the new, elegant, chic hotel right outside of town. A whole different vibe than the chalet here at the lodge. She ignored Gloria’s remark. Mostly.
“Maybe when the condo complex gets built on Walter’s property, we’ll have more choices of venues around here. They’ll probably put in a big community area with it. Hopefully, the complex will give people another suitable choice at the lake.”
“Nice to see you, Gloria,” Nora lied. “I should get back to the lodge.” Truth. She should get back to the lodge before she strangled Gloria. The woman got under her skin every single time she saw her. And it annoyed her to no end that she let the woman get to her.
“Well, my daughter is having a wonderful wedding here. Thank you so much.” Mr. Ashbury glanced over at his daughter, standing by the lake with her new husband while the photographer posed them for a photo with the sunset in the background. “Everything has been perfect.”
“We like to hear that.” She smiled at him—not at Gloria—and turned away.
“I hope your daughter isn’t going to get her lovely dress all dirty down by the lake…” Gloria’s words drifted across the breeze as she hurried away.
And she mostly ignored them…
Chapter 12
The next day Nora put on clean jeans and a bright coral sweater. She looked in the mirror and decided to put on a touch of makeup, something she rarely did. She was ridiculously nervous, which was ridiculous in and of itself.
She was just going out to lunch with Harrison. No big deal.
Keep repeating that and maybe she’d believe it.
She took one last glance in the mirror, tucked her hair behind her ear and then untucked it. She frowned when she looked closely in the mirror. When had she gotten those small wrinkles at the corners of her eyes? And it always surprised her to see the subtle streaks of gray in her hair. Not that she really minded getting older. Usually. She didn’t feel her age. Well, most days she didn’t. Growing older was a strange process…
And Harrison had asked her out. He’d seen the real her and still asked her on a date. She sighed and messed with her hair again.
Enough.
With a shrug, she turned and left, heading for the lodge. There was still lots on her to-do list to finish before her lunch with Harrison. And the busier she kept, the less nervous she’d be.
Maybe.
She walked along the river, and its soothing melody did calm her nerves. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been on a date, much less a date with someone who actually intrigued her. She was always too busy with running the lodge, or helping Beth with the boys, or just… life. And she was perfectly happy the way her life was now. She didn’t really need the complication of a date.
But it couldn’t hurt anything, could it?
She cut over to the lake and walked along the trail. She was later than usual this morning, and a few of the guests were out sitting by the lake, sipping coffee. She glanced at her watch. How had it gotten this late?
She knew how it happened. It was the twenty minutes of deciding what to wear, then the time to put on makeup and mess with her hair.
She hurried into the kitchen at the lodge, hoping that Judy would give her a long list of tasks to do to help with the breakfast rush.
Harrison pulled on a pair of his new jeans, wishing he’d had time to wash them so they weren’t so stiff. He should have thrown all the new clothes in the washer. He’d seen the lodge had a laundry area for the guests to use. He dug through the flannel shirts he bought but then decided to simply put on a light blue button-down shirt he’d brought with him from Chicago.
He rolled up the sleeves. Then rolled them back down. Then rolled them back up.
A long sigh escaped his lips. Why in the world would a simple lunch with Nora make
him act like a nervous teenager? Not that he’d ever dated as a teen. He’d been the out-of-shape nerd.
He glanced down at his hard-won flat stomach. He really was going to go to the gym and get back on a diet… as soon as he left Sweet River Falls.
He glanced at his cell phone. It was only eleven-thirty. Maybe if he walked really, really slowly, it would take him ten minutes or so to walk to the lodge. No, he needed to take his vehicle so he could drive them into town.
He walked out onto the wide porch overlooking the lake. A slight breeze ruffled the surface of the water. The not-quite-noon sun bounced reflections of sunlight across the distance. He paced to the end of the deck. Then back again, glancing at his rolled-up sleeves. He forced himself to leave them rolled up.
He stared across the lake to the distant shore. He could see a couple of people walking along the shoreline in front of his grandfather’s cabin. It was too far to make out if one of them was Walt or not.
He jammed his fingers through his hair in aggravation. Walt. Always up to something and always looking out for his own best interests. He was positive by now that Walt was not giving his mother her fair share if indeed the sale went through. He had more research to do.
Then he was going to confront Walt.
He snagged his phone from his pocket to check the time. Should be okay to drive on over to the lodge now. He could be a tiny bit fashionably early, right?
At precisely ten until noon, he sat in his car in front of the dining lodge. Should he go on in? Wait until noon? He rolled his eyes at himself and opened the car door.
Just go inside, you fool.
He ran into Mac with two young boys on the porch to the lodge.
“Hey, Harrison. Good to see you.”
“Mac.” They shook hands.
“This is Connor and Trevor.”
“How come Connor always gets introduced first?” The younger boy tugged on Mac’s arm.
“Sorry about that. This is Trevor and Connor.” Mac grinned.