Cotton Grass Lodge

by Woodbury, DeNise

  The weather was the only variable he’d had trouble dealing with, and usually a sense of humor took care of it. But Duncan needed to recover from the last rainy week. A guest from Los Angeles expected to make a trip to Homer for a halibut fishing charter and then connect to a cruise leaving from Seward. He didn’t make it.

  Duncan had to endure an hour of screaming about Alaska being a third world country.

  Then, Charlie landed and the fog followed him onto the strip. He calmly listened to the florid-faced customer threaten him with bodily harm if he didn’t take off immediately.

  “You could walk.” Charlie’s voice was low with warning, “I ain’t gonna die for your dollar bill.” He spat on the ground by the man’s feet. Without taking his eyes off the irate customer, Charlie fished a package of cigarettes out of his denim shirt pocket and lit one. “I’m goin’ up to the lodge and have a cup’a coffee. We’ll wait’n see what flight service has to say about getting back. Could be an hour could be tomorrow.”

  No more discussion.

  Duncan liked Hanna’s way better. She usually smiled and commiserated and shook her head at the unfairness of it all. It ended with the same result.

  Duncan picked up the rifle on his way out the door. He was irritated by the need, but for a week now a young grizzly bear had decided his mid-morning stroll would take him from the lake up the four-wheeler track through the yard. The guests were by turns frightened out of their wits and fascinated. Usually, Alice stood out on the porch and made enough racket to quickly move him on, and Tom convinced Duncan the pattern would change before drastic measures had to be taken. Duncan hoped it was true.

  He waited by the end of the strip on the four-wheeler as Hanna turned the plane around and brought it even with where he sat. He ducked his head and shielded his eyes from the dusty prop-wash.

  Once the aircraft had come to a full stop, he approached and waited while she got out and came around the front of the plane to open the cargo door. Damn she looked good now. She’d shed the heavy winter clothing for jeans and a button down denim shirt. He was always impressed by her knowledgeable organization.

  The two passengers were chattering like schoolboys, running over each other’s sentences. “Wow, how cool. Holy shit, did you know there’s a bear running this way down the beach? Can we get some pictures?” One man stepped away as if to walk in the direction they flew from and pointed eagerly. “Where’s the best place to see the bear?”

  “The front porch of the lodge,” Duncan said to the newcomer. “Head on up, I’ll bring your gear.” He went to help Hanna unload the plane. “Nice to see ya, stranger. Did you have a good three weeks?”

  “It was all right.”

  Did he detect a flush on her pretty face? “We had a good three weeks, too. The weather was great, mostly. Alice is amazing. I couldn’t have done it without her. Tom is a good man; I didn’t have any idea in the beginning how much I’d come to rely on him.” Duncan babbled. What a fool he could make of himself compared to her quiet reserve.

  He expected Hanna to come with him, but she started to close up the doors and do a walk around the plane.

  “Are you leaving already?” His chest clutched. Did she want him to leave her alone?

  “I’ll be back.” she didn’t look at him.

  “Hanna?” Duncan stepped in front of her and put his hand on her arm, “About last time.”

  She looked directly at him. Open and warm, twitches of amusement twinkled around her mouth. Reprieve flooded through his body. He’d been afraid she was still angry and falling into those deep, dark eyes relieved some of his worry. She stood close. Too close. It took every ounce of his will power to keep from pulling her into his arms. A kiss, yes a kiss. Just one.

  “Three weeks is a long time around here,” Duncan said. “I missed you.”

  “Thanks.” Hanna colored up again. “I missed being here too. I’ve got to do a few flights for Charlie this week, but I’m looking forward to being here instead of my apartment in Anchorage.”

  “Why are you leaving? A flight for Charlie? I don’t have anyone else scheduled for today.” Duncan was confident until she dipped her head and glanced up at him through her lashes. “Do I?”

  “Actually, there’s a couple waiting to come out here. I’ve got to turn around now and then be ready to take them back this evening.”

  “What? This isn’t a damn lunch spot, and I don’t have any extra rooms tonight.” Duncan grabbed the bill if his cap and swatted the back of his neck a couple of times, dislodging a mosquito from his ear in the process.

  A tiny squiggle of a smirk tickled the edge of Hanna’s mouth. “It’s a surprise.”

  “You’re having too much fun with this. Okay, I’ll be surprised. Who?” Dread piled up in his chest. “Please, tell me it isn’t Nell.”

  “Do the names Paul and Pamela ring a bell?”

  “Ooh noo.” Duncan lost his breath, “I’d rather see Nell and a boatload of Top Raman. Would you tell them I’ve been gone for a week and no one knows where I am?”

  “No.”

  “You are an evil woman.”

  Hanna chuckled. She went around the plane. “Be surprised.”

  Chapter 15

  Thoughts of Duncan consumed Hanna on the flight back to Anchorage. She was astonished by the changes in the last few weeks. He had cropped his hair so tight it appeared shaved. Work out of doors had bronzed his body. Hard work and Alice’s cooking filled out the sharp angles of his face. She flushed when she thought about how tightly his jeans wrapped his thighs.

  Paul and Pamela were ready and waiting when she landed. Paul eagerly got into the right seat, and Hanna fixed the intercom head-set for both of them so they could all converse on the trip out. Once Hanna got over the inlet she started her tour-guide routine. The big mountain, Denali, shown in splendor against the blue sky. The magnificence of Alaska stretched out before them. She turned the plane so they could see the snow covered volcanoes to the south. Then she changed course again, rivers and lakes sparkled beneath them. When Hanna dropped low over a huge bull moose she finally got a reaction.

  Pamela sucked in a startled breath. “It’s so big.”

  “Yes, a sixty incher at least, nice,” Hanna said. “We are only about five minutes away; I’ll fly over the lodge before we land so you can get some perspective.”

  The four-wheeler was sitting at the end of the strip when Hanna turned the plane around and stopped. Duncan had changed his shirt and when she popped open the door for the guests, he was suitably surprised. “Dad! Mom? Why didn’t you call ahead? What a shock,” Duncan said.

  Paul hopped out of the plane and shook hands with Duncan then he stood back, and Pamela received a decorous kiss on the cheek.

  “You look wonderful, dear,” Pamela said, “Very—healthy.”

  Hanna had seen all kinds of greetings in her life. This well-mannered distance was a first. They didn’t seem like a family who would get all tear-streaked and sloppy but good grief, there wasn’t a hug to be found. No wonder Duncan was so reserved.

  Hanna hung back when Duncan started herding his parents toward the lodge.

  “Hanna.” Duncan turned, waved her forward, and walked back to stand in front of her. With his back toward his parents he lowered his voice. “Please. Come to the lodge. I need all the help I can get.” He grinned and whispered, “Don’t leave me alone with these people. Please.”

  She laughed and with an impulse she couldn’t name threw her arm around his waist and joined him on the walk to where the four-wheeler sat. “Want me to bring up the machine?” She looked at Pamela. “Hop on. We’ll let the guys walk.”

  “Oh, no thank you, I’ll just—”

  Duncan interrupted, “Go ahead, Mom.” He deftly maneuvered his mother to the four-wheeler and steadied her as she perched, side-saddle on the back of the seat. “It’ll be fun.”

  Hanna stood on the running board, swung one knee onto the seat, and balanced while she started the machine. “Han
g on.” She said as they left the two men walking on the well-worn path to the lodge.

  Hanna parked in the rear of the lodge by the machine shed and helped Pamela off the four-wheeler. As usual, Nameless ran in circles, barking, “Here, here, dog, calm down and show some manners.” She squatted and forced him to sit. “Pamela, this is Nameless, the lodge dog. He has a job, but we haven’t quite figured out what it is yet.”

  To her credit, Pamela held out a hand for the dog to sniff. “He’ll be handsome when he grows into those feet.” Nameless became reserved at the compliment and timidly allowed Pamela to pet his head. Hanna stood still, afraid to rattle the pup and have him fly off like a scatter-brained adolescent.

  “Mid-afternoon is the busiest part of the day at the lodge, so let’s slide quickly through the kitchen, and I’ll introduce you to Alice.”

  Hanna squashed her eagerness to bounce up the steps into the kitchen to see the baby. They left the back porch, entered the lodge, and passed into the kitchen, led by the redolent smell of roasting meat.

  Alice turned from the stove, threw her arms around Hanna’s shoulders, and planted a kiss on her neck. “It’s been awful having you gone.” Emily was sitting in a high-chair, and she squealed for her share of the attention.

  “Can I pick her up?” Hanna ran a hand over the soft back of Emily’s head.

  “You’ll be sorry if you try,” Alice said with a smile. “She’s been eating cheese and noodles and most of it is in her hair.” Hanna didn’t usually care, but this time she played goo-goo eyes with the baby instead as she introduced Pamela to Alice.

  Alice gushed at the appropriate places, “I hope you can schedule another visit when there are rooms available. Do you fish? The fishing’s been great this year.”

  “I hate to fish.” Pamela stood with her arms resting across her chest.

  “Just enjoying the solitude and bird watching is great, too.” Alice chatted while she put a drink and snack tray together. The CB radio crackled, and Alice went to answer. She waved a finger at the tray and grinned at Hanna, who took the tray and led Pamela to the front porch.

  “You seem to be more than just a pilot around here.” Pamela’s smile didn’t seem genuine.

  “I live up here, too.” Hanna ignored the opening for more questions. “Everyone pitches in when they can.”

  Duncan and his father came up the steps from the front of the lodge and joined them at a rustic willow-twig bistro table. Duncan played the gracious host, and finally he got to the bottom of the sudden visit.

  Paul leaned back into his chair. “The probate of grandfather Mahoney’s will has finished winding its way through the lawyers. We have some decisions to make.”

  Hanna could foresee a family-style power-meeting coming on so she excused herself. “I’ll be at my place, just give me a call when it’s time to leave.”

  Duncan looked stricken. “Will you come for dinner?”

  “I may. We’ll see.” She stopped at the door of the lodge. “I’ll see what Alice has going on.”

  ****

  “Duncan, dear, perhaps this would be a good time to reconsider this little experiment.” Pamela made a slight wave toward the front door of the lodge. “After John died, you became infatuated with the idea of a bucolic little life to get away from it all. But, really, in the long run San Francisco and a good woman will be in your best interest.”

  “A woman like Victoria?” Duncan gazed into his glass of tea, jiggled the ice, and pretended the tawny liquid was scotch. A breeze from the lake made a quick turn around the porch, cool and refreshing. He didn’t usually sit here during the busy afternoon. He liked it.

  “Why, yes. Like Victoria. The funds from the trust will help you get re-established where you should be.”

  Duncan watched his mother’s attempt to reconstruct his life. She had been a driving force in his father’s success. Even though she’d never worked, she knew all the right people, knew all the best-kept secrets, and volunteered with the proper civic organizations. The only thing out of her control from the very beginning had been her son.

  “Duncan, what your mother is trying to say—”

  They’re tag teaming me. He could succumb to the anger building in his gut or try being an adult. It would be interesting for a change. He stood and tossed the last bit of liquid in his glass over the railing into a bed of yellow snapdragons below. “Dad, what do you really want?” Duncan took a deep breath.

  Paul reached for his glass. “We want what’s best for you. We want…”

  Pamela interrupted, “Duncan, don’t be difficult.”

  Usually her phrase was the end to civility in these conversations. Duncan smiled, he didn’t want to fight. He really wanted a conversation. A debate, if it had to be. He could control a debate and be comfortable with the results. “Mother, answer the question.” He kept his voice even and in control. “What do you and Dad really want? Not the ubiquitous what’s best for you. What do you want?”

  Pamela smiled slightly, victory in her eyes, “We will gladly help you get rid of this little place. There’s no doubt you put everything you have into it.

  “Victoria told me you could go back to your position at the Regent Corporation whenever you want. I might add she was devastated when you sent her away, but I think she understands how desperately alone you are. You’ve had time to realize what a gem she is, but she won’t wait forever.”

  Paul leaned forward to scoop a cracker into the salmon dip. “I know you liquidated your account with my firm. We can put some of the funds you stand to inherit into another retirement and the rest we can manage to help you get back on your feet.”

  Duncan linked his fingers behind his head, cradled his neck, and leaned on the corner porch-post. He gave a quick nod to acknowledge the Swiss hikers and their three children as they dropped backpacks and chatted amiably with each other at the other end of the porch.

  “Mom, do you remember what you said when you left me, in traction—to go to Europe?”

  “Oh please, Duncan. You make it sound so cold. The tickets were non-refundable, and you were in a hospital.” Pamela rolled her eyes. “The car wreck was your fault; it’s not like you were sick.”

  “You’re right,” Duncan said. “And three months in traction gave me time to consider what you said. Which was, ‘It’s time you started to think about your future. A future without this family to prop you up.’ Did I remember correctly?”

  Pamela lifted her chin slightly. “Yes, I think so.” She seemed pleased her tough love was remembered properly.

  Duncan turned to his father. “You and your insurance did pay for the rehab facility and the last two years of college. Considering what an ass I was up until then, I thank you. But have you given me money for anything at all since then?”

  “No,” Paul answered, he brushed his hand over the knee of his slacks and crossed his legs.

  “Duncan.” Pamela started and Duncan held up a hand to still her.

  “Let me finish. This—” Duncan waved his hand in the same manner his mother just had. “Little experiment has made me happier than I ever thought possible. I worked hard for sixteen years and, Dad—I didn’t put money in just one account at your firm. You taught me to diversify, remember? I have an obscene amount of money in several firms because I didn’t have a life. This little experiment will be appraised at close to a million dollars by this time next year.”

  “We always wanted you to be happy and successful,” Paul said quietly.

  “I am, both. Would you like a tour?” Duncan looked down at his wrist where he used to wear a watch. “It’s about to get busy, and Alice won’t have dinner ready for another hour.”

  Pamela slid a skeptical eye toward Paul. “It seems quiet enough to run itself. You could easily hire a manager.”

  As if on cue, chaos at the Cotton Grass Lodge erupted. Alice came out on the porch, “Duncan, Rebecca fell and broke a tooth. Jacob is bringing her to the lodge in his skiff. He’ll be here in a couple of hou
rs. I already called Hanna to find out if she can squeeze them in on the way back to Anchorage tonight.” While she stood there explaining the logistics, Mathew’s sunburned fishermen carried a full cooler up from the lake. They would want to package their fish and get them into the freezers before supper. The wives of those three men came into the yard from their picnic on two of the four-wheelers.

  Duncan warmed as he watched Hanna stroll into the yard.

  ****

  Hanna’s line of vision stopped on Duncan when she came out of the brushy trail into the yard of the lodge. Mr. GQ Cover Boy was standing on the porch, and her pulse raced. Damn it! She had a teenage crush. Or worse, admit it, a much more dangerous big girl crush.

  She never let men come up to her cabin, her safe place. Duncan’s arrival changed everything. What was she going to do about him? He lived here. She couldn’t hide from him, and he was making her crazy.

  Duncan came down off the porch and met her half way. “Sorry about this.”

  “We roll with it.” Hanna shrugged. “Rebecca weighs every bit of forty pounds, and your parents don’t have any luggage. I’ll have to stay in town tonight, but Jacob and Rebecca can stay at my apartment, and Jacob can use my car to get her to the dentist.”

  “You’re awfully nice.”

  Hanna looked at Duncan for a moment. “It has nothing to do with nice. They’re neighbors.”

  Duncan took his parents to watch the fish processing and invited the two newest guests to join them.

  Hanna went into the lodge to help in the kitchen. An hour later, Alice rang a bell for the supper buffet. The food was Alaskan plain and plentiful. Which made it exotic and abundant for the guests milling around the dining room. The menu tonight: barbequed salmon, braised moose, several salads, and roasted herbed potatoes.

  Duncan’s parents seemed pleasantly surprised when they finally relaxed into the evening routine at the lodge. After the meal and a finish of the tour, Paul and Pamela enjoyed the porch again. The brilliant summer sun dipped close to the tops of the trees.