“Is it difficult to get up here in the winter?”
“It can be,” he said with a smile. “Snow tires or chains are definitely required. Hungry?” he asked.
She nodded and he took her hand. He led her into a huge dining room, featuring countless tables, many at windows overlooking the wooded grounds. An enticing buffet caused Summer’s mouth to water. “Wow!” she said, taking in the spread. “I didn’t expect this.”
A hostess soon led the couple to a table. After the two were seated, Summer turned to stare out the window. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Is that a skunk?” she asked Jarrod, pointing to a small black creature with the tell-tale white stripe along its back.
“Yep. And I’m glad there’s a wall separating us from him.”
She chuckled. “He looks awfully tame.” The skunk turned abruptly, sniffing at the air, and Summer followed his turned head. “Oh, my goodness. There are people coming his way,” she said in a slightly alarmed tone.
“Watch him! He’ll take off before they get too close. That, or…” Jarrod winced.
Fortunately for the unsuspecting group approaching the skunk, the little creature scurried into the cover of knee-high ferns. Summer smiled. “He was so cute.”
“Right. Cute.”
“You don’t think so?”
He cocked his head, studying her for several seconds. “One summer, when I was six or seven, I was playing outside my parents’ cabin when I encountered a ‘cute’ skunk.”
“What happened?”
“Things were going swimmingly, until…” He leaned forward, narrowed eyes fastened on her expectant ones.
“Building the suspense, aren’t you?” Summer accused. “Tell me.”
“Well, Mom happened to step out back, startled the little devil, and…”
“No!”
“Yes.”
“Your mom?”
He nodded crisply. “My mom.” He thoughtfully stroked his jaw. “Experience pretty much soured Mom on the Great Outdoors, actually.”
She sighed. “I can imagine. Poor Gwendolyn.”
“Poor skunk. Mom threw an iron at him. Missed him, of course, but not for lack of trying.”
Summer wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, envisioning Gwendolyn in a face-off with a skunk.
Jarrod laughed ruefully. “Anyway, I don’t know how many gallons of tomato juice later, Dad finally let Mom back into the cabin. In truth, she hasn’t really wanted back in since.”
“What did your mom do then? I mean, after the tomato juice baths. Did she stay?”
“She packed her bags.”
“I can’t really blame her.”
Jarrod chuckled. “No, you can’t really blame her. I don’t think she’s forgiven Mother Nature yet.”
“I know she hasn’t,” Summer murmured ruefully.
“Well, are you hungry?” he asked, eyes twinkling with humor. “I know I am. I can’t wait to show you more of the mountain when we’re done.”
“And I can’t wait to see it,” she enthused.
Chapter Eleven
Jarrod reached for Summer’s hand, tugging her atop a wooden platform that marked the final leg of their journey to a stunningly beautiful waterfall she hadn’t even known existed.
“Jarrod, it’s amazing!” she enthused, struggling to be heard over the roaring falls, and tipping her head back to take in the magnificence of the thunderous water. A spray of fine mist caressed her face and she stretched out her hands, basking in the coolness. She turned to Jarrod, who surprised her with a kiss. She smiled into his eyes, and then turned back to the falls.
When he wrapped his arms around her, she found herself leaning against him, his chin resting on her head. He pointed off, toward the falls, and she attempted to see what he was pointing at. “What is it?” she practically shouted.
He leaned down, pointing to the base of the falls. Summer realized he was pointing at a colorful rainbow that spanned the crystalline pool below. She gasped and he smiled. “Come on!”
He took her hand and together they traversed a narrow trail that led from the main trail and down to the pool of water. Standing poolside, he indicated a large rock and she walked with him to it. He sat down, glancing up expectantly. “Let’s wade,” he suggested.
She quickly tugged off her boots, carefully pulling off her socks and stuffing them into the boots. She set them beside Jarrod’s, and then the twosome walked hand in hand toward the pool.
Summer had expected the water to be cold—but she hadn’t expected it to be icy cold. She widened her eyes in surprise, glancing at Jarrod, who seemed amused at her reaction.
He suddenly reached for her hand and pulled her against him. “The water comes from a melting snow cap,” he told her, speaking directly into her ear, since the roaring water was deafening.
She nodded, and turned toward the falls, standing in rapt attention as she watched the cascading waters merge with the pool in a series of continuous, thunderous explosions.
If the water hadn’t been so cold, she would have been tempted to dive in. The pool was rather shallow, considering the sheer, cascading force of the waterfall. She glanced around, and then realized the pool emptied into a stream that flowed down the mountainside.
She turned her attention back to the pool, glancing down at her feet—both bright red and numb now. Smooth, glistening rocks beckoned to her and she bent to pick one up. She held it out for Jarrod to see.
“A keepsake,” she told him, smiling into his eyes.
He took the stone, pocketed it, and then grasped her hand, pulling her against him. He snared her gaze, his handsome face hovering inches from hers, and then with a triumphant smile, claimed her lips. Summer responded to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and drowning in exquisite sensation.
When he finally pulled back and released her, smiling into her eyes, she found herself grateful for the steadying hand he extended to her. She accepted it, and then glanced around her once again. She knew she would forever remember this place, and their time shared together beneath a glorious waterfall.
Jarrod seemed to read her mind, nodding, and then smiling into her eyes again. He led her out of the freezing pool. They sat together on the rock, put their boots back on, but remained side by side without speaking. Both were lost to their thoughts, but neither found the moments that followed awkward. The wordless quiet seemed natural to both—and the realization wasn’t missed on either one.
“Thanks for bringing me here,” Summer said finally, speaking loudly over the noise of the falls.
He smiled. “You’re welcome. We’ll come again.”
She thought he might kiss her again, but suddenly, the people she had met at the coffee shop—the day of Jarrod’s doctor’s appointment—suddenly appeared poolside. Jarrod awkwardly rose from the rock, and Summer suspected he didn’t want his friends to notice him. He glanced around, as if searching for the most expedient escape route.
It wasn’t to be, since his friends spotted him. The man strode over, clasping his hand. “Hey, buddy, what are you doing here?” He spied Summer then. “Oh, hi!” he said, grinning widely at her.
“Nice to see you again,” Summer said.
Jarrod glanced at her and then reached for her hand. “Good to see you, Carl,” he called loudly, turning to his friend. “Summer and I were just leaving.”
“Hello, Jarrod!” the women called to him as he practically tugged Summer up the narrow trail to the wider one above.
Back on the trail, she slowed and stopped, causing him to come to a breaking halt. He turned and eyed her curiously. “Why so eager to get away?” she asked him suspiciously.
He shrugged. “No reason.”
“Jarrod,” she prompted.
He shrugged again and she shot him a suspicious glance. “Okay, well, at risk of sounding arrogant, the woman with Carl’s wife kind of, well…”
“She likes you?”
“Yes.”
His cheeks flamed with color, and Sum
mer couldn’t help chuckling. For a big, strong forest ranger, he suddenly reminded her of a deer caught in headlights.
“It’s not funny,” he said with chagrin. “I can’t even go into town without her finding out and following me. Heck, she probably followed me here.”
Summer laughed outright now. “I take it you don’t return the woman’s affections?”
“Uh, hello! Was it my imagination or did you and I just share a romantic moment at the waterfall? I don’t go around kissing more than one woman at a time, you know?”
“You don’t?”
He watched her, mouth agape. “What kind of a man do you think I am?”
She burst out laughing and to her surprise, he reached for her arms and pulled her close. Trapped in his muscular arms, she couldn’t have escaped if she wanted to. She collapsed against him, giggling, and he pulled back to watch her from under furrowed brows.
“What’s so funny?” he growled in her ear.
“You!”
“I’m shy, okay?”
“You are not!”
“Not with you,” he said. “But I’m shy, all right.”
***
Back in his truck, Jarrod suggested Summer once again take the middle seat, and she didn’t object. Tired from their hike, she yawned and he noticed. He draped an arm around her shoulders and urged her close. “Feel free to fall asleep,” he told her.
“Oh, I’ll stay awake,” she assured him. “Thank you for today,” she added, meeting his gaze briefly, before he turned back to the road.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“I really did,” she said. “If that water hadn’t been so cold, I would have dived in.”
“When I was a kid, I used to do that, but I don’t have the constitution to survive it now,” he admitted with a chuckle.
She laughed. “Maybe if it was a hundred degrees outside.”
“Maybe,” he mused.
Before long, the road merged into the wider, county road that ran parallel to the canyon. Summer was grateful to be in the right lane, with some distance between them and the drop off, but couldn’t help casting a fearful glance that way.
“I’ve driven this road a thousand times,” he said, briefly smiling in her direction. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Summer studied Jarrod then, noting the man exuded a strength that spoke to his years living on the mountaintop. She suspected there wasn’t much that could rattle him. Despite the cavernous drop off beside them, she felt safe and secure with him beside her.
And with a sudden awareness, she realized, she was definitely attracted to him—and that realization, she suspected, might actually be more frightening than the highest heights…
***
Jarrod had been gone for several days. She missed him terribly, and wondered, was he safe? Was he warm at night? Did he miss her too?
She also wondered, were the various law enforcement agencies working in harmony to solve the crimes taking place on the mountain? She sincerely hoped things were going well.
She sighed as she set about starting another painting. She marveled at how quickly she completed each painting, but knew it was the subject matter that inspired her burst of creative energy. She couldn’t seem to put her impressions of the beautiful sights around her on canvas fast enough. She’d find herself eagerly anticipating the next painting before even finishing the one that currently had her attention.
She added the finishing touches to a painting of the cabin, glancing up and realizing evening had come, as evidenced by the mosquitoes buzzing around her head. She winced and groaned, realizing the annoying insects had already feasted on her, but she had been so caught up in painting she hadn’t realized they had nearly sucked her dry of blood.
“Aaarrrgghhh,” she groaned loudly, slapping at the pests. She realized she had discovered a feature of mountain living she didn’t care for and added mosquitoes to the list topped by poison oak. To her mind, however, the good she discovered here far outweighed the bad.
She gathered up her painting supplies and hurried onto the porch. There, she continued swiping at the bugs as she pulled the screen door closed behind her. Spinning around, she hurriedly dashed into the cabin, locking the door behind her.
She had no sooner stepped inside than she heard a noise coming from the back of the house. Slowly approaching the back door, she realized the sound seemed to originate from it. To her horror, she saw that someone had a hold of the doorknob and was rattling it with a fury.
She spun around and hurried to the kitchen and quickly called 911. She reported the break-in in progress, and then searched the kitchen for a weapon. She pulled a huge carving knife from a stand on the counter and eyed it fearfully. Could she really use it if she had to? she wondered.
To her astonishment and relief, she heard police sirens blaring. She dashed to the front of the house and pulled back the drapes in time to see law enforcement arriving on scene.
She unlocked the front door and ran to meet Rick Sanders as he exited his patrol car, his hand poised above the gun holstered at his side.
“Someone is trying to break in the back door,” she told him shakily.
He pulled his weapon and told her to remain by the patrol car and then jogged to the side of the house, where he cautiously approached the back. He was gone for several moments, but returned, shaking his head in frustration.
“I see where someone jimmied the lock on the door to the porch,” he said. “But he must have heard the sirens and took off.”
She nodded, relieved the would-be intruder was gone. “I can’t believe you arrived so fast,” she said gratefully. “I don’t know what might have happened if you hadn’t.”
“I was two cabins over, investigating a break-in that happened earlier today. The family just arrived home and found their place ransacked and everything of value gone.”
She gasped. “Oh, that’s terrible!”
Rick followed her into the cabin. He asked her to show him to the back where the thief had attempted to break in. He checked the lock on the door, commenting that the deadbolt installed above the door knob had been prudent.
Summer watched him step outside and check the lock on the backdoor again. “This needs to be secured,” he said, “but we can’t do it tonight.” He grimaced, catching her gaze. “I hate to think you’re up here alone. I know Jarrod is on a stakeout on Janson Ridge.”
She nodded.
“Well, at the very least, you need to turn on all the outside lights.” He shook his head, realizing how futile the effort might prove to me. He’d been startled earlier at the previous cabin to discover the thief had cut the phone lines. He stepped back into the cabin, securing the door behind him, and asked her where the phones were located in the house.
She told him and he strode into the kitchen. He picked up the receiver, relieved to hear the dial tone. Summer watched him curiously and gasped when he explained that the phone lines had been cut at the other cabin.
Summer hugged herself miserably, wondering if she should stay at the cabin. But where would she go?
Rick seemed to read her thoughts. “You might be wise to drive into town and stay at a hotel until we catch these thieves,” he suggested. “Or are you planning on going home soon?”
She shrugged uncertainly. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving, particularly since Jarrod expected her to be there when he returned from the stakeout.
“I’m going to stay here,” she told him, and Rick nodded.
“Be sure to lock all the doors and windows. Also, we’re going to have a deputy stationed over at the park, just north of Jarrod’s property. It’s a central location that’ll allow him quick access to several lake properties on this side. We’ll also have a man on the west side of the lake.”
Summer nodded, feeling some measure of security hearing that.
“If you need us, call 911.” He sighed. “I wish there was more I could do for you,” he admitted. He scrubbed a hand over his j
aw. “Frankly, Summer, I don’t think it’s safe for a woman alone up here, under the circumstances.”
She sighed, knowing full well he was right. But what could she do? Darkness had settled over the lake and she didn’t feel comfortable leaving now anyway. A drive down the mountain at night would have its own risks.
Suddenly, Rick perked up. “Look, I’m off work in an hour. I’m leaving for my honeymoon tomorrow, directly after my wedding. We’re going on a cruise,” he added, grinning widely.
“Good for you,” she said, attempting to stave off the panic that edged her voice.
“Anyway, I was thinking…”
“What?” she prompted, glancing around nervously.
“Well, I have a dog—a big dog named Brutus. I’d planned to leave him at a kennel during our time away, but…”
“Bring him here,” Summer said, following his line of thinking. Surely she would be safer with a big dog on the property. Another worrisome thought came to her mind, however. “Is he…” She gulped. “Does he like strangers? I mean, will he like me?” she amended.
“He’ll like you,” he assured her, “and he’s very protective of his people. As long as I introduce the two of you, and demonstrate you’re friend and not foe, he’ll love you.”
“That sounds great,” she said with relief.
Rick grinned sheepishly. “Actually, you’ll be saving me a wad of cash, since it’s expensive to board an animal as big as Brutus.”
“Then it’s a win-win,” she said brightly. Surely a big dog on the property would serve as a deterrent to potential intruders.
“Okay, then, lock the door behind me and I’ll be back in an hour or so with Brutus.”
Summer nodded, thanked him, and then closed and locked the door behind him. She was eager for him to return with the dog. She hadn’t asked him what kind of dog Brutus was, but it didn’t matter. As long as he was big and had a ferocious bark, he would provide a much-needed service on the mountaintop. And with him nearby, she might actually manage to sleep at night.
Chapter Twelve
Summer on the Mountain Page 11