After a quick breakfast, she sat on the back porch, watching the deer enjoy the salt. It was interesting to her how the assorted deer seemed drawn to the blocks. She wondered, would other animals be drawn to the salt licks, as well?
She found herself more and more entranced by the beautiful animals as she watched them in awe from the porch. She grasped her coffee mug in both hands, enjoying the warmth that permeated them. She realized, she could sit all day, but she finally rose to go back inside.
She decided to work on her current painting, and headed for the easel on the front porch. When Jarrod drove up in his work SUV an hour later, she smiled with pleasure.
She watched him exit the vehicle, returning her smile as he approached. She met him at the top of the stairs, delighted when he drew her into an embrace. “I’ve missed you,” he said in her ear.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said, pulling back to study his face. “You look tired.” Indeed, he looked weary, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “You haven’t had any luck catching the poachers?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. But let’s not think about that now. I’m home for a couple hours to collect supplies and I’m hoping to spend the time with you.”
She smiled widely. “I think that can be arranged.”
“Good,” he growled, pulling her against him again, but then pulling back suddenly. “Where’s the beast?”
“Beast? Oh, Brutus. Home with Rick and his wife,” she told him.
“Wow, I half-expected to hear you’d decided to keep him.”
“I considered it,” she admitted ruefully, “but then I remembered my condo is tiny
with no yard to speak of.” She sighed. “I really miss him.”
Jarrod nodded sympathetically, but then eyed her curiously. “I can’t imagine you living anywhere but here,” he muttered, his brows furrowing in a frown. “I just don’t see you as a city girl anymore.”
“I don’t either,” she said, smiling softly.
“Do you still love it up here?” he asked. “Really love it here?” He took her hand and led her to a chair on the porch. She sat down and he dropped into a chair beside her.
She nodded. “I do. I really do.”
Jarrod leaned forward and took her hand again. “I’ve been thinking a lot about you—about you and me, really.” He smiled self-consciously, snaring her gaze. “We haven’t known each other for very long, Summer, but I feel…”
Suddenly, his words trailed off as a deer strolled out from behind the cabin, pausing to glance at them briefly. With the flick of its tail, it turned and strode back behind the cabin.
Jarrod seemed taken aback. “I haven’t seen a deer so close to the cabins in a long time,” he said, frowning. “I’ll have to run her off.”
He rose and Summer stood up, watching him curiously. “Why do you have to run her off? I love watching them,” she said. “They’re so beautiful.”
“Them?”
“Yes. Come on.” Summer led him through the house and to the back porch. “Look!” she said eagerly, gesturing toward the grouping of deer out back.
To her astonishment, Jarrod’s manner sobered considerably. She noted his mouth was set in a hard line. “Are those salt licks?” he asked, eyes narrowed as he appeared to count the deer.
She nodded. “Yes. I happened to run into a couple who live on the lake and they mentioned they use salt licks to draw the deer to the back of their property. They like to watch them, too.” She smiled, but realized Jarrod did not return her smile. Instead, he continued to study the deer with concern.
She watched him with a cautious alarm. “Jarrod, what’s the matter?”
“We have to collect the salt licks. You’re liable to bring in brown bear, and we can’t have them hanging around the lake. It isn’t safe for them or for us.” He sighed loudly. “Bringing either deer or bear this close to the lake properties makes a poacher’s job that much easier. Do you have a garbage bag?” he asked.
She gasped, realizing she had made a horrible mistake by bringing the animals close to the cabin. She swallowed over a lump in her throat as she retrieved a garbage bag from the kitchen. She passed it to him.
“Wait here,” he told her.
She watched him stride out back, and then carefully wave off the deer. They startled and most ran for the woods. Only one large bull elk remained behind. The huge animal simply watched Jarrod curiously, his head raised and ears perked. His massive antlers worried Summer. Would he harm Jarrod with those antlers?
He quickly collected the salt licks, and then turned and strode into the house. He gestured toward the elk. “We’ll get his later,” he muttered worriedly. “Please don’t go out back if he’s around.”
“I’m so sorry, Jarrod,” Summer murmured miserably, realizing he seemed upset or angry—perhaps both.
He didn’t respond to her apology, but instead asked, “Summer, who told you to put out the salt licks? Do you remember the name of the couple?”
She watched him curiously, wondering if he was angry at her. She couldn’t be certain, because suddenly he was all business. She shook her head, wracking her brain in an attempt to remember the names of the young couple.
“Do you remember?” he prompted.
“I think so. I think the man said his name is Chris Benton. His girlfriend is … Heather, I believe.”
Jarrod’s eyes narrowed and he nodded as if an idea had suddenly popped into his head. “Summer, I have to go. I’ll call you soon. You be careful and keep your doors and windows locked.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek.
With that, he strode off. She watched after him, still wondering if he was angry with her. Obviously putting salt licks out back had been the wrong thing to do. But she hadn’t known.
If only she had known.
Chapter Thirteen
Jarrod drove over to the Benton property. He knew it well. He had also known Chris Benton since the two were kids together. Benton had grown up on the lake, and he and Jarrod had been buddies during the summers Jarrod spent at his family’s cabin with his father.
He knew Benton’s parents had moved out of their lakeside cabin several years before. His mother had developed health problems that required she remain close to the medical center in the city. Jarrod hadn’t seen Chris in years, since the man, two years his junior, had taken a different path than he had after high school.
While Jarrod had gone to college and then into the law enforcement field, Benton had gotten involved in criminal activities and last Jarrod had heard, he’d been sent to the penitentiary to serve a two-year sentence for robbery.
When Summer had told him Benton had advised her to put out salt licks behind the cabin, he realized immediately it would behoove him to check out the Benton property. Jarrod knew the man knew full well that it wasn’t a good idea to put out salt licks—that it had been frowned upon at the lake for some time.
Benton’s father, Melvin, had been a forest ranger for many years, so his son definitely knew that putting out salt licks wasn’t a sound practice.
Jarrod steered his SUV along the jutted road that led to the Benton property. He pulled in front of the cabin, immediately spying the younger man washing his truck. He exited his vehicle and strode toward him. Benton glanced up curiously and then twisted the hose nozzle to shut down the spray of water when Jarrod reached him.
“How ya been, Chris?” he said, doing his best to keep a neutral, friendly face.
“Good, Jarrod. You?”
“Fine. Hey, you living up here now?” he asked, glancing around and then moving around the side of Benton’s truck.
The other man sprang into action, trotting alongside him and seeming to attempt to block his view of the bed. Jarrod paused, stopping in his tracks. “I was sorry to hear about your mom’s health troubles,” he said. “I hope she’s doing better.”
Benton nodded. “Thanks. So you’re still a forest ranger,” he observed, also smiling neutrally, and obv
iously trying to draw Jarrod away from the truck by taking steps away from it. Jarrod complied, since he’d already seen what he’d come to see.
“Yep, nearing ten years.”
“You like the job?” he asked, rubbing his hands on his jeans.
Jarrod nodded, and followed Benton away from the truck. He glanced around casually. “I do.”
“You always did like the Great Outdoors,” Benton observed. “Didn’t surprise me a bit to hear you went into this line of work.”
Jarrod nodded in agreement. “Doing much fishing these days?” he asked the man who had once been a friend.
He shook his head. “Not much time for fishing, but I intend to try soon.”
“We should go out on the lake sometime. The trout are biting,” Jarrod informed.
Benton nodded, seeming to digest his words. “I’m surprised you have time to fish. I hear you’re involved in some big sting on the mountain.”
He sighed, snaring his gaze. “You heard about that? Frankly, between you and me, we’re shutting down. We’ve been up on Janson Ridge, but we haven’t seen hide nor hair of anyone or anything suspicious. We’re pretty sure the poachers have abandoned their activities, and we just don’t have the funds to justify staying up there.”
“So you’re outta there, huh?” He shook his head. “Can’t see as I blame you. I’m sure you’re right. The poachers are probably long gone.”
He nodded in agreement. “I hate to give up. There’s a herd of bull elk taken up residence, and a family of brown bear. Sadly, they’re easy pickings, but thankfully, as yet the poachers apparently aren’t aware of them.”
“I thought I heard something about the brown bear…” He appeared to search his brain. “At the peak, around, er…”
“West side of Clancy Meadow,” he supplied and sighed regretfully. “Too open in that meadow to provide adequate coverage for the animals if the poachers show, but what can you do? The animals are drawn to the huckleberries up there.” He shrugged in mock defeat.
“Sad,” Benton murmured. “Well, I really need to get moving. Just had to clean up the truck, and then I’m heading to town to pick up my girlfriend and a couple friends.”
“They live up here with you?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Who doesn’t like this fresh mountain air?”
Jarrod smiled, glancing around idly. His eyes briefly lighted on a faint trail of red mingling with the water that dripped down the side of Benton’s truck. He turned away and met his gaze. “Come on over sometime,” he said crisply. “You know where I live.”
“Will do,” the man said, seeming relieved that he was intending to leave and hadn’t noticed the blood from the slaughtered deer he had just attempted to hose out of the back of his truck.
Jarrod strode to his car and climbed in, thinking ruefully that if Benton did show up at his place, it would likely be in the dead of the night with the intent of stealing him blind.
Jarrod drove off, casting a furtive glance at the property. An outbuilding at the back caught his eye. He suspected an inspection of the building might shine some light on much of the illegal activity taking place on the mountaintop.
But he couldn’t do anything just yet. Soon, but not yet. He had set the trap, and only time would tell if he would bag his prize.
***
Summer hadn’t heard from Jarrod for several days, and had been on pins and needles with anticipation. She knew now she had done a terrible thing by putting out the salt licks, and it practically killed her to think she had put the animals in jeopardy. Would Jarrod ever forgive her? she wondered.
When the phone rang early, she snatched it up, relieved to hear his voice on the end of the phone line.
“I’m so glad you called,” she said, and knew he had heard the contrition in her voice when he spoke.
“You didn’t know, honey,” he said soothingly.
She sighed. “I can’t believe I was so stupid, Jarrod. I should have known better. I should have figured it out on my own.”
“You couldn’t have known,” he said kindly. “Forget it, okay. Everything is going to work out fine.”
“What do you mean? Did you catch the poachers?”
“I can’t talk about that now, but I’ll fill you in soon. How are you, though? Are you being careful? Locking all the doors and windows?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then. I have to go. I’ll call soon.”
Summer returned the phone to the hook, staring at it as if it might yield some hidden truth. Was Jarrod upset with her, but trying to cover it up? He hadn’t sounded angry, but she still couldn’t help but be furious with herself.
When the phone rang again, she picked it up, pressing it to her ear. To her surprise, her mother greeted her.
“Mom! You’re home!” she cried.
Her mother laughed softly. “Your father got seasick so we decided to cut our trip short.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said sympathetically. “The seasick part, I mean. How about you, Mom? Did you enjoy the Caribbean?”
“Oh, Summer, you and I will have to go together sometime. We’ll leave your father home,” she added with a chuckle.
“I’m not sure Dad will go for that…”
“I will not go for that!”
“Dad!” Summer cried. “It’s good to hear your voice, too. So you got seasick, huh?”
“Yeah, well, what do you do? I guess I’m a landlubber...”
“Now tell me, Summer,” her mother cut in, “where are you? Gwendolyn mentioned something about you roughing it on a mountaintop.”
She laughed. “I’m actually staying at Gwendolyn’s family cabin, and it’s a far cry from roughing it.”
“Gwendolyn said you’re painting again…” Her mother’s words dwindled in hopeful anticipation.
She smiled. It seemed Gwendolyn had filled her mother in on several items. Had she mentioned Jarrod? Suddenly, her brow furrowed. Did Gwendolyn suspect she and Jarrod had fallen for one another? Her boss was definitely astute—no doubt, she had discerned they cared for one another. Had she told her mother? she wondered.
“I am painting again, and it feels great,” Summer related.
“I’ll never understand why you stopped for all these long months—and just because of those people,” her mother said with a shudder. “That awful couple wouldn’t know a work of art from a … a pile of doody.”
Summer chuckled merrily. “Mom, I appreciate your support. I think.”
“Well, you have my support, that’s for certain. Okay, so, I understand you’ve completed a painting or two for Gwendolyn. She filled me in on her mutiny of Leonard’s birthday party on the mountaintop and her hopes of winning his favor via a painting. You have finished a painting or two then?”
“Yes, I’m happy to say I have completed several.”
“So when are you coming home?”
She gulped loudly. Her mother was suspicious—of that she was certain. She had to think Gwendolyn had mentioned Jarrod.
“Well, Mom, I’m not exactly sure…”
“Tell me all about him,” her mother said merrily, and then burst into a fit of giggles.
“Mom!”
“Oh, Summer, why else would you stay up there all these weeks? Gwendolyn describes the place as if it isn’t fit for human habitation.”
“Well, Gwendolyn would live in a bubble if it meant she could avoid contact with the Great Outdoors.”
“True.”
“And Mom, it is beautiful up here,” she gushed. “So beautiful, I can actually see myself living up here.”
“Really?” her mother said incredulously.
“Really. Dad would love it here. Dad! Are you still there? The fishing is great.”
“You actually caught a fish?” Her father’s deep voice boomed at the end of the phone line.
“Yep. And they’re not little, either.”
“Good. Good. Tell me more about the fish.”
“Dad, I’ve caught loads
of them—everything from Blue gill to trout. And remember when you told me that fishing was more about quiet contemplation than actually catching a fish?”
“I remember.”
“You were wrong!” She burst out laughing then. “Actually, you were part right. It’s so restful sitting lakeside, waiting for a fish to strike. The soft sounds of nature are all around you, and it’s so beautiful… Oh, I wish you both could see it. Hey, why don’t you two come up here? Dad, I’ll take you fishing this time.”
She heard her father’s deep chuckle. “Summer, I may very well take you up on it. How long do you plan to stay on your mountaintop?”
Before she could respond, her mother spoke up. “There’s a young man in the picture, dear. We may never see her again.”
“Oh, really?” Her father harrumphed. “Some bearded mountain man? I’m not so sure I approve.”
“No, Dad,” she said quickly. “He’s a forest ranger and…”
She promptly clamped her mouth shut. She’d almost divulged to her parents she did have feelings for Jarrod, and it was premature to go into details.
“How long did you say you were staying up there again?” her father asked.
“Well, I didn’t, actually,” Summer said. “And I can’t really give you an answer. I really don’t know myself at this point.”
“Let us know when you do know,” her mother said. “We’ll have dinner the minute you get home.”
“Absolutely,” she said cheerfully.
The threesome sighed off, and Summer sighed contentedly. It was good to have her parents safely back in the states and relatively nearby should she need them. They had always doted on their only child, ever ready to offer support when needed and advice when solicited. She hoped to be as wonderful a parent someday.
She smiled at the idea of becoming a parent. Suddenly, in her mind’s eye, she pictured Jarrod in miniature—a little boy with the same sandy hair and crisp blue eyes. She envisioned him tagging along beside his father, fishing and swimming in the lake, and growing up with the same love for wildlife and the outdoors as his father … and mother.
Summer on the Mountain Page 13