Cotton Grass Lodge Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Praise for COTTON GRASS LODGE

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  A word about the author...

  Other Books You Might Enjoy

  Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  Cotton Grass Lodge

  by

  DeNise Woodbury

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Cotton Grass Lodge

  COPYRIGHT © 2014 by DeNise Woodbury

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Tina Lynn Stout

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Champagne Rose Edition, 2014

  Print ISBN 978-1-62830-283-7

  Digital ISBN 978-1-62830-284-4

  Published in the United States of America

  Praise for COTTON GRASS LODGE

  Winner of Third Place

  in 2013 Southern Heat contest

  Dedication

  The support of the amazing women of AKRWA

  made this work possible.

  In particular, Maxine Mansfield,

  who forbade me to change the first line.

  Tam Lindsey, Lizbeth Selvig, Morgan Q. O'Riley,

  Jennifer Bernard, Boone Brux and Jackie Ivie.

  And yes, Cherry Adair, I finished the damn book.

  A forever thank you

  to Mr. Wonderful for being my hero.

  Chapter 1

  “Don’t you dare puke in my plane,” the pilot shouted over the high-pitched engine noise in the Cessna 185. “I’m not kidding.” She scowled and fumbled in the pocket attached to the rear of his seat, a harsh annoyance in the small of his back that sent pins poking along his arms.

  “We’ve usually got one of those zipper bags in here someplace, damn it. If you get sick—” She pulled out a grungy stocking cap and threw it into his lap. “Use this.”

  When she’d introduced herself, Hanna Reed had seemed attractive in a competent and no-nonsense way. Now, the attraction was gone. She looked like a demonic bug. Bulbous black headphones with short antenna covered her ears, tethering her to the electronics of the small plane, and iridescent sunglasses covered her eyes.

  A head-pounding swell of sickness washed over Duncan. His sunglasses were no help against the brilliant snow-covered landscape. The din from the engine tumbled over him as if he were in a dryer full of drywall screws.

  Last night’s celebration, with Carl, his partner in this hare-brained business venture, had filled him with more optimism than he’d had since John’s funeral. Now, with remorse battling the pain of his hangover, he was more uncertain. Duncan raised his voice, “Do you have a soda or sparkling water or something to help settle my stomach?”

  “Nope,” she said. “Hang on. We’ll be there soon.” Her businesslike demeanor shut down further conversation as she concentrated on the airplane.

  Duncan dropped the stocking cap between the seats. He’d rather die than be sick in front of this woman. There’d been paper bags for this purpose in every small airplane he’d ever flown in. What kind of business handed clients a stocking cap? Or a plastic bag for that matter?

  Charlie’s Air Service went beyond unprofessional. The door into the hanger was marked by a four foot graffitied scrawl of black spray paint proclaiming it the office. Once inside, the room had smelled of machine oil, wet dog, and a burned coffee pot. He was sure the tattered broom hadn’t moved from its corner since Christmas, and this was one cold-ass day in April.

  When Duncan left San Francisco three days ago, there’d been blooming cherry trees, a little morning fog, and fifty-eight balmy degrees.

  Carl had said charter flights were the accepted transportation to the lodge. Given the number of airplanes he’d seen since he got to Alaska, finding another flight service wouldn’t be difficult. If Charlie wanted a new lodge owner to renew this contract, his customer service needed serious work.

  The pilot shot a sideways glance at him, no doubt concerned only for the condition of her airplane, and Duncan concentrated on the face of his watch to distract his roiling stomach. Two o’clock. He’d been trapped in this flying can since noon.

  Hanna moved her hands on the yoke, thumbed on the microphone, and started talking. He couldn’t hear what she said mainly because of the noise roaring in the cabin of the plane—or it could have been the blood thrashing around in his head. Nausea came in green waves, and he concentrated on not being sick. Adding to his misery, he was cold, and his soggy loafers even colder.

  This morning when they left Anchorage, it had been overcast and thirty-six degrees. The dirty snow, piled around the faded yellow metal-sided hanger, had melted into unavoidable ice-skimmed puddles.

  They flew over a seemingly endless expanse of frozen landscape. The snow-covered tundra ponds stood out from the muted brown and sharp black accents revealed by the melting snow. The lake they dipped toward now was larger than it looked on the map and surrounded by tall spruce and stark, leafless trees. A gray overcast sky reflected uncomfortably bright off the lake.

  A stomach-lurching drop turned the airplane toward a strip of gravel scratched lengthways on the edge of the lake. Hanna touched his arm and pointed out the window of the plane. “That’s the lodge,” she shouted.

  They flew over several structures strung along the shore. It wasn’t laid out as he had expected. Instead, a hodge-podge of buildings trailed off behind the imposing log house. Duncan tried to memorize the lay of the land. His land. His lodge. This project was a good investment with great profit potential. It was also the first impulsive, unplanned thing he’d done in sixteen years, and the reality of what he’d given up pushed bile to the top of his throat. I will not be sick. I will not be sick. It wouldn’t look good in front of the help.

  They dropped toward the lake, and Duncan focused on the mottled colors of shadow-filled tracks meandering over the snow-covered ice. Animal tracks or people he couldn’t tell. A well-traveled trail across the lake was scalloped along the edges by parallel snow mobile rails winding around and through the path.

  The trees and the scattered buildings rushed toward him. As the plane came closer to land, everything seemed to go faster and faster instead of slower. He grasped the seat on either side of his knees, bracing for another bone-jarring landing.

  They’d stopped two times already. A freight run—why hadn’t he realized exactly what Carl meant? Each time they landed, people dressed
in oversized boots and odd assorted combinations of cold weather gear met the plane. He’d had to endure waiting as what little warmth inside the plane leaked out onto the gravel while Hanna unloaded bags and boxes and collected handshakes and hugs.

  The tires of the plane hit the ground, and Duncan felt like he got a full body-slam. An angry spray of rocks and frozen slush reverberated against the belly of the plane. They coasted toward the end of the incredibly short gravel strip and did a tight turn around.

  “Bail out, last stop.” Hanna started taking off the headphones and wires tangled about her head and replaced them with a tattered lavender ball cap. She patted his arm and flashed a reassuring smile. “The fresh air will have you back to normal in no time.” She pulled her shiny black braid out of the bunched up folds of her hooded sweatshirt and released an unexpected smell of flowers and vanilla into the tight space between them.

  Duncan groped to unhook the seat harness. His headache pounded. A resounding bass drum echoed throughout his body. He reached awkwardly under his right arm for the door handle and without warning it jerked open.

  “Ahaa.” His surprised intake of breath brought with it the air outside the plane, cold ozone flavored with aviation gas.

  A rough-hewn woman, her tanned face deeply lined, held the door. Gray-streaked hair escaped from a long braid looking as if it had been plaited sometime last week. The oversized, quilted flannel jacket she had on was stained several colors, torn at the elbow, and sprinkled with sawdust.

  “I have to get out.” Duncan pushed past the woman and smacked his head on the wing strut as he misjudged the step and fell unceremoniously onto the slushy gravel.

  “Hanna Reed, are you terrorizing the tourists again?” asked the gray-haired woman.

  “So he thinks,” Hanna spoke from her seat on the other side of the plane. “And the stewardess didn’t have sparkling water.”

  Duncan held his tongue. Retaliation seemed pointless.

  “It wasn’t a bad trip in, but we had to stop a place or two.” She gave Duncan a one-sided smile. “Come on, you’re going to be fine.”

  “The medusa speaks,” Duncan mumbled. “You fly like I drove when I was sixteen.”

  “That coming from the guy on his knees.” Hanna jumped sure-footedly onto the ground, walked around to the passenger side of the plane, and threw an arm around the tall old woman. “Nell, you got a cup of coffee for me, sweetie?”

  “Of course, but be nice. This guy is gonna buy the place.”

  “Buy?” Hanna took a step back. “What? When did you sell?”

  Nell waved a hand dismissively. “I told Carl I was thinking about selling the last time he came out to visit. Do you remember Carl?”

  “Yes, of course I remember him.”

  “He worked here couple’a years ago, nice fella.” The older woman pointed to Duncan, trying to climb to his feet. “Him and this guy called and bought the lodge.”

  “Nell?” Disbelief washed over Hanna’s face. “He isn’t from Alaska. He—how could someone that’s not from here run your lodge? Is Carl coming back?”

  “Hello? I’m standing right here?” Duncan brushed his hands over his wet, muddy knees trying to dislodge the gravel imbedded in his slacks. “Carl is my partner; he isn’t coming back. I’m here because we signed the papers yesterday. And yes, I can run this lodge.” He straightened up and promptly cracked his head on the wing strut, again.

  Hanna sucked a sharp breath at the loud bonk to his head. “You’re too tall to stand up there. I’d stoop over until I got away from the plane—if it was me.”

  Her deadpan remark goaded him. She obviously had no empathy. “Now, look here, I don’t usually lose my patience, but—”

  “Stop it, both of you.” Nell bent over, slid her arm through Duncan’s and led him out from under the wing of the plane. “Mr. Mahoney, I’m Nell Janovich. Welcome to Cotton Grass Lodge. Come on, I’ll walk you up to the lodge, and we can talk. Hanna, you’re being mean. Get the four-wheeler and bring up the groceries.”

  Duncan was gratified to see Hanna start to speak and stop, turning instead to work on unloading the plane.

  Standing now, his head cleared in the fresh air. Its crispness stung his cheeks and rudely poured under his collar.

  He and Nell walked up the rough beach to a path. Her arm rested on his, and she leaned on him as they climbed the slight incline away from the lake along the rutted four-wheeler track. Muddy water trickled and pooled, and Duncan took the low road to allow Nell to walk on the more even path.

  “I haven’t ever been airsick before, and she wasn’t very understanding,” Duncan said.

  Nell slowed. “She’s one of the best.” Her barbed gaze traced him from head to toe. “You weren’t airsick; you’re hung over. Nobody in his right mind wears an unlined leather jacket up here in April. It shows you’re from someplace Outside.”

  Duncan’s shoulders shuddered under his dress shirt as if it were woven of steel wool. Were all Alaskans so sanctimonious?

  Nell looked down at his feet. “Did you bring any other shoes?”

  Duncan glared at his sodden loafers. “This is the second time today someone’s given me grief about my shoes. I was trying to make a good impression.”

  Nell pulled forward again, and he winced as the slimy sensation of egg whites coated his toes. “Huh,” she said, “except your version of a good impression is dangerous. You ever hear of frostbite?”

  As they walked in the middle of a narrow road, twelve-foot leafless brush opened to reveal the lodge. An impressive log building fronted by a wide front porch. Carl had explained essentially it was four bedrooms upstairs and one downstairs with the kitchen and open lodge room. The green metal roof sloped from three dormers over the porch. Standing here, Duncan realized he had stayed in places that called a building this size staff quarters.

  Nell stopped walking, sucked a deep breath, and blew through pursed lips. “My Harry and I built this with our own two hands in the early 1960s. You’re gonna pay me three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and I’m gonna come back and visit any damn time I want to. That’s part of the contract.”

  Duncan had considered the price a steal until now. “But I paid cash, and there’s nothing of the sort in the contract.”

  “Don’t give a damn how you pay for it. Still gonna be part of the deal. Isn’t your word any good?” Nell smiled at him. “I don’t have to sell, ya know.”

  What? He and Carl had signed the papers at a title company before he left Anchorage. Nell had already signed the same papers.

  Duncan dropped his voice an octave. “Mrs. Janovich, are you going to back out of the sale?”

  “Call me Nell.”

  The rumble of the four-wheeler came up behind them, and they moved to the side of the slippery trail. “You want to ride?” Hanna called.

  “No. We’ll get there,” Nell hollered over the sound of the four-wheeler’s engine. “Put the kettle on.”

  Hanna tossed off a sassy smile and drove on, avoiding the deep ruts threatening the stability of packages on the back of the machine or jostle the ones piled in the small trailer it pulled. He admired the strength and competence of her compact little body. As the noise faded, Duncan went back to business. “Nell, the lodge is sold. You signed the papers.”

  “Well, of course I did, a deal is a deal.” Nell started walking again, apparently unaware of the soggy trail or Duncan’s confusion. “Everything you see will go with the place. The four-wheelers, there are four of them. The snow-machines, there are four of those as well, not to mention the ones sitting around for parts.”

  She was serious about the sitting around part. Duncan had been too preoccupied with misery to see these things from the air. The remains of at least three snowmobiles peeked out of the receding snow in odd places around the yard. A fluttering blue tarp attested to the condition of the roof of the main building and from this vantage point a small outbuilding behind it as well. A burst of chunky raindrops danced a jig across
the yard and stopped just as suddenly.

  Nell pointed toward the worn trail running past the lodge. “Out back is the rest of it, a machine shed, a generator shed where we keep the freezers and the water pumps, the garden is fenced, there’s a shed for the garbage and the outhouse. Folks get used to using the sauna instead of a bathtub.”

  “What? There isn’t a bath?” Duncan coughed. She can’t be serious. Carl said the lodge was a little rough around the edges; he didn’t say anything about primitive.

  “The generator’s in good shape. I replaced it two winters ago.” Nell inventoried as they strolled. “The bunkhouse isn’t finished yet, but it could be a good money maker.” Still holding his arm she rotated, and he had to look into her washed out blue eyes. “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

  Duncan swallowed hard and worked the muscles of his jaw. After sixteen years in upscale hotel management, this piece of shit lodge was something he could do in his sleep. A month, tops. He didn’t know why Carl had advised him to take his time. Duncan added a bathtub to his list of things to change.

  Chapter 2

  As Hanna steered the four-wheeler past Nell and Duncan walking arm in arm, she wasn’t surprised when Nell declined a ride but wondered if he would accept. She conceded that thought was mean.

  Damn it, Nell had sold the lodge to Mr. GQ Cover Boy. The man was clueless, he didn’t own a smile, and why didn’t he tell her before they left Anchorage he was the new lodge owner? Outsiders always wanted to change things. She felt like this little piece of paradise would always be here, just waiting for her the way it was, whenever she needed it.

  Embarrassment skittered through her chest. She had been unprofessional, not mean. Well, maybe a little mean.

  She thought about his clean-shaven impeccability; it was quite nice to look at. Hanna shook her head; stop thinking about him as if he was a man. He won’t fit in here at the lake. If he was so darn smart, why didn’t he know it was April? For crying out loud, street shoes, he wasn’t prepared for anything but a night out. The last thing the lake needed was an Outsider’s attempt at spit and polish.