Free Cotton Grass Lodge by DeNise Woodbury Page B

and—” Victoria’s peppy voice cut his explanation short.
    “Duncan, I just can’t wait to see all you have done with your resort. Your mom sent me on a reconnaissance mission.” Victoria slipped her arm around Duncan’s waist. “Let’s let the help get this stuff. You show me around.”
    Hanna watched the line of his jaw clench over and over. “I am the help.”
    Victoria wrinkled her nose and extricated her arm. “Yes, and a little hot and sweaty, too.”
    “I didn’t know you were coming,” Duncan said and turned to Hanna. “Are you going back now or in the morning?”
    “The schedule says to take Nell back in the morning. But it doesn’t matter to me.” Hanna said with sympathy. She could tell how hard he had been working. His hands bore the brunt of the last two weeks with bandages on three fingers. The nasty gash in his jeans had to mean a scab she couldn’t see underneath. His limp was obvious, and he didn’t even try to cover it with a swagger.
    “Okay, let’s go have some lunch and see what we can do to coordinate these in and out trips.” Duncan took the last bag of groceries to the trailer behind the four-wheeler. Then he held a hand out to Victoria. “We’ll walk up to the lodge and let Hanna and Nell take the ATV.” It was then he looked at her feet. “Did you bring any other shoes?”
    “What is it with you people and shoes? I have shoes on,” Victoria chirped, but she lifted her right foot to rub at a rosy blister of bug bites next to the sparkly strap of her sandal.
    Nell smiled at Hanna just like old times and swung a leg over the seat of the ATV. “I’ve got a nice little lunch planned. You come help me get it on the table.” Nell’s voice carried over the noise of the engine, “I don’t know why Duncan sent Tom home early. There’s still plenty of work to do before the clients start to show up. If ya ask me, he’s makin’ all kinda bad decisions.” Hanna swung onto the four-wheeler behind Nell. She caught Duncan’s attention on their way past. He shook his head, his face emotionless and blank.
    ****
    “Vic, it’s nice to see you.” Duncan walked slower than he’d like to since the brush held clouds of insects. “What’s new in your life?”
    “Work is good,” she said and waved madly at her face. “I’m putting a lot of hours in, but I’m getting ahead fast.”
    “How is, umm, sorry, what’s his name?”
    “What’s his name is fine, I guess, we broke up.” Victoria had always been a chatterbox, and Duncan found himself expected to carry part of the conversation.
    As they walked the rutted track to the lodge, Victoria’s uncharacteristic quiet gave Duncan opportunity to share his vision of Cotton Grass Lodge with her. They had grown up on the same block, and even if he didn’t want the dynastic marriage their parents seemed bent on, she was a connection to the life they grew up with, and he was eager to share the potential he saw here. As he talked he could feel his evangelical excitement building with each recount of something done or planned. Even with Nell’s return, he had accomplished more than he thought possible. Tom had started showing up four and five days a week. He seemed energized with their progress too, because some days he wasn’t especially hung over.
    “Here will be the new shower house.” Duncan grinned. “It isn’t much to look at right now, but it will be a thing of beauty when we finish it.”
    “It’s a hole in the ground,” Victoria said, frowning. She bent over to claw at her foot, removing two mosquitos. The breeze pulled at a wisp of her hair.
    “Sure, but after we get the pit and the foundation done the rest of the building will go up fast.”
    “It’s a hole in the ground.” With her arms crossed tightly over her chest, Duncan fully expected her to stomp her foot next. “This place isn’t even up to the standard of rustic. Why do people come here when all you have is that—an outhouse? Are you serious? Your