Chapter Forty-Six
Waking up like clockwork before first light, he turned over. When he did, he expected her to be there, but barring him, the bed was empty. Looking around, he saw a white shrouded figure outside the French doors of the bedroom at the rail of the deck. Then he heard it; a sound that made his heart seize; a soft, sad cry that caused him to curse himself and bury his head in his hands when he swung his feet out of the bed to the floor. Pulling on his jeans, he walked out onto the deck, standing behind her. "What is this?" he asked softly.
"We don't see the sunrise from here. It mostly casts long shadows on the lake; shadows that perform an odd ballet moving around the boulders in the water."
"I'm talking about you."
"This?" she said, wiping her face. "This is me…saying goodbye."
Trapper's jaw dropped slightly before he crooked it and let out a quiet, nervous breath.
She heard him and reached back, searching for his hand and clutching it reassuringly. "This is me letting John go."
Closing his eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief. He moved against her back and squeezed her shoulders. "I'll leave you to it." He showered, and then went downstairs to make a pot of coffee, smiling when he heard the water of the shower running.
She came downstairs dressed in jeans and a tank top underneath a loose sweater that hung off one shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
His kiss stopped her. "Don't apologize for dealing with those feelings. I don't expect you to say goodbye to John. You shouldn't." Passing her a cup of coffee, he continued, "I hope you get to a place where you can smile instead of cry at the memories." She smiled up at him as she sipped her coffee. "How are you?" he asked, searching her eyes for the answer.
"How do you mean?" she said, avoiding his gaze.
Setting his coffee cup on the counter, he turned her face up to his with a finger under her chin. "Regrets?"
"None," she said, looking into his eyes with a touch of a smile on her lips and a conviction that told him she was sure of her answer. She set her cup on the counter next to his, moving her arms under his and stepping into him. They shared a slow, deep kiss that left each of them wanting more. "I'm looking forward to getting on with life…again," she whispered, enjoying his warm breath on her cheek as he kissed his way to her jaw.
"That's nice to hear," he said, nuzzling her neck. "Where do we start?"
She backed away, dragging a finger from his lips to his chin, leaving him smiling affectionately at her. Taking her coffee, she rounded the far counter and sat on one of the stools while he leaned forward with his elbow on the counter across from her and his chin resting in his hand. "Have you been over Kingsbury Grade?" she asked.
"No. I usually come through here in winter, if at all. I prefer Mammoth for skiing, and if Tioga Pass is closed because of snow, I go to Carson City from here and hit 395. But I've never stayed."
"I figured as much. You've missed a spectacular view of the Carson Valley. I thought we'd drive up the grade after we have breakfast at Harrah's. After that, I'd like to go out to Fallen Leaf Lake. I want to get some of my things out of the house that I know I'll want here before it all gets stored in San Francisco."
He took her free hand and kissed it, looking at her warily. "Are you sure you want to do that now?'
"I don't want to do it alone. And you're probably the only other person who will be up here for some time. But if it will make you uncomfortable, I'll wait."
"I'm not worried about me." Taking her cup, Trapper turned around to the sink and rinsed both cups. "What are we getting?"
"Oh, my downhill and cross-country skis and snowshoes, my hiking boots, some camping gear…and the boat…maybe some of the antiques if we have room."
"You have a boat?" asked Trapper, taking her hand and heading to the front door.
"In the garage. I'll put it in the garage here. I'm sure it needs a tune up. Are you in a hurry?"
"Yes. I worked up an appetite last night," he said smiling naughtily while holding his hand out for her keys.
Twisting her mouth into an amused grin at the same time she blushed, she gave him a sideways look. "You don't know where we're going."
"It's the gentlemanly thing to do, and I do know the way to Harrah's."
She scoffed. "I know what you're doing. You just want to drive my new car."
"It's not a car. It's a Jeep," he said, holding her by the waist as she climbed up into the passenger seat.
After breakfast at Harrah's, Trapper relinquished the keys on Leah's argument that he needed to be able to look around so he wouldn't miss anything. When they arrived at Daggett's Pass, she pulled into a clearing on the side of the road. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"
Trapper rose, placing a knee on his seat, looking over the Jeep's windshield. "This rivals the view up on Monitor Pass," said Leah, grinning at the awed look on Trapper's face. He looked at her with a sheepish smile, and turned back to the view of the Carson Valley. "Oh no. Don't tell me you've never been over Monitor Pass. Oh. Maybe not if you only come out in the winter. Monitor Pass is usually closed, too."
"Why is it that you never have a camera when you need one?" asked Trapper as he climbed out of the Jeep and walked to the edge of the clearing, standing with his hands on his hips.
"There's a camera at the Fallen Leaf Lake house. We can get it and come back if you'd like."
Trapper moved his arm around her when she joined him at the side of the clearing. "We're only about five hours away from San Francisco. We'll be back, won't we?" he asked.
"That depends entirely on your schedule, Dr. McIntyre. I can't believe you've never stopped here."
He shrugged. "I don't get much time off."
"Not true. You get it. You just don't take it. This road just happens to stay open in the winter, so you have no excuse. However, the road around the west side of the lake doesn't, so we're going to see Emerald Bay before we go out to the house, if that's alright with you," she said with raised brows.
Turning back toward the Jeep, he answered, "My dear, since you're driving, I'm obliged to follow." He stole a kiss before he helped her up into the driver's seat.
On the way to Emerald Bay, Leah pointed out all the historic and view-worthy spots along the way. "Taylor Creek is where we used to fly fish for trout, though you have to check with the park service here regularly. It's not always open to fishing, especially when the Kokanee salmon are spawning. It's a beautiful sight. The creek is chock- full of red fish. And it was convenient for us because Taylor Creek flows between Fallen Leaf and Lake Tahoe."
"How far can you get up this road in winter?"
"They actually don't plow much farther than this, and they don't plow our road either, so when we came out in winter, we used snowmobiles. There's a parking lot right at the beginning of our road. We'd leave the car parked there and walk to the house the first time in, and then we'd have our snow mobiles. I need to have those moved to the other house, too."
Pulling along the side of the road where it was widened for parking at Emerald Bay, Leah announced, "We're here." Once out of the Jeep, she took Trapper's hand and walked him beyond the barrier wall out to the top of Lower Eagle Falls, pointing out at the bay. "Feast thine eyes on a sight that approaches Heaven itself."
Trapper looked out for a moment before he gave her a scrutinizing look. "Why does that sound familiar?"
"Did you ever watch Bonanza?"
"Not religiously, but yes. JT wanted to be Little Joe and Melanie swooned over the oldest son."
"That's how Ben Cartwright described the lake in the pilot. I'd swear that shot of the lake was at Emerald Bay. The other side of the lake in the picture was too close to be anywhere else, and you can see a similar view from Bliss State Park back the way we came."
"This is absolutely beautiful. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it. The water is so blue."
"Down below is another one of those historic places; Vikingsholm. It's a small castle at the very end of the bay. And behind us is a campground and trail to the upper falls and another gorgeous small lake, Eagle Lake. That trail leads you into the Desolation Wilderness."
Looking across the road, Trapper cocked his head and looked back at Leah. "You said you like to hike. Have you ever been up that trail?"
She smiled sweetly up at him. "Yes. I've been up that trail many times. I could never get tired of it, and there are so many directions you can go, you'd be hard pressed to see everything in a lifetime. The Wilderness is full of small lakes, and the terrain is starkly beautiful. You're up above the tree line in many places, and the surface is mainly granite up there, so not many trees."
"I'll tell you what. If you start exercising and get your hiking legs up to par, I'll let you take me up there," he said, returning the smile.
She bit her lip. "Uh…have you ever been up there?"
"No."
"Well, I would suggest that you exercise as well."
"I'm not in bad shape," he said, creasing his brow and patting his stomach. "I get exercise. Gonzo and I run almost every day."
"You run on flat ground around a park. You need to start running up hills." She turned back to the view of the lake. "It's always hard to leave here. I should have thought to bring a picnic lunch. We could eat right here in the middle of the stream before it falls over the side." Turning to him, she moved her hands to his sides. "Better yet, if the guy who used to take care of my boat is still here, we can take the boat to him this afternoon and try her out tomorrow. We'll bring her into the bay. That way, you can see the castle down there."
He gave her a quick kiss. "Deal."