Chapter Forty-Seven
The road to the house on Fallen Leave Lake was a narrow winding road, so the going was slow. When they arrived at the house, Leah pulled into the short drive way and stared for a moment.
Trapper watched her, her eyes moving from the front door to each window. "Are you sure you want to do this now? We can come up again."
Swallowing hard, she turned the Jeep off. "No. I'm fine," she said as she jumped out. She went to a side door off the garage, unlocking it, and reaching in she hit the button for the garage door opener. Once the door was open, she walked in, going over the boat to see if the trailer was still in good enough shape to pull it. When she got to the back of the garage, she stopped.
Trapper had been behind her, looking over the boat as well, and when she stopped, he leaned over her shoulder to see her face. She was white as a ghost with her mouth agape, looking up at the back wall. He followed her gaze and found a row of skis neatly hanging on the wall from the longest to the shortest with matching gloves, bibs and boots hanging beside the skis.
"Leah?" Drawing his lips into a tight line, he exhaled heavily as he took her arms and turned her around, walking her out of the garage. He helped her up into the Jeep, and leaned in front of her, fastening her seat belt. "We'll do this another time," he said quietly.
She smiled weakly while looking off at nothing. "No. I really don't see it getting any easier. But would you mind taking care of the skis?" Trapper smiled and gave her a single nod. "Our names are above our sections. I would like everything in my section…that's alpine and cross-country skis, my snowshoes, and my bib, boots and gloves. I also want the set of parabolic skis in JJ's section. You can put the skis in the boat, and the clothes in the back of the Jeep."
"And where will you be?"
"In the house," she said with a sigh.
"I want you to wait until I take care of the skis." It only took a severe look from Trapper to make her close her eyes and nod.
After loading the skis, they walked through the front door together. Trapper's eyes were drawn up into the open rafters where stuffed black bears sat, dangled or lay sprawled out on the beams. A rock fireplace soared to the ceiling, and hanging next to it was an enormous old hornet's nest. The walls were adorned with antique straight wooden skis and a pair of old snowshoes with leather straps, a set of ice cutting equipment and other implements used for mining and cutting lumber. There were also odds and ends from the old hotels that at some time in the past had graced the shores of the big lake. The firebox itself contained a crane that swung in and out from the left wall. On the pot hooks attached to the crane were a kettle and a larger pot, and on the hearth next to the firebox stood a large iron kettle full of wood and a Dutch oven.
The room was decorated with rustic furniture, tables and rugs in various places on the hardwood floors. Skylights in the ceiling along with windows all the way around the room made it very bright without any artificial lighting. The view out the back windows across the lake made the room seem cozier; the other side of the lake could be easily seen with the mountains soaring up and still topped with snow.
"I can see why John liked this house," said Trapper as he turned to view the entire room.
"There's only one problem with this house now that I've decided to trade. I can't rent it in the winter. It's too difficult to get to. I'm not sure many people from the valley would own snowmobiles or would be willing to walk in to get mine. And then there's the extra liability and repairs that go with letting renters use mine."
"Then why are you switching? Other than the antiques and…" he looked up, "…the bears looking down on you, I don't see a huge difference other than the view. They're both rustic, this one probably a bit more so, but this one feels more like home than the other. And the view is just a matter of preference; the big lake or the smaller one with the mountains."
"You like this house better, don't you?" she asked, looking up and around.
"What I like is beside the point. I think you need to give this more thought. Why don't you wait until some of it is cleared out before you make a decision? The auction house can clear Beth and JJ's room, and they can certainly remove John's things from the master. Change the furniture around some, or get new furniture, and it won't feel like the same room. Or use a different room if it bothers you that much."
She turned and walked toward the fireplace, then turned all around, looking at all the things she had collected specifically for this house. Walking into the kitchen off the side of the big room, she looked around at all her things hanging or sitting on the top of the cabinets. This kitchen had been hers to redesign when they bought the house, and she loved every nook and cranny of it. All her pots, pans, utensils, dinnerware…everything really, was meant for this house alone. When Trapper caressed her shoulders, she didn't jump even though she hadn't heard him follow her in. His hands felt warm, familiar and comforting. "Maybe you're right. I do love the way this house is nestled into the forest. I love to see the mountains around the lake. And I remember enjoying the walks here…into the forest or down Taylor Creek…the peace and quiet; the serenity." Turning, she leaned into him even as his arms moved around her. "I could store the snowmobiles, so we could pick them up on the way in. That way, we wouldn't have to walk in."
"We?" he asked, studying her.
Glancing up at him, she smiled and laid her head on his chest. "I don't know of anyone else I'd invite up here, and I'm not sure I would attempt to come up here in winter alone." Gently pushing away from him, she said, "Let me just get my wetsuit, fins and snorkel. While I'm doing that would you hang the ski stuff back on the wall?" she finished, wincing.
He rolled his eyes. "I used to think you weren't like any woman I had ever met."
She had already started up the stairs. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Isn't it said it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind?" he yelled up as she disappeared at the top. He shook his head, chuckling and went back out to the garage.
She avoided looking into the children's bedrooms as she walked to the end of the hall where the master bedroom took up the whole end of the house. Slowly stepping into the middle of the room, she looked around. She smiled, remembering how John had declared that he lost his watch on the way back to LA at a point when it was too late to turn around and go back. And there on his night table lay his watch where he'd left it and forgotten. She picked it up and put it in her pocket. Not that she had thought about keeping it, but rather she had thought about it being stolen. It was a nice watch; a Rolex, and she didn't want it to disappear. She wanted the disposition of it to be her decision. Opening the closet door, she stood for moment admiring how organized it was; John's clothes on the right, hers on the left. Their eveningwear hung together across the back wall. Leaning into his clothes, she took a deep breath and shed a tear. John's scent was gone, replaced by mustiness.
Trapper had already re-hung the skis and hitched the boat to the Jeep, but didn't go back into the house. He was leaning back against the Jeep when Leah came out with her wetsuit and accessories.
"Thank you," she said as she stowed her swimming gear in the back.
"I didn't want to interrupt," he said, brushing her hair back away from her face. "Are you all right?"
She took a deep breath and smiled. "I think so. I took this," she said, showing Trapper the watch. "I didn't take it because I wanted it. I took it because I didn't want it to be stolen." Moving her fingers to her lips, she choked back a sob. "No. I didn't want the decision of what to do with it to be stolen."
Trapper pulled her into him and kissed her temple. "You don't have to explain. I understand."
Pulling out of the driveway toward the main road, Trapper asked, "Where to?"
"There's a gas station just past the light at the Y on the right. Bert's Café is next to it. You can pull in between them. My friends, Bueno and Marty, own both. Bueno is the man who took care of our boat all those years."
Leah asked for Bueno at the gas station and was told he was at the café. When they entered, Leah saw Bueno seating another couple, so she and Trapper waited at the front counter. The café was small with only a space across the long side for seating; a booth on either side of a narrow aisle.
Bueno came back to the counter and reached down for a set of menus before he looked up. His face brightened slowly as recognition took hold. "Leah, it's been ages. How are you?"
Smiling, she accepted a hug and a kiss on her cheek. "I'm fine, Bueno. This is a friend of mine, Dr. John McIntyre."
He nodded at Trapper. "Well, where's John and the kids?" His smile slowly faded at the pained expression on her face.
"Oh, Bueno," she said sadly after taking a deep breath. "Do you remember the accident down Highway 50 that involved a car and a log truck…about four years ago?"
"Do I? It closed the road for two days it was such a mess."
When Leah began to wring her hands, Trapper took Bueno to the side, speaking quietly. "She and her family were in that wreck. She's the only one who survived."
"Oh no," Bueno whispered. "She's still having a hard time, isn't she?" Trapper nodded. "Marty will want to see her, but I'll tell her this before she comes out of the back." Turning back to Leah, he said, "Why don't we get you seated, and I'll go find Marty. She'll be so happy to see you." Once they were seated on the same side of the booth, Bueno placed their menus on the table and offered them coffee, which they both accepted, before he disappeared into the back.
"Thank you, Trapper. I don't think I could have explained that."
He moved his arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head, opening a menu in front of them. "What's good?"
"Everything. And the servings are huge, so maybe we should split something. You pick. I'm not very hungry."
"Burgers?"
"Homemade buns, handmade patties…huge."
She elbowed Trapper gently in the ribs when she saw Bueno and Marty coming down the aisle. Leah stood, and Marty greeted her with a long hug. "Leah, it's been much too long. It's so good to see you."
"Marty, you haven't changed a bit. And you're still here. Last I heard, you two were looking to retire," said Leah. "Join us, please."
Motioning for Marty to sit down, Bueno said, "If you know what you want, I'll go ahead and get your orders in. We can talk while you wait."
Trapper closed the menu. "How about your favorite burger and fries? Leah tells me they're huge, so we're going to split one."
"I'm sorry, Marty," said Leah. "This is Dr. John McIntyre."
Holding his hand out across the table, he gently squeezed Marty's hand. "Just call me Trapper, Marty. It's nice to meet you both," he said with a bright smile.
After shaking hands with Trapper, Bueno excused himself. "I'll put your order in and be right back."
"Are you still at Fallen Leaf Lake, Leah?" asked Marty.
"Well, I still own the house, but I was thinking about swapping the rental for it. I thought I would be more comfortable in the Glenbrook house, but we just came from Fallen Leaf Lake. I have no idea what I'm going to do now."
Bueno came back with a fresh pot of coffee and two more cups. "You know, if you need anything at all while you're here, you come to us. Trapper, Leah and John were among our regulars. Of course, they always split the burgers, too. Most people do. What brings you back, Leah?"
"The houses, mainly, but I just needed to take some time off. I was going to go through the house, but…I put it off. We did bring the boat with us, though. You think you'll have time to give it a once over this afternoon?"
Bueno turned to look out the window. "Is it here? Oh yeah, there it is. Sure I can. John always took good care of it. I may need to drain the tanks, but there shouldn't be anything wrong with it. I'll have it ready for you tomorrow morning before we open. So are you two old friends? You say you're a doctor."
"No, I wouldn't say we're old friends," Trapper replied. "Leah and John were in LA, and I had only met him a couple of times at medical conventions. Leah's installing a new computer system at my hospital."
"Are you still in LA?"
"No," Leah answered, smiling. "I'm in San Francisco right now. Trapper is the Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital."
"Chief of Surgery, huh. After listening to John all those years, I imagine that's more than a full-time job."
Trapper chuckled. "It is. Trust me."
Marty had been holding Leah's hand across the table, and moved to touch Trapper's arm. "How did you end up with that nickname?"
Looking over Marty and Buenos' heads, he gave them a half-laugh. "It's a long, embarrassing story."
"I don't even know it," added Leah.
A waitress came to the table with their food, placing a plate almost completely covered by the burger and a basket of fries in front. Looking down at the burger, Trapper arched an eyebrow. "I told you it was huge," said Leah, laughing.
"We're going to go back to work and let you two eat your lunch," said Bueno, standing and waiting for Marty to slide out of the booth. "Enjoy your burger," he said.
"Thanks. We'll see you before we leave. I still have to give you the key to the boat," said Leah. She picked up the steak knife that accompanied the burger and held it out to Trapper. "Why don't you do the honors," she said, laughing again.
He cut it in two and placed a half on the empty plate the waitress left them, moving it over in front of Leah. When he bit into his half, he rolled his eyes and then closed them. "Oh my. This is the best burger I've ever tasted."