Cotton Grass Lodge by Woodbury DeNise

Author:Woodbury, DeNise [Woodbury, DeNise]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Contemporary, Small Town
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Published: 2014-03-24T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Duncan stood up to stretch the cramp in his shirtless back. Even with the high overcast, the roof of the bunkhouse was hot and sweat tickled down his spine. He and Tom were almost finished screwing the new steel roofing down, one less thing to worry about.

A plane came into view, and Duncan squinted and tried to recognize it. He decided he liked learning a new language, Cub, two-o-six, tail dragger, one-eighty-five, high-wing, the list went on and on and those were just the airplanes.

“Duncan, my screw gun battery just quit.” Tom was out of sight on the other side of the roof.

“I’m finished with this side. Here.” Duncan carefully walked up to the peak and slid the battery down a groove in the steel roofing into Tom’s waiting hand.

“Thanks.” Tom in turn tossed his dead battery up to Duncan.

“There’s a plane coming, I’ll go down to the strip. When you finish you can knock off for the day.” Duncan slipped into his shirt and carefully started down the roof to the ladder.

Nell’s head popped up over the side of the building. “There’s a plane. Aren’t you going down to meet it? Do I have to do everything around here?”

Duncan willed his heart back to a normal rhythm. “Nell, go down the ladder. Slow. I’m on my way.”

“Well, hurry up. Hanna called and cleared her airspace, so it won’t be long. You can’t be lackadaisical when it comes to visitors.”

“Charlie is making the afternoon run, Nell.”

“I know what I heard. Don’t be a smart-aleck, or you’re gonna have a chat with your dad in the woodshed.” Nell got to the bottom of the ladder and waited.

Duncan took his time favoring his tender knee. The pain didn’t offset his irritation. Once, just once could the woman leave and not come back?

“Hurry up, what’s wrong with you?”

Duncan gritted his teeth. He took a deep breath and begged Alice to forgive him. “Nell, our guests might need some refreshments. Why don’t you see what you can put together?”

When Duncan got to the strip, the plane had turned around, and Hanna was helping a man and woman exit the plane. His throat constricted when he saw her. Nell had been right for a change.

“Hi there stranger,” he said. “What happened to two weeks?”

Only Hanna’s tiny smile acknowledged his comment. “Duncan Mahoney,” she said formally and flipped a hand to present the two people standing by the plane. “Nell’s daughter, Petra and her husband, Jay Ivan.”

The cloud of tension settled like fog.

Duncan stepped forward and shook hands with both. “Pleased to meet you. Nell’s going to be glad to see you, I’m sure.”

“Where’s my mother?” Petra said. “She always meets the plane. I hope you don’t have her working like some hired help.”

Hanna interrupted before Duncan could say anything. “If Nell didn’t meet the plane, it’s because she didn’t want to. She does whatever she wants around here.” Hanna’s neck and cheeks turned rosy with her impulsive interference. “I’m going to my cabin. I’ll be back to the plane in an hour and a half.

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