Cotton Grass Lodge Read Online Free PDF Page B

from his brisk walk to the outhouse, he tested the kettle of water for fullness and lit the stove. The propane caught, and he walked down the short hall toward what he deduced was Nell’s bedroom. She lay with her hair spread across the pillow, her chest rose and fell in deep sleep. Sliding the door closed, he went back to the kitchen. While Duncan waited for the water to boil, he considered the kitchen. The cabinets had been made of home sawed lumber and were sturdy but in desperate need of paint and hot soapy water. Not necessarily in that order. There were sad, dirty little curtains made to cover the bottom cabinets. He pushed one aside to assess the pots and dishes. The painted plywood floor was chipped and worn completely off in spots.
    The orange tabby made an impatient meow and sat, watching him open and close drawers and peer into the dark pantry as he looked for the things he needed to start the coffee ritual. The cat’s wide, yellow eyes bored into the side of Duncan’s head and its stubby ears twitched. “What?”
    “His name is Frosty,” Hanna said from behind him.
    Duncan turned with a start. “Where did you come from?” he asked softly. She was prettier this morning. Yesterday’s painfully overloaded senses were back to normal. He also noticed she wore no make-up, and quite honestly didn’t need any.
    “I’m an early riser. My cabin isn’t far.” Her stocking feet padded into the room, and she sat on a tall stool at the counter.
    “How come his ears look all chopped off?” Duncan asked.
    “Frostbite.” Hanna shrugged. “Alaska’s hard on critters.”
    “Humm.” Duncan nodded down the hall. “She’s still asleep.” He finished measuring the coffee into a large French press, and the kettle started to squeal just as he grabbed it with a potholder. “I closed her door when I got up, and she didn’t move a muscle.”
    Meow . The cat curled figure eights around the stool Hanna was sitting on.
    She slid off the stool and with sure, graceful movements waved the impatient cat out of the way. She took out a scoop of cat food from a covered bucket, in the one cabinet he hadn’t inspected, and took it into the mudroom by the back door. Duncan heard the tinkle of the pellets hit a tin pan. Then, the back door opened and closed as Hanna went out.
    He got another mug off the pegs covering the back splash of the counter. Interesting woman. He liked interesting women.
    ****
    When Hanna returned, a mug of coffee was waiting on the drain board. She picked it up and quietly carried the armload of wood she’d brought with her into the lodge room and dropped it into the wood box by the hearth. “Thanks for the coffee.”
    “My pleasure.” Duncan stood with his back to her, looking out the large windows toward the lake. His head jerked and bobbed as he strained to see something, and Hanna walked up close to him to see as well.
    “Moose,” she said. “Cow and last year’s calf.”
    “They’re so big.” His eyes danced with the excitement a tourist had when seeing the rough, gangly animals for the first time. The snow had melted into a wide circle around a tree. The calf crawled on his knees grazing in an open patch of sprangled dry grass and twigs next to the spruce tree.
    “And unpredictable and dangerous.” She added, “Never trust one, never.”
    “Carl said this would be a good place to get a better handle on my life. He didn’t tell me everyone would be so serious.” Duncan’s eyes sparkled.
    Did she see a hint of humor? It was a better start to the day than with yesterday’s uptight jerk.
    “Is changing your life why you bought the lodge?” Her grandmother in Dillingham would never have asked such a personal question. Old cultural habits are like carrying old baggage, so Hanna had to force herself not to be too reserved. “Last night I thought about Carl. We hung out a few times while he was here at the lake. He was a big help for Harry and Nell. Harry was very sick, he died in