Cotton Grass Lodge by DeNise Woodbury Read Free Book Online

water trickling through the boggy yard. “Why do you want to move those snow-machines now?” She stopped and planted both hands on her hips.
    Duncan had a tow-strap attached to one of the snow-machines, the other end he’d hooked to a four-wheeler. “I’m moving it to the machine shed.”
    “Ya don’t need to go makin’ a mess draggin’ shit across the yard.”
    “I told you at breakfast, now move out of the way.”
    “Watch your tongue, young man—”
    “Nell, go back to the porch.” Duncan’s patience wore through a thin spot. “I don’t want you hurt.” She drew her lips into a hard line, turned, and stalked back to the lodge.
    The days following had the same routine. Duncan tackled a project and Nell objected. Now he counted the days until Nell left. He counted the hours and minutes and seconds until Nell left.
    Duncan wrenched the last nut on the water pump snug. Water stopped spraying onto the wall, and Duncan’s shoulders relaxed. For the first time all week, he was glad to look up and find her leaning against the door frame watching. “Nell, I don’t know anything about plumbing. What do I do if it breaks again?”
    “Ya just figure it out. Get your jacket, we’re takin’ a ride.”
    Duncan started to object, but once again reminded himself she wasn’t going to be here forever. All too soon she would be gone, and he would have to know these things. He was finally getting used to her scatter-shot teaching methods.
    “Where are we going?” He snatched his jacket from where it hung on a nail and followed Nell outside. After one week it was as stained and torn as the one Nell had met the plane in on the first day. Trashed was the term to use. He’d had no idea how truly destructive the work at the lodge was going to be. He added get more clothes to his list. His fleece-lined jacket soaked up the water dripping off his eyebrow.
    “Tom’s place.” Nell continued to walk away. She shifted the rifle from one hand to the other. “He’s your hired man.”
    “My hired man?” Duncan trotted to catch up with the long strides of the old woman. “Nell, I bought the lodge, and I’ll accept inheriting a cat I don’t want, but I’d like to decide who my employees are.” The puppy gamboled along behind Nell, and Duncan had to do an irritated two-step to avoid stepping on him.
    “No, you won’t.” Nell didn’t slow her pace, and when she got to the long open shed, she stopped and surveyed the options for the day’s travel. “By the way, you did a good job on this shed, looks real nice. Looks real nice.”
    She’d bitched and complained about every piece of equipment he’d moved. She didn’t like anything he did. And this was the first compliment he’d gotten for all his muscle strain. “Thanks .” One more day, only one more day. Duncan rubbed deep into the small of his back and winced. The neatly arranged equipment, snow-machines and four-wheelers, didn’t testify to how many had been pushed, pulled, or dragged into place. When Nell sold the lodge, the deal had included the four-wheelers and snow machines. She’d failed to mention how few of them would actually start. “Where are we going?” Duncan asked again.
    Nell pitched a leg over the green ATV four-wheeler, and it screamed to life on the first attempt. She didn’t answer his question and slowly edged the machine out of its place in the long pole shed. She stopped when she came even with where he stood outside the shed, scooted back on the seat, and pointed in front of her. “You drive.”
    Duncan swung on and resigned himself to another adventure. As they left the yard Nell pointed back toward the lodge. “Stay.” The puppy followed anyway until distracted by a Magpie.
    A brilliant cloudless day sparkled on the lake. “Ice is gett’n real rotten.” Nell hollered in his ear, sporadically she added other comments. “Trail’s sloppy.” Duncan slowed to maneuver through a two foot deep stew of black muck. “Keep