On Thin Ice by Linda Hall Read Free Book Online

men.”
    “Wow.”
    “He’s just such a big sweetie. You heard about the storm coming next week? I’m wondering if I should leave now or wait until the deluge of snow is over. It’s supposed to be one low-pressure system after another for a while. And that means snow, snow, snow. How long are you staying?”
    Megan said she hadn’t given much thought to the storm, but that her stay depended on how long her business would take.
    “Business,” Vicky said, and stuck out her tongue. “Me, no business for me. I’m on the rebound from a bad relationship and needed some time away. That’s why I’m here. Trying to get centered. I saw a catalogue with this place listed, so I phoned. Voilà! I’m here, and what a beautiful place.
    “I’m sure this will be good for me. I’ve never done anything quite so spur of the moment before, coming to a cabin like this by myself. And then meeting a nice guy right off the bat. Brad and I had dinner last night at his place. I was over there introducing myself and then before you know it, he’s panfrying trout and eggs. We were going to head up to the lodge last night but we never quite made it.” Her eyes twinkled and Megan thought that it didn’t take Vicky too long to become interested in someone else after coming off a bad relationship.
    “You want to come over? Brad wants to meet you.”
    “Me? Now?”
    “A little while ago, he said to me, ‘Have you met the woman in the farthest cabin over? What’s she like? We should get together all three of us,’ and so I thought, since it’s just the three of us here right now, why don’t you come on over to my cabin now. Brad’s cooking up shrimp with his special shrimp sauce.”
    Megan thought about it. Maybe it would be nice to get her mind off everything for a while. “I can bring crackers and cheese,” she said. “Let me just finish off my e-mail.”
    “You people with your e-mail. Brad’s the same way. Always with his laptop, day and night. Me? I don’t even have a computer. Don’t have TV either. Just me and my animals and my organic garden. Who goes on vacation and brings their computer?”
    She came into Megan’s cabin and said, “Wow, you certainly got the deluxe model. I don’t even have a fireplace. Just a bitty woodstove. This is beautiful.”
    “Yes. It is nice.” Megan had booked the most expensive cabin because she wanted a separate bedroom. Some of the cabins were little more than one room.
    “Brad’s is like this too,” Vicky said. “Brad is a documentary filmmaker. He’s doing a documentary on the lake. You should see all the gear he has. Cameras, that sort of thing.”
    On the way to Vicky’s cabin, she said, “Nori said you design Web sites.”
    Megan said she did.
    “Well, between you and me, I think it’s the Web site thing that has Brad interested in meeting you. He told me he’s in the market for a new Web site for his film company.”
    When they got to Brad’s cabin, he called out, “Come on in, you two beautiful ladies.” When Megan approached, he took one of her hands in both of his. “So nice to meet you.” Even though they were inside, he wore his sunglasses.
    Megan watched Vicky fuss with the fire and Brad panfry shrimp on the woodstove in a big cast-iron frying pan. Brad was a heavy man with wild hair and a shaggy gray beard, a bit of a crooked nose. But, what Megan noticed were his large white teeth which seemed to protrude a bit oddly and crookedly from his mouth when he laughed. Which was often. She wasn’t surprised that Vicky was attracted to this mountain man. He seemed nice and could cook, obviously. He wore a plaid cotton shirt and jeans and moccasins.
    The little cabin smelled wondrously of garlic and butter and Megan found herself relaxing. Almost.
    A kettle on the woodstove was whistling and Brad said, “I’m making tea for you ladies.”
    The three of them stood around the steamy kitchen rich with aromas and drank tea and ate shrimp. At one point Vicky nudged