Read Online 6 Maple Leaf Hunter by Maddie Cochere - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maddie Cochere
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though.”
I didn’t press for any details of the stories they had just told. It was a time in Mick’s life we didn’t talk about very often. He had married right out of high school, and his wife became pregnant soon after. Instead of growing together as a family, they had g rown apart over the years. When Alex was fourteen, Mick and his wife entered into a non-contentious divorce. I met Mick at that time, and when he didn’t tell me he was still married, I slightly freaked out and almost stopped seeing him. I smiled thinking about it now, but it certainly wasn’t anything to smile about at the time.
“What about the fishing stories?” I asked, changing the subject. I pointed to the largest fish on the wall. “Who caught the fish with the sharp teeth?”
“That’s a muskie,” Dan said. “I caught it two years ago. It was cold and raining that day, and I had a good feeling about catching a muskie, but I never dreamed I’d land one that big. Talk about a rush.”
The guys all made appreciative noises, but I wanted to fish for cute little fish like bluegill, not big ugly fish with sharp teeth.
“What did you use for bait?” Darby asked.
He lit up and said, “I had a spoon on.”
The next several minutes presented an animated Dan as he recounted his experience with the fish. I looked around at all of the guys and saw they were enrapt by his storytelling. I glanced over to Emily, and we exchanged smiles.
After Dan finally had the muskie mounted and hung on the wall at the lodge, Alex excused himself to use the restroom. Emily went to the kitchen to refill the cookie plate, while Darby and Nate walked the perimeter of the room to look more closely at the animals on the walls. I leaned my head against Mick’s shoulder. The atmosphere in the lodge was peaceful and comfortable. I wished Lizzie could be with us, but I knew the animals would terrify her, and it was the right decision to leave her with Grandma and Grandpa.
“Emily,” I said when she returned from the kitchen. “None of us have cell phone signals here. Do you have a public telephone?”
She shook her head and said, “It’s by choice we don’t have telephones or televisions on the property. We handle all of our business online on an old dial-up computer in the office. It’s not the most modern setup, but it’s served us well over the years.”
Dan said, “If you need to make a phone call, you can walk to the general store and use their pay phone. There’s a path heading east out of the parking lot. If you take that, it will lead you to the main road. It runs right by the store, and it’s only about a half hour walk.”
Nate looked aghast. “What if you have an emergency?” he asked.
“We’ve had a few emergencies,” Dan said. “We send an email. Emergency emails are constantly monitored, so the response time is pretty close to the same as a phone call.”
It didn’t sound like a good emergency plan to me, and I didn’t like it that I couldn’t call home to say good-night to Lizzie. I would have to talk with Mick’s mother tomorrow and let her know I might not be in touch as often as I had anticipated.
Alex came out of the restroom and asked, “Where is everybody? Are we the only ones here?”
Dan and Emily both seemed uncomfortable. Dan finally said, “There are four hunters in two of the cabins. No one is staying in the lodge, and we don’t have anyone in the campground.”
Mick was immediately concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I thought you’d be full up with bear season starting.”
“Business has fallen off the past two years,” Emily said. “If things don’t change, we’re going to have to sell the place.” She looked crestfallen.
“What happened?” Darby asked. “This place is gorgeous. I can’t imagine why you’re not at capacity.”
Dan raised his eyebrows and gave Emily an inquisitive look. She slowly nodded her head as if to give approval for him to speak.
He took a deep breath
I didn’t press for any details of the stories they had just told. It was a time in Mick’s life we didn’t talk about very often. He had married right out of high school, and his wife became pregnant soon after. Instead of growing together as a family, they had g rown apart over the years. When Alex was fourteen, Mick and his wife entered into a non-contentious divorce. I met Mick at that time, and when he didn’t tell me he was still married, I slightly freaked out and almost stopped seeing him. I smiled thinking about it now, but it certainly wasn’t anything to smile about at the time.
“What about the fishing stories?” I asked, changing the subject. I pointed to the largest fish on the wall. “Who caught the fish with the sharp teeth?”
“That’s a muskie,” Dan said. “I caught it two years ago. It was cold and raining that day, and I had a good feeling about catching a muskie, but I never dreamed I’d land one that big. Talk about a rush.”
The guys all made appreciative noises, but I wanted to fish for cute little fish like bluegill, not big ugly fish with sharp teeth.
“What did you use for bait?” Darby asked.
He lit up and said, “I had a spoon on.”
The next several minutes presented an animated Dan as he recounted his experience with the fish. I looked around at all of the guys and saw they were enrapt by his storytelling. I glanced over to Emily, and we exchanged smiles.
After Dan finally had the muskie mounted and hung on the wall at the lodge, Alex excused himself to use the restroom. Emily went to the kitchen to refill the cookie plate, while Darby and Nate walked the perimeter of the room to look more closely at the animals on the walls. I leaned my head against Mick’s shoulder. The atmosphere in the lodge was peaceful and comfortable. I wished Lizzie could be with us, but I knew the animals would terrify her, and it was the right decision to leave her with Grandma and Grandpa.
“Emily,” I said when she returned from the kitchen. “None of us have cell phone signals here. Do you have a public telephone?”
She shook her head and said, “It’s by choice we don’t have telephones or televisions on the property. We handle all of our business online on an old dial-up computer in the office. It’s not the most modern setup, but it’s served us well over the years.”
Dan said, “If you need to make a phone call, you can walk to the general store and use their pay phone. There’s a path heading east out of the parking lot. If you take that, it will lead you to the main road. It runs right by the store, and it’s only about a half hour walk.”
Nate looked aghast. “What if you have an emergency?” he asked.
“We’ve had a few emergencies,” Dan said. “We send an email. Emergency emails are constantly monitored, so the response time is pretty close to the same as a phone call.”
It didn’t sound like a good emergency plan to me, and I didn’t like it that I couldn’t call home to say good-night to Lizzie. I would have to talk with Mick’s mother tomorrow and let her know I might not be in touch as often as I had anticipated.
Alex came out of the restroom and asked, “Where is everybody? Are we the only ones here?”
Dan and Emily both seemed uncomfortable. Dan finally said, “There are four hunters in two of the cabins. No one is staying in the lodge, and we don’t have anyone in the campground.”
Mick was immediately concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I thought you’d be full up with bear season starting.”
“Business has fallen off the past two years,” Emily said. “If things don’t change, we’re going to have to sell the place.” She looked crestfallen.
“What happened?” Darby asked. “This place is gorgeous. I can’t imagine why you’re not at capacity.”
Dan raised his eyebrows and gave Emily an inquisitive look. She slowly nodded her head as if to give approval for him to speak.
He took a deep breath
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