by Rita Schulz
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Honeymoon
About the Author
Also by Rita Schulz
A new title from 53rd Street Publishing.
Honeymoon
Rita Schulz
Published by 53rd Street Publishing
Copyright 2016 Rita Schulz
All rights reserved
Cover art © Can Stock Photo Inc. / Ig0rZh
Cover designed by R. Edgewood
Cover design and layout copyright 2016 by 53rd Street Publishing
53rd Street Publishing
Head office: Gibsons B.C. Canada
www.53rdsteetpublishing.com
This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidental.
Dedication
For friends and family. Thank you for your support.
Honeymoon
The new Mrs. Jake Brock, as of six hours ago, glared at their honeymoon cottage in Cold Lake, British Columbia from the passenger seat of their four-wheel-drive silver Toyota. Then she scanned the brochure in her hands to compare the picture with the reality in front of her. This was nothing like the brochure or what they had been told it would be. What a horrible dump.
Melanie Brock, a petite woman in her mid twenties with blue eyes, a golden suntan, and slim figure, loved to laugh. Many people were naturally drawn to her sense of humor and easy manner.
Except when you crossed her. Never cross her.
She could feel the blood pounding in her ears, as she got angrier and angrier. How could they have lied to us?
Melanie tucked her shoulder length dark blonde hair behind her ears and moved her sunglasses to the top of her head. She struggled to calm herself by not thinking about the situation as she opened her purse to check her makeup. She usually wore only a little eyeliner, mascara and lip-gloss, but this was special occasion she wanted to look her very best for Jake.
After retrieving her mirror from her blue leather hobo purse she applied a little more lip-gloss and fluffed up her bangs. Perfect, now I look better, she thought taking a deep breath and studying herself in the mirror.
The cabin was located in a small valley ringed by the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The forest around them was dense with firs, cedars, pines and ferns. Around the brilliant blue lake next to the cabin stood tall maple and birch trees, the air should have been fresh and invigorating yet it reeked of skunk.
She looked at the moss covered sway backed cabin roof, the screen door hanging to one side, the missing boards on the porch and a bashed in aluminum garbage can. I was wrong. A dump looks better than this derelict.
“Look, babe, isn’t it great?” asked Jake her new husband, a tall athletic man in his late twenties with dark brown hair and emerald green eyes. He jumped out of the driver’s door of the Toyota.
Theirs had been a world-wind romance and wedding after only knowing each other for two weeks.
Melanie got out of the passenger door and headed to the back of the car to start unpacking.
“Good idea you unpack the car. I’m going to take a quick look at the lake first then lie down for a nap. That was a tough drive. Let me know when you’ve got dinner ready,” he said as he headed to the old rickety dock sticking out into the lake.
“Jake, I hadn’t planned on making dinner tonight. I’m pretty bushed with the wedding this afternoon and everything. I thought we were going out to have a bite in town?”
“Babe, I just drove for four hours and the last hour was a twisting, rough gravel road. I’m not driving back to town tonight. You realize Cold Lake is a town in name only don't you? It's three streets by three streets without a single stoplight. It has one bar, two coffee shops, one gas station combined with a general store, and an old fashioned diner. Exactly where are you planning to go for a fancy dinner?”
Jack’s tone was mocking as he walked past the loaded truck to the lake.
He could have at least picked up his own suitcase from the back of the car and carried it inside before he went to the lake.
Melanie studied the tall dark fir and pine trees that seemed to surround the little cabin on all sides cutting off any light or air. She turned to look at the lake and saw Jake standing looking out at the green, quiet, still water.
The sandy beach was actually moss-covered rocks amongst tall grass and weeds. There was a rough wooden rowboat up on the beach, but it looked old, grey and heavy. She wondered if it would even float.
Jake passed her and smiled as he opened the hanging screen door and the blue wooden door, passing the car without lifting a finger to help her.
Melanie stared at Jake’s back; he hadn’t even bothered to help. He even left his suitcase for her to take care of. He was just like Conrad. She started to hum a tuneless song under her breath that sounded like a hive of bees getting ready to swarm. She forced herself to smile and started caring the heavy suitcases, then the groceries into the cabin.
After she dropped their groceries in the main room she took a quick look around.
There was a sofa and a chair on one side of the main room with a coffee table in the center. In the far corner was a wood stove and along the wall was a counter with a faucet and basin. There was an upper cabinet that contained plates and glasses. There was a small table under the window by the door with two chairs facing the window. There was a short hallway and it seemed there was a doorway on the left, probably the bedroom and a back door straight back.
She could hear Jake already softly snoring from the bedroom. She looked in the room all it contained was a sagging queen mattress, covered by the faded brown quilt that he was stretched out on and a battered nightstand. She quietly stacked their suitcases in an alcove in the bedroom. At least they would be out of the way.
Next she methodically put away the food they'd brought with them in the kitchen. They had only brought some basic supplies so it didn’t take long to unpack and soon everything was put away. She hadn’t really planned on doing any cooking, after all this was her honeymoon and Jake and told her he would take care of everything.
Until now she hadn't realized there wasn’t a television, computer or telephone. She checked her cell phone, it didn’t work here, no bars at all. She managed to find a checker set, a crib board and a deck of mushy paper playing cards.
They wanted time alone without any distractions for their honeymoon, a chance to really get to know each other. It seemed that these amenities, or lack off, certainly fulfilled their shared desire of no distractions.
She checked for the barbeque the brochure mentioned hoping they could grill steaks for dinner unfortunately, it was a mass of rust and grease, so that plan was out.
Maybe she’d feel better after a nice long soak. But not in this cabin, the toilet was an outhouse thirty feet away, behind the back door along a muddy path amongst the trees. The outside of the back door was painted a bright glossy red. I wonder if it glows in the dark so you can see your way home?
Looking up Melanie realized while it was only afternoon in July heavy clouds were rolling in. It would be getting dark soon and in these tall rugged mountains, probably cold too.
She didn’t want to eat to early so she made sure they had sufficient wood to build a fire in the wood stove later on. She went back to the wood box and brought in the rest of the wood, so they would have enough for the night. Tomorrow, if they were still here they would have to chop more.
Melanie found a flashlight on the bedroom nightstand next to her snoring husband. In the main room there was an oil lamp on the table and the small wood stove. She was leery, but the stove appeared to be the only thing they’d be able to cook on. It might hold two frying pans and a small pot for hot water to make coffee or for hot water. Perh
aps they could light a fire outside in the fire pit she saw near where they parked the car.
She felt her energy started to drop, she knew was tired. It was time for a large glass of water and a short nap. She joined Jake on the bed lying down on top of the quilt. She fell asleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow.
***
Melanie woke when she felt Jake move next to her and his warm body leave the bed. She stretched her arms over her head and realized how quiet it was and how dark. She couldn’t see her hand in front of her face or anything else. She was scared, she’d never been in such absolute darkness before in her life.
“Jake, are you there? I can’t see anything,” she called out to her husband. She heard her heart thud loudly in her ears as she strained to listen for any other noises.
She heard a thud followed by Jake swearing. She rolled over and picked up the flashlight from the nightstand. She shone it on the floor to find Jake sitting on the floor holding his foot.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, just stubbed my toe, I’ll be fine.” Jake got up from the floor.
“I’ll put on the oil lamp. I think there’s a generator at the back of the cabin. I saw matches by the stove too,” said Melanie.
Soon the lamp was light. The glass chimney was dirty so the light was weak.
“I’ll check on the generator after dinner, is it ready?” Jake walked to the table and sat down.
Melanie looked at Jake sitting at the table as she walked into the main room. Just like Daddy.
“Not yet, it will only take a few minutes. But I need to get the wood stove going first.” Melanie looked at the stove trying to figure out how it worked.
“You have the lamp how about giving me the flashlight and I’ll check the generator while you make dinner?” asked Jake as he held out his hand.
She opened the stove and saw that a fire had been laid for them. Good stuff, maybe this place won’t be to bad after all. Relived, she stuck a match and in no time had the stove warming up. It did a nice job of heating up the cabin. She found salt and pepper shakers in the cupboards with plates. Soon she was frying the steaks while she made the salad and rinsed the shrimp.
She was hungry and the food smelled really good. Her stomach started growling she could definitely eat.
“I’m starving, sure smells good and looks cozy in here,” said Jake when he returned to the kitchen from outside. “No luck with the generator, it won’t start.” He put his arms around Melanie and kissed her neck as he held her tight against him.
She returned the embrace then moved back to flip the sizzling steaks. “I thought I heard thunder, Jake. Is it starting to rain?”
“Yeah and it’s getting cold too. But we’ll be fine in here. We’ll have dinner and then … oh, there’s no television?” he said looking around the room at the meager furniture and amenities.
“You're right, babe, no television, or internet, no phone and no cell reception. But we do have a couch with matching chair, a table with two chairs, and a couple of games and a worn deck of cards. I’m sure that we can keep ourselves entertained.” She thought of the pretty little nighty she had packed for tonight, she hoped he would like it.
“I don’t play games.”
“Well, I know you don’t like to gamble, sweetie, but card games are different.”
“No. I don’t ever play games.” His eyes narrowed as he glared at her.
“No problem. I have my e-reader, a spare book, and a cross word puzzle book.” Jake scowled as he looked around the cabin. “Look there are books for you too,” Melanie said. "Some about ghosts and some about the early settlers in this area. Maybe you can try one of them?”
“Yeah, your right. Is dinner ready?” Melanie smiled to herself as she nodded at her new husband. As her dear mother so often says a way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
***
Jake had cleaned up after dinner while Melanie was sitting on the couch reading and enjoying a cup of hot tea, all of her favorite things to do. Jake had gone outside a while ago to try the generator again. He hadn’t returned for a long time and she was growing concerned about him.
Jake had always been an active person, not one to sit still for very long. There may not be enough for him to do in this little cabin in the woods.
The back door banged against the wall as Jake walked back in. He struggled to close it against the strong wind blowing in from outside. Through the open door she heard the sound of heavy rain pelting down hard against the wooden porch. It seemed the storm had settled directly overhead. “Still no luck with the generator,” he said after finally managing to get the door closed.
“Oh? I found some old maps you might be interested in.”
Jake brushed the rain from his clothes and slicked back his hair with the palms of both hands. He nodded to her. “That sounds interesting. Maybe I can figure out some hiking trails we could try if this weather ever breaks.”
He came over to her to sit beside her then leaned toward her and kissed her full on the lips. Her insides were warmed by his touch. Her new husband was an incredible kisser.
There was a sudden gust of wind that shook the roof and rattled the windows then everything went completely quiet. In a few minutes the storm was back, the wind seemed even stronger than before.
“Come on, I’ll show you how to play Honeymoon Bridge," she said brightly. "It’s really easy and fun. We’ll keep score, but not bet. How’s that?”
Jake looked at her, his eyes narrowed as his lips pressed together in a thin line. “Okay, we’ll try it,” he said at last. “But if either one of us doesn’t like it we stop. Agreed?”
Melanie held up the battered deck of cards she'd found earlier. “Absolutely. There are lots of different rules and variations, but this is what we played as kids.
"The deck is fifty-two cards, I’ve counted them and they're all here. We deal out thirteen cards to each player, the rest are extra so we don’t use them. We have five rounds per game. It’s based on bridge. Each game ends after we've played five rounds. The trump cards go by suit clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades, and lastly no trump. You have to follow suit, if you don’t have any of that suit then you have to play another card from any other suit. It can be a trump or another card.
"At the end we will have thirteen tricks, the one with the most tricks wins. We can play a practice hand first if you like. How does that sound?”
“Sure, let’s practice,” Jake said seeming enthused.
Melanie quickly shuffled the cards and dealt thirteen cards to each of them. Jake got the hang of Honeymoon Bridge quickly in the practice round so Melanie found a half sheet of paper and lined it with four columns. The first column showed who dealt, in the second she would record the trump suit for each round, the third and fourth she would record the score for each player for each round. At the top of the third and fourth columns she wrote their names.
“Oh, we also keep track of how many tricks we have. If you win more than seven tricks you’ve won that round. The person who wins three or more rounds wins the game. Any questions?” she asked.
“Fine, how long do you want to play?”
“I don’t know what you’re asking,” said Jake.
"We keep track how many games we’ve played. Over an evening we might play fifty games, during a weekend maybe one hundred, or even five hundred. How many games would like to start with tonight?”
Jake nodded that he understood. “Let’s try for one hundred. But if we want to end earlier we can always continue later, right?” His eyebrows arched as he grinned at her.
They started to play and Jake soon began to relax. It seemed he was having fun.
They had ten quick games and it was almost even. Melanie was ahead by only five points.
She watched Jake play. Gradually his manner started to change and he became very serious. His eyes darted back and forth, the tip of his tongue stuck out from between his lips. He leaned forward, watching every move intently, his ey
es focused never leaving the cards.
Jake reminded her of a cat watching a mouse, ready to pounce.
She didn’t like his intensity. It reminded her of people she had known in her life that were poor sports and really bad winners and worse losers.
She could feel her temper start to rise and she couldn’t let that happen, this was her honeymoon. She quickly calmed herself.
“All righty, I think it may be time to go to the little outhouse and then get ready for bed, my little wife. Do you want to go first?” Jake took Melanie’s hand and smoothed his thumb over her fingers.
“That would be great.” Melanie got up and left by the back door.
She came back a few minutes later and there was Jake shuffling the cards. “How about one more quick game?” He said as he started to deal.
What is he doing? This is our wedding night.
She shivered in her thin nightgown and shawl then sat down watching her husband deal. “Sure, I’m glad you’re enjoying this game. Is it cold in here?”
She walked to the stove and opened it. Tendrils of pungent wood smoke and ash drifted out the door into the cabin. Looking inside she picked up the poker and started to poke at the glowing embers.
“Melanie, are you coming or are you going to stand there all night?”
“Actually, we may have a problem. The fire is out. I’m going to try to light it again. We only have a little kindling left so wish me luck.”
Melanie very carefully took the few scraps of kindling and put it into the still warm stove. “Actually, you know what? I’m going outside to see if I can find some dry pinecones or grass. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I think I know where I can find some easily.”
Melanie pulled on two sweatshirts, two pair of socks and her running shoes. Just as she opened the back door there was a crash by the front door.
Oh my God what was that? Melanie’s heart pounded hard in her chest as she slammed closed the door and locked it. She was terrified.
“Jake, what was that?” whispered Melanie as she silently tip toed up to stand next to Jake.
“Shush, listen” Jake whispered.
