by Mac Flynn
Chapter 3
The road wound its way leisurely around the lake and I with it. The weather was warm now, but the trees provided shade and a cool breeze swept off the lake and refreshed the air. All the cabins were occupied, some with couples, but others with children. Their toys were strewn about the yards, but the day was too early for them to be prancing around just yet.
In an hour I reached the public park behind the rules sign. There were a few people setting a boat into the water for some morning fishing and others sat at the picnic tables that dotted the grass. Thick-trunked old pine trees provided shade as I strode down to the water. On the right side of the large dock was a roped off beach for families to enjoy the water without fear of boats knocking into them.
I stood at the edge of the water, closed my eyes, and wrapped my arms around myself. The cool breeze of the lake brushed over me like a soft lover's kiss and the corner's of my mouth twitched up in a smile of contentment. Maybe I wouldn't be killing my boss after all. In fact, I wouldn't mind stay there all summer enjoying the view, the smells, and even the neighbors. Alas, my food stock wouldn't last that long and my vacation was only for two weeks.
"It's a magnificent view, isn't it?" My eyes shot open and I turned my head to find the dark-haired gentleman standing beside me. His gaze looked out on the lake, but he turned and smiled at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized.
"I-I wasn't startled," I stuttered. He raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged. "I guess I was a little startled," I admitted.
He held out his hand. "William Campbell. I've been told we're to be neighbors for two weeks." Thanks, Mrs. De Fray.
"Grace Stevens," I returned, and shook his head. He had a tough grip for a playboy. Must have worked out a lot. "So what brings you to the lake around this time?"
He chuckled. "I see Mrs. De Fray is as good at telling others about me as she is at telling me about others."
"She didn't give too many specifics. I don't know your weight and height," I teased.
"Five-eleven, and one-hundred and eighty," he told me.
I nodded approvingly. "Not bad, but you still haven't answered my question."
"I see you know how to focus," he commented.
"It's a useful skill when you're juggling eight different tasks at the same time for the president of a large company," I pointed out.
"If you must know, I thought I'd see the festivities. I haven't been to the annual celebration in quite a few years, and wondered if it had changed much," he revealed.
"Is it really that exciting?" I asked him.
"It can be with the fireworks, and of course the Wolf Hunt the day after," he replied.
I furrowed my brow. That was mentioned in the pamphlet. "Wolf hunt? Are there still wolves around here?" I wondered.
He chuckled and shook his head. "No, not anymore. I remember my father telling me about them, but the last time one was seen was forty years ago. The Wolf Hunt is a reminder of the days when the wolves were thick and people used to hunt them for their pelts. It's a sort of hide-and-seek game played at sunset. Anyone can join, and six people volunteer to be the Hunters. The others are the wolves, and they hide in the woods above the road close to our cabins. When everyone is ready the Hunters comb the woods looking for the wolves, and tag them. When a wolf is tagged they lose and join the spectators on the road. The last wolf to be tagged is the winner."
"And very lonely. What's a wolf to do without a mate?" I mused.
His eyes brushed over me and there was a strange glint in them. "What, indeed? To be the last wolf would be very lonely, but the game can be played several times, so long as it isn't too dark when the last game finishes," he replied.
"It sounds like fun. Maybe I'll join in," I commented.
"As a Hunter or a Wolf?" he wondered.
I shrugged. "Maybe I'll try both sides just to see what each one is thinking," I suggested.
He smiled. "A very philosophical answer."
"It's more fun if you try everything, anyway," I pointed out.
Campbell chuckled. "You have a very interesting view of the world. It's a pity more don't have it," he complimented me.
I glanced past him and grinned. "I think Mrs. De Fray would be willing to try being a Hunter. She's pretty good at tracking down everyone on the lake." Campbell followed my gaze and sighed. Mrs. De Fray was headed straight for us from her car parked in the parking lot near the fork. She wore a large sunbonnet and thick sunglasses, and had a long cigarette clenched between her fingers.
"How funny! I was just looking for both of you, and here you are!" she greeted us.
"Good morning, Mrs. De Fray," Campbell returned.
She wrinkled her nose and waved her hand. "None of that formality, Will. I've known you too long to have you call me Mrs. De Fray. It's Olivia to you, and to you, too, Miss Stevens," she added as she turned to me. "Besides, Mrs. De Fray makes me feel older, and I'm hardly past fifty." She looked well over sixty.
Will bowed his head to her. "Very well, Olivia."
"That's better." She paused and frowned. "Now why did I come here? Oh yes! With your two cabins being the closest to the Wolf Hunt area I was wondering if you two could help set up the perimeters." She leaned toward me and giggled. "Has this flirtatious rascal told you about the Wolf Hunt?"
"He has," I told her.
"Good, now I'm sure you'll accept my plea for help," she replied.
"I'd be delighted," Campbell accepted. They both turned to me.
"Sure, I can help," I agreed.
Olivia clapped her hands. "Wonderful!" She reached into her purse and pulled out a small bundle of colored flags on metal rods and a piece of paper. "These need to be placed along the border, and here's the map for where we want them put." I took the flags and Campbell took the map.
Campbell opened it and looked over the area. He raised an eyebrow and glanced over the map at Olivia. "This is quite large," he commented.
Olivia smiled and nodded. "Yes, we have quite a few families attending this year and we want to make sure everyone has a good hiding spot."
I leaned toward Campbell and inspected the map. The square area was about the size of four football fields. "I hope I won't get lost," I joked.
Olivia laughed. "Nonsense! Not with Will here. Why, when he was a young lad he used to go out for hours wandering the woods. Said he felt more at home in the trees than in the cabin."
"I just liked climbing," Campbell protested.
"Well, don't go putting any of the flags in the trees. We need them on the ground where everyone can see them," she scolded. She glanced at her watch and gasped. "Look at the time! I have to see how the ladies are doing on their dishes!"
"Dishes?" I asked her.
"For the picnic dinner. We have a few volunteers making the salads and such. Nothing big. The men have the big job of cooking the hamburgers and hot dogs," Olivia explained. "Now if you will excuse me I must see how they're all doing. Ta-ta!" She hurried off to oversee the operations.
I glanced down at the bundle of flags in my hand, and then up at the man by my side. "I hope you still know your way around the place," I commented.
He smiled and shrugged. "I guess we'll see," he returned.
I frowned. "That doesn't give me comfort."
"I'm afraid it doesn't make me feel very comfortable, either, but if we should get lost I offer myself as emergency rations," he told me.
I looked him up and down. He was well-built with a lot of muscle and not much fat. "I think you'd be a little chewy," I told him.
He chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment, but shall we start placing the flags? If the brush is thick this might take a while."
We made our way back to our side of the lake. There was silence between us for a while, and I took the opportunity to cast glances at the handsome dark man. "You're not used to talking with men, are you?" he asked me.
I blushed and stared at the ground. "I don't really have too much experience in idle chat with them," I admitted.
"Then maybe I should start the conversation. Olivia told me you are the secretary for Alfred Trimble. How do you like working for him?" he asked me.
I shrugged. "It's a living."
"And not a bad one?" he guessed.
I smiled and glanced up at him. "Well, this is my vacation gift from him. Two weeks in the woods."
"No raise?" he wondered.
"No, but he pays me well already."
"And how long do you plan on being his secretary?" Campbell asked me.
"As long as he needs me. I don't really think I can find better," I replied. I slyly looked to him. "Unless you happen to know someone who needs a secretary."
His eyes twinkled. "That depends on the secretary," he returned.
"I happen to have very good credentials, Mr. Campbell," I replied.
"Will, if you please, Miss Stevens. Like Olivia, the name Mr. Campbell makes me feel old," he told me.
"Then it's Grace for me. I don't answer to the name Miss Stevens unless I'm in my work clothes," I answered.
Will smiled. "Then I've learned a very valuable bit of information from you," he commented.
I raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"That there's no Mr. Stevens."
I snorted. "There's not even a Mr. Boyfriend," I told him.
"Really? No interest?" he wondered.
I shook my head. "No time. Mr. Trimble keeps me very busy."
"But you're not busy at this moment," he pointed out.
"Not yet, but I will be when we start planting these flags," I pointed out.
He chuckled. "So long as the trails are still there it shouldn't be such a chore."
