Page 2 of Rugged Hearts: Part One

As we drive along the trail, I can’t help but be in awe of how beautiful it is here. The fall leaves, both still on the trees and those on the ground, are still so vivid in reds and oranges. We pass by afew cabins with Rebecca saying, “Six of the cabins are virtually the same layout. We have three types of cabins, Lynx has one bedroom, a small lounge area, some kitchenette appliances, and one bathroom, Orion are the same except they have two to three rooms, then the Andromedas have five to six rooms, a full kitchen and two baths. Of the fifteen cabins on the property there are six Lynx, six Orion, and three Andromeda. I’ll show you one of each on the tour. There is a locked closet in each cabin with additional supplies to help with turnover such as extra linens etcetera. That way you can simply take the used ones for the laundry and restock the closet.”

That all makes sense. It’s good some supplies are kept in the cabins though after a couple turnovers I’ll have to get a sense of what I really need to keep in stock on this cart to make things efficient. Worse comes to worse the drive to the farthest cabin can’t be more than ten minutes so I could always do a quick trip back to the lodge for extra supplies.

The cabins are just as Rebecca described. They definitely have that cozy feel. The Orion and Andromeda have bigger porches, enabling guests to relax and enjoy the scenery, which given the location, must be a plus for anyone booking. I’m surprised at how big the Andromeda is. She mentioned them having five to six bedrooms but I figured it’d be small still, giving that cabin vibe. Even with its size, it still has a warm and coziness vibe to it. Honestly this place is so picturesque, the kind of place I would’ve loved to come to with Connor—nope, can’t go down that road Thea.

Taking a deep breath, I put him back in the locked box in the depths of my mind. Thankfully, Rebecca asks me, “So what do you think now that you’ve seen some of the property?”

“It’s beautiful. I’m sure there will be a learning curve managing the cabins but I’m confident in the actual work itself.”

She smiles at my response. “That’s great. We can head back now and I’ll see you first thing Monday.”

“Actually, do you mind if I walk back? I’d like to explore alittle on my own to get more familiar with the layout, if that’s okay?”

“Of course.” Rebecca leans down and pulls out a map of the property. “We keep a few extras in the cart in case guests see you while you’re out and ask.”

Smart. Thanking her, I start my walk, initially following the trails through the cabins. We had stopped at one of the Andromeda cabins but there were two more along this path just ahead. It looked like it went past the cabins into the woods. When I checked their website before the interview it listed hiking trails along the property. Could this be one? I don’t particularly want to go back to my room at the small bed and breakfast I rented this week. Deciding to explore this trail for a while, I start heading that way. I can explore the remaining property on my way back.

3

PARKER

Leaves crunch under my feet as I walk through the woods, trying to keep up with Duke and silently cursing my pack mates for insisting I do a long walk with him twice a week. Bunch of smothering alphas and beta is what they are. Apparently, I need to get out more and this is their way of ensuring that. I roll my eyes just thinking of it. Just because I work from home doesn’t mean I don’t go out. I go out plenty. Well, not so much the last year or two but there’s other reasons for that. Reasons I’m sure my pack mates have picked up on but won’t call me out, so instead they insist on these bi-weekly walks with Duke. I don’t mind, not really. I love Duke, he’s a great dog but long walks in the woods is not my idea of fun.

Speaking of Duke, he’s now completely out of my sight. We got off the trail, no doubt due to him following some rogue scent. Whistling and calling him back doesn’t seem to be working. Picking a direction, I decide to follow, hoping he’s down that way. I’m not worried, he knows the area well and usually listens when we call. If anything, I can always call Micah and put him on speaker to call Duke back. He always listens to him, out of the seven of us, we all know who’s Duke’s favorite.

At least there’s a breeze coming through, I catch a scent on itthat is making me look around for the source. It’s faint, a sweet scent maybe vanilla? Suddenly I hear a bark and then a scream just ahead of me.Oh Gods what has he done?Running towards the noise, I find a woman on the ground and Duke licking her face. She’s not screaming so that’s good but a nervous sounding laugh is escaping her.

“Duke!” I yell as I walk up to him and pull him away by his collar. The woman looks a little stunned. I’m not surprised, assuming Duke knocked her down she probably had no idea what hit her. He’s pretty large, being a Bernese Mountain dog, getting blindsided by him will probably leave anyone a little dazed. I look down at him. He’s as happy as can be, not even fighting to leave my side.

I reach down to help the woman up, to which she accepts. As she stands, I notice what she’s wearing—a maroon dress that falls just past her knees, with a kind of retro style to it, and a black jacket that gives the overall look more edge. Then I notice she’s wearing flat sneakers that look nice with her outfit but definitely aren’t for hiking. She must be a guest at the lodge. Sometimes they wander onto our property thanks to a trail that Ben has formed between the pack house and lodge, since he prefers to walk to work as often as possible. I go to apologize but stop when I get a look at her face. She’sbeautiful. She has pale skin, eyes that at first glance are brown but then I notice the green mixed in, and light brown hair falling in waves around her, even with the leaves stuck in it she’s breathtaking, a Goddess.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

She finally looks up at me and takes a small step back. It shouldn’t bother me but it does. I never thought of myself as intimidating, usually the opposite. I guess being tackled by a dog and a strange man appearingiskind of weird. She doesn’t answer my question so I ask again, “Are you okay?”

She seems to snap out of whatever she was thinking. “Yeah, I’m fine. He just came out of nowhere and ran into the back of my legs. Shouldn’t you have a leash on your dog? This is publicproperty. You can’t just let him run around jumping on anyone who walks by.”

I can’t help but smile at her indignation, she’s right but also wrong. Right in that people shouldn’t let their dogs off leash on public property but this isn’t public property. Her frown deepens at my expression. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have him off leash.” I pause at the surprised look that crosses her face, she clearly didn’t expect me to agree with her. “But this isn’t public property. The lodge’s property ends about fifty yards behind you. This is my pack’s land.”

Her face falls as she looks behind her then back at me. She looks confused but not angry anymore. “I’m sorry I didn’t know. I followed a trail that was by one of the cabins and thought…”

“It’s okay, we do have signs posted all over but it happens that people ignore or miss them. As long as you’re okay?”

She blushes, assuming from embarrassment; I’m not trying to embarrass her though. She brushes herself off again even though she had gotten all the leaves off her clothes before, she did miss some in her hair. “Yes I’m okay. I apologize again I clearly wasn’t paying attention as I should but I will in the future and make sure not to intrude on your property.”

Now it’s my turn to frown. She’s being so formal, it’s really fine. I’m not used to people not being at ease around me. Also, what did she mean in the future, does she stay here a lot? “It’s really fine.” I begin to say before she cuts me off.

“No it’s unprofessional and I shouldn’t have made such a mistake. It won’t happen again.”

“Unprofessional? Aren’t you a guest at the lodge?”

She sighs. “No I was just hired as their housekeeper. Rebecca finished the tour and I decided to walk the grounds for a while to help familiarize myself with the area. I saw the trail and thought it’d be nice to explore first. She had mentioned Ben’s pack owns the land next to the lodge, I should’ve paid more attention.”

I’m not sure why she thinks this is such a big mistake but I’m not going to make her feel bad for it. “Please believe me when Isay it’s not a big deal. Why don’t I walk back with you and tell you all about our lodge and town?”

She seems to consider this before agreeing and we start heading in the direction towards the lodge. I let go of Duke, praying he behaves. No idea why I said I’d talk about the lodge. Ben and even Keelan are the people who know the most about it, but I want her to feel better and talking is what I know how to do. “I’m Parker by the way, and that monster is Duke.” I pause, waiting for her to respond. She doesn’t, at least for a while.

“Oh sorry, I’m Thea. I guess I’m still in my own world,” she laughs awkwardly.