Later in the morning, I stood in my boots, jeans, and coat, waiting in the cold morning air. With her nude body wrapped in a blanket and wearing her snow boots, Julia stepped out of the outhouse and grinned. She had her long hair piled on top of her head in a large bun as she’d done last night after our hike.
“That warm shower might not be a bad idea,” she said with a grin.
The sky above us was beginning to fill with light. Unlike the clear day we’d had yesterday, growing gray clouds shone pink on the eastern horizon.
“What are you thinking?” she asked as I stared out at the pink morning.
“More snow is coming. We have enough food to stay here. After all, there’s no decoration at the house.”
“There’s a wreath.” She leaned toward me. “I’ll be snowed in with you wherever you want.” Her eyes opened wider. “Mrs. Mayhand prepared us a holiday dinner with a turkey breast and delicious sides.”
The food I’d brought paled in comparison. “Once we’re home, if you want to go for a hike or ride, I volunteer to be your tour guide.”
She bounced on the toes of her boots as we went back to the cabin. “I accept and I want to ride the snowmobile. Can I drive?”
I shook my head. “That’s a first that can wait.”
After dressing, eating the muffins I’d bought at my favorite bakery in Bayfield, and drinking some fresh coffee, Julia and I took the time to strip the bed and make it with fresh sheets. She took the dirty ones out to the truck. We’d wash them at home, and I’d bring them back here. We collected all of our food. The reason I kept soup out here was because in the cans it didn’t attract animals or bugs.
There weren’t bugs in the winter, but there were animals. Black bears weren’t as common as they used to be in these parts and currently, they’d be hibernating. Nevertheless, I didn’t want any other mammal to smell food and make himself at home.
After I poured water over the remaining hot coals, I took Julia’s hand before going out to the truck. The tree was still standing in the corner covered in decorations.
“Should we undecorate and take it outside?” she asked.
Common sense told me that we should. The small fraction of a romantic in me considered coming back for the New Year. Maybe by then I’d have a ring to present to my fiancée. I took a deep breath. “I say we leave it for now.”
Julia nodded. “We can come back here anytime. This place holds wonderful memories.”
It was completely new for me to think of memories with a smile.
New memories...those were what I wanted with Julia.
As we drove away from the cabin, and toward the house, my mind was filled with places where I could lead Julia on my land and on the trails beyond. Each vista and outlook came to my thoughts, wanting the perfect place for the perfect woman.
With my mind in an unusually positive place, I didn’t notice the tire tracks until we came to the driveway before the house. I stopped the truck before driving onto the cement.
Fuck. I should have closed the gate near the main road. “Someone has been here.”
Julia sat forward. “Mrs. Mayhand?”
“She wouldn’t come on Christmas.”
Julia’s gaze widened. “Her son-in-law?”
“I’ll park the truck. Before we go inside, let me check the security.” I pushed the button, opening one of the garage doors.
“Could whoever it is be inside?” Julia asked.
“No. No one could get inside without tripping the security,” I said, hoping I was right. My pulse sped up as I pulled my phone from the cupholder. I’d turned it off to save the battery, since I’d left it in the truck. I hit the power button.
The screen came to life.
I hit the security icon and let out a breath. “No one is inside.”
“What if it was my parents?”
“If it was, they found us gone.”