A large garage on one side, a shed on the other and a cabin half-hidden in the trees off to the right.
The roof of the lodge was covered in solar panels. So was the garage.
Sam stopped and turned in a circle. How had they been delivered? Was there another road in that Joe hadn’t told him about?
It wouldn’t surprise him if his buddy had pulled one over on him just to make him hike the distance.
But there weren’t vehicle tracks on the ground. A closer look showed that wasn’t quite true. It looked like Tansy had brought a bike with her with those fat tires people used in winter.
Shaking his head as he wondered about the practicalities of living on what used to be a fly-in lake, Sam walked around the lodge and found the lake in front of him.
Midnight Lake.
Gorgeous. It extended for at least a quarter mile in both directions and the shoreline zigged and zagged, making for a pretty sight. It would be incredible in the fall when the leaves blazed out their glory.
A few docks stretched out from the shore, and that’s when he spotted Tansy. Or who had to be Tansy.
At the far end of the longest dock, a small body was curled up on the wood, facing away from the lodge.
Sam tossed his duffle onto the stairs leading to the front deck of the lodge and called out. “Tansy?”
No answer.
Was she hurt?
Sam jogged toward the dock. “Tansy.” Louder this time.
The dock swayed slightly when he thumped onto it, but Sam ignored it and called again. Louder.
The woman moved and jerked up to a sitting position.
He was about to call out again when she jumped to her feet and faced him.
Sam grinned and didn’t bother slowing down. Why would someone make a dock this long anyway?
“Wait, Sam. No.”
As her words registered, he heard the splintering of wood. He slowed his forward motion, but it took him a few steps to stop.
The wood decayed in front of him and he barely jumped back in time to avoid landing in the lake.
Tansy wasn’t so lucky.
The piling nearest to her wavered and then flopped to the side, dragging the last ten feet of the dock into the water.
Sam shouted, and Tansy tried to jump toward him, but she wasn’t close enough.
Unable to do a damn thing about it, Sam watched her pitch face-first into the slushy top layer of the lake and then disappear beneath it.
Hot Water
Tansy shoved off the bottom of the lake and shot to the surface, hoping to be quick enough to stop Sam from jumping in.
She shouted as soon as her head broke the surface. “I’m fine. Stay dry.”
Too late.
Sam’s hands grabbed her and hauled her into his chest as they treaded water. “Are you hurt? Are you okay?”