It was a gorgeous spring day with crocuses popping up and a light breeze playing through the treetops, but Natalie’s heart wasn’t in the experience when she thought of what she should be doing. “I can’t believe you talked us into this, Reese Mackenzie,” she grumbled. Her breath whooshed out of her mouth as she trudged up the mountain slope to keep up with her friends. “How could you inflict this torture on your best friends? And you know I hate heights.”
Reese widened her eyes in mock innocence. “It’s good for you, Nat. Just walking isn’t strenuous enough for optimal health. And we all know how health conscious you are.”
Hoist by her own petard. “Oh, sure, throw that in my face.”
Reese gave a cheeky grin and blew her bangs out of her eyes.
“Besides, any excuse to forget about my job is a good time.”
“Still hate it, huh?”
“My boss is a dragon. I just get things organized, and she dumps a bunch of files on my desk that are totally mixed up. I never feel like I’m making any progress.”
Natalie stopped and bent over as she tried to draw air into her burning lungs. “That’s gotta be totally annoying. You, Miss Organization Extraordinaire.”
Reese grinned. “Okay, maybe I take it a little far, but things run better when they are orderly.”
“I’ll agree with that.” Natalie straightened and glanced at the path down Sugarcreek Mountain. “Have we climbed high enough for our first excursion? I’m done in and ready for coffee.”
Reese checked her watch. “Twenty minutes up and another fifteen down. Perfect.” She waved at the other girls. “Back to the coffee shop!” she called to them.
Natalie stumbled down the path behind her friends. When they reached the lane back to town by the lake, she squinted in the sunshine. “Here comes Aunt Violet. So much for coffee.”
The woman was dressed in bright pink shorts with a matching shirt that clashed horribly with her red hair. She waved at Natalie and her friends. “I’ve just had the best idea!” she said as she reached the group. “My sisters and I are going to play every Friday and Saturday night in the town square.”
The Garner Sisters were a Smitten institution. Aunt Violet had played the cello once upon a time in the Boston Symphony, and Rose and Petunia were accomplished on violin and viola.
“What a great idea!”
“I ordered some Frank Sinatra love songs,” Aunt Violet said, then crooned a few lines of “The Very Thought of You.”
Natalie barely held back a wince. The woman’s singing didn’t match the skill of her cello playing.
Shelby unzipped her sleek jogging jacket. “Uh, maybe you ought to learn some more current ones. Our honeymooners will probably be in their twenties and thirties.”
Violet stiffened. “Classics never go out of style.” She glanced around the lake. “I’ll see you later, girls. I have a lot to discuss with Rose and Petunia.” She hurried off to meet up with the other women.
“I need coffee after that,” Julia said.
Natalie led the way to the coffee shop. “I have a new treat for you to try too.”
Julia groaned. “Give it up, Nat. Those gluten-free things you make are horrible.”
“This one wouldn’t have gluten in the normal ones. It’s a special energy bar that’s packed with antioxidants. You’ll like it. It’s a blueberry bar. Sweeter than the cranberry ones.”
“Gag,” Julia muttered. “I’m not trying it.” She stopped and stared toward the green clock at the town square. “Here comes Carson. Maybe he’s reconsidered what you said.”
Heat sprang to Natalie’s cheeks. Was she blushing at the thought of talking to him? Julia gave her a curious glance, but she ignored it.
Carson appeared to be a man on a mission. A frown crouched between his brows, and his eyes were cold. As the women approached, he gave them all a nod, then focused on Natalie. “I need to talk to you,” he said.
“I’m all ears.” She kept her tone light and turned to her friends. “I’ll catch up with you at the coffee shop.”
Carson waved a hand toward the park bench next to the flagpole, and Natalie walked with him toward it. She sank onto the bench and tugged her jogging jacket a little tighter.
He stared down at her. “I want to talk to you about your ideas.”
His face did not just turn red. Natalie stared at him. He definitely seemed discomfited. “My ideas about what?”
He dropped beside her on the park bench. “My fishing camp. I-I’ve reconsidered. I’m going to do some renovations.”
She wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. “Renovations?”
He nodded. “You know, the romance stuff.” A pained expression haunted his eyes.
She would not laugh. She would not. “I see.”
He shifted uneasily. “I wondered if I might get that list from you? Of suggested changes. I’m going to get started right away, and I need to get some quotes for materials.”
“No problem, Carson,” she said. “I’m glad to help.” She wanted to ask him what had changed his mind, but looking at his tight lips, she didn’t think she’d get an answer.
“I realized we need to work together on this,” he said. “We’re both selectpersons, and we’ll need to present a united front if we want this to be successful. I need to be all in if we have a hope of making it work.”
The very thing she’d wanted to say to him yesterday but hadn’t had the chance. “Our first committee meeting is tonight at Smitten Community Church. I’d hoped to enlist your help.”
“I’ll be there.” He stood. “Can we get that list now?”
She was dying to find out what had brought about his decision. Maybe he would spill the beans over coffee.
Carson glanced at the list Natalie had given him. The things his cabins should have were all well and good, but he had no idea how they should look. What made a rustic cabin into something luxurious? Not just the items on this list.
His office was a jumble of papers and fishing gear. Even this place would have to be brought up to elegant standards. He had no idea where to begin. Maybe he needed to hire that designer Brian had mentioned.
He heard a door slam and saw Natalie get out of her small red Dodge. The thrill that shot through him at the sight of her dark hair was downright alarming. He met her at the door. “Natalie, I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
She tossed her hair away from her face and smiled up at him as she extended a cup of coffee. “I brought a peace offering.”
“I thought we’d made up already.” He took the coffee. “Come on in, and don’t mind the mess.” She followed him inside. He scooped old fishing magazines off the chair on the other side of his desk.
She settled onto the chair. “I probably should have called, but I wanted to ask you what your timetable was for the renovations. Sawyer called about an hour ago, and his agent thinks having the wedding here is a terrific idea.”
“I know. I talked to him too.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I just don’t know that these cabins can be turned into what his friends will expect. It’s pretty overwhelming.”
“I thought it might be.” She pushed the notebook in her hands across the desk to him. “I thought you might enjoy looking at these pictures of luxury cabins.”
He flipped through the pages. The first few showed the interior of various cabins. The pine was lighter than his, which had been stained dark. What did he do about that?
She stared at him. “You’re frowning. You don’t like them?”
“They’re okay,” he said. “But they don’t look anything like the interior of my cabins.”
“Yours don’t have to look exactly like those. The pictures are just some ideas the girls and I have collected. Would you mind if I took a look at your cabins?”
Why not? He could use all the ideas he could get. “Be my guest.” Tucking the notebook under his arm, he led her to the door and out into the yard, patchy with bald spots.
The blue of Timber Lake glimmered through the pines. The expanse of water beckoned to their right, with thick trees crowding the banks. A beautiful sight.
Natalie stared. “I never get tired of this view,” she said. “You should maximize it so visitors never forget their first glimpse.”
He took in the blue of the lake with the trees crowding the shore. Ducks paddled in the shallows, and the air was filled with the crisp scent of pine and water. Pretty as a painting, but he’d seen it so often he took it for granted.
She pointed at the sign at his drive. “The sign should be discreet, an engraved wood one, maybe. Landscaped with flowers and shrubbery that tell customers this is a special place.”
“The sign is looking ratty,” he admitted. He hadn’t even looked at it in years. The thing was peeling, and the e in “Smitten Fishing Cabins” was nearly worn off. There had once been a picture of a largemouth bass on it, but now only bits of the green paint remained.
Natalie glanced at him. “Have you given any thought to a new name? You can hardly call it anything to do with fishing. How about Smitten Cove? It has a romantic sound.”
He liked it, but he wasn’t about to capitulate yet. “I’ll think about it,” he said. At least his drive was paved. If it had been gravel, she would have wanted changes there too.
He watched her stare around the place and tried to see it with her eyes. The cabins were in good repair—he’d made sure of that. New windows two years ago, the chinks between the logs were tight and even, and the roofs had all been done just last summer.
“You need some landscaping, but the exteriors look nice,” she said. “Some redwood stain and they would be perfect.” She advanced to the first building. “How many cabins do you have?”
“Twelve.”
“Is there a building you can use for a convenience store?”
He pointed to the larger building to his right that they’d just exited. The neon sign declaring it an office was only half lit. “I have a bait shop in there too.”
“It should have a cutesy name that lets customers know they can get supplies there like cold meds, hand lotion, snacks, that kind of thing.” She stepped to the nearest cabin. “You have a key?”
He brushed past her and pushed open the door. “I don’t keep them locked unless they’re occupied.” The stale air rushed past his face as if to let her know there was seldom someone inside.
She followed him. “Nice big space,” she said. “And there’s a fireplace. Bedrooms?”
“Some have one bedroom and some have two,” he said. “Separate bedrooms plus a living space and kitchenette.”
“The walls all need lightening up,” she said. “The easiest thing to do would be to whitewash them. Then you could put in light pine furnishings.”
He hadn’t thought about whitewashing. At least he wouldn’t have to sand all the wood. “What about the kitchen?”
She wrinkled her nose. “The wooden counters were a nice touch once upon a time, but they’re stained and warped now. I’d take out the kitchens. Cheaper than replacing, and you’d have room for the tub where they once were. Besides, honeymooners aren’t going to want to cook. The plumbing is already in place, and the tub would have a good view of the fireplace.”
She was good. He was beginning to catch her vision for the space. “The bedroom is through that door,” he said, pointing to their left. She stepped into the next room, and he heard her gasp. “It’s a little rough,” he said.
The room held four cots, all with older bedding. The legs on the cots were metal, and some were rusting. The pillows were misshapen and the bedspreads were faded. The space felt dark too.
“All of this has to go,” she said. “Whitewashing in here too. The floors need to be sanded everywhere and refinished a natural color.” She pointed. “Bathroom through here?”
“Yep.” He followed her to the small space and glanced around. The china sink was a little stained. The shower was a plain twenty-four-inch enclosure.
“This all needs to be gutted,” she said. “You need bigger showers, preferably tiled or with marble or granite.”
“This is all going to be expensive.”
“You need top-quality materials in here, but it will pay off.”
“What if it doesn’t? I’ll have to pour a fortune into this many cabins. If your idea fails, we’ll all lose our shirts.”
She turned toward him, and she was close enough that he could see the gold flecks in her brown eyes. “Catch the vision, Carson. Close your eyes and see it.”
Her voice was so persuasive that he nearly shut his lids. He forced himself to glance around. For just an instant, he could see firelight gleaming on polished wood floors, the luxurious fabrics on the furniture and windows. “Okay, I’m on board,” he said.