CHAPTER 7

 

 

Nedra looked in the bathroom mirror at the face peering back at her. She didn’t look as though she was born yesterday, but Sinclair Reasoner seemed to think so. He expected her to believe his story that their meeting here in Tahoe was an accident.

He had claimed that he was in Reno on business and had decided, at the last minute, to come to Tahoe for a few days of rest and relaxation. According to him, it was a coincidence that they both were here at the same time, although she distinctly remembered telling him where she would be vacationing. It was the night when they were at the Simpson house. He claimed not to remember, but she did. She could recall everything about that night.

How they had bumped into each other up here seemed as contrived as his Reno story. She had been strolling along the trail by her cabin when, suddenly, he appeared from nowhere. Dressed in a dark sweat suit, with a hood covering his head, he jogged past her at first, did a double take, then stopped and greeted her with a warm smile. He claimed he was surprised to see her, but she got the feeling that wasn’t true. The reason for the lie she had yet to figure out, but something was definitely fishy.

She suspected Carla or Sharon was behind Sin’s convenient vacation. The thought that they would interfere with her life like this did not sit well with her. If she found out that either of them was responsible for trying to force a romantic liaison between her and this man, she’d have the head of the one responsible!

Even Mother Nature was conspiring against her. They were snowed in! He couldn’t get back to the hotel and she was stuck with an unwanted overnight guest. Now here she was holed up in the bathroom trying to decide what to do about this situation. What a mess!

When she met him on the road yesterday morning, he had invited her to join him for dinner that evening. At first she had declined, but he had turned on the charm and she relented.

The evening had been pleasant. Sinclair Reasoner was an interesting man. He was a good conversationalist, and he displayed a quick wit. Nevertheless, if she hadn’t accepted that dinner invitation, she wouldn’t have left those earrings, and he wouldn’t have come to the cabin to return them. For some reason the dangling baubles had been irritating her, and she took them off, placing them on the dinner table with the intention of slipping them into her purse later. She had forgotten. That gave him the perfect excuse to return them the next day.

It had been snowing lightly when he trudged up to the cabin, and even that small amount of snow came as a surprise. It was early for such weather, even in Tahoe whose economy was centered around the ski slopes. Neither Nedra nor Sin would have guessed that by the time he had eaten the dinner she invited him to share with her, and helped wash the dishes, a full blown blizzard would be in effect. When they opened the front door, they could barely close it, snowflakes were falling so fiercely. They turned on the television to find that a snow emergency had been declared. Sin could not get back to his hotel. Whether she wanted him or not, Nedra had an overnight guest

She groaned. Why had she worn those stupid earrings anyway? They weren’t even hers. She had borrowed them from Carla, and had forgotten to return them. She found them stuffed into the zipped lining of her purse and, on impulse, had put them on to go dining with Sin. She rarely wore anything like that. What had possessed her?

Moving to the toilet, she closed the cover and flopped down on top of it. She was stuck now. She might as well make the best of it. Anyway, this wasn’t worth sweating over. No one knew that she was here, snowed in, alone, with a man. Even those two traitors, whom she called her friends, wouldn’t have imagined this scenario. As irrational as it might be, she felt guilty about being here alone with him. Maybe it was because she had enjoyed the time that she spent with Sinclair a little too much.

He was wonderful, and he had been a perfect gentleman. Not once had he tried to make a move on her. Nedra sighed. Why not?

She jumped, startled at the thought. Where did that come from? She wasn’t looking for a man. She didn’t need one cluttering up her life. What was developing between the two of them was a level of comfort in which two strangers were moving toward friendship. That’s what she wanted, not a romantic relationship. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

Nedra couldn’t help but notice the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. It made her pulse race, and she had to remind herself that this man was still a stranger. All she really knew about him was his name, not much else. He was very good at saying little when it came to talking about himself. He did tell her he was a businessman and had moved to the Bay Area nearly two years ago. He owned an import business located on the Embarcadero. He’d already told her that he wasn’t married and had no family. In the time that they had been together that was all she knew about him, nothing more. He was a master at evasion when it came to details about himself.

In spite of that, there had been plenty of conversation. He seemed to know a little something about everything—national and world events, African American history, music, the arts. Whenever Nedra asked him something that he didn’t want to answer, he would avoid answering it so cleverly that she forgot she had asked it until hours later. She couldn’t help but admire that kind of skill, but it didn’t foster a lot of trust.

Sighing, Nedra rose. It was time to stop hiding and face the truth. She would be spending this night with an extremely good looking man. Nothing was going to happen and no one would ever know.

As usual, she put the situation in the hands of a power greater than her own. Whispering a brief prayer about the situation, she opened the bathroom door and joined Sin.

The cabin consisted of one large room with a high vaulted ceiling providing the illusion of space. The living room area was designated by a long leather sofa, a matching chair, and a coffee table that faced the huge stone fireplace that occupied one wall. The kitchen area was designated by a series of vinyl tiles. It contained a small refrigerator, a stove built into the counter, a sink, and a few cabinets finished in maple. A dining table, surrounded by four chairs, was placed between the living room and kitchen area. The bathroom from which Nedra had exited was tiny and located next to the cabin’s only bedroom, which contained a full-size bed and a nightstand. The bedroom closet had a few shelves, two built-in drawers, and a couple of hooks for clothing. This completed the entire cabin.

Nedra stood for a moment watching Sin. He was sitting on the sofa, elbows on his knees, hunched forward, his full attention focused on the TV screen. The weather report was on. He turned, aware that she had entered the room. A look of concern was etched on his face.

“They’re expecting up to three feet of snow.”

“Three feet?” Nedra wanted to cry. They’d be buried in this cabin forever!

“I took a look outside. I thought I might be able to make it down the road to the hotel, but from the look of it, nothing is going to be moving tonight. I’m really sorry, but I have no choice but to stay here.”

Nedra settled into the comfort of the plush leather chair opposite the sofa. She was touched by his apology. He seemed sincere. “There’s nothing to apologize for. This won’t be the first time I’ve pulled an overnighter with sin.”

He appeared puzzled by her reply. Then it dawned on him what she was saying. The cabin vibrated with his laughter.

“So the preacher does have a sense of humor!” Sin marveled, as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. He had sensed her resolve when she entered the room. He knew that his having to stay here would be awkward for her. He worried that their present situation might put distance between them, just when she had begun to display some trust in him.

He had been in Tahoe three days before their accidental meeting. At the Simpson house, she had mentioned the road on which the cabin was located. He had the good fortune of remembering that and located it right away. The cabin was close enough to his hotel that his jogging story didn’t seem contrived when they met. She would never know that he had been on silent watch outside her cabin since the day he discovered where she was staying.

He was pretty sure that she suspected ulterior motives for his being in Tahoe. She never voiced her suspicions, and it surprised him when she accepted his invitation to dinner. That first evening had been strained, but he had tried hard to make it as pleasant as possible. Today, their time together had been comfortable. That Mother Nature would provide the ultimate opportunity for him to be with her was more than he could have asked. As a result, he could assure himself, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was safe, at least for now.

“I haven’t laughed that long and hard in years,” said Sin, burrowing down into the cozy comfort of the sofa. “It felt good.” And so did being with Nedra.

The rest of the evening was spent watching the weather report and playing board games. The winner of the spirited games seesawed from one to another, until, tied, four to four, they decided to retire for the night. Nedra took the bedroom. Sin took the sofa bed.

It was early the next morning when a loud yelp awakened him. Instantly alert, he sat up with a start and reached immediately for the revolver he had tucked under his pillow. He had worn it strapped to his leg during the day, undetectable to Nedra. Until now, he didn’t think he would have to use it. There had been no indication that she was in danger, but that sound brought him out of his bed and onto his feet. Every muscle in his body was tense. There was a second yelp. He realized that it was coming from the bathroom. His heartbeat slowed as he recognized the voice.

“Nedra? Are you all right?”

Her muffled reply came from behind the closed door. She sounded exasperated. “I guess.”

The door slowly opened. Sin quickly pushed the gun under the pillow just as she made her appearance. She was dressed in a pair of flannel pajamas. Her hair was tousled, her eyes were little more than slits. She didn’t look happy as she glared at him accusingly.

“Didn’t anybody teach you to put the toilet seat down after you use the bathroom?” Nedra turned around to reveal a wide wet spot covering her derriere. Sin tried not to laugh. She was angry enough already. He tried but failed and once again the small cabin was filled with his booming laughter.

Rolling her eyes as hard as she could, Nedra stomped back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Men!

The rest of the day went better. After showering and dressing, Nedra exited the bedroom to find Sin cooking a large country breakfast, complete with fried potatoes. It was scrumptious, and she devoured it appreciatively, offering a dry thank you, still annoyed by her brief swim in the toilet.

Trying to make amends, Sin insisted that he wash the dishes while she relaxed.

She accepted his offer, deciding to let him eat a little more crow before forgiving him for his transgression. By the time they went outside, all was forgiven.

The snow had reached the predicted three feet, and was still falling. Progress was slow as they worked on clearing a path to the walkway leading to the cabin, a distance of about fifty feet. By late that evening, they had made significant progress, despite breaks for snowball fights, snowman building, and making angel patterns in the snow.

Chilled and soaked, they took turns showering, with Nedra providing Sin with the shirt and pants left in the closet by Carla’s fiancé. Luckily, both men wore the same size.

They were exhausted, and after a dinner of soup and sandwiches, they decided to call it a day. Wearily, Nedra retired to the bedroom, leaving Sin stretched out on the sofa. He was asleep before she closed the bedroom door.

Snuggling under the covers, Nedra sighed, happily. Today had been fun. Romping in the snow, she had felt like a young girl again. Her plans for a quiet vacation had been turned upside down by the mysterious Sinclair Reasoner. With a sigh of satisfaction, she plumped up her pillow and drifted off to sleep.

 

****

 

Carla’s frantic call to Richard surprised him. He rarely talked to his sister on the telephone unless he happened to answer when she was calling Sharon. The sound of her voice startled him as she explained how she had tracked him down, through his office, to ask a favor. Nedra was at Carla’s cabin in Tahoe. She had left her cell phone in Oakland and there was no telephone in the cabin. It was predicted that Tahoe would be snowed in and she was worried.

Richard was in Truckee, California, on business, and Truckee was not far from Tahoe. She wanted to know if he would go to the cabin and see if Nedra was okay. Would he? Of course he would!

He chuckled to himself as he tucked his toothbrush into his Louie Vuitton bag, and zipped it. Carla had to be desperate asking him to check on her friend. Surely she must know that it was like sending the cat after the canary. But he wasn’t worried about Nedra. That was one woman who could take care of herself. She was resilient, which was one of the things that made her such a challenge.

Carla’s call had been made the day before yesterday, and it had taken an additional day for the highway to Tahoe to be cleared of snow and reopened. He was glad to be finally on his way. Truckee had been snowed in too, and he had been bored out of his head. There had been absolutely nothing to do in this one-horse town!

The door to the bathroom opened slowly, and a bleached blond appeared. Glazed blue eyes glanced his way. Richard sighed. Well, there was almost nothing to do.

With an wan smile, the blond walked to the dresser and retrieved the three folded bills lying on top of it.

“Was it as good for you as it was for me, honey?” The blond laughed at the cliché, ignoring Richard’s lack of appreciation at the attempt at humor.

Tucking the money into a pants pocket, the blond reached for the door, started to exit, then looked back at Richard with lascivious perusal. “All kidding aside, you was good, honey. I, for one, like the rough stuff. Hope you remember to call me if you come back here. What’s your name?”

Richard’s stare was hard. Silence echoed throughout the room. The blond hustled quickly into the hallway, hesitated, then peeked through the cracked doorway. “My name is Steve.” With that he closed the door behind him.

Within minutes Richard began his own exit. Checking the room one last time for misplaced objects, he grabbed his bag from the bed and placed his room key on the night stand. Satisfied that he was ready to depart, he shut the door behind him. His next stop was a cabin in Lake Tahoe.