Page 65 of Trail to Trouble
She pulled a U-turn at the next intersection and drove toward Hunter’s home located on Eagle Lake. Eagle Lake was in Door County, south of Sturgeon Bay. She’d seen the sign for it plenty of times when she frequented the state parks in Door County, but she’d never actually viewed the lake.
Once on the highway, it only took a few minutes to see the sign. She turned right onto the county road lined with woods. About a mile or so down the road, the woods cleared, and the large homes that lined the lake came into view. To live in this neighborhood was another sign that Hunter had done well for himself.
According to the GPS, she could see that Hunter’s home was on the north side of the lake, settled on a point. Most of the homes looked new, and the newer ones were much larger than the few older ones, which seemed little more than cottages. The earlier settlers on the lake, she presumed.
A large, two-story log home came into view, and before verifying the house number on the mailbox, she knew that it was Hunter’s. That style of home suited him. It looked lovely.
She pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. Before she even opened the door, Hunter stood next to her vehicle.
“I’m so glad you came,” he said.
The well remembered amber hues of his eyes comforted her, wiping away some of the anxiety swirling in her brain.
“Me, too,” she replied.
His smile widened.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” he said as he gestured toward his home, which certainly did not qualify as humble.
“Thank you. It looks lovely.”
“Let me give you the outside tour, then we’ll go in.”
She nodded as she flung her handbag over her shoulder and shut the SUV door.
“Well, here’s the front,” he said with a nervous chuckle that showed he was as nervous as she was.
“The back is where it’s at, though,” he said as he stepped onto a stamped concrete pathway leading downward as it wrapped around the home.
She hesitated for a moment before she fell into step with him. The black T-shirt he wore fit snugly around his shoulders and biceps. His muscles were thicker than what she’d remembered. Maybe years of working out had done that. He was slim at the waist. The jeans he wore snugged his thighs. He was a mouthwatering sight, no matter the angle she saw him from.
Once in the backyard, she understood his earlier comment about the back being where it was at.
“Oh my, this is beautiful,” she said as she stared out over the small lake.
It was a sunny April evening, and the lake sparkled from the sunrays. Several docks and boats were already in the water for the season. A large dock jutted out from Hunter’s property, but there was no boat tied up to it.
“Yeah, she’s a great little lake. Good for a lot of activities. Swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, even waterskiing.”
“I bet you just love that,” she replied.
His wide smile reached his eyes.
“I do. You know me.”
That she did, or felt like she did, though they’d only spent a small amount of time together many years ago.
She spun to look at his house. The walkout basement led to a good-sized patio that housed an enormous stone fireplace, some outdoor furniture still covered up, and a grill emitting a mouthwatering scent. Lifting her gaze upward, she eyed the wall of windows on the first and second floors of the home. Windows stretched from the ground to the rooftop in the center of the home but tapered off toward the sides. The logs used for the home were large and a light brown color with red undertones, a perfect color for a home of this type.
“It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see the inside,” she said.
She walked alongside Hunter toward the patio, where he stopped to check on their meal.
“How do you like your steak?”
“Medium well to well.”
“Great, me too,” he said as he flipped the steaks.
