6 Maple Leaf Hunter (7 page)

Mick was immediately concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I thought you’d be full up with bear season starting.”

“Business has fallen off the past two years,” Emily said. “If things don’t change, we’re going to have to sell the place.” She looked crestfallen.

“What happened?” Darby asked. “This place is gorgeous. I can’t imagine why you’re not at capacity.”

Dan raised his eyebrows and gave Emily an inquisitive look. She slowly nodded her head as if to give approval for him to speak.

He took a deep breath before saying, “It started almost three years ago. Two families staying in the campground checked out early. They didn’t say why, but they were definitely in a hurry to leave. We found out later from another couple that they left because they heard a Sasquatch in the night.”

“What?” Nate yelped. “You have a Bigfoot in your forest?”

Understanding that Dan and Emily were serious, and their business was in trouble, I fought back my laughter, but the look on Nate’s face was priceless. We all knew he was afraid of ghosts and prone to passing out when frightened, but none of us knew how he felt about a Sasquatch – until now.

“I guess we do,” Dan said. “You call them Bigfoot in the states. Up here, we call them Sasquatch. Those first two families who checked out were camping in tents, and they didn’t feel safe. But it wasn’t too long before other guests were frightened by sounds when they wer
e out fishing or hunting during the day. Many of them said they saw the creature. Our repeat customers stopped coming back, and between reviews on internet travel sites and word of mouth, our business has dropped off to almost nothing.”

“Have you had anyone go out and try to find it?” Darby asked.

“When word got out we had a Sasquatch on our property, the place was crawling with Sasquatch hunters and reporters. But they were skulking around in the forest, and three people were accidentally shot in one week. The injuries weren’t serious, but no one turned up anything either. Everyone finally realized it was too dangerous with hunters and bears in the area, so they all cleared out, and no one’s come back.”

“What about the other campgrounds in the area?” Mick asked. “Is their business down, too?”

Dan shook his head. “The nearest camp is Rice’s Ponderosa about twenty miles down the road. Richard Rice is a good enough fellow, but his place isn’t nearly as nice as ours. He says they haven’t had any problems at all. No sightings or sounds, and the last time Emily talked with his wife, she said they picked up quite a few of our customers. We’re like the house on the block everyone skips at Halloween because it’s haunted.”

I glanced over at Nate. I was sure he would pass out any minute now.

“Have you ever seen or heard one?” Alex asked Dan.

He looked at Emily again before saying, “I haven’t seen one, but I’ve heard one, and I have to admit, I understand why people left.”

“Why?” Nate asked.

I had to look away to hide my smile. His eyes were wide with fright.

“It’s a horrible noise,” Dan said. “It’s like a high-pitched scream. It sounds like someone is murdering a woman in the woods. I’ve heard the sound in short bursts and another time as one long scream. It’s really terrifying.”

Mick looked over at Alex and said adamantly, “Do not roam around by yourself. If you want to look for rocks, make sure you have someone with you. We’ll check out the rock quarry in a few days with Dan. Ok?”

For once, Alex didn’t argue or bring out his smart mouth. Instead, he said thoughtfully, “I’ve done some reading about Bigfoot. There have been a lot of sightings in Ohio.”

“There have?” Nate asked, his eyes still wide. Darby reached over and patted him on the knee. Nate’s reaction, and then Darby’s reaction to him, was the last straw and struck me as incredibly funny. I struggled to hold back laughter and had to bite my lip.

Alex asked Nate, “Don’t you ever watch the news? Not only have there been a lot of sightings, but there’s a Bigfoot conference at Salt Fork State Park every year.”

Nate leaned back in his seat and let out a sigh. The Bigfoot talk had completely overwhelmed him.

Alex continued, “I’ve done quite a bit of reading and research. I wanted to know if there really was such a thing as Bigfoot, and I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re out there.”

Nate groaned and slumped farther down in his seat.

“But no one in modern times has ever been hurt by a Bigfoot or a Sasquatch,” Alex went on to say. “Some people think they’re supernatural beings, and they can disappear at will. That’s why there are reports of them being seen, but there are very few reports of them being tracked or followed.” He paused for a moment before saying, “I’m not afraid.”

Dan looked sober as he said, “If you heard one, you might change your mind.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders and said, “I also read a bright spotlight will cause one to leave you alone at night more than loud noises or even warning shots from a gun.” He looked at Nate and said, “You need to carry one of those bright LED flashlights with you.”

Nate nodded his head vigorously.

Mick looked affectionately at his friends and said, “I’m really sorry to hear this. I don’t know how I can help you, but I’ll do anything. Just tell me what to do.”

“Thank you,” Emily said, “but we’re
baffled. How do you tell people there’s no Sasquatch when they’ve heard it?”

We all sat quiet for a few minutes. The crackling fire was comforting, and the room had such a serene feel, it seemed impossible there could be anything wrong here.

“I’ll tell you one thing I’m doing,” Mick said. “I’m paying for everything while we’re here. No free rooms, campsites, food – nothing free.” He looked over at Darby and Nate. “I’ll take care of your bill, too.”

Everyone protested, but Mick refused to listen. He turned the conversation to sleeping arrangements. “Where’s everyone staying?” he asked.

“Nate and I can stay in the RV,” Darby said. “We’ll hook up at one of the campsites.”

Nate appeared alarmed at the idea of staying in the RV. I’m sure he was worried about staying in the campground with a Sasquatch on the loose.

Alex saw Nate’s reaction and said, “Don’t worry about it, Nate. I didn’t read anything about a Bigfoot knowing how to open a door.”

“Do you want to stay with us?” Darby asked Alex. “You might get to hear one in the night.”

Alex looked at his dad and said, “I’d like to stay in one of the cabins.”

Mick thought about it for a few moments before saying, “I think that would be all right. Just be sure to keep your door locked.”

“What about us?” I asked Mick.

He smiled and said, “We’re staying here in the lodge, and I suggest we all get some sleep if we’re going to get up early and get out on the river.”

“Would you mind if I slept in tomorrow?” Alex asked. “I’ll go out on Wednesday, but I think I’d like to hang around here for a day. I’ll swim, maybe fish from the dock, and I can give Dan a hand if he needs help with anything.”

“It’s ok with me if it’s ok with him,” Mick said.

“Fine by me,” Dan said. “I can use a hand with the fire pit out back.”

Emily led me up to our room while Mick walked out with Darby and Nate to grab our suitcases from the RV. Dan took Alex over to the cabin nearest the lodge to show him around and make sure he was comfortable.

When Mick entered the room, I asked, “What do you think about all of this? Do you believe there’s really a Sasquatch out there?”

He opened our suitcases on the bed and began putting his clothes away in the dresser. “I don’t know,” he said. “There’s obviously something going on to affect their business like this.”

I didn’t say anything. I took his lead and began unpacking.

“Are you sure you want to get up early and go tomorrow?” he asked. “You can stay here with Alex if you’d like a day to relax.”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” I said. “Unless you want me to stay here to keep an eye on him, I’m looking forward to going.”

“No,” he said, gathering me into his arms for a kiss. “I want you to go. I want to see you put a worm on a hook.”

I pushed him away with a light tap on his chest and said, “I can hold my own in a boat. You’ll see.”

He laughed and said, “Ok. I’m setting the clock for four thirty.”

The rain finally dissipated.

I was dry in my rain gear, but my arms
ached. It didn’t help that my right arm was still bruised and sore from the fall at the mall. At least my back was no longer bothering me. This shouldn’t have been so hard.

“Susan? You ok back there?” Mick asked. “Can you lift a little higher?”

We were carrying our canoe over a muddy path on our way to yet another lake. I played enough racquetball that my weight and stamina had returned to pre-pregnancy levels a long time ago, and my upper-body strength was strong. Why was I struggling to help carry the canoe? It couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds, and with Mick in the lead lifting the heavier end with the gear, this should have been an easy task.

I was breathless as I called up to him, “I’m trying, but it’s harder than I thought it would be.”

“The ground’s uneven and slightly uphill,” he called back. “We’re almost there. Just a little farther.”

I hoisted the canoe up and tried to get a better grip. This wasn’t the idyllic morning I had envisioned.

The alarm went off at four thirty as expected, and Mick and I had no trouble getting up and dressed for our fishing trip. When we arrived in the lobby, Darby and Nate were already having coffee in front of a roaring fire. Nate was more than a little bleary eyed.

I tried to hide a smile as I asked, “How’d you guys sleep last night?”

“I slept like a baby,” Darby said.

Nate shook his head and said, “I think I only slept for an hour. I wasn’t trying to listen for the Sasquatch, but every time I’d start to drop off, I was sure I heard it. I’m going to have to wear earplugs and take sleeping pills if I’m going to get any sleep while we’re here.”

Darby threw his arm around Nate’s shoulders and gave him a sympathetic hug. I couldn’t help smiling, but I did feel sorry for him.

“Breakfast is ready,” Emily called from the dining room.

The table was loaded with food. There were pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast sausages, fresh fruit, and toast. The guys made appreciative noises and prepared to dig in. I couldn’t imagine eating such a heavy meal at this time of morning.

“I’ll just have orange juice and coffee,” I said to no one in particular.

Dan came into the room from the kitchen. Another man followed, and they both sat down at the table.

“This is Harvey,” Dan said as he stabbed a stack of pancakes and flopped them over onto his plate. He poured maple syrup liberally over the stack before saying, “He’s your driver today.”

Everyone greeted Harvey as he stabbed his own stack of pancakes. Darby asked, “Why do we need a driver? Don’t we just take a boat from your dock?”

Dan had just stuffed his mouth full of pancakes, but he managed to say, “Not today. You’re getting the full treatment. Harvey’s going to drop you off at one of the best spots around for muskie fishing.”

Emily noticed my juice and coffee and said, “Susan, you need to eat something solid. You’d be surprised how much energy you use out there, and you’ll be sorry in a couple of hours if you don’t eat now.”

I didn’t think it would matter, but I didn’t want to offend her, so I grabbed a piece of toast to nibble on.

Now here I was, two hours later, struggling with the canoe and wishing I had listened to Emily and eaten a stack of pancakes.

Harvey had dropped us off at a location about twenty minutes from the lodge. He handed a map to Mick and sent us on our way. We had already paddled across one lake and portaged across one stretch of land. That huge drain on my energy was followed by paddling across another lake. We were on our final portage, which would supposedly take us to the
best fishing spot
with the muskie.

“Here we go, Susan,” Mick said.

The lake was only a few feet ahead of us now. Relief swept through every muscle in my body as I set the canoe down.

Nate climbed into their canoe first with Darby jumping in after and pushing them off.

Mick turned to me and wrapped his arms around me in a big hug. “I know that wasn’t easy,” he said. “You did great.”

I appreciated his words, but I appreciated more the deep kiss that followed them.

“Are you ready to catch some fish?” he asked.

“I sure am,” I said cheerfully.

I positioned myself in the front of the canoe and held on tight while Mick pushed us off. I had never been in a canoe before, and I was nervous when we crossed the first lake. I was afraid if I moved, I would tip us over. Mick was skilled with a paddle and didn’t need me to assist, but I picked mine up now to help us catch up to Darby and Nate.

As we made our way, I noticed we were in a truly isolated area. We hadn’t seen any other fishermen or hunters all morning. It was a little unsettling, but with such beautiful surroundings, and three great guys to watch out for me, I set my unease aside.

We soon rounded a bend and found ourselves at the mouth of a cove.

“This looks like a good spot,” Mick called over to the guys. “We’ll go to the right. Why don’t you try the left side?”

Darby nodded and guided their canoe into the cove.

The shallow water here surprised me. Although greenish in color, it was easy to see plant life and small fish all the way to the bottom.

While Mick dug around in the gear to ready our rods, I pulled a pair of binoculars out of the bag by my feet. I wasn’t entirely certain why I had asked Dan for a pair before we left, but I was glad I had them now. Looking at our surroundings through the binoculars was amazing. A brace of ducks in the distance was gorgeous through the lenses. I gave scrutiny to the shoreline, the uppermost parts of trees, and I swung around to look at Darby and Nate. The detail was amazing, and I saw the blue of Darby’s eyes as he waved to me.

“Here you go,” Mick said.

I set the binoculars down and took the rod from him.

“Yuck!” I cried. “Where’s my lure? Or my fake worm? Is that real?” I was disgusted to see a frog on the end of my line.

Mick couldn’t help laughing. “Yes, it’s real,” he said. “They’re good bait. You’ll see. Give it a little squeeze before you cast. It won’t have so much air in its lungs, and it’ll sink.”

My mouth hung open. “You can’t be serious. I don’t want to fish with a frog. Nate will die if he sees this. He’ll think we’re killing Kermit.”

He laughed again. “Here. Swing it back over to me.” I did as he said, and he gave the frog a squeeze. “Now hurry up and cast,” he said.

My first cast didn’t go out as far as I had hoped. I slowly reeled in and tried again.

“Give your line a couple of quick jerks, and then reel in a little bit,” he said. “You want the frog to look natural underwater.”

I had always bobber
fished with my dad. This was an entirely different experience of continually working the line.

When my line came in, my frog was gone. I was secretly glad he had made a getaway.

“Mick, I want a worm this time,” I said.

“One more frog,” he said. “Try it this way one more time, and if you don’t catch anything, I’ll put a lure on for you.”

He was so convincing, it was hard to argue with him. It didn’t help that he hadn’t shaved since Sunday, and he looked incredibly sexy with the light growth defining his strong jawline. A wave of desire for him swept over me. If Darby and Nate weren’t here with us, I would have talked him into taking shore leave.

The look on my face, and the flush creeping into my cheeks gave me away. He simply smiled and said, “Later. Maybe the bearskin rug in the lobby.”

It was silly my own husband could make me blush, but I felt my face go red hot at the thought of having sex in the open at the lodge. “You’re bad,” I whispered as I swung my hook around to him.

He laughed, and I saw the wonderfully amused look in his eyes I loved so much. All signs of stress and fatigue were gone from his face, and I knew he was happy out here on the lake.

With a new, freshly squeezed frog on my hook, I cast my line. It was a beauty this time. I worked the line and hoped for a big fish or another frog escape. When I reeled the line in, the frog was still on the hook. It gave me the creeps, but I told it I was sorry as I gave it another squeeze and cast again.

I forgot about making little jerks. I simply reeled my line in slowly as I daydreamed about Lizzie and taking her fishing
one day.

Nate
began making whooping noises across the cove, and I knew one of them had caught a fish. I looked over to see Darby holding one up, but it didn’t look very big to me. I knew I could see it better with the binoculars. I reached down to pick them up.

Before I could get a hand on them, my line went taut and the rod jerked out of my hand. It crashed against the front of the canoe. The reel caught on the edge.

I snatched it up with my heart racing. I was more concerned I had almost lost fishing equipment belonging to Dan and Emily than I was that there was a fish on my line.

Mick was excited behind me. “Don’t reel too fast. Just a little at a time. Release your bail and give it more line if you have to.”

I didn’t know what I was doing. Bluegill never put up a fight. This was definitely not a bluegill. I was terrified it just might be a muskie.

Mick scooted up directly behind me with a net. He continued to
offer encouragement while I worked the fish closer and closer to the canoe.

When it came into view, I squealed. It was a big one.

“That’s a largemouth bass,” he said excitedly and leaned down to scoop it up with the net. “It’s at least fifteen inches. What a great catch, Susan.” He clapped me on the back like he would one of the guys.

I was proud of my fish. The poor little frog did a fine job of finding an especially good one for me. I was going to be telling this story for a long time.

He held up the fish for Darby and Nate to see. Sounds of approval echoed across the cove. He put the fish on a stringer and hung it in the water.

“Aren’t you going to let him go?” I asked.

“Let him go? He’s lunch,” he said. We’re going to eat what we catch.”

“How?” I asked.

“We’ll make a fire,” he said. “We’re living off the land today.”

The thought of eating fish for lunch was appealing. My stomach rumbled, and once again, I regretted not eating breakfast.

We continued to fish for another couple of hours. I didn’t know how many fish Darby and Nate caught, but Mick and I only added one more small fish to our stringer.

I put my rod down and picked up the binoculars. I surveyed the lake again and was just as enthralled with the beautiful scenery as I was the first time I looked.

I turned around in my seat to face Mick. He had just cast his line and was slowly reeling it in. I scanned the shoreline of the cove through the binoculars. As much as I loved the setting, I couldn’t imagine living here. I was definitely a girl who wanted to be close to grocery stores, malls, and civilization.

Movement in t
he trees caught my eye. I thought it might be a bear or a moose. I made sure the binoculars were in focus, and I scanned the area again. Sure enough, there was movement, and suddenly, the animal was in an open space between two trees. I yanked the binoculars down to look with my naked eyes.

My peripheral vision caught a long, dark shadow passing by on my left, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the shoreline.

I peered through the binoculars again, but it was gone. I continued scanning, hoping for another glimpse. Just as I was ready to give up, it came into full view at the edge of the water, and I could see it clearly. It was looking directly at me.

At the very moment the Sasquatch and I made eye contact, the canoe lurched violently to the side, nearly dumping us into the water.

My short, shrill scream alerted Darby and Nate to our rocking canoe and splashing water around us. They quickly paddled in our direction.

“What was that?” I screeched.

The canoe had righted itself, and Mick began grabbing gear out of the water. The look on his face was one of humor rather than fear.

“That,” he said with emphasis, “was a muskie.”

“A muskie attacked us?” I asked.

“Not us,” he said. “He made off with your fish.”

He held up the stringer. Only a small part of the body and the head remained on the stringer with the other smaller fish. It completely unnerved me. I dropped to my knees and gripped the sides of the canoe. I was terrified of being in the water with something that could take a chunk out of me.

Darby and Nate pulled alongside.

“What happened?” Darby asked.

“Were you trying to stand up? You know, you can’t stand in a canoe,” Nate said.

Mick beamed as he held the stringer up for them to see. “A muskie hit it,” he said. “I saw him, and he was huge. Had to be at least four feet.”

“That’s awesome!” Nate crowed.

“Unbelievable,” Darby said with excitement. “It nearly took you over.”

“I’ve had enough,” I told them. Tears were near the surface. “I’m done fishing, and I want out of here.”