Fallen for Her (6 page)

The first two hours of driving were filled with conversation and laughter.  Ella described her first night with the pup, being awakened several times by his cries.  She dutifully took him outside and felt a bit sleep-deprived.  When they stopped at a small restaurant to eat, Ella brought the dog in her arms to a corner table inside.  Ray approached the counter asking if they could keep the pup inside on a leash.  Ella noticed the man behind the counter directed them to a picnic table outside.  Ella smiled as Ray slipped his arm lightly around her.  

“We can sit out here.  The sun feels nice today.” Ray smiled. “Let me order for you. What do you like?” 

“They make fantastic BLT’s here,” Ella smiled. 

“Okay, then that’s what we’ll have.  What would you like to drink?” Ray asked.

“Chocolate milkshake,” Ella smiled.  “Me, too.” Ray’s eyes met hers and she noticed a spark in his dark blue eyes.

Within forty minutes, they were back on the road, this time with Ray at the wheel and Ella holding the puppy.  She felt a bit sleepy and Ray insisted on driving. 

“Have you ever been camping?” Ella asked him.

“I’ve been fly fishing with some friends at a stream, but it was in New Hampshire.” Ray informed her.  “I’ve never been
this
far north.” 

“Have you been off the grid?” Ella inquired.

“I’ve always had cell phone service, but I slept in a tent.” Ray smiled.

“Good,” Ella giggled, “You won’t mind the rustic qualities of this place.”

“What do you mean by rustic?” Ray had that smirk, almost a mischievous smile.

“There’s an outhouse, no indoor plumbing.” Ella said, waiting for his reaction.

“No problem.” Ray laughed.  She loved the sound of his laugh.  It was natural and effortless.  In fact, talking with Ray was effortless. 

“You’re fine without electricity?” Ella quizzed him. 

“Sure.  Who needs electricity?” Ray responded shooting her a playful sidelong glance.

“It might be cold up there.  You don’t mind firing up the woodstove?” Ella continued.

“Nah, I was a Boy Scout.  Always prepared.” Ray smiled. 

Ella glanced at the clock on the dashboard.  She figured they had two hours after arriving at camp to get the place ready for the night, no small chore.

~ Ray ~

The topography was changing as they continued driving north and he could sense they were gradually traveling uphill.  It wasn’t a steep incline, but notably different.  The landscape had less undergrowth and was heavily wooded.  It was nearly 1:00 PM. He had told Ella about his Boy Scout experience, but failed to mention he dropped out after two years in the program.  He really wasn’t proficient with camping and survival skills.  But he felt embarrassed to tell her that part.

He had to admit, when they stopped at the old general store in Indian Purchase Number 17, Ray felt as if he had stepped back in time.  There was everything on the shelves from toothbrushes to hammers and nails, and a wide array of food items lined the wooden shelves in the back.  A huge pickle jar sat on the counter of the store next to an antique cash register.  And, there were two old guys playing chess near the window at the only table.  This looked like something straight out of the Klondike, Ray chuckled to himself. 

“This is the last stop before camp,” Ella informed him.  “If you need anything, get it now.  One time I forgot washcloths and had to buy some here.” Ella purchased some anti-freeze for the waterlines at the cottage, and dairy items for the fridge and a few six-packs of beer. 

When they got back into the car, Ella insisted on driving the rest of the way. 

“How far do we have to go from here?” Ray asked.

“About sixty miles.” Ella said. “But, it’s not paved.  It’s logging roads and then I’ll turn off onto a road filled with holes that could possibly swallow my vehicle, best driven in daylight.  It’ll be slow going.”

Ray had never seen a forest so dense.  He’d viewed aerial photographs of the State of Maine and knew it was the most heavily forested state in the nation.  But seeing it up close and personal made him realize he was immersed in hundreds of square miles of trees.  He felt he was about as far away from New York as he could possibly get at that moment and, surprisingly it wasn’t such a bad feeling.  In fact, he was filled with anticipation. 

He noticed Ella was looking for familiar markers along the logging road.  There was a huge boulder painted red and a culvert that was enormous.  They drove by a clear-cut area that was now slowly transforming into a lush prairie.  An outcropping of white birch trees brought a sign of recognition to Ella’s face and she made a right turn onto a road that was one lane.  The tree branches touched the sides of the vehicle making a soft fluttering sound. 

“We’re almost there.” Ella muttered, focusing on staying out of large ruts on the road less traveled.  Ray saw Snowshoe hares and caught a glimpse of a fox.  Deer bounded in a clearing.  Finally, after a twenty minute drive on what looked more like a path than a road, Ella pulled into a clearing and Ray took in his first full view of the mountain and the pond.  He had imagined what it would look like but was not prepared for the raw unadulterated beauty.  Golden Mountain was 2,501 vertical feet reflected in a perfectly still pond of the same name.  The way the afternoon sun played on the flat mirrored surface of the water, it looked like a painting, breathtakingly beautiful.

When the vehicle finally came to a stop, Ella smiled at him.

“This is it.  Let’s get this stuff inside,” she said excitedly. 

“Yes, Ma’am.” Ray responded.  He brought everything to the porch of the cottage and carried all of their gear inside, taking care not to overload his back.  He knew it was childish but he didn’t want Ella to know about his injury, not yet anyway.

“Why don’t you get comfortable here with Boomer and I’ll bring in some firewood?” Ray suggested.

“I’ll put the food away.” Ella said.  “Once you get a few pieces of wood, we’ll start the fire.”

While Ray was outside, his eyes took in the rustic charm of the cottage.  It was a simple wooden one-story structure painted red.  It looked like it had been built in the 1900s and had undergone several additions and renovations.  The large porch on the outside was fully screened and held sturdy pieces of outdoor furniture. 

As he pulled pieces of wood off the neatly stacked pile, chipmunks hopped out and chattered at him.  He took one armload and decided to come back for more.  He’d make a pile on the porch so they’d have enough for the night.  Although he was standing outside, he had never experienced such quiet.  There were sounds but ones he never paid much attention to before.  His feet crunched against the dried leaves and twigs on the ground.  A bird fluttered from a nest above.  An owl was sitting up high in a pine tree making a throaty sound.  There was almost no wind.  The late day sun warmed his back, which was aching from the long ride in the car.  

The screen door creaked as he opened it and he brought the wood to the stove.  Ella had already put some small pieces of kindling inside and had a box of wooden kitchen matches.  She had balled up a piece of old newspaper and took the pieces of wood from Ray, one by one she built a little wooden tee-pee.  Shifting the damper, Ella got the fire to ignite and the smoke was drawn up through the chimney. 

“Perfect.  We’ll let it roar for a bit,” Ella said expertly, “then at night we’ll set the damper.  What…are you looking at?”

Ray was sitting on an old chair staring at Ella in the firelight as the sunset played upon the log wall of the cabin.  He blushed a little and ran his hand over his face. 

“Oh, sorry, I’m just mesmerized by the firelight.” Ray smiled.  “It’s beautiful.  Actually, this whole place is beautiful.  I think I’m in love with it already.” 

Ella laughed, “Well, don’t give me your five-star rating until you’ve used the outhouse!”

He pulled himself away to go back to the woodpile.  Curious, he slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and noticed there were no bars.  He wouldn’t have to worry about phone calls for the duration.  Good, he smiled.  He’d never had that sort of freedom. The loons started yodeling on the pond and the sound was beautiful, even though a bit lonely.  He was certain the chipmunks living in the woodpile had already seen enough of him.  They jumped quickly as he took another armload of wood.  The smell of the wood fire burning in the stove hit his nostrils.  It was a distinct aroma, pleasant in a primitive sort of way.

Once on the porch he started making a neat woodpile near the doorway.  After repeating the trip five times, he figured there was enough to keep them warm for the night.  Stepping inside, he watched Ella prepping dinner on the gas stove. 

“I hope you don’t mind a fairly simple meal,” she glanced at him.  “Would you like a beer?”

“Yeah, is there a bottle opener around here?” Ray asked.

“Right there on the wall,” Ella pointed.  “It’s required to drink beer at camp.” She giggled. 

Ray smiled as he read the sign on the wall. 
This beer is making me awesome.

“Cute!” Ray laughed.  He opened the Sam Adams pale ale wondering how Ella knew that was his favorite.  “Did you make that sign?”

“Yes,” Ella smiled.  “My dad loved it.  This was the only place he ever really relaxed.”

“I can understand why,” Ray smiled, “I think my blood pressure has dropped since we arrived.”  He took a long pull on the beer realizing he was thirsty.  Ella was cooking chicken in a cast iron frying pan on top of the gas stove and tossing in some chopped vegetables.  She finished the whole thing off with an orange ginger glaze and poured the meal onto two plates. 

“Dinner is served,” She laughed and finished off her first beer.  “This is one of those quick and easy meals, but if you’re starving it will taste great.” 

Ray sat at the vintage wooden table with mismatched chairs and immediately started eating.  “This is delicious!” he said between bites. 

They washed the dishes and pan together at the sink with an old hand pump.  Ella had heated up a huge kettle of water on the stove and poured some into the sink with a bit of soap.  Ray grabbed a cotton towel and dried the dishes after she washed them. 

“I need to give you a little tour of this place.” Ella took his hand.  She showed him the two bedrooms and the pantry off the kitchen.  “The porch is my favorite,” Ella informed him. Tugging him by the hand and giggling, she brought him outside and they walked a good distance from the camp on a little path that led to the outhouse. 

“Oh, gosh.  This is not luxurious, but it serves the purpose.  There are items in there to wash your hands with and, oh, you will figure it out.” She laughed. 

Ray was smiling.  “I’ve done my business outside before, without the privacy of an outhouse.  I think everything will be fine.” He assured her. 

Boomer was trailing behind them.  “Keep an eye on him, I have to go use this thing.” Ella said as she entered the rustic bathroom.  Ray wandered back toward the camp with Boomer.  When Ella appeared she took the puppy’s leash.  “You might want to use it, too.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t hold much beer.” 

Ray grinned.  “I did that while I was getting wood.  No problem.  Except I think the chipmunks were laughing at me.”  His comment made Ella chuckle and he loved doing that.

“Let’s enjoy the sunset!” Ella suggested.  They sauntered toward the old wooden dock and sat in Adirondack chairs watching the sun close in on the horizon.  Boomer laid his head on Ella’s foot.  The chairs were very close to one another.  Close enough that the wooden arms touched.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” Ray’s hand covered hers resting on the arm of the chair.

“You’ll sleep like a rock here,” Ella turned and smiled at him.  He felt his heart might leap out of his chest. 

“Yes, I’m sure I will.” Ray said.  But he knew he would have a difficult time falling asleep if he was in the same building with Ella; make that the same zip code.  Pink and purple painted the sky as the sun slipped below the horizon. 

“I’m going to take a hot bath before bed.” Ella informed him.  “It’s a process.  I need to heat up the water on the stove.  There’s a big old copper bathtub inside my bedroom.” 

Ray followed her inside thrilled with the idea of helping Ella fill the bathtub.  He had no idea what he was supposed to do, but enjoyed the images he conjured in his imagination. 

Inside the camp kitchen, Ray pumped water into a huge kettle for Ella and he put it on the stove.  Once heated, he methodically poured it into the large copper bathtub.  “Not enough.” She stated.  So, he heated up three more kettles until the bathtub was nearly full and watched as Ella poured a silky concoction in that produced bubbles. 

“Thanks, Ray,” Ella touched his arm in the kitchen.  “I’ll take my bath first, then we’ll change the water and you can take yours.  There’s a basin with a drain plumbed under the tub, so when we pull out the plug the water will drain into the gray-water tank.” 

“Sounds complicated.” Ray enjoyed her animated face as she explained the function of the bathtub drain.  “I will sit out here on the porch with Boomer.”  He felt himself blush for the first time since he could remember.  The thought of seeing Ella nude or even immersed in the bathtub full of bubbles was too much for him, although he couldn’t stop the lovely vision as it infiltrated his mind.