Chapter 4
“I’m not sure about this.” Morgan nervously tugged at her knit cap and stared at the wooden sled sporting red racing stripes. “It’s kind of small.”
“And the hill is pretty steep,” Quinn said. “What if we can’t stop and keep going right into Lake Huron?”
“It’s frozen, at least near the shore,” Greg said. “If you want, I can add a buffer to stop the sleds from reaching the water.”
“An inflatable buffer might come in handy. How much do you think a buffer would cost?” Morgan asked. “Say, for example, if we offered sledding to our guests.”
“I’m not sure, but you’ll definitely want some sort of protection.”
“And maybe even additional liability insurance.” Quinn made a diving motion with her hands. “All it will take is for a guest to break an arm or a leg.”
“On second thought.” Morgan dusted her hands. “No sledding for our visitors. It’s too risky.”
“We don’t have to go,” Greg said. “I thought it would be fun. Seeing how you’re in the mood for nostalgia, downhill sledding fits the bill.”
“It certainly does. Maybe you could demonstrate, and then Quinn and I will decide if the reward is worth the risk.”
“As in potentially breaking bones,” Quinn quipped.
“You’ll do fine. I’ll show you how easy it is.” Greg grabbed hold of the rope and guided his sled to the edge of the hill. He plopped down on the wooden base and stuck his feet out in front of him. Grabbing hold of the rope, which did double duty as the steering mechanism, he pushed off.
“Wheeeeee!” His whoop echoed loudly in the crisp winter air. Sailing down the hill, Greg picked up speed. The sled cut a path through the piles of drifting snow, sending the powdery fluff flying into the air. He hit a bump and became airborne, lifting off the seat.
Whooping even louder, he reached the bottom of the hill, heading right toward the lake.
Quinn clamped a gloved hand over her eyes. “I can’t look. Did he crash?”
“Not yet.” Morgan braced herself, waiting for him to careen onto the ice. At the last minute, he jerked the rope. The sled veered right, coming to an abrupt halt when it hit a snowbank.
Greg sprang to his feet and raised his hand, signaling victory.
“You can look now.”
Grabbing hold of the rope, Greg dragged the sled to the top of the hill, where the women stood waiting. “What a ride.”
“It looked like a blast until you became airborne and then the part where you almost skidded onto the lake,” Morgan joked.
“All you gotta do is jerk the rope either to the right or left. It’s easy. Who’s going next?”
“Morgan.” Quinn nudged her bestie toward the sled. “She has Canadian and Michigander blood, which means she’s better qualified to try downhill sledding.”
“Michigander blood,” Morgan snorted. “It has nothing to do with my genes.”
“But you have northerner instincts,” Quinn insisted. “I’m a klutz. I need another lesson before attempting this stunt…err…activity.”
“I have another sled in the carriage house’s shed,” Greg said. “What if you both go down at the same time?”
Morgan snapped her fingers. “That’s an excellent idea.”
“I’ll go get it.”
Quinn waited for Greg to hurry off. “We’re gonna die,” she said dramatically.
“Bwak…bwak.” Morgan flapped her arms, clucking loudly.
“I am not chicken.” Quinn gave her a playful shove. “However, I don’t feel like going to the ER today.”
“All you gotta do is remember to steer away from the water when you reach the bottom. I have a theory.”
“About how not to die today?”
“We’re not dying,” Morgan chuckled. “If you feel like you’re going too fast, drag your feet.”
“Drag my feet to slow my speed.” Quinn wrinkled her nose. “I suppose if kids can do this, so can we.”
“Exactly. I’m surprised we didn’t go sledding last year, but now that we have them and this awesome hill, I can’t wait.”
“You’re right.” Quinn patted her puffy jacket. “Look at all this padding we have protecting us? Even if we crash, it will cushion the impact.”
“Good point.”
The conversation ended when Greg returned pulling a second sled, identical to the first, behind him. He lined them up side by side. “Ready to rip.”
“Potato chip,” Morgan said. “I bet I’ll beat you to the bottom.”
“No way.” Quinn dropped to her knees and rolled onto the sled, scooching all the way to the back to make room for her clunky pink boots. “Let’s do this.”
Woof! Woof! Chester and Esther pranced around in circles, excited by all the action.
“You'd better stay clear of us sledding newbies,” Morgan warned.
Greg called the pups to his side. “On the count of three.” He lifted both hands over his head. “One…two…three!”
Morgan pushed off as hard as she could. The sled picked up speed and flew down the hill. Remembering the rope, she gave it a firm tug to the right, mindful to stay clear of Quinn, who was on her left and gaining ground.
Nose to nose, the two raced down the sloping hill. Up and over a bump, fresh powdery snow blew over her shoulder.
“Whoa.” Morgan’s stomach flip-flopped as she and her sled became airborne. It came down with a gentle thud, and on they went.
Morgan cast a furtive side glance at Quinn, a look of pure joy on her face, her eyes wide and a smile lighting her face. The trip down the hill moved in slow motion yet so quickly it was over in the blink of an eye.
She gave the rope a sharp pull, veering off to the right and following the same path Greg’s sled had taken. She hit a pile of snow and came to a sudden stop.
Morgan scrambled to her feet. “Who knew sledding could be this fun?”
Quinn, who had gone left, jumped off. “Racing through the snow,” she sing-songed.
“In a speedy wooden sleigh,” Morgan chimed in. “I want to do it again.”
“Me too.”
Chester and Esther, not to be left out of the adventure, barreled down the hill, their little legs moving at full speed to catch up with the women. “You silly pups.” Morgan ruffled Chester’s ear. “How about I give you a ride back to the top?”
She scooped her pup up and placed him on the sled while Quinn did the same, placing Esther on her sled.
The friends climbed the hill all the way to the top, where Greg stood waiting. “Well?”
“It was so much fun.” Morgan struggled to catch her breath. “Who needs a gym? All you need is a few trips down the hill.”
“Let me guess…you’re ready to go again.”
“Yep. But it’s your turn this time.” Quinn handed him the rope.
He started to shake his head.
“I insist.”
Morgan dusted off her backside. “I’ll race you to the bottom.”
“Last one there is a rotten egg,” he joked.
Quinn took over the role of the starter. She checked to make sure the pups were out of the way before lifting both hands and counting to three.
Morgan pushed off, this time harder, and sailed through the air. It felt the same as when she’d tried Wyatt and Grady’s zipline…the feeling of freedom, of flying through the air.
She stared straight ahead, out into Lake Huron, an icy sheet of glass for as far as the eye could see. Cold, crisp air. Pure, white snow. Clear blue skies. Easton Island at its winter finest.
Greg beat Morgan by a hair, congratulating her on a good run. Back at the starting spot, he raced Quinn down the hill, and then Morgan and Quinn raced again.
After the fifth trip, Morgan, now struggling to catch her breath, finally called it quits. “I feel like a kid again. Thank you for bringing the sleds over and letting us borrow them.”
“You’re welcome.” Greg lowered his head, smiling sheepishly. “For a minute there, I didn’t think you would try it.”
“Neither did I,” Quinn said. “I’m glad we did. Look at all the fun we would have missed out on.”
“We’ll have to go again.” Morgan noticed the sun, a dull orange ball sinking down behind the lake. Evening would soon set in. “All this fresh air worked up an appetite. I’m starving. I bet Tina is already prepping for the guest’s social hour and has ample snacks for us to sample.”
“As tempting as it sounds, Esther and I have some errands to run before heading home.”
“Bummer. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“You betcha. I’ll bring the snowsuit back later.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Quinn called her dog and plodded off.
Greg grabbed hold of the rope and fell into step with Morgan. “I need to get back to work. We have two late-arrival guests coming in.”
“Late arrivals?”
“Ronni said they booked at the last minute. I’m picking them up at the airport at six.”
As soon as they reached Locke Pointe, Greg grabbed the van keys and took off.
Morgan headed to the kitchen, where Tina was finishing up the final preparations for the evening’s get-together. “There you are. Ronni was looking for you earlier. She mentioned that you weren’t answering your phone.”
“We were out sledding with Greg. Is she still here?”
“She left about half an hour ago, something about special guests arriving soon and she wanted to pick up some fresh flowers.”
Morgan’s brows drew together. “She could have borrowed the ones I picked up for the open house.”
Tina shrugged. “She seemed a little frazzled.”
“I’ll track her down.” Morgan made a beeline for the office. She promptly plucked her cell phone from the drawer and dialed Ronni’s number. It went directly to voicemail. “Hey Ronni. Tina said you were looking for me. Quinn and I were sledding with Greg. I’m back in the office now.”
Curious to find out what had Ronni stressed, Morgan turned the computer on and pulled up the reservation screen. Sure enough, two room reservations had been booked at the last minute.
Oddly enough, instead of a name and telephone number, Ronni had written “private party” under both reservations.
She switched screens, trying to figure out who had paid for the suites.
Once again, it was marked private with only the last four digits of a credit card number being displayed.
“This is interesting,” she murmured under her breath.
Tina hovered in the doorway. “What’s interesting?”
“These last-minute reservations. Ronni marked them private. I can’t tell who made them. The information is hidden.”
Tink. Morgan snatched her phone off the desk. It was a text from Greg letting her know he was pulling in, and the guests specifically asked if she was there. You’re not gonna believe who I just picked up.
I’ll meet you at the front door. Morgan set the phone aside, her scalp tingling as she wondered if Greg meant she wouldn’t believe it in a good way or a bad way.
Quick footsteps echoed in the hallway. Ronni appeared. “You’re here. Greg hasn’t come back with the guests yet, has he?”
“They’re pulling in now.” Morgan turned the computer off. “He said I wasn’t going to believe it.”
“Maybe you will.” Ronni started to say something. “Never mind. You’ll find out soon enough.”