Cold Heart Read online

  Lexi was feeling much more in control. Since having both the land line and the cell phone numbers changed, there had been no unwanted calls. She knew that eventually that land line number would get out again and there would need to be several lines once she was going to open, but for now she had peace and sleep. Her judgement was always so much better when she’d had enough sleep. Today, what she was really looking forward to was the visit with Marjorie, from the Upholstery Shop. Lexi had learned that Marjorie was also a decorator and that would be really helpful. If Lexi liked where she was headed with colors and such, it meant they could work together on all the design choices.

  This had been a tremendous relief to Lexi as there were so many things to be coordinated. It made much more sense to have a professional helping her decide these things. There were paint colors to pick, countertops to decide on and all kinds of draperies and linens that would have to be changed. Marjorie would have access to good prices and would know where to go and who to see. Lexi was excited. She was also excited because she wanted to ask her about Max.

  She hadn’t yet got up the nerve to call Grace Montgomery. It had been so nice not having to think about Mitch and Montgomery this past week, with no calls and no door knocking incidents, that she was reluctant to possibly stir anything up by calling. She hoped that they had seen that she was forging away with her plans and given up on the attempts to change her mind or scare her off.

  Despite her resolve the night of the mystery calls, Lexi had been back and forth on the whole issue several times in the days following. She wondered if she should just give in and sell. The truth was though, that she didn’t need the money. She needed the project and she had nowhere to go. In a way, she felt more at home here than she felt anywhere. As a child she loved the open skies and pastoral views and somehow, after years of not coming here, she had forgotten but it had all come flooding back that first day.

  She heard the crunch of gravel and Tucker’s woof announcing Marjorie’s arrival. Lexi went out to the front porch to greet her.

  “Wow,” Marjorie said, as she got out and saw Lexi. “I had no idea it was this impressive.”

  “Thank you,” Lexi said. “It needs some work but mostly just a little touching up here and there. And of course a lot of cleaning and yard work.”

  Marjorie had gone around to the trunk of her car and was getting a large box out. Lexi rushed to help her.

  “If you could get that one,” she said “I can manage this one.”

  “Just go straight in and then to your right. We can spread out on the dining room table,” Lexi said.

  Both ladies were puffing by the time they reached the table.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said you would bring lots of samples.” Lexi said.

  “No I don’t kid around. This place is beautiful,” she said looking around.

  “Would you like the twenty-five cent tour?” Lexi asked.

  “Yes please,” Marjorie said.

  Lexi could tell she was genuinely impressed and that would help. Lexi felt you had to actually like a space to do a good job of decorating it. She showed her the office, the kitchen and the washrooms and laundry area downstairs and then took her back out to the foyer and led her upstairs to the bedrooms. She didn’t show her Max’s room since she hadn’t completely emptied it yet and there were still a lot of boxes in there.

  “This is just lovely, Lexi,” Marjorie said as they walked back down the stairs.

  “There are four cabins also, but let’s see how far we get in here before we take a look at those. I am thinking of actually moving into one of the cabins myself eventually,” Lexi said.

  “Is it weird living in this huge space all by yourself?” Marjorie asked.

  “It is,” Lexi said.

  “So let’s start by talking about your vision for the place,” Marjorie said.

  “Yes, you bet but why don’t you unpack your samples and I will get us some tea and we can sit down and talk about it,” Lexi said.

  “Tea would be wonderful,” Marjorie said.

  “Okay, I’ll be right back,” Lexi said.

  She returned in a very few minutes and by then Marjorie had spread fabric samples and catalogues all over the table.

  “Wow, that is a little overwhelming,” Lexi said.

  “I know, but we will be eliminating quite a few, right off the bat. It is always easier to narrow it down when you are in the space,” she said. “So, tell me your plans.”

  “Well, I hope it will be more than just a lobby of sorts. I will need to have a check in desk somewhere, but given the fact that there are only a dozen rooms, counting the cabins it won’t need to be especially large or formal. I want this space to be more like a living room. I will need to expand into it a bit from the dining room as I will want to have several more small tables rather than one big one. I may still use the big one, for buffets and such but on a daily basis it will probably just have a nice flower arrangement or seasonal decorations,” Lexi said.

  “You have really thought this out haven’t you?” Marjorie said, looking impressed. “I brought several furniture catalogues for you to look through, just to get an idea of what you might like. There will be tables and chairs in there.”

  “Good,” Lexi said.

  “But let’s start with the furniture arrangement in here and then we can decide what pieces you may need and then we can think about fabrics and colors,” Marjorie said.

  The two women moved the large pieces around until they were happy with their locations. They decided where the check in desk would be and what type of unit they would put there. They arranged couches in front of the fireplace and then set up occasional chairs in another area by the windows. They figured out where the big dining table could go against a wall and how many smaller tables they would be able to fit into the dining room if they expanded its area into the edges of the great room. After that, Marjorie began to drape some of the chairs with fabric samples for Lexi to look at.

  “I recommend keeping the large pieces far more neutral than these chairs are,” Marjorie said, “that way they will not compete with any seasonal decorations you may want to have. You can put your color into pillows and throws and those things are more easily changed. Plus if you were to have a wedding reception here, for example, it would make it much easier for a bride to plan decor.”

  “I hadn’t even thought of that,” Lexi said. “What a good idea.”

  “I think you will need an area rug for the seating area by the fire and another for the area by the window. I’ll source out some and email you photos to see what you like. What I propose is that I do what they call a story board for the room and then you’ll be able to see exactly what I have in mind and hopefully have a good idea of how it’s going to look when it’s complete. Then, we do the same thing for the bedrooms and then eventually the cabins. What do you think?”

  “I love the idea.” Lexi said, “Can I afford you?”

  “Yes,” Marjorie laughed. “I can charge you a percentage of what the total budget becomes or by the hour. On big jobs like this where a lot of hours will be involved it is probably better that we agree on a percentage of the total budget. We will need to do a little more work before we actually determine what the budget is going to be. I will give you my pricing sheet to have a look at.”

  “Thanks,” said Lexi.

  “I think this is all we have time for today,” Marjorie said. “I’ll call you tomorrow from the shop and we’ll organize another time to get together, if that works for you?”

  “That would be great,” Lexi said. “We made great progress I think.”

  “Me too,” Marjorie said. “It’s going to be a beautiful spot.”

  “Thanks, I still don’t understand why my uncle didn’t get it up and running,” Lexi said. “Do you know anything about that?”

  “Well only what I have heard through a friend of a friend if you know what I mean,” Marjorie said. “She went to high school with Max. He was absolutely
smitten with this girl and he finally got her to go out with him during the last few months of school. During that summer after graduation, they were together constantly. They talked about getting married and then eventually building a Lodge like this and running it together. Something happened and my friend wasn’t sure what but this woman ran off with someone else. Max was devastated. He just never got over it. Then out of the blue one day he started building this place. It was really weird he got it to this point and then just abandoned the project, covered up the furniture and that was the end of it.”

  “That is really strange,” Lexi said. Something about the story was really unsettling but Lexi couldn’t decide what. Marjorie was packing up the samples they had determined would not work and when she had her box ready started toward the door.

  “So I will call you tomorrow,” she said’

  “Great,” Lexi said. “Thanks again.”

  She walked Marjorie out to her car and waved as she drove away. The men who had been working on the clean-up of the burned barn were almost finished. Lexi walked over to the man in charge.

  “It looks good,” she said. “Don’t know what is going to go there but there are lots of possibilities now.”

  “Yup,” the man said. “It’s good to see someone moving forward with the project. I helped Max with the original excavation.”

  “Really!” Lexi exclaimed. Was there no one in town that wasn’t involved or knew the story?

  “Yup,” he said. “I was real sad to hear about his accident. He was a good man.”

  “He was,” Lexi said. “I wish I’d been able to spend more time with him.”

  “Yes I’m sure you do. Well we are almost finished and we’ll be on our way.”

  “The bill?” Lexi said.

  “In the mail,” he replied.

  She went in and got Tucker once they had left. The cleaning people had left also and everything was shining. She took Tucker out without a leash as he had been cleared by Dr.Walters when she had taken him in a couple of days ago. He was able to return to his normal activities and he seemed really pleased about that. Lexi wondered what she would do with the area where the barn had been. Grass perhaps. She figured she would pave the driveway and a parking area and then create a nice lawn, maybe a fire pit. She needed to talk to a landscaper.

  She and Tucker were about to head for a walk when none other than Geoff Montgomery drove up and he had Mitch in the car with him. Both got out and Tucker immediately went nuts. He was barking so fiercely that she was afraid he might attack them but he didn’t leave her side. She quickly grabbed his collar and commanded him to sit. He quieted but he kept a low growl going. She held on tight.

  “Can I help you?” she asked impatiently.

  “That’s one vicious dog,” Montgomery said. “I’d be keeping a close eye on him.”

  “He’s a gentle as a lamb,” Lexi said. “He just knows a wolf in sheep’s clothing when he sees one.”

  “Hey now, no call to be unfriendly,” Montgomery said. “Mitch and I just came by to say how sorry we were to hear about the fire.”

  “I’ll just bet you are,” Lexi said.”If you don’t mind I’d appreciate it if you would get off my property.”

  “Well now, there’s no call to be rude,” Montgomery said.

  “Look, I know what you are up to and it’s not going to work. I’m not selling and you can try all the scare tactics you want, I won’t change my mind. Now get the hell off my property or I’ll go in and get one of those shotguns my Uncle Max was so fond of and I’ll use it.”

  “Well Mitch looks like we aren’t welcome and after my kind hospitality and all the other night. I think I’m a little hurt,” Montgomery said. “I guess we best be going before the little lady here decides to sic that mangy dog on us.”

  They got in their vehicle and drove down the driveway in a cloud of dust. Lexi had just managed to get Tucker inside when someone began banging the knocker.

  15

  She opened the door half expecting it to be Montgomery again. When she saw Carter, she burst into tears. He had her in his arms in an instant.

  “What happened?” he said as he pulled back and searched her face.

  “I just had a ... visit ... from .... Montgomery and ... Mitch,” she sobbed.

  “I know that,” Carter said and he hugged her again. “You’re okay Lexi, tell me what happened. I saw them turning out of the driveway onto the main road when I was coming back from town, just now. Did they do something, say something?”

  Lexi tried to get her tears under control. She snuffled and tried to wipe the tears away with her hand.

  “It’s not so much what they said, it’s more the way they said it and even then I couldn’t tell you exactly why but I just felt threatened.”

  “Well they are masters of intimidation,” he said.

  “Tucker went absolutely nuts when he saw Mitch I thought he might kill him if I had let him go. Thank goodness I had a hold of his collar and that he’s obedient. It was all the proof I needed to know that Mitch is the one that ... locked him ... in the barn. They said they were here to offer their condolences about the fire but they weren’t.”

  “No I agree, they were letting you know, lest there be any doubt in your mind, they mean business,” Carter said.

  That brought the tears again.

  “I’m ... sorry,” she sobbed. “I was having such a good day and I’ve made so much progress and was so ... proud of myself and ...”

  “It’s okay,” Carter said. “You have every reason to be upset. Let’s feed Tucker and then I want you to come over to my place for awhile. I’ll cook you dinner.”

  “Really,” Lexi said brightening. “That is so nice of you.”

  She wiped her eyes again and tried to smile but not enough for her dimples to appear and her lower lip was quivering like she might cry again. She bit her lip to make it stop. They went into the kitchen and fed Tucker. Lexi went upstairs and grabbed a sweater. She also went into the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. She ran a comb through her hair. She almost started to cry again. She was really scared of those men. Lexi ran down the stairs. Carter and Tucker were waiting at the bottom. I’ve checked all the doors and windows on the main floor. Do you have your keys?

  “Yes, here,” she said and handed them to Carter.

  He locked the front door and the three headed out to his truck.

  “You have a knack for coming to my rescue,” Lexi said.

  “Hey I’m happy to be your spider squasher,” he said.

  Lexi laughed. She cuddled up to Tucker who was sitting on the seat between them.

  “I will never let that mean man hurt you Tucker,” she said. “I’ll shoot him first.”

  “I told them to get off my property or I’d get one of Uncle Max’s shotguns and make them.”

  “You are one gutsy lady, I’ll give you that,” Carter said.

  “Well I was quaking in my boots the whole time and the truth is I don’t know the first thing about guns,” Lexi said.

  “I could teach you,” he said.”

  “Thank you,” she said and the lower lip quivered again, just a little, “But I don’t think I am a gun kind of person.”

  They had reached Carter’s place and he climbed out and Tucker followed. Lexi reached for her door handle but he had made it around and had the door open for her in a heartbeat. Lexi was taking it all in. It was a beautiful farmhouse.

  “Wow,” she said, “I don’t know what I was expecting but this is not it. It’s amazing Carter.”

  “My mom had such vision for this kind of thing. Wait until you see the inside. But first would you like to meet my horses?” he said.

  “Yes,” she replied. This was so nice and just the distraction she needed.

  They headed for the stables and went inside. It smelled of hay and leather and manure. They continued through a door that opened to a large paddock it was empty but Carter walked to a gate at the other side and as he opened
it, he whistled. Out of nowhere, six horses appeared at the edges of the pasture and they came running for all they were worth. They all came into the paddock and Lexi backed up a little.

  “They won’t hurt you,” he said.

  A couple of the horses came up to him and nuzzled against him. He made sure to touch each one and then he went into the stables and he put feed in each of their stalls and one by one he put each horse in its stall for the night. It was a lengthy process but Lexi was fascinated by these magnificent animals and by the love Carter showed to them. Tucker seemed to like the horses too and they he. Then as she watched he went to a stall at the very end of the barn, grabbing a bridal from a peg by the door and went into the stalls. He led a horse out and down towards the door to the paddock. Lexi gasped when she saw how thin the horse was. It walked slowly. A couple of the other horses whinnied at him as he passed.

  “Just got him the other day,” Carter said. “He needs a little outside time but he isn’t up to much yet. It’ll just take me a few minutes.”

  Carter led the horse out to the paddock and then he spent some time talking to the horse and stroking his head and neck. He walked the horse around the paddock a few times, then brought him back into the barn and put him in his stall. He then went into the room where the feed was stored and returned to the stall with feed for the horse.

  “Okay,” he said. “My work here is done. Let’s get us a drink.”

  “Oh that sounds nice,” Lexi said. “What do you feed that poor horse?”

  He gets several small meals a day for the first ten days or so. That’s the critical timing in starvation. The feed is a high quality alfalfa. It’s the best because of its high composition of protein as well as major electrolytes, phosphorus and magnesium.

  “Wow,” Lexi said, “What an undertaking to nurse a huge animal like that back to health.”

  “He’s number seven,” Carter said, “haven’t lost one yet.”

  “You mean everyone of ...”