Empowerment. Engagement. Authenticity.
Rangers Lodge Saga - The Lodge
Rangers Lodge was sprawled over 84-acres of
waterfront. Gardens were interspersed with tennis and basketball courts,
card tables set up under shady clumps of trees, lounge chairs and tables
arranged around an Olympic-sized swimming pool, hiking trails that wound
up into dense forests and a sandy stretch of private beach. And that was
just a few of the outdoor facilities. There was a myriad other
recreational distractions outdoors and in the farmhouse-style main
building. Kristen’s favourite place so far was the arbor, a square of
towering trees and floral bushes dissected by cobblestone paths and
dotted with fountains.
In the kitchen, Adrian’s cousin Raven gestured Kristen to the island
where she sat perched on a high stool. For dinner, Raven had decked
herself out in skin tight black satin pants and an electric blue halter
that made her huge blue eyes glow. Her husband, Jackson, stood beside
her, his muscled arms braced on the granite counter as he regarded his
wife in amused exasperation.
“Kristen help us out,” Raven said, accepting a drink from Adam and
taking a sip while gesturing to Jackson. “He wants to spend the morning
clambering around some old quarry. I want to go to the rose garden. Tell
him which option is more vacation-worthy.”
“The quarry is not just rocks,” Adam put in. He flashed Kristen a smile
and held up a ladle. “Drink?”
Kristen took in the large bowl before him which smelled more of rum than
pineapple juice and nodded with a grin as she slid onto a stool. She
waited for him to pass her the glass, took a long sip and then turned to
Raven with a mock contemplative expression. “That’s a tough one,” she
drew out, sipping her drink again. Man, it was yummy. Adam had talent.
“Quarry would make a good hike but if it’s romance you’re after, I’d go
with the garden at sunrise.”
“Screw that.” Raven made a face. “No garden is worth getting up that
early.” She slid lightly to her feet and linked hands with Jackson.
“Back out to the campfire. Check you later.”
“Would you actually do it?”
“Do what? The garden at sunrise? Definitely.” Kristen jiggled the ice in
her glass, down the last dregs. “I’d need directions from my cabin,
though. My head is still spinning from the size of this place.”
Adam refilled her glass and regarded her over the rim of his own drink.
“Meet me here in the morning and I’ll show you where it is.”
“You really don’t have to do that. I can find my way.”
“I’m sure you can. But the rose garden is a feather in my cap.”
Adrian entered the kitchen just then and veered to the sound of
Kristen’s voice. He curved his arm around her shoulders in a gesture
that struck Adam as more needy than possessive. But what the hell did he
know? Adam scoffed as he watched Kristen pass her glass to Adrian and
laugh at his grimace. He’d spent the past five years deliberately
avoiding both those reactions where women were concerned.
“What do you think of a sunrise walk in the rose garden?” Kristen asked
Adrian.
“I think it’s a stupid idea.”
“This one’s not a morning person.” she poked Adrian in the arm. She
tried to sound joking but Adam caught the hint of irritation in her
voice.
“Well, I am,” he said. “Meet me here in the morning if you want to go.
Five thirty.”
