For the Love of His Life (15 page)

When Amy brought him the two pieces of pie, she refilled his coffee cup then left him to enjoy the scenery alone. He chewed morosely, while also noting on one level that the pie was delicious…both kinds. But he kept watching for any sign of a canoe that didn’t appear.

Eventually he decided to walk along the lakeshore, to have a smoke.

Where are they? If it was me, and I only got to see her once a year, I’d have her bent over a rock and I’d be pleasuring both of us while the critters watched. I’d have taken her far enough away that no one would hear her scream. Then I’d fuck her in every way I could think of, to make up for lost time…

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice that Marie was waving to him from her back porch until she yelled, “Hey, Rall! You’re back! Come on up here and tell me how you liked back-packing.”

Realizing he could still watch the lake from her back porch, he waved back and strode up to the stairs and onto the porch. Marie was sitting on the wicker rocking chair with her feet up on the footrest in front of her. She had an open book on her lap, but put a marker in it and closed it when he got closer.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?” she asked amiably.

“Sure,” he answered.

She got up and bustled into her kitchen then came back out with an empty cup and the pot. She poured coffee into the cup and handed it to him before she refilled her own. She sat back down and gestured toward the swing.

“Have a seat. How did your first communing-with-nature trip go?”

Despite his anxiety about Veronica, Raul got excited telling Marie about how much fun it had been to sleep in a tent on the ground…about how he enjoyed fishing all the more knowing it was what they’d be having for dinner…about how proud he was that the men who had booked the trip didn’t realize who he was until their third day out, because he was so good at canoeing, fishing, and cleaning the fish that they assumed he was one of Keith’s employees.

Marie asked all of the questions he’d been hoping to answer for Veronica and he enjoyed telling her all about his trip. But once he was done, he had to ask what she knew about the man with the canoe.

“So, Amy told me that Veronica is out on the lake in a canoe with some guy she knows from college? An Ojibwa who is a lawyer?”

Marie nodded. “Yes. John tries to make it down here once a year, most years. The rest of the time he’s either too busy with his job, or the lake is too frozen for him to paddle his canoe down for a visit.”

Raul tried to smile but felt his face reflecting his anxiety despite his best efforts.

“So…are they…um…dating?” He tried to look like it didn’t matter to him but somehow his acting talents seemed to have disappeared.

Marie stopped rocking and studied his face before shaking her head.

“No, I don’t think so. They dated briefly in college, but when she graduated and came back home, Veronica said there was no reason for her not to move back here, and every reason for her to buy herself a place. She got a loan and bought the cabin she lives in on Sugar Lake and she’s been there ever since. If she and John were an item, I’d think he’d have wanted them to live closer to each other, don’t you?”

Raul nodded, still staring off across the lake. He knew that the wily old woman was still watching him, but he didn’t care. He kept imagining what might be going on between Veronica and her Ojibwa friend, until the torture became almost unbearable.

Marie cleared her throat to get his attention before asking quietly, “Does she know how you feel?”

Raul looked over to her quickly. “How can she, when I don’t even know how I feel?”

“You sure look like you’re unhappy that she’s off on the lake with another man,” she observed.

“It’s just that I was looking forward to telling her about my trip…about how I got to use so much of what she’s taught me. How happy I was to practice the fish-cleaning skills she taught me. How much I enjoyed every minute, knowing she would understand.” He stopped, realizing that he had already said too much.

He met her eye and pleaded with her. “Don’t tell her anything. We’re not from the same worlds. Sometimes I’m not even sure she likes me. At least with you I know where I stand. But with her? I’m never able to figure her out…”

“Yes, he does suit her better, now that you mention it. He’s from her world, as you put it. But that’s none of my business, one way or the other.”

There was silence for a few minutes as Raul tried to figure out how to regain his composure. Suddenly Marie spoke up.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself? There they are,” she said, pointing out at the lake where a tiny canoe was barely visible in the distance.

His pulse sped up as he realized she was right. He recognized Veronica’s light, shiny hair even from across the lake. He knew the old woman was still studying his face and tried to keep it bland and expressionless, but also figured that he was failing miserably.

What kind of an actor am I, when I can’t even keep basic emotions to myself, off my face? Dig deep, Raul. Remember that you have to show the world what they want to see, and their expectations will make up for what I’m not able to hide. I’m a spoiled, arrogant prick she is babysitting as a favor to her cousin. That’s all I am to her. And I certainly can’t let that Native pendejo see anything else.

They watched in silence as the canoe got closer to the shore. When it was really close, Raul stood up.

“I think I’ll go down and help them get on-shore,” he said, knowing that neither of them needed any help and both were capable of landing the canoe alone.

Marie smiled and nodded. “You do that. See you later, Rall.”

He shot her a quick pained look, before looking up to see Veronica waving at them. He waved back as he walked down the stairs toward the shoreline.

As the canoe neared, his worst fears were realized. The Ojibwa lawyer was a good-looking man with an athletic build, if his upper body was any indication. He was shirtless, wearing only jeans shorts. His long, black hair was tied back in a single long braid that hung on his back.

At least he’s not wearing a fringed leather thong
, Raul thought grimly.
And neither of them are nude…though they might have been recently. ¡Hijo de puta! I’ve got to try to act casual…

He called out, “Hello!”

Veronica waved as they neared the shore. “You’re back! How was the trip?”

“Great! I had lots of practice getting canoes in and out of water,” he said as he stepped into the lake and reached for the end of the canoe, pulling it toward the shore as the man in it glared at him.

“In fact, the guys who booked the trip didn’t realize who I was for days! They thought I was one of Keith’s employees, along to help do what they didn’t know how to do.”

Veronica grinned. “Really?”

He nodded then bowed slightly to her, “I’m in your debt once again,
señorita
. The skills you taught me have already served me well.”

Meanwhile the other man had jumped out of the canoe and all but pushed Raul out of the way as he pulled it up onto the shore. Raul backed off with his hands up, in a
pardon-me
gesture. He was pleased to see a smile flicker across Veronica’s face.

Once the canoe was on land, Veronica began to get out on the side that Raul was on, so he gave her his hand to steady her. He swore he could hear a growl coming from the other man.

“Raul, this is John Manfred. We were at the U. of M. together, years ago. John, this is…”

“Yeah, I know. The actor you said was staying at Gram-Marie’s resort. Raul Roderick, right? Star of many explosion-loaded action flicks and forgettable romance-comedies. But yet somehow Jared thinks he will do justice to the role of your ancestor. I wonder what Jared is smoking these days.”

Okay, at least we both know where we stand,
Raul thought
. No beating around the bush or attempting to hide our mutual dislike. That makes things so much easier.

“And you must be the Ojibwa lawyer that Gram-Marie told me about,” he countered, showing that he also knew Marie well enough to use her family’s name for her. “I’ll bet you specialize in saving widows and orphans, and you do it all
pro-bono
.”

John’s eyebrows rose, “I’m surprised you know what
pro-bono
means. Your speaking roles aren’t usually very intellectual.”

“Oh, my Mom used to have to seek out lawyers who were willing to help her out,
pro-bono
. Or she would have to work out a…shall we say…
payment exchange
, in return for them getting her back on the streets.”

John shook his head. “Does your Mama know you talk about her like that?”

“Sure, but she’s a respectable married woman now, with a rich, retired spouse who enjoys having her dress up so he can show her off at his golf and charity events. And whenever I can get her to let me give her things, I try to repay her for not having aborted me, or dumped me in an orphanage when that would have made her life so much easier, after my Sioux father left the minute he found out she was pregnant.”

Veronica rolled her eyes, “Boys…boys…please! I feel like in another minute you are both going to drop your pants and aim for that tree over there to see who misses. Enough!”

Raul and John continued to glare at each other.

Veronica sighed. “John, I’m kind of tired. I think I’ll head home and take a shower and maybe have a quick nap.”

He broke off eye contact with Raul to turn to her. “But I thought we were going out to dinner tonight.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. Let’s see how I feel later. Call me in a few hours and I’ll let you know.”

She turned to Raul. “And I want to hear all about your trip. But later, okay?”

Raul nodded. “Sure. And may I say, both of today’s pies were phenomenal?”

Veronica grinned. “You tried both of them?”

“Yeah. We didn’t have much lunch and I was hungry. I think I’ll go for a quick run before dinner, to stretch my legs and work off the pie. See you later.” He turned and deliberately walked away toward his cabin, showing both of them that he wasn’t going to stick around to beg for her attention.

When he got far enough away, he ducked behind a tree and shamelessly spied on the other two.

John seemed to be trying to talk Veronica into changing her mind. She shook her head at him repeatedly, even when he strode up to her and took both of her hands in his. Raul wanted to run up to them to separate them by any force necessary, but he was pleased to see that Veronica pulled her hands back and began to walk up the trail toward the main building. She turned and waved at the man by the canoe, then disappeared around the corner of the building, heading for her truck in the parking lot. Once they both heard her truck starting, the man got back into his canoe and pushed off from the shore to paddle back to wherever he was staying. He peered around at the trees on the side Raul was on, as if he knew he was being watched.

That’s right, I’ve got my eye on you,
Raul thought
. You go on back to where you came from, buddy. It’s bad enough that I have to be with her all of the time, knowing that she thinks I’m a jerk. I don’t want to deal with having to watch you hanging all over her too.

Satisfied she was safely away from the man she had once dated and presumably allowed to touch her in the places he fantasized about every night, Raul went into his cabin to change into his running shorts and he hit the trail to work off some of his frustration…and the pie.

Chapter Twelve

Veronica enjoyed the memory of the two men sparring as she drove back to her house.

It was like Raul was jealous! I mean I knew John would be…who wouldn’t? With a sexy, hot man like Raul hanging around me so much. But Raul? Why would he be jealous? It’s almost as if he’s got the hots for me or something…

She amused herself with imagining who would win if they fought over her, as she turned off the Gunflint Trail onto the road that led to her house. After a few minutes,.she reached her driveway and stared at the car already parked there. It had Minnesota plates, but she didn’t recognize it, nor was she expecting anyone. She pulled up and parked behind it. As she got out, she saw her famous cousin coming back up from the lakeshore, smiling broadly at her.

“Jared! What are you doing here?”

“Ronnie! My favorite cousin and first love! How the hell are you?”

He grabbed her and pulled her close for an extended hug, then when he let go of her and she backed up, he kissed her on first one cheek then the other.

“Did you just get in?”

He shook his head. “Nah, I got into Duluth a while ago, rented a car, and drove straight up here. I was so excited I only stopped once because I needed gas.”

“But why come here? Why not go to the resort first?”

They walked over to her front door and stopped as she pulled out the keys she’d jammed into her pocket when she saw him.

“I wanted to talk to you first,” Jared said sounding serious.