“Want to go visit her?”
“What if she’s not at home?”
Axel shrugged. “The view from where she and Cam are fixing up a cabin on the lake is worth seeing even if they aren’t there.”
“That would be nice.”Is it too dangerous to look at water and trees with the man I’m in love with? The one I can’t ever have?After thinking about it for only a second, Lucy made a decision.I’ll chance it.“Let’s go.”
Axel drove with a purpose, looking straight ahead through the truck’s windshield. Lucy watched the interesting terrain as they once again traveled to another scenic locale. It wasn’t a public place, but if Ria was there, at least they wouldn’t be alone. And if she wasn’t at home, well, then they’d both just have to be strong.
The gate to his brother’s lakeside property was unlocked and open. “Somebody must be up there,” Axel said.
Lucy was both disappointed and relieved that others were at the lake.
“It could be a stray workman instead of Ria. They are having quite a bit of work done on the cabin.”
“I’m sure the view is lovely regardless of who is there.”
He smiled, but didn’t look in her direction.
He parked his truck next to a large Earther vehicle, but all Lucy had eyes for was the lake. She didn’t look away until Axel came around the truck and opened her door.
“It’s so beautiful.”
“I know, right? Cam and Ria love it out here.”
“I would, too.”
Axel put his hand flat on her back and urged her toward the water’s edge, where a long wooden sidewalk had been built out over the water.
She pointed to it. “What’s that called?”
“The dock?”
“Yes. The dock. I love it.”
“Want to walk on it?”
“Can we really?”
He took her hand and led her halfway out. She was well away from shore, but standing over a vast watery view. She stopped in her tracks to take in the beauty of it all. Like at the swimming hole, she breathed in the scents around her. It was mostly Axel, but the breeze carried other unusual pungent scents, not unappealing.
Lucy watched a fish flip out of the water and make a splash. She pointed, laughing at the display.
“See across the lake there, where the trees open into that clear patch on the hill over there?”
“Yes.” The place he pointed to was directly opposite the house behind them, but a bit higher up the hill across the lake’s expanse.
“The plot of land there just came up for sale.”
“Oh?”
“I’d been thinking about buying it.”
Lucy smothered a whimper. If she ruled the galaxy, she’d insist he buy the beautiful property. They could make it their new home after she was kicked out of her family for disrupting the wedding ceremony of the second-born children. If only Francine weren’t the sister who would suffer.
“I guess that’s not possible now.”
“Why? Do you think your sister would hate it?”
