He shook his head. ‘My father had been estranged from them for a long time. I visited here when I was small, but I didn’t remember until we all came over to see it after my father died. It was left to us, but none of us had any idea he owned it. Everything was just as it had been when my grandparents left decades ago.’
‘What an incredible story. No wonder you feel a pull to the place.’ She understood now. He was carrying on his family’s legacy, protecting it and cherishing it.
‘I’m not sure my father would approve of what I’m doing.’
‘Because he didn’t want to be here, you think he wouldn’t want you to be?’
‘Something like that.’
She sensed that this was something Mats wasn’t quite ready to share.
‘I’m sure he’d be proud of you for following your dream.’ She reached for his hand, and his eyes moved to meet hers. There was uncertainty there, but it was gone in a second.
‘Come on,’ he said, leading them through the trees. ‘Let me show you where we’re staying.’
As they moved away from the farmhouse, the island became more appealing. There was grass, occasional glimpses of thefjord through the trees, and some very cute, albeit dilapidated, little cabins.
‘Are you keeping the cabins?’
‘Yes. They’re part of phase two, so probably not until next year. It’s good that you like the cabins.’
He stopped next to a cabin with faded red paint on the outside. There was something different about it, but Lotta couldn’t put her finger on it. He was smiling and then jerked his head toward the cabin. ‘This is ours.’
She grinned. He looked so pleased with himself, and she was relieved to have solid walls and a roof for the night rather than canvas. ‘Come on then, show me around.’
He pulled the door open and stood to the side so she could go in. The inside was all bare wood floors and walls, but Mats had made it cosy with rugs and a bed that looked so inviting.
‘It’s wonderful!’
‘You like it?’
‘I love it.’ She turned to him and looped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest while she took in their little house. ‘I can’t believe you have it so nice. Did you bring all of this over here?’
‘Yes, last weekend. It cleaned up okay.’
‘It’s better than okay, Mats. Honestly, I thought we’d be sleeping in a tent. This is gorgeous.’
‘Let me light the fire, get it warm.’
Lotta sat on one of the wooden chairs next to the window and watched Mats assemble some kindling in the stove’s grate and light it. It crackled, the flames licking upwards and making the cabin feel instantly cosy. He’d made a small pile of logs in the opposite corner, and she handed him a couple.
‘Shall we fetch the bags and then we can get settled in,’ he said.
‘Will you show me the rest of the island? Tell me about your plans?’
‘Sure, I’d love that.’
After they’d got everything from the boat and arranged it all inside, they strolled through the woods to the opposite end of the island. The sun was higher now and sent dappled sunlight through the trees. It gave this end of the island a different feel to the side where they’d landed, and Lotta could see the beauty in the place.
Once they emerged from the trees onto the tip of the opposite side of the island, she stopped, feeling breathless as she saw what was in front of her. The fjord joined as one again, and in front of them the mountains on either side soared high and steep, the rocky sides home to numerous narrow waterfalls, trickling or sloshing down to the fjord below. There were more trees than you might expect to see on such rocky, vertiginous terrain, and in the distance, the highest peaks were still snow-covered.
‘This is incredible. I’ve seen fjords before, but this has come from nowhere. Look at the view.’
‘I want this side of the island to be where guests can come to paddleboard, kayak, or even swim in the summer.’
‘I can just imagine myself lying here on a lounger, if it was warmer, or even on a cold sunny day you could wrap up in blankets and read. It’s so peaceful, Mats.’
He nodded and came behind her, wrapping himself around her, warm and solid. ‘It feels like a million miles away from anywhere.’
