“If it comes on a plate, we’ll eat it.”
He chuckled and Bella felt relieved they weren’t picky eaters. With so many allergies out there it made it hard to please everyone.
“Listen, I appreciate the offer of coffee but I was heading out to do some maintenance on my boat while it’s out of the water for an hour or so. I don’t suppose you’d like to tag along for a while, would you?”
Spend more time with the hero fireman? Now that was a novel idea when she had so much on her plate. Would it really hurt for her to have a few hours off? She had all afternoon to plan and cook the meal. More time than they gave her in competitions.
“Bella? Are you there?” His voice jolted her out of the fog that filled her brain.
“Sorry. I was mentally rearranging my schedule. Look. I’d love to come out and see more of the area if you don’t think I’ll be in the way. I’d hate to hold you up if you’re busy.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t mean it. You at the cottage?”
“Yeah.”
“Great, I’ll pick you up in five then.” The phone disconnected and she blew out a sigh.
Bella hurried to dress in warm clothes and was pulling on her boots when Jake stopped outside her gate. She pulled on her beanie and ran outside.
“I thought we could grab a coffee on the way.” He smiled as she did up her seat belt. “Don’t want to deprive you of your java hit if you’re looking after our dinners.”
“Great. I would have made some but you didn’t really give me much time. I could have put a picnic basket together.”
Jake turned the truck around and headed down the lane to the main road. “Next time, okay? I’ll give you more notice and you can plan to your heart’s content. Not sure if a picnic in this weather is a good idea though.” He pulled up outside the coffee shop and put the truck in park. “Give me a minute.” He slid out the door, slammed it behind him, and ran into the shop.
People went about their business as she waited for Jake to return. When he hurried out with two takeout coffees in his hands, she leaned over and opened the truck door for him, held out her hand and took possession of the coffees. “Smells so good.”
“Figure if we’re going to freeze our butts off scraping the boat, may as well be warm from the inside.” He pulled out in traffic again and headed out of town.
Bella gazed at the scenery as they left the town behind. He turned onto a dirt road, gave her a swanky grin as the truck bumped over ruts in the road. “Sorry. It’s a bit rough but it’ll be worth it. The view is pretty special out here.”
He drove through a dense forest of pine trees following a well-used track. “Bill and his family don’t have a boat so he lets me use the jetty out here. I’ve had my boat moored here for ages. Suits me to come out whenever I get a chance.”
Bella held onto the dashboard of the truck to help stop her bouncing around so much. “It’s lovely out here. So quiet and peaceful. It must be nice to get away from town now and then.”
Jake spun the wheel and drove out of the trees into a clearing. The lake loomed large in front of them.
“Oh, my. How beautiful.” A sense of wonder came over her. So peaceful and calm, the waters of Flathead Lake came right to the edge of the land. She opened the door and slid out, sucking in a breath as the cold air hit her.
Jake got out and walked around to her side of the truck. “It’s very special, isn’t it?”
“I can see why you like it out here so much. It’s just amazing. I mean the lake is pretty from where the cottage is but this is like being in a remote forest park.” She took a few steps closer to the edge. “How come it’s not frozen over here like it is in town?”
“The water is much deeper here. When we have a really cold winter it’s been known to ice up but generally it doesn’t. I still drag the boat out anyway. At least it gives me a chance to do some maintenance on it.” He pointed at a large ramshackle shed behind them. “There she is in all her glory, my little runabout.”
Bella glanced over at the boat half hidden under a canvas sheet. The hull was propped up in a cradle under the roof of the structure out of the weather. “Looks like you’ve been busy scraping her down.”
Jake raised an eyebrow. “You know about boats?”
She grinned and walked over to the shed. “A little. I went out with a guy once that had a boat. Let’s just say that he loved that boat more than me.”
“Sounds like a lovely chap.” Jake laughed. “I’d better not make the same mistake. Love my boat but it’s not worth losing a friend over.”
“Tell me what you’re doing today.” Bella ran her hand over the hull and inspected the newly patched fiberglass.
“Well, I was going to do a bit of sanding but I missed a couple of patches last time. It was getting dark when I finished up so I’d better do that first, I guess. I can finish up next time I get out here.”
“It’s a shame you don’t get more time out here, Jake. If I helped you, we could get a lot more done.” She pulled over a drum and perched her butt on it and watched as he pulled supplies out of an old tin cupboard.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind really. An hour or two here and there gives me enough
