Chapter 1: Getting Acquainted
At noon on Friday of the first long weekend of spring, I finished packing and headed out. The forecast called for perfect weather – clear skies and warm temperatures. I had booked myself into Pine Lake Resort just west of Halliburton. I had been there for a couple of conferences years before and was eager to get back and spend some time in the natural beauty of the countryside. I had planned to arrive early in the afternoon and had brought my golf clubs hoping play a round that afternoon. But my foremost goal was to capture some extraordinary images of the beautiful, rugged countryside. This would give me the opportunity to compare my new digital SLR camera with my trusted 35 mm cameras.
The traffic leaving the city had been much worse that I had expected. So, I was grouchy as I registered at the front desk. After putting some stuff in my cabin, I had gone to the restaurant expecting to get a fast meal. After studying the menu for several minutes, I scanned the room looking for wait staff. I saw none; however, an attractive, sophisticated looking, red head sat a nearby table staring out the picture window at the lake beyond the uncut lawn and debris-cluttered beach. Several more minutes passed before she looked in my direction. I flashed her my friendliest smile. She responded in kind.
"It seems like we're all alone here." I quipped
"Yes, I've been here for almost twenty minutes" she replied "I was beginning to wonder whether this place was open or not."
"Would you be interested in finding someplace else to get something to eat?" I offered.
"Sounds good to me, but there's nowhere else here and it'll take over an hour to town and back" she quickly answered.
"I've got some burgers in my cabin and there's a small barbeque by the beach" I offered. "I was going to have them when I go hiking but I'd be happy to share them with you if that's to your liking?"
"That sounds fine to me. I'm starving. I'll bring some wine – you drink wine don't you?" She responded.
"By the way, my name is Ava."
"I'm Doug." I eyed Ava from head to toe, paying particular to her statuesque figure. She was a Sophia Loren look-a-like except her hair. Ava's was short-cropped and copper red. "I'm in cabin 9 just over there at the edge of the beach." I stated.
"Oh, I'm in cabin 6, up by the main lodge." Ava replied. "I'll get the wine and be down shortly."
I hurried down to the barbeque near my cabin. I lit the charcoal, while waiting for it to get up to cooking temperature; I pulled up a couple of chaise lounges then went to the cabin to get the stuff to cook.
As I returned to the BBQ, I was delighted to see that Ava had claimed one of the lounges. She gripped a tumbler in each hand; a large wine bottle thrust up from between her legs. "Care to open this up?" She smirked.
"Don't have a cork screw" I quipped.
Ava looked down at bottom of the deep 'V' in her form fitting t-shirt. Sure enough, her ample cleavage securely held the black and chrome handle of a corkscrew.
"May I?"
"Well my hands are full!" Ava chortled.
"That's not all – your shirt appears to be busting out a bit." I admired.
"I felt that I should wear something more suitable." She commented.
The tailored suit and translucent blouse that Ava had worn in the restaurant had been replace by skin tight leather pants, a brilliant white cotton t-shirt with a deep 'V' front, covered with pant matching leather jacket-vest. The leather colour accented her hair colour, as did the colour on her finger and toe nails.
"Your smoke signal made it easy to find your place." Ava laughed.
"I may have gone a little heavy on the started fluid." I replied sheepishly.
"Oh so you're not the great outdoorsman that starts you fire by rubbing two sticks together." She needled.