The girls nodded.
Jason secured their gear to the mules. “Who wants to lead the second one?”
Jade volunteered. “What’s his name?”
“Dozer. This one’s Mandy.”
“Cool. Are the horses coming with us?”
“No, a man down the road owns them. He boards them in our stable and feeds the mules for us in exchange.”
“Too bad.” Ivy sighed. “I’d love to ride one.”
“I’m afraid we don’t offer trail rides, but don’t worry. There’re plenty of other activities to keep you occupied.”
They followed a beaten dirt path through a thicket of trees out onto an open hillside and walked for a half hour before Jason stopped his mule.
“Check out the view.”
An open vista stretched before them with towering granite peeks and dense conifer forests reaching to the horizon. A crystal clear lake rested at the bottom of the bowl.
“Wow, it’s really pretty,” Ivy called. “Come look at the lake, Jade.”
She handed the lead rope to Rachel and ran over to stand next to her sister. “This is so awesome. Are we on top of a mountain?”
Their guide shook his head. “Not really. We’re on a ridge above the camp. The trail leads down from here.”
“The cabins sure look tiny.” Lark started down the slope behind the others.
“They aren’t very big, just a room lined with bunks and storage space for your gear underneath.”
Lark stopped. “And a bathroom.”
Jason grinned at her. “I’m afraid we don’t have indoor plumbing at Granite Lake. That path at the far end of the cabins leads to the outhouses. We use a lot of lime, so they don’t smell too bad, as outhouses go.”
She gave her mother a horrified look. “You didn’t mention anything about outhouses. What about showers? Please tell me there’re showers.”
“We jump in the lake, right, Mom?” Jade pushed on the mule to get him moving again.
Their guide took pity on Lark. “We have solar showers. The water is pretty warm after hanging in the sun all day.”
“Super. It’s practically five star accommodations.” Lark wrinkled her nose as one of the mules stopped to lift its tail. “Gross. That’s so disgusting.”
“Pee-yew.” Ivy waved her hand in front of her nose. “What do you feed him?”
“Hay and the occasional bologna sandwich. Dozer loves bologna.”
“You might want to think about changing his diet.”
Lark frowned at her sister. “Your doll is going to lose its shoe.”
Ivy screamed and grabbed the dangling shoe. “Thanks. I wouldn’t have liked fishing it out of that steaming pile.”
Jade shrieked with laughter, her braces flashing in the sunlight, and even Lark was smiling as they entered the camp.
A tall man with brown hair, blue eyes and a strong resemblance to Kane jogged up the slope from the lake to greet them. “It sounds like you enjoyed your hike.” He extended a hand. “I’m Jed Lafferty, your host.”
Jason introduced Rachel and the girls to Jed and Ozzie Thompson, a short man with sparse white hair. The cook was probably in his mid-seventies. He shook Rachel’s hand and then went back to the campfire he was tending.
“Kane took some guests on a hike, and Hillary drove into Truckee for supplies. You’ll meet them both later. Kane’s my brother.”
Rachel opened her mouth to say she was already acquainted with his brother but closed it when Ivy interrupted.
“Is this our cabin?”
Jed nodded. “Go ahead and settle in. Ozzie should have lunch ready shortly. I imagine you’re hungry after your hike.”
Jade peeked inside. “Starving.”
“Come out to the central picnic area when you’re ready. That’s where we eat all our meals. Toilet facilities are at the end of this path, and there are a couple of shower stalls over near that grove of trees.” He pointed to a bucket of water by the door. “This is just for washing. We keep a supply of bottled water to drink.”
Jason had unloaded the mules while Jed talked, and both men left them to get organized. Her youngest daughters claimed the upper bunks.
“This is so cool.” Jade climbed up to her bed and bounced on the bare mattress. “It’s comfortable, too.”
“That’s good.” Rachel sat on a lower bunk to test its firmness. “This beats sleeping on the ground.”
Other than the four bunks, the furnishings consisted of a small table with two chairs, an old fashioned basin and water pitcher, a mirror in a copper frame and a lantern, which hung from an overhead hook.
“It’s nice.” Ivy reached up to touch the lantern. “I like this place.”
“The cabin seems functional.”
Rachel smiled at the girls. Their eyes were bright with anticipation. Even Lark had stopped moping.
“Let’s spread out our sleeping bags and then go eat. I’m pretty hungry.”
They stowed their suitcases under the bunks and washed their hands and faces in the basin. After tying Daisy in the shade with a bowl of water and a dog treat, they left the cabin to follow the trail to the area set up with picnic tables Jed had mentioned. A buffet of sandwiches, salads and chips was spread out on vinyl tablecloths. A big tub of iced drinks rested next to the food table.
“It certainly doesn’t look like we’re going to starve while we’re here.” Rachel sat down with her loaded plate.
Jade swallowed a mouthful of macaroni salad. “It’s really yummy, almost as good as Grandma’s.”
“Don’t let your grandmother hear you say that. You’re right, though. It’s very tasty.”
“Ozzie is one heck of a cook. We’ve been eating like kings since we got here.”
Rachel turned around and smiled at the speaker, a young man in his late twenties with long hair pulled back in a ponytail and a scraggly beard. His friend had short, dark hair under a Chicago Cubs baseball cap and brown eyes. They introduced themselves as Chip and Bob.
“Did you just arrive?” Chip asked.
Rachel nodded, wondering how he could possibly eat the Dagwood sandwich without half of it ending up in his beard. “We’re staying for a week. Have you been here long?”
“This is our second day. The place is great. We hiked fifteen miles yesterday, so today we’re taking it easy with a little fishing and lazing around at the lake.”
“We’ll probably go down to the beach after lunch.”
“Mom, that lady over there is staring at you.” Ivy tugged on her arm. “I think she’s trying to get your attention.”
Rachel’s gaze followed Ivy’s pointing finger. A woman who looked to be in her mid-forties with shoulder-length brown hair and an eager expression sat at a table with a man and two teenaged kids. She spoke to them in a low voice before coming over.
“I’m sorry to bother you.” Her smile was uncertain. “I’ve been going mad with curiosity. Were you by any chance on a soap opera a dozen years ago?”
“I