Page 78 of Waste of Worth

Well, he had the best view sitting right beside him.

Karen pulled her legs down from the dashboard and leaned forward in the seat, taking in the cabin as they came closer. She peered out the windows, her interest growing at the sight of the lake and floating barge with a small boat attached.

“This is yours?” Karen asked. “All of it?”

Dino shrugged as he pulled Karen’s car to park in front of the cabin. “It is, but it’s nothing compared to some of the other places around the lake. A lot of the other properties are hidden by trees or set higher on the hills.”

“Nothing? Dino, this place is beautiful.”

He hadn’t really noticed before, as his moments spent here had only been to get away fast and then be called right back to life. He never had the time to enjoy it as much as he knew it deserved to be, never mind care for the place hands-on. He paid someone else to do that for him.

By the looks of the chimney, with gentle puffs of gray smoke popping out of the top, the groundskeeper and maid had come in and done their job on time. Dino made a mental note to include a bonus in with their checks at the end of the month.

Glancing over at Karen with a smile, he asked, “So you like it?”

“Love it.”

“You’ll probably like the inside even more.”

Karen rolled her eyes and waved at the forest and lake surrounding them. “I doubt it.”

“You just want to take pictures.”

She didn’t even deny it.

“Do you see this place, Dino?” Karen asked, opening her door and stepping out of the car. “It’s a nature photographer’s wet dream.”

Dino cleared his throat, stepping out of the car himself and closing the door. “A wet dream, huh?”

Karen shot him a sly smile, promising and wicked all at the same time. “You don’t know all of the things that turn me on.”

“Yet.”

She hesitated in her steps, glancing over her shoulder at him. “What?”

“I don’t know them all yet. Give me time.”

Karen’s smile melted into a sensual grin. “We do have all weekend.”

And then they’d have to go back.

Unfortunately.

Dino was already trying to figure out how fast he could get back here with Karen after they had to leave. Suddenly, the place didn’t feel like just another deed with his name on it, but rather, a place where the rest of the world couldn’t touch him.

If only for a time …

“The front door should be unlocked,” Dino said as he rounded the car to pop the trunk.

He was just grabbing their bags as Karen took the few steps leading up to the cabin’s entrance two at a time. The entryway was made of four large tree trunks that acted as pillars, with thick logs as overhangs and forest green shingles to help the cabin blend in when looking down from up above.

Dino had only made it half way across the front yard when he heard Karen gasp loudly, then shout a happy yell. She’d left the door to the cabin wide open, and he only saw a brief peek of her back and caramel-toned hair before she was gone in a flash, probably to explore the inside of the two-level cabin.

Stepping inside the place, Dino was careful to set the bags down, and out of the way as he listened to the patter of Karen’s feet upstairs. The winding staircase that led to a loft-like upper section was also made out of curved logs and split wood stained a deep chestnut. Even the fireplace, made from stones that had been pulled from the ground when the previous owner dug out what would be the basement, had been meticulously designed, giving it a hand-crafted and beautiful feel.

The walls, exposed rafters, and even the crown-molding and baseboards were all made with the same hand-crafted beauty, and all were stained with that same chestnut color, making the place feel both warm and natural.

Like the earth, Dino thought.