Cedar Lane Properties—The Wallace Brothers

Chapter 17

Mike made the four hour trip from St. Louis with a perma-grin. A week seemed like a long time at the moment, but he had plenty to keep himself busy.

The Mennonite crew he hired to build a pole barn were nearly finished with their part of the build.

The massive metal structure was a vital first step. The barn would provide storage and much needed workspace. Semi trucks loaded with lumber and other supplies could drive right through the barn so there wouldn’t have to be any unloading in the rain. For now, the only refrigerator and working bathroom were also in the barn.

After unloading the box truck, he set up a little work table inside the barn and poured over a map of the property. Mike had unofficially divided the land into 4 quadrants. Even though the property lines were far from making a perfect square, it was surprisingly close.

The barn was near the south edge, close to the county road leading in. A much longer road suitable for semis and a lot more time would have been required otherwise.

Should the lodge be fairly centered or not? He wondered.

If the land was trying to speak to him, thoughts of Crystal prevented its “voice” from reaching him.

He’d rearranged the layout several times, second guessing everything now. Running utility lines were going to be expensive and time consuming almost anyway he went. He’d known that when he purchased the land.

Mike realized that actually living in the staff quarters of the lodge didn’t sound so appealing now. Living in his other properties had never bothered him before, but he hadn’t known Crystal before, either.

He got up and wandered outside, to where the two little cabins sat on concrete slabs, near the barn. The cabins would eventually be moved nearer to the RV spots. Wherever those wound up going.

Each 16x24 cabin had been built from a large portion of reclaimed material, boasting one bedroom, bathroom/laundry room, living area and kitchenette. A slab of walnut swiveled out from the back wall in each to divide the living side from the kitchen if the occupant preferred. The slab could stay against the wall for a more open concept, too. Mike was pretty proud of how he had maximized the space.

The purpose before Crystal was a part of the equation was to have one cabin for himself and one for whomever he hired.

Now, Mike wanted Crystal to share one with him. He cursed himself for not adding some extra space.

Relax! This relationship is still new. She will still be close. Let her have some privacy while you explore this attraction. That’s what we’re still doing, right?

Right?

Mike shook his thoughts clear. There was plenty of room where a house could be built if things progressed that direction. He still needed to decide the finishing touches on the cabins. Curtains or Venetian blinds? Area rugs or not? He had a list.

Armoires were one of the finishing touches he needed to add since he had decided not to include built in closets. Mike didn’t do many built-ins on anything, similar to how the Victorians did things. A room could be completely changed by rearranging the furniture or by swapping out pieces. This “unfixed” practice made remodels a lot less costly. Don’t like the pantry over there? Move it to a new spot. Don’t like the table or the China hutch? Refurbish or build a new one. No need to gut an entire room just to freshen it up.

He went back inside to unload the three armoires he’d already snagged at antique stores and studied each one with Crystal on his mind. He chose the only chifferobe for her so she could hang clothes on one side and have drawers for whatever girls needed drawers for on the other.

Someone had sloppily painted the chifferobe, but Mike knew it would be a beauty once he was done with it.

“Aye, tis a shame someone painted this fine piece,” Jacob remarked with his Mennonite accent on Monday.

“It is, indeed,” Mike acknowledged. “My grandfather taught me how to strip, repair and refinish these. It will shine again soon.”

“Here’s the list of country stores you requested. Most carry the quilts you inquired about and some have handmade furniture.” Jacob handed over the piece of paper. “These ladies at the bottom will custom make quilts but you’ll have to leave a message to reach any of them.”

“Thank you, Jacob.”

Mike didn’t know if such a thing was possible, but he hoped he could commission a peacock quilt for her. Crystal had enjoyed the peacocks the most at the zoo.

“I love the blues, greens and purples you see in a lot of peacock paintings,” she had told him.

He planned to have several handmade quilts for the guest rooms once decor had been decided on.

After Jacob and his men left for the evening, Mike decided to take the Polaris for a ride around the property. He would stop and study the trees, the views and listen. To see if the land spoke to him about what it wanted.

**

Crystal passed her ServSafe class the first time and decided to explore some of the displays before the How To Resolve A Dispute course started.

This was more of a trade show than training, she’d decided. The entire first floor of the plaza was filled with commercial vendors advertising their products and services. Cooling and heating, coffee makers, linens, tableware and even software techs. She took pamphlets not knowing how many of these products Mike was aware of.

She missed him. By Wednesday, she felt she’d gotten all she was going to from the course. Several participants had already gone home. Her new friend, Kristy, who, coincidentally, lived roughly 30 minutes from where the lodge was being built, was headed home after the next course. Crystal really wanted to catch a ride with her.

She texted Mike: Soo, I met a new friend. She lives somewhere north of Kirksville. This training is really more of a trade show and I was thinking, if Kristy has room, I could catch a ride with her.

Mike, who must have typed at lightning speed: If she doesn’t have room, I can be there in a few hours. Let me know ASAP.

Happiness flooding in her heart, Crystal went in search of Kristy.