“Wakey, wakey, eggs n bakey!” Taylor said, in a singsong voice.
Groaning loudly, I threw a pillow in her general direction. Why did she have to be so happy this early in the morning? I barely went to bed a few hours ago, and now she was waking me from the perfect dream. Mr. Hot and Steamy was giving me the time of my life.
Taylor squealed as she dodged the pillow. “How rude! I made sure everything was packed in the car last night to guarantee we’d leave on time. So get your ass out of bed and let’s go, lazy bumpkin!”
Groaning, I rolled onto my back with my pillow over my face, wishing I could go back to sleep.
“We don’t want to be late, Fuzzy. Get up!” Taylor pulled at my covers, but it only made me hold on tighter. I get we’re going on a much needed, two-week long vacation to Glacier National Park, but come on. I wanted nothing more than to snuggle under the covers and get my freak on with dream guy. My hoo-ha has seen little action in the past three years and if I wasn’t getting any, at least dream me was. Lifting the pillow off my head slightly, I looked at the clock sitting on my end table. It read 4:32 AM.
Crap.
So much for getting back to Mr. Hot and Steamy. Removing the pillow from my face, I stuck my tongue out at Taylor. “There better be food ready woman, and coffee. You may be my best friend, but if you expect me to get my ass out of bed at this ungodly hour, there better be coffee.”
Taylor flipped on the lights, and I pulled the blanket over my head. Why did I agree to get up at the crack of dawn to get on the road? We lived in Seattle Washington, not Timbuctoo. It was going to take nine hours or less to drive to the resort, depending on who was driving. Which meant I was the one who was going to drive, since the other two drove like old grannies.
Six months ago, Taylor and Leigh Ann took it upon themselves to book this trip and tell me I had no choice but to go. It was either I cooperated, or they would tie me to the roof of the car, and I would be their personal bug repellent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we are doing this, but I am not a morning person.
“You know you want to see your favorite spots again. It’s all you ever talk about. Montana this, Montana that. I wish I could go back and see him. Blah, blah, blah. So get up!”
“I do not wish to see him again. He is the last person I want to see.” I snapped back.
Montana is known as God’s Country. Well, that is what the locals say anyway. I used to live in Montana three years ago, and ever since I left, all I can think about is going back.
I moved to Montana when I was twenty-one, after a horrible relationship, which nearly killed me. Moving to Montana was the best thing that ever happened to me, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. My cousin ended up getting me a job at Grouse Mountain Lodge, working as a front desk clerk. It was a great job, and the benefits were killer. Not to mention, I was able to meet people from all over the world. But a part of me always wanted to move back home to Seattle. That was until I met Ryan. He stole my heart, showed me the beauty of Glacier and then the fantasy was over. After six months of being together, he broke my heart, and I moved back to Seattle.
Montana always held a special place in my heart, and it was an experience I will never forget. But sometimes opening old wounds is not a good idea.
“Stop being so cranky, Fuzzy. You promised you wouldn't be a bitch this early in the morning. You know I don't do well with bitchiness without my coffee. I will shank you.”
“I’d like to see you try,” I mumbled.
“I heard that. Besides, this was your idea and you need to get out of this state for a bit. All you do is work, work, and more work. It is time to loosen up and let yourself go. Have a few one-night stands, get drunk, go skinny dipping, get freaky with your bad self.” Taylor was trying to pull the covers off me again but was struggling. She breathed heavily and grunted a few times when trying to pull. I may be a little excited to go on this trip, but sometimes it was fun just to mess with her.
“Is she out of bed yet?” Leigh Ann walked into my room, the moment I let go of the covers. I heard a loud thump and several curses thrown my way.
“You are going to pay for that later, Fuzzy.” Taylor was up off the floor and rubbing her backside. Rolling my eyes, I turned to face Leigh Ann and noticed she was carrying something delicious. Getting a whiff of what she made, my stomach started to growl.
“Is that chocolate chip waffles, bacon, sausage, and your famous blueberry muffins?” I wiped the drool that was starting to pool and threw off the remaining blankets still laying on me. It may be summertime, but being wrapped in thick comforter blankets in my ice cold room, was the only way I could sleep.
Leigh Ann was the best baker in the house and could make the meanest muffins you’ve ever tasted. Screw staying in bed and going back to sleep. My stomach was growling, and her food was calling my name.
“Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I knew you were going to be difficult this morning, so I made sure all your favorite foods were prepared. Plus, this trip may bring back some memories and I figured, why not make my famous muffins? You are always a sucker for food, but we do need to get going soon if we want to beat traffic.”
Leave it to Leigh Ann to be the rational one in the group. I used to be a morning person, but lately, I just seem to have lost my umph. I dated a few losers when I got back to Washington and tried the whole online dating thing, but it never worked out. All of the guys either wanted sex, was an old man pretending to be young, or were just plain creepy.
Leigh Ann even helped me create an account to track down a decent man, but it failed miserably. I received more dick pics than I care to admit. I mean, don't get me wrong, seeing a nice cock makes my insides twist and turns me on. But most of them looked like a tic tac with peas for balls. It was horrible.
So I gave up and dove headfirst, into work. This was the first vacation I had taken in three years, and I couldn't wait to show my best friends what wonders and mysteries Glacier held. It was the one place that made me feel at peace and helped me heal from what happened. I planned to retire to Montana one day, but now wasn't the time. I still wasn’t over Ryan.
“That was in the past. I don’t want to relive that.”
“It’s time to let go, Bree. And besides, you never know if you might see him again.”
“Fat chance that is going to happen. Besides, this is a girl’s trip. No guys allowed.” Leigh Ann was always worried I was going to die alone with my horde of cats and an obscene amount of movies. But to me, that was the perfect life. Going to comic con every year, stuffing my face with popcorn while watching my favorite movie of all time, or sitting down with my cat, Aurora, on my lap reading a good book. It was my life, and I loved it.
“Whatever you say, Fuzzy. But anyway, I am not giving you anything until you get your lazy ass in the shower and get cleaned up.”
“Oh come on, that is just cruel.” As I reached for the deliciousness in front of me, Leigh Ann stuck her hand out in front of her and stopped my attempts to attack her plate.
“We are not idiots. We give you food, and you will curl back in bed and waste the day away.” Taylor left the room, and Leigh Ann slammed the door behind her.
Once they left the room, I kicked myself into gear. It took me ten minutes to shower and get ready. I didn't care if my hair was decent or not, since we were going to be in a car for nine hours, but I wanted to be comfortable. Putting my hair up in a sloppy bun and making sure my bangs at least looked somewhat decent, I checked myself out in the mirror.
I may not be the skinniest girl in the world, but I was curvy in all the right places. My ass could fill out the perfect pair of shorts, and men used to say I had thighs for days. I worked my ass off to get the perfect summer body, but some things just won't go away. Since being back home, I started to have color back in my cheeks, and my hazel eyes had their old spark back. I used to care about wearing makeup all the time and trying to impress people, but now not so much.
If I weren't drowning in work, I would be losing myself in a good book or off hiking an unknown terrain. Nature called to my soul and going out to see the wonders that she holds, was the greatest thing in the world. But when it was pouring down rain outside, like it always does in Seattle, I would camp out on the sofa and binge watch my favorite movies.
I may have lost my umph in life, but to me, doing stuff on my own was what I wanted right now. Going out on dates with yourself, and not having to stress about having a relationship, was a breath of fresh air. Having a man in my life wasn’t in the picture right now or in the near future. Right now, I just wanted to have fun and do my own thing.
Taking one last look at myself in the mirror, I threw on my favorite Harry Potter t-shirt, black shorts, and Nikes, then ran downstairs.
Leigh Ann, Taylor, and I had been living together for almost two years. We rented a four bedroom, three bath house, with a small yard. It was small, but it was perfect. After everything that went down with my ex in Colorado, I needed my best friends more than anything. My ex in Colorado believed beating a woman to get what he wanted, was the way to go. I had enough of it and called my cousin. She packed me up, and we moved me to Montana.
My mom and best friends saved my life. I was in an abusive relationship and had to get out before it was too late. I was on the verge of killing myself when my family stepped in. No one knew how bad it was until I told them what was going on. So one moment I was living with my ex and the next my cousin and her husband drove to Colorado, packed up his truck with my stuff and drove me to Montana so I could start over. Ok, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but you get what I mean.
I planned on working during the summer and going from there, but then I met Ryan. He was the man who stole my heart and healed parts of me I never knew needed healing. We did everything together; hiking, biking, horseback riding, the works. But one night he left me with a note that said ‘I’m sorry’ and I never heard from him again. I told my mom all about what happened, and she was in Montana the next day. Ryan broke my heart and I was still angry from everything my ex did. If it wasn't for my mom saving me and dragging me home, by my hair, who knows what I would have done. She was my rock, and I had no idea how I would ever repay her or my two best friends.
Long story short, Montana was my saving grace, and I wanted to take my best friends with me to see why. There was something magical about Glacier. When you walk through the gates, there is a sense of calm that washes over you.
“I can't wait to see what hot men are going to be at the resort. I hope I find a cowboy to ride. City boys are starting to bore me.” I heard Leigh Ann say.
“Oh, Lord. You promised no guys, woman.” Taylor retorted.
“Ha! Like that will ever stop me. Oh! Forgot to tell you guys, I booked a trail ride at the local ranch so we can go horseback riding.” Leigh Ann pretended to put her leg on something and started smacking the air behind her.
“Are you pretending to ride a horse or a man?”
“You will never know! Ride ‘em, cowboy.”
All the cowboys in Montana better watch out, she is on the hunt. Making my way to the counter to get some breakfast, my foot caught the edge of the mat. One second I was drooling over the delicious food on the table and the next, I was making out with the hardwood floor.
Fuck that hurt.
I was never the most graceful person in the world, but come on. Can't I have at least one week without hurting myself? Last week I ran into the whiteboard at work and cut my arm so bad that I had to get a few stitches. Five stitches! My mother had a field day and gave me a ton of crap for it.
“Hey, Fuzzy. Might want to watch yourself. Don't want to add another surgery to your list, do you?” Taylor teased.
“Or add to your stitch count?” Leigh Ann giggled.
Yes, I am a klutz and yes I have had surgeries due to my clumsiness. Flipping them off, I pushed myself off the floor. I have had over fifteen surgeries in my lifetime; they involved adding metal into my body or putting pieces back together; don't even get me started on my stitch count. I started to lose count after the bench incident.
“Whatever, Bubbles. You're just jealous of my awesomeness.” Grabbing a plate off the counter, I piled it high with Leigh Ann’s famous muffins. Stuffing my face until my stomach couldn't handle any more food, I cleaned up and made my way to the garage.
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her purse and followed. “Keep dreaming, Fuzzy. I don’t want some foreign thing inside my body.”
“Leave Champ Bailey out of this. He is kick ass! The best donor graft a girl could ever have. My knee has never felt better.”
“Right, says the woman who had to get Champ Bailey II because her knee rejected the first one and decided to kill it off.”
Chuckling at our banter, we were piled into the car and on the road to Montana.
~*~
“Take a left onto Highway 135.” Leigh Ann said, looking at her phone. She was in charge of navigation, while I drove the car. I loved to drive, so I told the girls I would take the burden and they can chill out and do what they want. Taylor was passed out, snoring, in the back, while we were blaring the radio to Luke Bryan.
“Let's stop somewhere and get something to eat. I am starving.” Leigh Ann yelled over the radio. I nodded in agreement and went back to singing off key to Play It Again.
We had been on the road for seven hours already, and my stomach was starting to growl. About thirty minutes later, we stopped at a local taco shop and ordered eight Carne Asada Tacos, and they were to die for. They were loaded with meat, cheese, onion, and the best salsa on this side of the country.
After we stuffed our faces, and our bellies were full, we headed back on the road. We had less than two hours until we reached our destination and I couldn't wait to get to Great Northern Resort and explore. I was coming home.
The road was flat with brown grass all around, and hardly anyone was on the road. We passed a few lakes and small towns, but nothing would ever compare to when we pass the threshold and see the mountain pass for the first time. But what killed me was that there was no traffic. You would think, it being summertime, we would see more than two cars in the past two hours, but nope. We saw cows, cows, and more cows. Oh, wait… nope, more cows.
Heading off the freeway and into No Man’s Land, I knew we were close. We passed the threshold that revealed the mountain range, and there is no word on this earth that could describe what I was seeing. You just have to take my word for it. The top of the mountain’s peak seemed to touch the heavens, and there was still snow on top. I blushed silently to myself, recalling memories I wished I could forget.
Lost in the past, I squealed when Leigh Ann screamed and I almost ran us off the road.
“Brianna, look!” Leigh Ann was jumping up and down in her seat, freaking out. “We are here! We made it!”
“What the bloody hell, woman? I could have killed us!” I snapped, trying to calm my nerves.
“Oh, get over yourself. I have been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes. But when I saw the sign, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Now, look!” Leigh Ann pointed to the left, and her excitement was infectious.
“What the hell is going on?” Taylor awoke from her slumber, rubbing her eyes.
I followed where Leigh Ann’s finger was pointing and saw the Great Northern Resort sign. You could barely make out the main building from between the trees, but it was there.
We made it!
It was 2:32 in the afternoon and I was ready to take a nap, but at the same time, I wanted to check out all of my favorite spots. Driving for nine hours is exhausting. Plus, I needed to get out and stretch. My ass was killing me.
When the resort came into view, I had no words. There were twenty-six cabins along a gorgeous lake that didn't even look real. The forest line wrapped around the resort, encasing us in utter bliss. There was wildlife prancing around the open field, and you could see kids feeding the squirrels, ignoring the protests from their parents. The cabins were at least two hundred yards apart, and each had a custom design, no cabin was the same.
Taking a peek around the main lodge, I saw a glimpse of the lake that made my decision to stay here. From the pictures online, the lake was crystal clear with rocks of all different colors littering the ground, and you could see all the way to the bottom. I couldn't wait to dive in and get my tan on. But first, we needed to check in and get situated.
After checking in at the front desk, we received the keys to our cabin. We rented a three bed, two bath cabin that was two floors. There was a master bedroom with one king size bed and two guest rooms, each with a queen. Leigh Ann and Taylor decided to take the smaller beds and leave me the master suite.
Driving towards our cabin, I could hardly contain myself. Two weeks! Two weeks away from the city and out in the country. I was itching to get outside and see how much has changed since I left. Parking in front of our cabin, I raced out of the car and headed inside. Every surface of the cabin was made of wood. The staircase was made of old wagon wheels, and there was a fireplace fit for a queen. Pictures depicting Montana hung along the walls, and the furniture had a homey feel to it. Making my way to the kitchen, I heard the girls call out.
“Let’s unpack and go look around. I’m dying to see the area.” Taylor said, while hauling her suitcases inside.
I heard Leigh Ann struggle behind her and tried to keep my comments to myself. We were here for two weeks, and she packed six suitcases full of clothes, shoes, and whatever else. I loved her to death, but did she need to pack so much crap? I had two suitcases with me, and that was plenty. I planned to be in my bathing suit and hiking most of the time. I wasn't planning to go out partying or looking for trouble.
“Leigh Ann, why the hell did you pack so much shit? We are on vacation, and it is summer time. Why do you need all these clothes and shoes and whatever else you brought?” So much for keeping my comments to myself.
Leigh Ann walked past me and dragged her first suitcase up the stairs. She huffed and puffed until she made it to the top step. “For your information, I needed to make sure I had an outfit for every occasion. Just because we are on vacation does not mean that I won't find me a nice piece of man meat to keep me occupado. I need to make sure I am fully equipped,” She said with attitude.
I rolled my eyes and headed towards the kitchen. While they were busy unpacking, I was going to make us some lunch. The kitchen was small but had a homey feeling to it.
I went to see what the cabin came with, when I noticed every cupboard stocked with all the essentials needed to make food, and I was surprised to see the fridge stocked as well.
“Hey, guys? Did one of you call ahead to stock up?” I called out. I heard banging and drawers slamming upstairs. What in the world was going on up there?
“Coming!”
Taylor rounded the corner with Leigh Ann in tow. “I called the front office and asked if we could have food delivered here. I emailed them a list of things we needed, and they said they would stock up the place.” Score one for Taylor.
“Nifty! What's on the menu for lunch?” Leigh Ann asked.
I whipped together a few turkey sandwiches with a homemade salad, before we headed out to go exploring. Tomorrow we were scheduled for a two-night hiking trip that ended with water rafting down the mountain. I had been practicing for weeks on the river to make sure I wouldn't topple over the edge if things got rough. I loved water, but water did not love me.
The three of us finished lunch and headed out to the lake. It was the beginning of August, and the weather was perfect. The resort was on fifty acres, and it was peaceful. No sirens, no kids screaming next door; just open wilderness and animals frolicking about.
“You guys ready to go on the hike tomorrow? There will be about a dozen people in our group. It should be a blast. Also, after our two-day hike, we have the day at the ranch, then shopping, more shopping, and we also need to set aside time to check out the locals.” Leigh Ann was skipping along the lake and couldn't keep her voice down. She stopped every few skips to shake her ass at us and dance like the biggest dork I have ever seen.
“How the hell do you expect us to do all that and relax in two weeks? Besides, I told you this is a girl’s vacation. NO BOYS!”
Leigh Ann stopped skipping and gave me a wicked grin. “I don’t know about you, but I prefer men over boys. No wonder you haven’t gotten laid.”
Taylor laughed and looped her arm through mine, and we continued to check out the property, listening to Leigh Ann make a fool of herself. I was glad we decided to take two weeks off from the world.