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“The nature trail isn’t railed.”
“Railed?
Donovan smiled at me kindly, and I had to keep from choking out a laugh when Saint’s hand found its way onto my thigh. “There are no barriers on either side of the trail, preventing guests from exploring the wooded areas surrounding the retreat.”
“But there are plenty of warning signs up and down the trail,” Marilyn quickly added. “While we did our best to order signs that weren’t too…” She shook her head, trying to articulate her thoughts. “We wanted something that would blend in with the feel of this place, you know. Anyway, there are warning signs all up and down the trail, warning guests not to veer off the path. Everything looks the same once you deviate from the trail, so it’s so very easy to get lost out there.”
“Have you thought about building rails?” Lulee asked, and Marilyn pinched her lips, her dislike for Lulee’s question obvious. Or maybe it was just Lulee that she didn’t like.
“Yes, we have,” Richard answered. “However, it’s a natural trail, not man-made, so the permits and building costs would be too expensive, especially when all someone would have to do is climb over the fence to explore the trees. Our fence would have to be regulated because of where we’re located, and so we wouldn’t be able to build one tall enough to prevent a guest’s curiosity.”
“Not to mention the vandalism it would encourage,” Donovan added. “A wooden fence isn’t going to stop anyone. All it takes is the removal of one plank to sneak through.”
“We’ve done all that we can, even have the warnings in multiple languages,” Richard added. “We also have this conversation with all our new guests. We can’t express enough how important it is not to deviate from the natural trail if you do decide to take a walk.”
“Why not just block the mouth of the trail?” Kevin asked. “Wouldn’t that fix everything?”
“And take away from the beauty of this place?” Marilyn asked, clearly not appreciating the suggestion. “Ruin the atmosphere simply because people don’t care to follow the rules, heed the warnings?”
“Have many people gotten lost veering off the trail?” Saint asked, and Marilyn’s fingers fluttered against her chest, visibly upset by the question.
“Unfortunately, over the years, we’ve had a few people go missing,” Richard answered.
“Though most of our lost guests have been found, a few have been…still haven’t been rescued,” Donovan added quietly, and my hand automatically reached for the hand that Saint had on my thigh, and I squeezed. He’d used the word rescue like he still had hope for those poor souls.
“Honey, it’s okay,” Richard said softly, and when I looked over at Marilyn, she was dabbing the corner of her right eye with her napkin.
“It’s just…why…why can’t people just follow the rules?” she stammered, and I couldn’t make this weird woman out. One minute, she was judging us, then the next, she was emotional over guests that had chosen to ignore their warnings.
“Please understand,” Richard said. “Our purpose here is genuine. We really care about what we do here, you know, bringing couples together, helping them fall in love with each other again. You know, things like that.” He let out a heavy sigh. “So, when something tragic like that happens, separating families and the horror of it all…well, it’s…it’s not something that we can easily get over.”
“Of course, not,” Lulee remarked quietly. “I can’t imagine that it’s easy.”
“Now, we’d like to ask a favor,” Richard said, his kind hazel eyes looking us over.
“What’s that?” Cree asked.
“If Mr. Bison doesn’t appear before we leave, can you please relay the warning about the trail, should he meet up with you guys later on this evening?”
“The trail warnings are on the retreat brochure that we gave him, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll read it,” Donovan grumbled a bit. “We won’t be back until breakfast, so we’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“Of course,” Kevin automatically replied. “Not a problem.”
“Such an unpleasant topic,” Marilyn muttered to herself.
“But an important one,” Richard stated. “One lost life is one too many, honey.”
“Oh, I know that,” she sighed. “I just…if people are going to ignore the rules, why can’t they just exercise caution while doing it, huh?”
“Right, like using a condom if you’re cheating on your partner,” Lulee said crassly.
Marilyn immediately bristled as Saint turned his hand over to thread his fingers between mine. “While that’s not the analogy thatIwould have used, I supposed that’s apropos to make a point.”
“Well, we’ll make sure to stay on the trail if we do decide to explore,” I promised. “And we’ll be sure to let Trevor know about the warnings, though it sounded like he plans on leaving as soon as he gets enough rest.”
“True,” Marilyn murmured.
“Well, we’ll get started on cleaning up-”
