Page 16 of Found By You
He pushed the door open and held the screen door for me.
I walked inside, appreciating the decor. I could tell that he was a bachelor—I couldn’t understand why I knew that and didn’t know my own name. The cabin smelled of pine and something else—coffee, maybe, and a hint of whatever cologne he wore.
The home’s interior embraced the log cabin style, with exposed wooden beams crossing the ceiling and a stone fireplace dominating one wall. There were blankets draped over a worn leather couch. A series of pictures was lined up on the mantel.
He pointed down the hallway. “This way. There’s two rooms and two bathrooms—one in the hallway and one in my room. I hope that’s okay.”
I was startled. He thought it wouldn’t be okay? “Of course. Thank you.”
He led me down the hall to the second door, and when he opened it, I could see what he meant. The room was being used for storage, boxes stacked against one wall.
He put the bag down. “You might want to go wait in the main room. You can wander around, go out on the deck. I just have to move some of these boxes and stuff, and then I’ll come get you.”
“Oh, sure.” I backed up. It seemed like he wanted to do this alone. He was shooing me with his hand, so I left him to it and returned to the main area.
I wandered over to explore the kitchen. It was decent, with knotty pine cabinets and a large window above the sink that looked out toward the lake. There were some older appliances, but the island looked nice; it’d probably been installed more recently. On one side of the kitchen, he’d organized his cutting boards and had a magnetic strip with a bunch of knives. Suddenly, I could picture him cooking, with his sleeves rolled up and muscles moving as he chopped vegetables.
I peered out at the lake. Curious, I unlocked the side door and walked out onto the deck. The porch swing’s chains creaked softly in the breeze. Some kind of outdoor heater was set up near a bench.
The deck extended toward the water. I made my way to the edge and looked out right over the lake. It was gorgeous, the water stretching out before me, trees lining the opposite shore. A rowboat was tied up at the end of a small dock. I could see him rowing, the image clear in my mind, though I had no memory of ever seeing it. It was peaceful here.
I sucked in a long breath, and those familiar questions rolled around in my head. Didn’t I have any family? Did someone love me? Did I have a man that cooked for me?
The door opened and then dropped into place with a soft thud. “What do you think?” McCrae moved beside me.
He had slipped into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders. If I knew him better, I would have teased him about the uniform.
It didn’t seem appropriate now, so I fixed my attention on the lake. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you want to be here.”
He shrugged and then pointed up one side of the lake, up to a cliff edge area where trees gave way to rocky outcroppings. “My family lives up over that way, up the road here, but they have a nice view of this lake on the other side.” The light caught his profile, highlighting the strong line of his jaw. “I actually have property over there. Bought it. One day, I’ll probably build a house over by all of them. Well, Noah and Damon have a place that way. Damon’s is still in the process of being constructed; Noah’s is done.”
Interested, I leaned against the railing; the wood was warm against my arms. “Okay, so who are all of your siblings?”
“Right. You’re not from around here and you can’t remember anything.” He scoffed.
I scoffed too, a strange camaraderie forming between us despite the circumstances. “Nope.”
He smiled again.
“Why are you giving me that look?”
He looked shocked for a minute. Then he put his hand to his chest in mock offense. “What look?”
I let out a light laugh. “The kind of look that … I don’t know if you are teasing me or not.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Anyway, back to your question. Noah’s my oldest brother, and he works for search and rescue right now, but for a long time he was gone. That’s a whole other story.” He leaned against the railing, his arm inches from mine. “My second brother is Damon. I think you’ve met him. He’s the police chief.”
I shook my head, trying to sort through the foggy memories of the past day. “I think so.”
McCrae waved a hand through the air. “And then it’s me, and then my brother Dylan. He’s back from law school.”
I snapped my fingers, the sound sharp in the quiet evening air. “Wait a second, an attorney? Yes, I think I did meet him last night too.”
He nodded. “Yep, and then you’ve met Kayla.” He said it like it was significant somehow.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Your mom and sister are really nice.” The words caught in my throat, emotion suddenly welling up unexpectedly. “They …”
“For the most part, they’re nice, but not if they’re trying to torment you,” he said quickly. “But they would never tormentyou. Just me.” His tone was light, clearly trying to distract me from the emotions threatening to overwhelm me.
